Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia

Address at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Construction

2011-05-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

Address at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Construction of the 95.25 KM National Road No. 41, Starting from the National Road No. 4 at Thnol Torteng, Kampong Speu Province to Chum Kiri District, Kampot Province

May 18, 2011

Venerable Monks,
Your Excellency Pan Guang Xue, China's Ambassador to Kingdom of Cambodia,
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen distinguished national and international Guest,
Dear the compatriots,

Today, I am pleased to be with H.E. Pan Guang Xue again to open the “Construction Site of the National Road No. 41” from Thnol Torteng to Chum Kiri District, following the opening of the construction site of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port at Banteay Dek Commune, Kean Svay District, Kandal Province on March 9, 2011. Along with this, I convey my warmest welcome to Excellencies, Oknhas, ladies and gentlemen distinguished national and international guests, students and all the compatriots who attend this joyous event.

First of all, on behalf of the people and Royal Government of Cambodia, I would like to convey my deepest gratitude to the people and Government of the People’s Republic of China that has provided all kinds of support to develop Cambodia’s physical infrastructure and human resources, especially the development of roads and bridges. Taking this opportunity, I again and again would like to politely request H.E. Pan Guang Xue to forward the deepest gratitude from the people and Royal Government of Cambodia to the people and Government of the People’s Republic of China which is Cambodia’s historic friend and presently one of the most important development partners. China has indeed provided grants and concessional loans without lengthy conditions while Cambodia is in need of rebuilding all sectors, especially transport and human resources. In short, since 2004, China has provided total concessional loans of USD 814 million to Cambodia to rebuild the transport sector which can be translated to 1,472 Kilometeres of roads and 3 long bridges including Sekong Bridge, Prek Kdam Bridge and Prek Tamak Bridge. Moreover, in the near future, the Government of China will provide funding for the construction of Takmao Bridge and New Chroy Changvar Bridge that will become physical infrastructure assets in promoting growth and household income. This support is crucial to the Royal Government’s effort in promoting economic growth and social development, especially when Cambodia is in need of rebuilding the nation following decades of civil war. The development of physical infrastructure aims at providing public services to the people and maximizing public interest and can be regarded as “ locomotive of growth” as well as a matter of life and death for Cambodia. Therefore, Cambodia will always remember and record China’s great deeds in its history.

Along with this, I would also like to commend the management and all levels of officials of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, related ministries and institutions, local authorities and Chinese companies that have worked hard to finish the feasibility study phase and open the construction site at this moment. This new achievement not only improves the people’s standard of living and internal integration but also revitalizes Khmer ancestors’s effort of linking ancient Udong City to coastal zone. According to our history, this was a strategically important road. It not only connected Udong City to coastal zone in Kampot Province for trade exchange with the outside world but also acted as a connection channel with French and other European merchant vessels when the then Khmer required assistance from France to salvage the country from Siameses.

Along with this moment, I would like to congratulate all the compatriots who live and will travel in this area on the achievement of a new road which is a response to your urgent needs and will be operative in the short future.

As H.E Tram Iv Tek, Minister of Public Works and Transport has raised in his report that the national road no. 41 is a new road network that will reduce time to travel or to exchange goods between Phnom Penh and Kampot, or from national road no. 5 to Kampot without passing through Phnom Penh, because this national road links cross-section of national road no. 4 at Tnol Torteng to national road no. 3 at Chumkiri district, Kampot Province. This national road 41 will be constructed according to the road standard level 3 of construction design plan of People Republic of China, the road will be paved with two layers, that is double bituminous surface treatment, with planned budget amounts 46.250.000 US dollars (fourty six millions, two hundred fifty thousand US dollars) and government counterpart budget. The construction will takes 40s months and will be completed in 2014. Indeed, technical study had been done rigorously, comprehensively and deeply including social and environmental impact assessment aiming at ensuring that the road is beneficial and fulfilling longterm traffic condition in line with social evolution. In this sense, I strongly hope that construction of this road will enhance efficiency of vein that feeds and supports Cambodian economy and society to another level, being able to accommodate regional huge transport and freight volume that can bring new national interest, create of a lot of new employment and opportunities for the people as well as to improve and promote education and social welfare.

In short, we can see direct benefits from this new road as such contribution to reduction in poverty and transportation cost, cutting travelling time, and easing people travel nation-wide and regional transportation from national road no. 5 where transportation from Cambodia-Thailand border concentrates. On the other hand, because Kampot is costal area, linking to Kep province, linking to Bokor that is Cambodia’s magnificent ecological tourist site, the national road 41 will facilitate tourism flow as well. Moreover, Kampot is a region potential of agriculture and industrial development, especially famous cement and salt, as well fertile land for planting pepper, rambutan and durian and other sea products that answers demand of Cambodian people, and development of these sectors will rely on this road like we asserted that having road is having everything, road will bring prosperity, like Chinese proverb puts “if you want do successful business, build road first” and Cambodian slogan says “having road is having hope”. Obviously, this national road 41 will accelerate implementation of key strategies for development of costal sea corridor area that international development partners had studied and taken as base in conformity to national development plan of the Royal Government of Cambodia, with main goals to integrate and link every domestic areas, particularly linking remote area to the populated ones, and facilitate integration with neighboring countries in the region for the cause of economies, trade and cooperation with objectives to maintain peace, security and regional and domestic development. Separately, this road reminds us of history of maintaining sovereignty, land integrity, national prestige, and fulfilling dream and hope of people living along this road namely Kampongspeu, Kandal, Takeo and Kampot. At the same time, this road revitalizes wish of Khmer King during Ang Duong era for which His Majesty have paved this way and name it Preah Ang Duong Road. Later then, this road was severely destroyed during war time. So far, journey passing this road was very difficult, particularly during rainy season, because links are under severe damage and unpassable. Having seen that people still use this road, I ordered military civil engineers to pave laterite and replace wooden bridge with metal ones. Fortunately, later we have very close development partners i.e. People Republic of China who has provided credit timely to reconstruct and improve efficiency of this national road 41 with high standard by DBST and widening width of the road for better access, to make it conducive to business and help promote trade and economic activities along costal corridor which is beneficial to our people.

