Although Cambodia's Cham Muslims are a "very peaceful and tolerant group," there is a growing concern they receive funds from outside extremists, the US ambassador to Cambodia said this week.
A lot of money was coming into Cambodia's Chams from groups spreading a violent, intolerant form of Islam, which have a lot of resources and are attracted to poor communities, Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said at a talk in Washington Monday.
Meanwhile, Cambodia and the US continue to work on counter-terrorism, Interior Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Khieu Sopheak said.
The ambassador was right to be concerned, because terrorism can grow if countries don't pay attention, he said.
Adhoc President Thun Saray said many countries face extremism, and not always from Muslims, but Cambodian authorities should pay attention to ensure terrorism is not a threat here in the future.