The Cambodian Prime Minister, Hun Sen, has told senior military officials the size of the armed forces must be cut down.

He said he wanted money from the defence budget to be diverted to health, education and social welfare.

Hun Sen called for the speedy reintegration into the army of forces loyal to his former co-premier, Prince Ranariddh, and said he wanted to depoliticise the military.

He gave no indication of the size of the cut he wanted in the one-hundred-and fifty-thousand man armed forces.