VZCZCXRO0639
PP RUEHBC RUEHCHI RUEHDBU RUEHDH RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHNH
RUEHPW RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHPF #0003/01 0050521
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 050521Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1522
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC 0195
RHMFISS/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHHJJAA/JICPAC HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 PHNOM PENH 000003 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS, S/CT, EAP/PD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/27/2019 
TAGS: PTER PGOV KPAO PREL CB
SUBJECT: CAMBODIA'S VULNERABLE MUSLIM MINORITY: EMBASSY 
EFFORTS TO BRIDGE THE GAPS 
 
REF: A. PHNOM PENH 170 (CAMBODIA'S HIGHEST MUSLIM LEADER 
        DISCUSSES CHALLENGES) 
     ¶B. 08 PHNOM PENH 968 (WHATEVER HAPPENED TO UMM 
        AL-QURA) 
     ¶C. 07 PHNOM PENH 1363 (THE "FUNDAMENTALIZING" OF 
        CAMBODIA'S MUSLIM MINORITY) 
 
Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES THEODORE ALLEGRA FOR REASONS 1.4 (B,D) 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Cambodia is home to approximately 400,000 
Muslims, known as the Cham, who are viewed as generally well 
integrated into society by the Cambodian government and by 
the Cham themselves.  Cambodia's Cham live in extreme poverty 
and have low education levels, high illiteracy rates, and 
poor health indicators.  Cambodia also has porous borders, 
rampant corruption, easy access to forged documents and 
black-market weapons, and weak rule of law.  All of these 
factors work together to make Cambodia an attractive haven 
for criminals and extremists, and make the Cham, especially 
the unemployed youth, susceptible to the potential of 
radicalization and violent extremism.  The Royal Government 
of Cambodia (RGC) has in recent years increased its capacity 
in counterterrorism with U.S. support and believes it has a 
relatively strong handle on individuals and groups connected 
with terrorism.  However, gaps still exist in the RGC's 
ability to identify and counter unpredictable yet urgent 
threats.  The Embassy employs a "persistent presence" 
approach and actively engages the Cham community as a whole. 
Examples of such positive engagement include Ramadan 
celebrations, sports diplomacy, education and exchange 
programs, emergency relief, medical clinics, and general 
outreach. END SUMMARY. 
 
-------- 
THREATS 
-------- 
 
¶2. (C) Branches or affiliates of NGOs suspected of extremist 
support such as the Revival for Islamic Heritage (RIHS) and 
the World Assembly for Muslim Youth (WAMY) are known to be 
active in Cambodia.  Tales of infighting, corruption and 
ineptness have reportedly led to little progress in the way 
of radicalization.  However, Cambodia's known deep 
vulnerabilities, culture of corruption and limited ability to 
govern and maintain law and order make it susceptible to 
external influences that are using NGOs and massive donations 
as the vessel to disseminate their message to the Cham.  This 
at-risk segment of the population is accepting help with 
essential services, educational aid and mosque construction 
from NGOs who have direct ties to tier 1 and tier 2 Terrorist 
Support Entities from the Middle East.  Although this 
emergent threat is not linear and progressive, it is and will 
continue to reflect the very real efforts to perpetuate a 
safehaven in Cambodia in which a vulnerable and welcoming 
Muslim population remains susceptible to money, ideology, and 
influence from beyond its borders. 
 
¶3. (C) Many of the threats such as endemic corruption, porous 
borders, lack of capacity to counter terrorism, and weak rule 
of law pertain not only to Cambodia, but also to other 
countries in the region.  And although current U.S. 
counterterrorism policy and strategy appropriately focuses on 
other countries in the region for specific tasks, the desired 
effects of U.S. strategy are relevant to the entire region, 
including Cambodia.  For that reason, an updated strategy 
would benefit from widening the scope of effects to include 
an emphasis on the broader region for improvement of maritime 
cooperation, connectivity, and interoperability, as well as 
for coordination of economic aid, security assistance, 
information operations, and capacity building to reduce 
safehavens. 
 
