ABUSE OF CAMBODIANS ON UN MISSION IS IGNORED
By David Pugliese

April 29, 1997 – (Ottawa Citizen; Southam Newspapers?) No serious disciplinary action has been taken against Canadian naval officers who verbally and physically abused Cambodians during a United Nations mission.

Liberal MP John Richardson, parliamentary secretary to Defence Minster Doug Young, said Friday there may have been some minor sanctions taken against the officers who called Cambodians "gooks" and "slopes" and in one incident, grabbed a Cambodian tourism minister by the neck during a dispute. ButRichardson said no one has been court-martialled because of the incidents during the 1992-93 mission to Cambodia.

"Certainly no major disciplinary action was taken," he said. Military police reported that in another case an officer carried a pistol in violation of rules that UN observers be unarmed. Investigators also said the officer verbally abused his own men. Other allegations were made by Canadian military personnel that some Canadian officers were involved in gun-smuggling and operating a prostitution ring.

Police could not find evidence to support either allegation although one of the officers acknowledged he was often in the company of prostitutes and his Cambodian girlfriend operated a massage parlor in the same building from which prostitutes operated.

Richardson tried to distance the Liberal government from the incidents, pointing out that at the time the Conservatives were in power. But the military police investigations continued well into the Liberal regime, according to the documents.

Richardson refused to comment on whether the military had told former defence minster David Collenette of the problems. Richardson acknowledged that the first he heard of the wrongdoing was after newspaper reports Thursday based on an Access to Information file. He said he would talk to Young about the problem.

But the heavily censored files show senior military officials were extreme concerned the public might find out about the incidents and worried about the resulting "political fallout." The investigations into the Cambodian problems were being conducted as theSomalia scandal was also unfolding.

The latest problems to plague the Armed Forces have prompted opposition MPs to demand answers from the government in the Commons.

"The indications are that action should have, and could have, been taken and wasn't taken and that indicates a lack of leadership," said Reform MP Jack Frazer, a former military officer. "Things were obviously out of kilter and people were there who should have taken action and obviously didn't.
There's no point in sweeping these things under the rug."

Documents show a variety of problems during the Cambodia mission:

In one incident, an officer took fellow Canadians on a tour of a refugee camp, yelling obscenities and racist epithets at refugees, according to witness statements. That prompted refugees to spit at the UN officials as they drove through the camp.

A Canadian military member filmed himself and his girlfriend having sex and added it to a video on the Cambodian mission sent to military offices in Canada. At one point the video was played for soldiers and an American guest at a Toronto armory.

One officer became mentally unstable during the mission and other Canadian military personnel refused to go on patrol with him. They testified he mistreated Cambodians and jeopardized the safety of other Canadians. Apparently he also fired off naval cannons on patrol boats without permission. Several people reported the officer got violently angry. The officer acknowledged to military police that he was under "stress" at the time.

An officer was recalled to Canada after a former Ottawa Citizen employee made an allegation of misconduct against him. The female Citizen employee was in Cambodia to take photographs of Canadian peacekeepers.

More than $5,700 was stolen or lost from funds that were set aside for the sailors to purchase supplies in Cambodia.