The Cambodian government has demolished a U.S.-built facility at the country’s Ream Naval Base, according to satellite imagery collected by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, on October 1.
The demolition took place sometime after September 5 and the building was one of several U.S.-funded facilities on the base which were reportedly to be relocated after Cambodia struck a secret deal to grant China access to Ream.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the recent demolition seems to confirm that changes are underway at the naval base and again raises questions about rumored Chinese access.
Namely, in July 2019, the Wall Street Journal had reported that Cambodia and China had signed a secret agreement giving China access to Ream in return for the construction of new infrastructure at the base.
The building demolished last month was the Tactical Headquarters of the National Committee for Maritime Security.
After the Wall Street Journal’s report, Cambodian officials denied the existence of a deal, with Prime Minister Hun Sen calling it “the worst-ever made-up news against Cambodia” and citing the Cambodian constitution, which forbids the hosting of foreign military bases in the country.
