By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
07 August 2009

More than 170 disabled former soldiers gathered in protest Friday against the provincial authorities of Banteay Meanchey, who they say have not paid them a raise in their monthly disability benefits.

All disabled soldiers in Cambodia receive monthly compensation of varying amounts depending on rank. Each of the 173 protesters in Banteay Meanchey should receive between 80,000 riel and 250,000 riel, about $20 to $62.

That amount includes a 20 percent bump provided by a directive from Prime Minister Hun Sen in 2008.

But soldiers say they are not seeing the raise in their monthly payments, and that those payments sometimes don’t arrive at all.