Cambodia looks to reset ties with US
03 Jun 2021, 05:55 GMT+10
Singapore, June 3 (ANI): Cambodia, China s closest ally in south-east Asia, looks to reset ties with US amid a landmark visit to Phnom Penh by US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.
Chris Barrett writing in The Sydney Morning Herald said Cambodia is viewed as vassal of China, but there are signs emerging of discomfort from within the one-party south-east Asian nation about its over-dependence on the superpower.
The visit of Sherman on Tuesday coincided with a column from Prime Minister Hun Sen in Cambodia s state-owned news agency. It said it was time for the US and Cambodia, in China s shadow, to reset ties , reported The Sydney Morning Herald.
The likely closure of the ASIS station in Kabul could create a perception Australia only participated in the 20-year Afghan war to please the US government.
As the African proverb goes, when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. The intensifying China-US rivalry is putting mounting pressure on smaller countries, and Southeast Asian economies are no exception.
As Australia's embassy in Kabul closed on Friday, security guards who worked there have been told they are now eligible to apply for refugee status in Australia.
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Amir has pulled his children out of school as he fears they ll be targeted because of his work with Australia.
Constantly moving homes and changing his appearance, he tries to protect himself from those who may want to do him harm because he seen as someone who has assisted the West.
“Everybody is concerned in our country - especially those people that are working with the foreigners,” he told SBS News.
“Maybe tomorrow, maybe one week, maybe after one year the Taliban will come.”
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The 36-year-old has worked as a security guard at Australia s embassy in Kabul for more than a decade.