Observers say off bank payrolls and lack of social | RSS.com
Social observers in Cambodia say the state’s failure to pay military salaries through the banking system and its decision not to include soldiers in the national social security scheme amount to a serious strategic error in strengthening national defence.
Analysts argue that concerns over information security have been used to justify keeping military pay outside formal banking channels and excluding soldiers from the National Social Security Fund, known as NSSF. They say this approach undermines efforts to modernise military administration and weakens social protection for service members.
Writing on Facebook on Tuesday, Pa Chanroeun, president of the Cambodia Institute for Democracy, said paying soldiers through banks is a basic marker of good governance and transparency in modern public administration. He said the system helps ensure salaries reach soldiers directly and reduces the risk of irregularities.
Pa Chanroeun noted that advanced countries, including the United States, France, and Japan, have long paid their armed forces through banking systems. He added that Cambodia could adopt secure, encrypted digital payment platforms to protect sensitive information while maintaining confidentiality and national security.
He also rejected the idea that military hospitals could replace a comprehensive social security system, calling it a fundamental misunderstanding of the difference between medical treatment and social protection.
Pa Chanroeun said social security offers far broader benefits, including protection against work-related risks such as injury or disability and long-term pension sustainability, none of which can be provided by military hospitals alone. He added that social security coverage would allow soldiers to access healthcare nationwide, particularly in emergencies or when stationed in remote areas.
He argued that extending NSSF cards to soldiers’ families would strengthen national defence by improving family welfare, boosting morale, and reinforcing loyalty within the armed forces. He said it would also act as a financial safety net for lower-income soldiers who are vulnerable to high family healthcare costs.
At a public forum on macroeconomic management and the 2026 national budget on February 2, Chan Sothea, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, said the government’s decision not to use bank transfers or issue NSSF cards to the military was linked to national defence considerations.
Chan Sothea said that while soldiers do not use NSSF cards, they receive free treatment at military hospitals, which the government has strengthened. He added that during past clashes with Thailand, civilian hospitals also treated soldiers free of charge. The government, he said, also provides a daily food allowance of 20,000 riel to soldiers receiving medical care to help cover living costs.
However, several Cambodian soldiers told The Cambodia Daily on condition of anonymity that unit-based cash salary payments are vulnerable to serious corruption. They said commanding officers routinely deduct portions of soldiers’ pay under various pretexts without clear justification.