------------- 
RGC STEPS UP 
------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) The RGC has long recognized that Bali bombing 
mastermind Hambali's safehaven in Cambodia provided a wakeup 
call to get serious about counterterrorism (Ref B). 
Hambali's stay at a Muslim school in Cambodia in 2002-2003, 
and subsequent arrest, forced Cambodian officials to become 
more involved in monitoring the Cham community and outside 
influences.  The RGC has also worked to better incorporate 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000003  002 OF 003 
 
 
the Cham into society by allowing traditional clothing in 
schools, building a prayer room at the airport, and 
appointing dozens of Cham to high-level government positions. 
 According to the Cambodian Muslim Student Association 
president Sos Mousine, many more Cham are attending colleges 
or universities in the country than before, and almost 
one-third of those attending are female.  He considers this 
to be a direct result of recent government actions directed 
at Cham integration. 
 
¶5. (SBU) A late 2008 study conducted by the American 
Institutes for Research on the marginalization of Cham Muslim 
communities found that Cham have been assimilating into 
mainstream society in various ways.  It also found that 
"feelings of exclusion, if and when they exist among Cham 
communities in Cambodia today, are much more subtle and 
difficult to detect."  According to the study, evidence did 
not point to "feelings of alienation or extremism among the 
Cham communities interviewed."  A March 2009 interagency 
conflict assessment also found "no significant evidence of 
serious or widespread tensions" between the Cham and Khmer, 
and determined that the Cham see religion as "a source of 
discipline, not radicalization."  Most recently, an August 
2009 survey conducted by the International Republican 
Institute found that the majority of the Cham feel they have 
become more involved in Cambodian society over the past ten 
years.  Only 2% felt they get along poorly with the Buddhist 
community, however 23% of Buddhists felt they have a poor 
relationship with the Cham community.  Finally, 83% of the 
Cham sample had a favorable opinion of the United States, 
compared with 89% of the general sample. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The above findings are in contrast to earlier 
research on Cham religious schools conducted by Bjorn 
Blenglsi.  Blenglsi's research emphasized the "possibility 
for violent jihad interpretations in Cambodia where 
fundamentalist strains of Islam are gaining ground." 
Blengsli determined that "Islam in Cambodia is changing," and 
that "skepticism towards the West is increasing and many 
Muslims are aware of and oppose the USA."  The Mufti recently 
dismissed such radicalization of the Cham as "old news." (Ref 
A).  When a potential drama series (detailed below) was 
discussed with Cham leaders, they agreed to the general idea 
but were adamant that they would not support any portrayal of 
radicalism in Cambodia.  Their main argument was that since 
Hambali, there has been "no sign of extremism in Cambodia," 
and that this has been due to the "efforts of the RGC working 
in harmony with Cham leaders to prevent any sort of radical 
foothold." 
 
----------------- 
EMBASSY STEPS IN 
----------------- 
 
¶7. (C) RGC officials believe they have done a good job at 
keeping radicals and money with questionable ties out of 
Cambodia in the last few years.  While soft approaches to 
combating the influence of violent extremist elements within 
the Cham community remains the priority effort within the 
U.S. Mission in Phnom Penh, the country team recognizes that 
the Cambodian Government lacks the capability to respond to 
terrorist incidents across the full spectrum.  With strong 
commitment by the Cambodian government, the United States 
supported the creation of a National Counter-Terrorism 
Committee (NCTC).  This interagency body, under the direct 
authority of the Prime Minister, is responsible for 
coordinating the country's security elements and intelligence 
apparatus to counter any direct threat posed by violent 
extremist organizations and their supporting elements. 
 
¶8. (C)  Through regular U.S. Special Operations Forces 
(USSOF) Joint Combined Exchanges for Training (JCETs) and 
persistent engagement by USSOF personnel from the Pacific 
Command Augmentation Team, the Embassy is slowly beginning to 
build tactical and technical capacity within a select joint 
unit comprised of Cambodian Military and Military Police 
operating under the NCTC.  The Federal Bureau of 
Investigation has also conducted training and exchanges in 
forensic post-blast investigations, and several members of 
Cambodia's law enforcement community have received U.S. 
Treasury training on CT Financing or attended CT-related 
training at ILEA in Bangkok. The Embassy is also currently 
undertaking a maritime security capacity building project in 
 
PHNOM PENH 00000003  003 OF 003 
 
 
an effort to close porous maritime borders to potential 
transit by Terrorist Support Entities through the creation of 
a central coordination authority for maritime security within 
the government and associated operational capacity building 
within the Cambodian Navy and National Police maritime units. 
 
