ILEA Bangkok Alumni Networking Event in Cambodia

Published October 20, 2022

On October 19, 2022, the International Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) in Bangkok, Thailand, led by Deputy Program Director Kimberly Jones, Deputy Director Kyle Rego, and Police Colonel Panarat Norasee, Chief of Academic Affairs, visited the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh. The ILEA Bangkok team met with representatives from the U.S. Embassy and it’s federal agencies, including the Acting DCM, the Regional Security Office (RSO), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Legal Attaché Office (LEGAT)and the Political Section.

Deputy Director Jones provided an overview of the ILEA programs and discussed potential future collaboration among agencies. She further introduced the upcoming training programs of 2023 to the attendees. After the meeting, both Deputies paid a courtesy call to Ambassador W. Patrick Murphy.

On the following day, ILEA Bangkok hosted an Alumni Networking Event in Phnom Penh with 100 attendees from the U.S. Embassy and ILEA Bangkok alumni from the Cambodia National Police (CNP), General Department of Customs and Excise, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, and other law enforcement agencies in Cambodia. At the event, ILEA Bangkok was honored and grateful to have Ambassador W. Patrick Murphy as our guest of honor.

Deputy Director Jones kicked off the event by welcoming all attendees and displayed the video presentation of the newly upgraded training facilities in Bangkok and at the Law Enforcement Tactical Training Center (LETTC) in Cha-am, followed by the opening remarks by Ambassador W. Patrick Murphy.

Ambassador W. Patrick Murphy addressed the importance of ILEA mission and law enforcement cooperation within the region to combat transnational crimes and confront threats to the nation. As combating transnational crime is a group effort, he encouraged all attendees to take this opportunity of this event to continue partnerships and expand their professional networks.

He additionally provided the remarkable success story of Police Major General Top Samphy, Chief of Legislation and Legal Assistance Section, an ILEA alumnus who graduated from Law Enforcement Leadership Course. Police Major General Samphy applied his knowledge and techniques acquired from the training and successfully investigated and proved a prison's officer's guilt.

Another great example was four officers from Cambodia's Royal Gendarmerie who successfully investigated and arrested two suspects and seized over 30 domestic and imported wildlife parts.

ILEA Bangkok concluded the event by presenting ILEA Global Network (IGN) and ILEA Alumni Portal where all ILEA graduates throughout the globe can reach out for contact information of other alumni as well as share their success stories and exchange information about cases.

For 24 years, more than 1,700 law enforcement officers from the Kingdom of Cambodia graduated from ILEA programs. We are grateful and proud to be a part of their professional growth and cherish our long-lasting friendship with our Cambodian alumni. ILEA wish them success in their careers and continue our future cooperation.

For more photos, please visit https://alumni.ilea.state.gov/Phnompenh-Oct22