In highly prideful spirit for achievements that we has been building by active efforts by the leadership and technical officials of ministries-institutions and local authorities as well as cooperation from development partners, especially great friend China, reconstruction, construction and development and maintenance of road bridges nation-wide remain constantly active to succeed in reducing hardship and poverty of the people. A line with development of all sectors and optimism about bright future of Cambodia, I would like to appeal to all leadership and technical officials of ministries-institutions, all levels of local authorities, and separately leadership and technical officials of ministry of public works and transport must continue cooperating to work further in order to promote development and maintenance of transportation network to ensure traffic continuity at everywhere, near and far nation-wide, connecting to neighboring countries and the region.

At the same time, the contribution and support from all compatriots are the neccessary factors that cannot be absent in promoting the process of constructing, improving and maintaining roads, in which you have to be tolerant with the settlement that has impact on land and accomodation and you have to respect the use of road pavement and the traffic law, which is the major challenge, aiming to reduce mortality caused by traffic accidents as planned in order to secure the safety of property and human lives.

In this spirit, I would like to remind our compatriots once again to be more careful with driving by following the speed limit, wearing helmet and seatbelt, and by not drinking alcohol if driving, and especially prevent the overweight transportation, which is the root cause of destroying bridges-roads.

At the same time, on behalf of the Royal Government and people of Cambodia, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Government and people of development partners and various international agencies, who have always provided credits for the restoration and development of Cambodia in all sectors. I would like to express appreciation and encourage the management and officials of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, local authotity and all related institutions, who have been trying their utmost to cooperate in actively implementing the construction of bridges-roads through out the country.

In particular, I would like to congratulate and encourage the China Road and Bridge Corporation that has been successful in bidding for construction project implementation, and the Guangzhou Wanan Construction Supervision that has to be in charge of construction technicality. Please be informed that Cambodian people have put strong hope on the two companies in implemening their respective duties on the the construction of national road No.41 to be completed as planned or before the schedule with high quality standard.

At the end, together with the inauguration of the “Construction of Road No.41 from the corner of National Road No.4 at Thnorl Totoeng to Chum Kiri” now, I would like to wish the venerable monks, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished national and international guests, civil servants, teachers and students and all compatriots the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Here followed are adresses by Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indoensia from May 7 through to 8, 2011.

2011-05-22T16:09:00.001-07:00

Address at the 18th ASEAN Summit (Plenary – First Session)
Topic : Implementation of the ASEAN Charter and Roadmap for ASEAN Community

Jakarta, 7 May 2011
(09:45-10:45)

Excellency Chair of the Meeting,
Your Majesty the Sultan, Excellencies ASEAN Leaders,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen!

On behalf of the Royal Government and the people of Cambodia, I would like to congratulate H.E. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on his assumption of the Chairmanship of this important ASEAN Summit and to express our deep gratitude to Your Excellency for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to me and my delegation.
For the first part of the plenary session, allow me to share my own views on a number of issues on the building of the ASEAN Political and Security Community. As to the matters related to the other three items of the agenda for our plenary discussion, I will raise during the second part of the plenary session.

I am pleased with the significant progress made in the 14 prioritized areas in pursuing the building of the ASEAN Political-Security Community. We recognize that the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Free-Zone Treaty (SEANFWZ), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), and the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism are becoming more useful instruments to ensure regional security.

In this spirit, Cambodia urges the joint working group on the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) to finalize a guideline for the implementation of DOC before 2012 in order to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the DOC. Cambodia welcomes Canada’s proposal to be a member of the TAC and also welcomes East Timor’s application to be a member of ASEAN as the East Timor is located in Southeast Asia. Moreover, I highly appreciate the proposal on the establishment of the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation. I believe that the Institute will help ASEAN to create a real mechanism for dispute settlement in the region. However, Cambodia goes along with the suggestion that we should give this mandate to our Senior Officials and Ministers of Foreign Affairs to conduct a comprehensive study before taking a final decision.

Overall, I notice that all the above mechanisms were established in order to enhance mutual understanding and trust among member countries, thus contributing to the maintenance of peace and security in the region. However, I am very concerned about the unsettled bilateral disputes among ASEAN member countries such as the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand. Indeed, a series of military fighting along the border between Cambodia and Thailand may not only affect peace and security in the region, but also create the foremost critical challenge for ASEAN in our pursuit towards the ASEAN Community in 2015. I believe that ASEAN should not ignore this serious issue. Moreover, ASEAN must consider this dispute as the most important issue for the life of the community, which ASEAN must establish a mediation mechanism for the effective settlement of the dispute.

