PHNOM PENH, Dec 13 (AFP) - Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy on Monday accused the government of "stealing the people's money and lives" as parliamentary debate opened on a national budget again dominated by massive defence spending.

The dissident accused the government of failing to capitalise on a peace dividend offered by the collapse of the Khmer Rouge and not redirecting spending to the desperately underfunded health and education sectors.

"When you compare the life expentancy of other countries, you can see the government is stealing 20 years from each person. The government is stealing the people's money and lives," Sam Rainsy told parliament.

Life expectancy is around 50 in Cambodia, compared to about 70 in Thailand.

While the 2000 budget sees a marginal increase in social spending, proposed expenditure on security and defence remains at close to 59 percent of total spending and subject to only a modest cut on 1999's spending.

Finance Minister Keat Chhon attributed the sum to the cost of integrating former Khmer Rouge troops into government ranks, saying that Cambodia's brutal history made it "incomparable" to neighbouring countries.

Defence Minister Tea Banh has also complained the army was badly underfunded and hardly had enough money to feed or equip its men.

However Sam Rainsy, who heads a self-named and sole opposition party in parliament, alleged the government was "using the Khmer Rouge as a pretext to hide their incompetence."

The Khmer Rouge movement collapsed earlier this year, following a string of crippling defeats, defections and arrests.

The end of the decades-old civil war was also followed by a government pledge to slash the size of the cumbersome armed forces, for which the international community is expected to pick up the bill.

An international donor assessment of Cambodia in October praised the government's fiscal reforms, including revenue collection and forestry management, but noted little progress had been made on demobilisation.

Donors have also warned Cambodia of a drastic shortage of health facilities next year unless there is a radical reform and increase in health spending, largely to cope with deaths from the estimated 200,000 people here infected with the HIV virus.

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