Police Out in Force for Francophonie Summit

PHNOM PENH – Cambodia will deploy nearly 20,000 police to maintain security and order across the capital for the 20th Francophonie Summit in mid-November.

Yim Leang, Deputy General Commissioner of the National Police and head of specialized operations, revealed the number to BTV.

The deployment from 30 units reflected the country’s readiness and capability in protecting the security and safety for the world leaders from the French speaking community.

At the National Committee for the Organization of the 20th Francophonie Summit’s meeting on October 26, Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, who is the co-chair of the committee, said Cambodia is to host 90 countries, including France led by President Emmanuel Macron.

Among these, 53 countries are full member states and 32 are observer states, while three others are non-full member states.

Cambodia will also organize the Village Francophone under the theme “The Khmer Smile will be the Smile of Francophonie”; the Francophone Innovation fair under the name “FrancoTech” for bringing together companies and startups in technology-related fields; and the Francophone Entrepreneurs Meeting (REF), which aims to tie economic cooperation closer between the Francophone community to be present during the summit.

The security assurance, therefore, is not only for the summit, but the joint force will also be covering general traffic and order during the organization of three side events in the capital.

Cambodia will turn these events into opportunities to present its potentials in sectors of fine arts, culture, tourism and economy to the community, thereby attracting French-speaking tourists and investors.

The 19th summit was hosted by France in 2024, taking place in Villers-Cotterets and Paris. Starting in 1986, the summit is a forum in which the members of International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) gather every two years to discuss and exchange views on global issues, including international politics, global economy, Francophone cooperation, human rights, education, culture and democracy.

The OIF has 88 members, including 54 full-member states, seven non-full member states and 27 observer states. Cambodia has been a full-member state since 1993 after having served as an observer for two years.

According to France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, French is the 5th most widely spoken language in the world and is 4th most used language on the internet. It’s spoken by 396 million people and learned by 170 million more.