As you area aware, Cambodia is a small, poor country that has just emerged from the ashes of war. We have just had the opportunity to rehabilitate, rebuild and develop our nation and peace, national reconciliation and stability have just been fully achieved more than ten years ago. Therefore the top priority on our agenda is to eradicate hunger and reduce poverty of the people in order to achieve development, progress, prosperity by living in harmonious coexistence with neighboring countries in the region. Cambodia views expanding cooperation with neighboring countries and integration into the region as our great opportunity for development. Based on this understanding, Cambodia has made tremendous efforts to overcome all kinds of obstacles in order to be able to join ASEAN and have made our utmost to contribute to the process of community building in Southeast Asia in accordance with the aspirations and visions of all our peoples. Therefore, Cambodia has neither reason nor interest to invade or create incidents with her neighbors. On the contrary, as an independent and sovereign State with territorial integrity, we reserve the rights to self-defense according to the principles of international law.

In this spirit, the Kingdom of Cambodia has exerted its efforts to seek for a peaceful settlement of this border dispute based on the principles of international law and in accordance with the spirit of the ASEAN Charter and treaties as well as other related agreements. In this context, Cambodia highly appreciates the efforts made by Indonesia to arrange to dispatch observers to the area of the Preah Vihear Temple in order to monitor the ceasefire reached at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 22 February 2011, according to the mandate given by the UN Security Council. It is worthwhile to recall that at the Informal ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on 22 February 2011, both the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand agreed to invite the Indonesian observers to the area concerned along the border of each country to monitor the ceasefire commitment made by both parties: Cambodia and Thailand. Since then until the last few days, as the ASEAN chair, Indonesia has coordinated to prepare a draft of the Terms of References for deploying the observers and submitted many times to both parties, Cambodia and Thailand, for approval. Recognizing the most urgent need caused by the fragile situation at the border and in the spirit of making the biggest concession, Cambodia immediately provided her prompt positive response to the draft TORs which was subsequently modified in order to ensure that the deployment of Indonesian observers can be undertaken immediately, and in order to stop the armed conflicts and the mutual accusation made by the both parties. I am pleased that at last on 3 May 2011, Cambodia was able to sign the Acceptance Letter to put the TORs into effect. Thus, I hope that a permanent ceasefire will be ensured along with the deployment of the Indonesian observers, which I understand that, it should be carried out as soon as possible. However, once again I deeply regret that Thailand has not yet signed the Acceptance Letter to put into effect the TORs and continue again and again to put unreasonable and unacceptable conditions and, according to the latest condition, Thailand requires Cambodia to withdraw her troops and population from her own territory, the territory that has been under the sovereignty and effective control of Cambodia since the immemorial time. This condition is irrational and unacceptable. In fact, it is Thailand that must withdraw troops from the vicinity of the areas, according to the judgment of the International Court of Justice at The Hague dated 15 June 1962.

This is the testimony that Thailand does not have the goodwill to accept the Indonesian observers and does not have the willingness to settle this border dispute in accordance with the international law and by peaceful means. Thailand, as a big country, continues to have the ambition to prolong the armed conflicts in order to violate weaker neighboring ASEAN members.
Respectively, it is worthwhile to highlight the causes of continuous armed conflicts between Cambodia and Thailand during the past. This is the main reason why Cambodia has submitted this matter to the United Nations Security Council.

Cambodia has never resorted to war as the means to settle the border conflict. When Thai troops came to occupy the Preah Vihear Temple between 1954 and 1959 after the France’s withdrawal from Cambodia, Cambodia used all means to try to secure the settlement through negotiations. Only after having exhausted the possibility of a negotiated settlement, Cambodia had submitted the case to the International Court of Justice at the Hague. At present, since the Thai troops invaded Cambodia in the area of the Preah Vihear Temple on 15 July 2008 Cambodia has shown utmost restraint by seeking peaceful settlement through negotiations and exploring all kinds of mechanisms at all levels. However, until now the bilateral mechanism has not only settled the matter, but also widened this conflict further. While respecting Thailand’s legal procedure, Cambodia was patient enough to wait for the adoption of the three records of the meetings of the Cambodia-Thai Joint Border Committee. However, until now the three records of the meeting that were prepared in 2008 and 2009 have not yet been approved and nobody knows which national institution of Thailand has the authority over this matter. This is to underline that we have exhausted all means of bilateral mode of dispute settlement.

In line with the demand from the government of Thailand and the information that I have received lately, I am very concerned that the situation in the conflict area at the Cambodian-Thai border will not return to normalcy as Thailand has intention to use her military supremacy to expel the Cambodian people and the Cambodian armed forces from the territory of Cambodia, by using its own unilateral map. As far as Cambodia is concerned, we continue to steadily adhere to the approach of a peaceful settlement of the dispute based on the principles of international law and in the spirit of the ASEAN Charter. Within the framework of this approach, on 28 April 2011, the Royal Government of Cambodia has submitted a request to the International Court of Justice at the Hague to provide interpretation of the 1962 Judgment on the Preah Vihear Temple. Cambodia is of the view that the interpretation of the 1962 Judgment by the International Court of Justice at the Hauge is instrumental to resolving, peacefully and based on the principles of law, the border dispute between the two countries so as to put an end once and for all in the future, in particular, the so called “4.6 square kilometers” in the area of the Preah Vihear Temple, which the Thai side has claimed based on her unilateral map. At the same time, I expect that a permanent ceasefire, which will be guaranteed by the deployment of the Indonesian observers, will create an environment of confidence conducive to the peaceful settlement of the border dispute between the two countries based on the principles of law as I mentioned ealier.

Therefore, I urge the ASEAN leaders to provide support and put forth necessary measures in order to make all parties concerned cooperate and accept the observers from Indonesia, acting as ASEAN Chair, in order to dispatch them immediately to the border area to monitor the ceasefire agreed to at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in February 2011, and according to the mandate of the United Nations Security Council. ASEAN’s prestige and credibility will be at high risk if the efforts to establish a permanent ceasefire will not be materialized as planned.
I would like to stop my intervention at this point and, as I said earlier, I will share my views on the remaining three topics for this plenary session later on during the next session.

