Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Bedeski, Robert, Andrew Andersen and Santo Darmosumarto. 1998 ‘South East Asia and the Russian Far East.’ Small Arms Trade and Proliferation in East Asia; Working Paper No. 24. Vancouver: Institute of International Relations, University of British Columbia. 1 September
Relevant contents
South East Asia and the Russian Far East
Many of the small arms that have been intercepted and confiscated point to Russia as another major source of supply. Some of these weapons were left over from past conflicts in Indochina (Cambodia and Vietnam), but there are signs that new Russian small arms are also in circulation.
Cambodia and Vietnam import Russian weapons for defence purposes, but there is a possibility that theft and corruption among military officials have allowed weapons to fall into non-military hands. Such conditions may be more prevalent in Cambodia, where stability has been uncertain since last year's coup.
Vietnam is another source of small arms in the region. Seizure of weapons from Vietnamese trawlers (some of the Vietnamese "fishermen" appear to be former military personnel) in the South China Sea raises the possibility that Vietnamese military stores are being looted by soldiers and that weapons leftover from past conflicts are making their way into neighbouring states.
There is demand for small arms in Vietnam, but the country is increasingly becoming a transshipment area for weapons originating from China and Russia. The weapons enter Vietnam through its porous northern borders and move to its ports before they are loaded onto cargo ships. Russian weapons are also arriving directly at Vietnamese ports where they are further dispersed throughout the region and possibly beyond.
Last accessed at:
http://www.iir.ubc.ca/pdffiles/webwp24.pdf