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Conditions of Service - FARK - Forces Armées Royales Khmères

The general environment and physical conditions surrounding military life had not changed significantly since French colonial times. Many of the facilities of the colonial era continued in use, and many of the newer ones still adhered to familiar French patterns. The life of the serviceman, though not one of ease, was not particularly austere, and he was, for the most part, weH cared for by the authorities. He was respected and weH compensated, and the conditions under which he served rated relatively high in comparison with normal local standards.

Military posts were scattered throughout the country, with a heavy concentration in the Phnom Penh area. Although primitive by Western standards they compared favorably with most civilian facilities and adequately met the needs of the services. In general, quarters, food and pay were as good as a man could find outside the service and often were considerably better. There were separate accommodations for officers, and on most stations, housing for families was provided. Troop barracks were mostly of tropical wooden frame construction, but occasionally there were more elaborate buildings of stucco and. tile.

There were other advantages that added attraction to a military career, such as medical care, retirement pay, accrued leave and survivor benefits. Rations were generally superior in both quality and quantity to the food consumed by much of the population; standards of nutrition were higher and provided greater variety and a more balanced diet. Although menus were built on a rice base and were repetitious from a European point of view, meals conformed to local dietary patterns, and the average soldier considered himself well fed.

There were no reliable figures on current pay scales, but it was evident that the military were adequately paid by Southeast Asian standards. Basic pay rates were raised moderately in 1967. The figures available for 1965 ranged from the equivalent of $14.65 a month for a private first class to $192.00 for a colonel (and navy or air force counterparts). A master sergeant received $43.00 a month; and a captain, $97.71. In addition to base pay, there was a wide variety of supplementary allowances for officers and men, including family and station allowances, as well as additional compensation for specialists, paratroops and flying personnel. Every man received a fixed ration allowance, and there were generous reenlistment bonuses and equipment allowances for officers and men.

In 1967 retirement procedures still followed the French army 8ystem. Retirement could be for disability, length of service or age apd could be statutory or granted on request. Retired pay was geared to length of service and grade held; a man may retire with a partial pension after 15 years' active duty; he was entitled to a full pension after 25 years' service. The retirement plan was contributory, 6 percent of a man's pay being withheld each month. Service leave policies were liberal; all ranks accrued ordinary leave at the rate of 30 days a year, with special provisions for emergency situations.

All military personnel received free medical treatment at military hospitals or infirmaries, and members of the immediate family were eligible for treatment where facilities were available. Although there was a shortage of military doctors, medical service was maintained at a relatively high level. There was a well-equipped 120-bed military hospital in Phnom Penh, and three 30-bed dispensaries were located at Kompong Speu, Battambang and Kompong Cham. These were built and furnished through the United States Agency for International Development (AID) program, and they had modern dental, X-ray and laboratory equipment. Smaller dispensaries had been set up in several of the border provinces, where they offer treatment to the hill tribesmen in the area as well as to military personnel and their dependents.

Very little information is available on military justice or the conduct of courts-martial. The average serviceman had a background of traditional respect for authority and deference to his eiders; he considered obedience a normal adjunct of military life; therefore, discipline was not a major problem in the armed forces. In general, the French system of military justice was followed. There was one permanent four-man court which sat at General Headquarters in Phnom Penh and handled the more serious cases involving members of the armed forces. Commanding officers had relatively wide disciplinary powers, and court-martial was generally resorted to only in cases of major offenses.