Thank You for Your Attention

Address at the18th ASEAN Summit (Working Lunch/Dinner)
Topic: The Border Dispute between Cambodia and Thailand

Jakarta, 7-8 May 2011

Excellency Chair of the Meeting,
Your Majesty the Sultan, Excellencies ASEAN Leaders,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Taking this rare and valuable opportunity may I inform the ASEAN Leaders of the issue concerning the border dispute between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand as follows:

1- Issue related to the area of Preah Vihea Temple

The border between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand is based on the France-Siam Treaty 1904 and 1907 and the maps prepared by the France-Siam Demarcation Commission.

Moreover, in 2000, the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand singed the Memorandum of Understanding on Delineation and Demarcation based on the France-Siam Treaty 1893, 1904 and 1907, and the maps prepared by the France-Siam Demarcation Commission. I would like to underscore the fact that this MOU is legally binding as a Treaty in accordance to International Laws.

Based on this foundation, the Border Commission of the two countries have performed their tasks and achieved some positive results as they implanted temporary border poles in many places.

After the Kingdom of Cambodia registered the Preah Vihea Temple as a World Heritage and prior to the Cambodia’s preparation of the general election on 15 July 2008, the Kingdom of Thailand dispatched its forces into the areas, which is under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Cambodia, claiming the territories using its unilateral map which is not stipulated in any treaties nor agreements.

Nevertheless, the Kingdom of Cambodia has exerted its efforts to seek for a peaceful solution to this border dispute based on the principles of international laws and in accordance with the spirit of the ASEAN Charter and treaties as well as other related agreements. In the context of this situation, we highly appreciate the effort made by Indonesia as the Chair of ASEAN in trying to mediate a reconciliation and preparing to send observers to the area of Preah Vihea Temple in order to prevent more military clashes between Cambodia and Thailand, in the spirit of the Informal Meeting of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers dated on 22 February 2011.

I would like to remind you that, during the Informal ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in February 2011, the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand agreed to invite the Indonesian observers to the clashed area along the border of each country to monitor the ceasefire committed by both parties: Cambodia and Thailand. Since then until the past few days, as the ASEAN chair, Indonesia has coordinated to prepare a draft of the TORs for deploying the observers and submitted many times for the approval from both parties, Cambodia and Thailand. In the spirit of the recognition of the most urgency due to the fragile situation at the border and in the spirit of the most concession, Cambodia immediately provided with its positive responses to the draft TORs which subsequently modified in order to ensure that the deploying of Indonesian observers can be undertaken promptly, and in order to stop the military clashes and the mutual accusation between the two parties. I am pleased that eventually on 3rd May 2011 Cambodia signed the Acceptance Letter to put the TORs into effect. Thus, I hope that a permanent cease-fire will be ensured along with the deployment of the Indonesian observers, which I understand that, it should be carried out as soon as possible.

Moreover, on 28 April 2011, the Royal Government of Cambodia has made a request to the International Court of Justice at the Hague to urge the later for an explanation of the 1962 Court Verdict related to the Preah Vihea Temple. Cambodia has a view that obtaining the explanation of the 1962 Court Verdict of the International Court of Justice at the Hague is instrumental to resolving the border dispute between the two countries in a peaceful and legal way that will clear and close the dispute case in the future particularly the so-called “4.6 square kilometer of deputed land” in the area of the Preah Vihea Temple, which the Thai side claims it based on her unilateral map.

I expect that a permanent ceasefire, which will be guaranteed through the dispatch of the Indonesian observers, will sustain and create an environment of trust, which allows for resuming the work of the Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Commission to resolve the border demarcation between the two countries by giving an urgent attention to the border issue in the area of the Preah Vihea Temple. The Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Commission can meet either in Cambodia or in Thailand with the participation of the ASEAN Chair in accordance with the recommendation of the UN Security Council dated on 14 February 2011, and the Chairman Statement of ASEAN dated 22 February 2011.

2- Issues Related to the areas of Tamoan and Ta Krabei

Regretfully, Thai Royal Armed Forces has opened attacks on both military and civil targets at surrounding areas of Tamoan Temple, surrounded area of Ta Krabei Temple, Thmar Doan and Chubb Kiri in Oddar Meanchey Province of Cambodia, since April 22, 2011. The artillery and mortar shells landed 24 kilometers depth inside Cambodia’s territory where civil people are living. I would like to underline that Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Commission already demarcated area of Ta Maon Temple and planted a temporary border pole east of Ta Moan Temple. This is an evidence of agreement between Cambodia and Thailand that Ta Moan Temple is inside Cambodia’s territory.

After the military fighting for more than a week, a ceasefire agreement was reached from negotiation meeting between Cambodia’s Commander of Military Region 4 and Thailand’s Commander of Military Region 2 on the April 28, 2011. Both parties agreed to keep the presence status quo concerning their military positions and ceasing all troop re-deployments, encourage Commanders of both sides at the frontline to meet and to establish a communication task to exchange information in the event of incident. Both parties agreed that, border issues should be addressed through Cambodia-Thailand Joint Border Commission. The militaries are tasked with the issues related to the truce only.

Nevertheless, the agreement has not been respected. The confrontation had continued until May 3, 2011. However, with the great efforts made by the military Heads at the front line and with the support from the Governments of the two Countries, a ceasefire has been established in the night of 3rd May and entered the 4th May 2011. This has created an environment of trust for the Commanders of Military Regions of both sides to resume their negotiation in the morning of 04th May 2011 to pave the way for the situation to return to prior 22nd April. This allowed the war refugees of both sides to return their homes.