¶9. (U) In addition to general outreach into Cham communities 
which include school visits, mosque openings, 
micro-scholarships, and exchanges, the Embassy added to the 
success of last year's outreach into provincial Cambodia by 
again holding a Ramadan event outside of Phnom Penh.  The 
Embassy worked closely with the deputy Imam of Kampong Cham 
province to ensure we reached the widest possible audience, 
which included imams, community leaders, religious teachers, 
and especially students from four of the poorest Cham 
districts.  The President's Ramadan address was dubbed into 
Khmer and shown to guests prior to serving a halal meal.  All 
eyes were glued to the screen, and many of the participants 
actively discussed the President's message during the meal. 
One student from Kampong Cham declared "The U.S. President is 
black, and I've been invited to share a meal with a female 
U.S. Ambassador.  This is like heaven."  Zakarya Adam, a 
Parliamentarian and deputy Mufti, stated that the Iftar 
"offers us friendship and deepens the relationship among our 
peoples regardless of our religious beliefs."  The Embassy 
provided each guest with a translated copy of the latest 
version of "Being Muslim in America" as well as the 2010 
Richness and Diversity calendar.  Both events received 
positive press, and imams from various communities have 
requested we visit them next year. 
 
¶10. (SBU) The Embassy continues to utilize the Ambassador's 
Fund for Counterterrorism to further engage with the Muslim 
minority.  The "Islam for Law Enforcement" seminars conducted 
in April have been followed by an Islamic Law and Human 
Rights seminar and circus performances in Cham communities 
which incorporate the messages of trust, tolerance and 
integration presented in prior seminars.  Moreover, a sports 
diplomacy project which incorporates messages of community 
and tolerance is planned to begin in January. 
 
¶11. (SBU) The Department of Defense's (DoD) Civil Affairs 
team works closely with both State and USAID when planning 
and implementing humanitarian projects.  Medcaps, Dentcaps, 
and civil engineering construction visits all target both 
Cham and Khmer villages with noticeable and immediate results 
evidenced by the smiling faces and camaraderie shown by the 
villagers.  Further DoD funding has been used for 
infrastructure development, to include playgrounds and sports 
facilities, in schools in some of the poorest and most 
conservative of Cham communities.  Additionally, a television 
drama series is being developed which will incorporate social 
issues confronting Cham and Khmer alike with a focus on 
tolerance, friendship, and inclusion. 
 
¶12. (U) Most recently the Embassy was able to quickly 
mobilize and respond to an emergency in the Cham community by 
providing over 80 boxes of clothing and mosquito nets for 
approximately 2000 individuals affected by a fire which 
leveled hundreds of homes.  The Mufti stated the U.S. Embassy 
was the first to respond to the humanitarian needs of the 
community.  The goodwill this one action created cannot be 
overstated. 
 
¶13. (C) COMMENT: Although certain Muslim areas in Cambodia 
can certainly be termed conservative or even Salafist, the 
radicalization of the small Cham population does not seem to 
have materialized as quickly or to the extent feared by 
experts even as little as two years ago.  Embassy officials 
have found villages previously reported to be closed to 
foreigners open to engagement, especially if that engagement 
includes assistance with health and education.  While large 
gaps remain in the RGC's ability to investigate and respond 
to immediate terrorist threats, it would appear that the 
RGC's few but important efforts to integrate the Cham, 
coupled with U.S. humanitarian and outreach activities, have 
succeeded in increasing understanding and goodwill. 
Continued monitoring, engagement, and resources directed 
toward such preventative programs will be key to addressing 
gaps and ensuring this trend continues. END COMMENT. 
ALLEGRA