I am convinced that the ceasefire agreement on April 28, 2011 and on May 04, 2011 between the both Commanders of Military Regions is a solid foundation to avoid clash and allow both parties to peacefully resolve conflict at Ta Moan and Ta Krabei. In this regard, I would like to urge both parties to firmly honor the ceasefire agreement with highest responsibilities.

Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Government and People of Cambodia, I would like to thank once again the active role and greatest effort of Indonesia, under ASEAN Chairmanship, to mediate for resolution of Cambodia and Thailand border dispute.

Thank You for Your Attention

Keynote Address at the8th ASEAN Leadership Forum “Strengthening ASEAN Centrality, Connectivity with the Global Community”

Jakarta, 8 May 2011

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen !

At the outset, I would like to express my sincere thanks to the ASEAN Secretariat, Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI), the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and especially Dato’ Dr. Michael Yeoh, ASLI Chief Executive Officer, for inviting me to address this august forum.

I am honored today to share with all distinguished participants some of my thoughts on “Strengthening ASEAN Centrality, Connectivity with the Global Community” which is the central theme of Indonesia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in this year.

ASEAN has indeed matured in the last 44 years. ASEAN is now playing an active role, taking its rightful place on the same platform among major global players for political and economic dialogue and cooperation. Especially, over the last few years, with firm determination and efforts made by all our Governments and people in the region and with the support from the partners concerned, ASEAN has made many major achievements in all sectors including political, economic, social and cultural sector.

However, in such a dynamic and rapidly changing world, I believe that ASEAN is still faced with many internal and external challenges in the making ASEAN Community by 2015 and beyond. Indeed, ASEAN Leaders have been very active in responding to these challenges by adopting the ASEAN Charter and the ASEAN Community Blueprints and Roadmaps which comprises 3 pillars namely ASEAN Politico-Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community, and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community including the goals of narrowing development gaps within ASEAN.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to highlight the key achievements made in the implementation of the ASEAN Charter and the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community by 2015, and main challenges that ASEAN must address in the pursuit of the building of ASEAN Community and its connectivity with the global community.

The ASEAN Charter has truly been brought to life with the smooth operation of the new organizational structure as well as the finalization of related legal documents, thus creating the legal basis and institutional framework for the ASEAN Community and deeper regional integration. Nevertheless, ASEAN should have a comprehensive legal and institutional framework in line with the ASEAN Charter, including the institutionalization of a dispute settlement mechanism, the improved operational efficiency of ASEAN bodies and modalities, strengthened coordination among executing agencies, and enhanced resources mobilization, in order to expedite the implementation of ASEAN initiatives. Thus, ASEAN will be able to transform itself by going through a new phase of community building process to become a truly rules-based organization.

There is no doubt that significant progress has been made in the building of the ASEAN Political-Security Community. Regular dialogue and cooperation at all levels on issues of mutual concern have enhanced mutual understanding and trust among Member States. In this regard, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Free-Zone Treaty (SEANFWZ), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism have become crucial instruments to ensure regional security.

Moreover, the mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation in regional security have been strengthened through the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus), ASEAN Chiefs of Security Agencies (MACOSA) and ASEAN Maritime Forum (AMF). The ARF has now evolved into the region's premier security forum, which plays a positive role to ensure political, economic and strategic balance between great powers in our region. Moreover, the ARF mechanism also ensures that ASEAN plays a central role in maintaining peace and security in the region, and therefore will be the cornerstone of the ASEAN Security Community. In other word, the ARF is making progress on three main fronts, namely confidence-building, preventive diplomacy and conflict resolution.

Overall, all these mechanisms were formed in order to enhance mutual understanding and trust among countries, thus contributing to the maintenance of peace and security in the region. However, we must acknowledge that bilateral disputes among a number of ASEAN member countries, such as border disputes have become the foremost critical challenge for ASEAN in their pursuit towards the establishment of the ASEAN Community in 2015. Therefore, there is a need for ASEAN to put in place a practical mechanism for an effective dispute settlement in the region, thus ensuring regional peace, security and sustainability, especially among member countries.

The process of building the ASEAN Economic Community is in good shape with the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area for trade in goods, services and investment as well as the implementation of the ASEAN single window and trade facilitation. ASEAN is the region marked by high growth and political stability, a growing middle-income population, endowed by enormous natural resources. These endowments result in great potential for ASEAN’s internal growth and its economic attractiveness to external partners. However, the reduction of development gaps among ASEAN member states remains our critical challenge in ensuring competitiveness and attractiveness of the region and in achieving regional integration.

Moreover, the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity is the most comprehensive plan underpinning the success of building the ASEAN Economic Community. To achieve this goal, ASEAN needs to engage all ASEAN Partners, including the Plus 1, the Plus 3 and other countries concerned, to support the implementation of the Master Plan in order connect ASEAN by both soft and hard infrastructures, in particular land, rail, air, waterway and maritime connectivity. At this point, I would like to emphasize that the Royal Government of Cambodia has given high priority to the construction of transport infrastructure to link with all of our neighboring countries including the missing railway section of about 257 km from Phnom Penh (Cambodia) to Loc Ninh (Viet Nam) within the framework of Singapore-Kunming Rail Links.

Furthermore, in response to the Global Financial Crisis, the ASEAN+3 countries launched the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization (CMIM) and increased the size of the SWAP arrangements to US$120 billion. I would like to stress that the Chiang Mai Initiative was arranged after the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and proven during the recent financial crisis to be sound regional financial safety nets. Furthermore, a new ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) has been set up in Singapore to provide the surveillance and analyze the region’s economies. It will play an important role in maintaining the macroeconomic stability in the region.

However, recent developments in the global economy have exposed some main challenges for ASEAN. Therefore, over the medium-term, ASEAN should pay attention to promoting domestic sources of growth by diversifying growth base, expanding regional cooperation and accelerating regional integration in order to sustain high growth in a post-crisis environment. This requires us to double our efforts to fully implement as soon as possible the initiatives and action plans that we have already adopted. This requires us to prioritize, coordinate, and well sequence our work plan, especially avoid overlapping efforts and resources in implementing projects and initiatives in intra-ASEAN sub-regional cooperation, as well as in the ASEAN-wide framework and beyond ASEAN, such as cooperation in East Asia.

We have made considerable progress in building the ASEAN Social-Cultural Community. Yet, the recent developments in the world have put pressure on us to continue to exert our efforts to overcome key challenges. Some of the issues are regional, while some global in character, but having serious impact on our region, such as human resource development, disaster management and climate change. Indeed, ASEAN has realized very well these challenges, and has actively taken measures, aimed at enhancing intra-ASEAN cooperation as well as ASEAN cooperation with partners concerned in order to effectively find solutions to the above problems.

Over the past 44 years ASEAN has made tremendous strides, thus making ASEAN to become an “organization of global importance”. Certainly, this role will have a more comprehensive meaning a long with our continued efforts to achieve a cohesive and resilient community with increasingly regional and global responsibilities. In this regard, I think ASEAN community building and connectivity with the global community are closely linked together. In this connection, we should focus on the following important points:

First, the multi-polar setting becomes a dominant trend in the world, thus maintaining the ASEAN centrality is very crucial for ASEAN in shaping its future regional architecture. Moreover, within the context of post global financial crisis, East Asia is loaded with increasing importance and responsibility for leading the sustainable and balanced growth of the world economy. In this regard, the strengthening and deepening of integration in East Asia, in which ASEAN is the centrality, is indispensible.

Over the past, ASEAN has clearly showed its ability to serve as an attractive centrality of many processes, both at regional and global level in particular ASEAN+1 and ASEAN+3 with China, Japan and Republic of Korea, ASEAN-India, ASEAN-Australia, ASEAN-New Zealand, ASEAN-Russian Federation, ASEAN-US and East Asia Summits, as well as forums and mechanisms at sub-regional, regional and global levels.

Among the above mechanisms, EAS has expanded very fast as it now comprises 18 members with the recent participation of the US and Russia in the 17th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi last year. In this sense, I believe that the issue of geopolitics will play important role. Therefore, ASEAN should grasp all these existing opportunities in order to ensure that dynamic shift in power relations between great powers do not lead to strategic tensions, but rather result in a dynamic equilibrium, thus bringing about long-lasting and strong peace and security to our region. In this regard, we must uphold the driving force of ASEAN in all processes and make use ASEAN’s centrality to engage highly influential ASEAN’s dialogue partners to adhere to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) and support ASEAN initiatives, as well as increase ASEAN influence in handing many other global issues.

In the longer term, ASEAN should look forward in expanding its connectivity to the East Asia Region through the establishment of Free Trade Area and Comprehensive Economic Partnership which we are arranging at present, then move toward the establishment of the East Asia Community in which ASEAN is the centrality. In the short and medium term, ASEAN will greatly benefit from the Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA), in which the least developed ASEAN members will be able to use the imported raw materials from China to process and export to more developed countries such as Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Second – As I emphasized from the beginning, in order ensure ASEAN Centrality in an evolving regional architecture, the most critical factor is to strengthen ASEAN’s competitive advantages and capacities by narrowing the development gap among ASEAN member countries and building a cohesive and strong ASEAN community based on the three pillars, as we have planned. In this regard, our top priority now is to realize the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity. As the financing still remains the major concern for newer ASEAN members, the implementation of the ASEAN Infrastructure Fund will accelerate the integration process of less developed members of ASEAN in both hard and soft components such as physical infrastructure and human resource development as the European Union has gone through.

Moreover, we should recognize that the promotion of sub-regional cooperation such as Greater Mekong Sub-region Program provides synergies for the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) and narrowing development gap in the region, especially through physical linkages among countries concerned. For example, through the GMS Transport Corridors, Lao PDR will become a country with access to the sea. This will be very beneficial to participating countries. Given the enormous benefits of such initiative, the GMS countries are poised to transform the transport corridors into Economic Corridors by taking measures aimed at promoting transport and trade facilitation, and in particular increasing investments in the soft aspect of development, such as increasing financing human resource development, strengthening institutional capacity and skill training; and cross border market management.

Third, ensuring sustainable development is crucial in the post global crisis environment. We have witnessed that the Asian economies have recovered from the crisis before the other regions. Asia’s remarkable recovery clearly shows that, to some extent, the regional economy has become less dependent on the United States and Europe. However, we also note that the global recovery remains fragile due to uncertainties in some regions of the world. Moreover, recent global developments, such as the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa have caused the hike of oil price. The second US Quantitative Easing (QE2) has created upward inflation pressure in countries around the world, including in Asia. This clearly highlights the need to promote domestic sources of growth of the countries in the region to enable Asia to play a more prominent role in ensuring balanced and sustainable growth. Therefore, stronger promotion of regional cooperation and accelerated implementation of various initiatives and action plans that we have launched will be very high in our agenda.

Fourth, ASEAN is required to increase its participation in the cooperation on solving global issues. This is reflected in ASEAN contribution to world affaires. I believe that ASEAN should increase its participation in solving these issues of paramount importance as a solid organization. Thus, ASEAN, by all means, should have a common platform, concrete strategy, a more coordinated position in order to deal with important global issues such as the global economic-financial crisis, climate change, natural disasters, pandemics, transnational crimes and terrorism so on and so forth.

Finally, I wish to conclude that ASEAN has been among the world’s most successful regional organizations. Just 4 years from now, an ASEAN Community will emerge, and it will be confronted with the daunting task to find its rightful place in a dynamic and rapidly changing world. However, key to this process is to make concerted efforts to realize the vision of transforming ASEAN into a «region of solidarity, cohesion, forward-looking, living together in harmony, peace, stability and prosperity».

Thank You for Your Attention

Address at the 18th ASEAN Summit (Retreat-1)
Topic: ASEAN External Relations

Jakarta, 8 May 2011
(09:00-10:45)

Excellency Chair of the Meeting,
Your Majesty the Sultan, Excellencies ASEAN Leaders,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen!

May I now share with you all some of my views related to our agenda as follows:

1- East Asia Summit (EAS)

EAS has become an important component of the evolving regional architecture, which includes existing and mutually reinforcing processes such as the ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, ARF, and ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM Plus). EAS has expanded very fast and as of now comprises 18 members with the participation of the US and Russia in the 17th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi last year. In this sense, I believe that the issue of geopolitics will play an important role, thus we must uphold the driving force of ASEAN in all these processes and make use of ASEAN centrality to engage highly influential ASEAN dialogue partners to adhere to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) and support other ASEAN initiatives as well as increase ASEAN influence in handing many other global issues. In this sense, while the geopolitical landscape of East Asia is evolving rapidly, ASEAN should further strengthen its institutional and internal mechanisms so that ASEAN can continue to be in the driver’s seat in coordinating with dialogue partners, especially the big powers, thus ensuring long lasting stability, peace and economic development.

Nevertheless, East Asia’s economic architecture should progress gradually and in phases, starting from trade in goods, reflecting ASEAN’s centrality. The process should begin with the rules of origin, custom tariff, customs related issues and economic cooperation as the building blocks for the realization of East Asia integration. In this regard, I would like to take note of the reports made by the four working groups of the ASEAN Plus including the working group on the rules of origin, the working group on custom tariff, the working group on customs related issues and the working group on economic cooperation. At the same time, I would like to urge our experts to review at the same time the recommendations of the study on East Asia Free Trade Area (EAFTA), Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA) and other initiatives. At the mean time, we shall continue to strengthen cooperation in the five priority areas namely, energy, finance, education, combating avian influenza, and disaster management.

Moreover, in order to ensure and enhance ASEAN’s driving force, we should task our experts to accelerate the process of ASEAN Plus One FTAs by identifying gaps which are needed to be addressed and making an assessment aimed at proposing procedures for the Plus One FTAs as the building block to establish a regional architecture, especially the establishment of EAFTA.

2- ASEAN +1 and ASEAN+3

I am pleased to note that the relations between ASEAN and its partners have strongly developed through the strengthening of regular dialogue at all levels. I notice that the important outcomes in carrying out the plans of action to implement joint statements and agreements on strategic or comprehensive economic and political partnership.

On top of the annual ASEAN+1 Summits with China, Japan, Republic of Korea and India, we have started to hold Summits with Australia, New Zealand, Russian Federation and the United States. Moreover, within the framework of the strategic partnerships with China and Japan, I am pleased that the ASEAN-Republic of Korea relationships have been elevate to a strategic partnership. With this, I think we should continue to strengthen our cooperation and coordination in order to ensure ASEAN Centrality in an evolving regional architecture, especially the EAS.

With regard to ASEAN-China, Cambodia understands that the working group on the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) has to exert effort to have a guideline for the implementation of DOC finalized before 2012 in order to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the DOC. Moreover, year 2011 is also the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN-China relations. Cambodia hosted a seminar on ASEAN-China Youth Leaders on 4-5 May 2011 in Phnom Penh.

In the framework of ASEAN-Japan, we should enhance cooperation in the area of disaster management, as both ASEAN countries and Japan are vulnerable to natural disasters.

The year 2012 is the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations. As the coordinating country for ASEAN-India, Cambodia strongly proposes the meeting of the ASEAN-India Eminent Persons Group in order to prepare a vision for strengthening and expanding ASEAN-India relations and cooperation.

Moreover, ASEAN+3 will turn 15 years in 2012. Cambodia will issue a statement on the 15th anniversary in 2012 as Cambodia will be the Chair of ASEAN.

Thank you for your attention

Address at the18th ASEAN Summit (Retreat-2)

Jakarta, 8 May 2011
(11:00-12:45)

Excellency Chair of the Meeting,
Your Majesty the Sultan, Excellencies ASEAN Leaders,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen!

May I now share with you all some of my views related to our agenda as follows:

1- ASEAN Community in a Global Community of Nations

In order to enhance the reputation and role of ASEAN in the international arena, I believe that ASEAN should start from making every effort to achieve a strong and cohesive regional community. Based on a common platform, we should have a concrete strategy, a more coordinated position in order to deal with important global issues such as climate change, forests, global financial crisis, transnational crimes and terrorism. A strong and capable ASEAN Secretariat is another important instrument for enhancing our effectiveness, coordinating internal ASEAN positions, and representing and defending positions and common ASEAN strategy in international forums. In this sense, I would like to express Cambodia’s support for the proposal to strengthen the capacity of the ASEAN Secretariat.

We witness that ASEAN’s role and reputation are rising in the regional and international forums, due to two important factors: first, ASEAN’s centrality role in many regional processes over the past; and second, ASEAN’s important contributions to key international forums including the G20 and cooperation with the United Nations.
At present, the reputation of G20 has been rising in importance and played significant role in shaping the regional architecture of global financial and economic system. Thus, all of us have to grasp the opportunity through this important forum in enhancing ASEAN’s contributions to global issues. This requires us to exert our efforts to seek support from all ASEAN Partners including the Plus 1, the Plus 3 countries and especially all members of the EAS for ASEAN Chair’s regular participation in the G20 meeting.

Moreover, ASEAN should strengthen cooperation with the UN in order to help address the current regional and global challenges. There is no doubt that without further concerted efforts and adequate resources available, we would not be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015 as scheduled. In this regard, I am of the view that we should organize annually the ASEAN-UN Summit in order to uplift the partnership to a higher level.

Over the medium term, overcoming protectionism and obstacles to enable developing countries to have access to markets of developed countries are the key factors to ensure sustainable development as well as to ensure MDGs attainment. In this regard, we should push for successful and immediate conclusion of the Doha Round negotiation under the WTO framework.

2- Exchange of Views on International and Regional Issues

I would like to congratulate Myanmar on the good result of the general elections and congratulate H.E. Thein Sein on taking over the presidency as the elected President of Myanmar. I believe that this success is not only for the people of Myanmar, but also for all ASEAN members.

In particular, I would like to reiterate our strong concerns about the unsettled bilateral disputes between ASEAN members, especially the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand. We have seen very clearly that a series of military fighting occurred along the border not only caused the loss of senior military commanders and soldiers, but also caused damages to the national and world heritage temples as well as killed civilians, destroyed housing, assets and displaced thousands civilians. More importantly, the armed conflicts create very serious challenges for ASEAN’s reputation and image, especially our pursuit towards the ASEAN Community by 2015.

Therefore, once again I would like to urge the ASEAN Leaders to support and encourage all parties concerned to accept together the Indonesian observers in the capacity of ASEAN Chair and post them at the Cambodia-Thai border as soon as possible in order to monitor the ceasefire in accordance with the spirit of the outcome of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in February 2011 and in accordance with the mandate entrusted by the UN Security Council.

Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government and People of Cambodia, I would like once again to express our deep gratitude to Indonesia for her active role and strong effort as the ASEAN Chair in trying to mediate and find solution to the border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand.

Other Matters

Cambodia has made a bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2013-2014 and the vote will take place in 2012. In this regard, I would like to seek all ASEAN members’ kind support for Cambodia’s candidacy. I am convinced that ASEAN should have a consecutive non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

I would like to support Myanmar to assume the Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2014 and Laos in 2016.

I would like also to express our support for the ASEAN’s Proposal on join bid for FIFA World Cup 2030 to be submitted to FIFA this year. I hope the event will definitely elevate the reputation of ASEAN and further reunite our ASEAN family.

Thank you for your attention!

Selected Comments at the Inauguration of the Buddhist Temple and Achievements of the Tuol Sangke Pagoda and the Birthday Anniversary of its Head Monk

2011-05-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Unofficial Translation

Selected Comments at the Inauguration of the Buddhist Temple and Achievements of the Tuol Sangke Pagoda and the Birthday Anniversary of its Head Monk

04 May 2011

Two Events in a Row

It is a great pleasure for me to be able to join with all of our people and Buddhist monks to celebrate two major events here in the pagoda of Tuol Sangke or Tuol Sovannaram. The first to celebrate today of course is the inauguration of the Buddhist temple and achievements here in the pagoda. We also celebrate today the 87th birthday anniversary of Preah Muni Kaosal Hul Sovan, the head monk of the Russei Keo district and chief monk of the Tuol Sangke pagoda.

My wife and I are so happy that we have been granted permission to celebrate the birthday anniversary, which Preah Monikaosal has requested a reschedule for the celebration to be held today along with the inauguration of the Buddhist temple and achievements in the pagoda. According to the report by HE Min Khin, Minister of Religious Affairs, from 1982, this pagoda has been under 29 years of leadership of Preah Moni Kaosal Hul Sovan.

The Pagoda’s Background

In his report, HE Min Khin has said to you all that the pagoda was built after the war in 1970 by local war displaced people. Out of the very hardship and dilapidated condition, after the liberation of January 1979, since 1982, Preah Moni Kaosal Hul Sovan has purchased more land to expand the pagoda compound. I could recall that in 1999, when I ordered the construction of a school here, with the knowledge that the pagoda was underwater, I had instructed land leveling too.

Under his leadership, the pagoda has made great achievements. The Deputy Prime Minister HE Hor Namhong and Madame have initiated four religious events (Kathen) to raise 224,779 USD to build a new temple that was built on January 10, 2002 and was completed on September 9, 2007. Various donations and contributions have also been made by dignitaries and senior officials.

Buddhist and Secular Achievements

Apart from the Buddhist world, Preah Moni Kaosal Hul Sovan has also has made secular contribution for the construction of a school building of twelve classrooms from his own coffer, and overseen more schools and offices of director built with help from generous persons. I wholeheartedly thank Preah Moni Kaosal for his efforts and leadership to make all this happen. I thank also the Buddhist followers and the pagoda parishioners for placing trust and faith in Preah Moni Kaosal and making contribution, according to the report I must say it has been spent and kept record in best possible transparent way, for the constructions.

I have mentioned yesterday about what faith can do to CRC’s fund raising activities. In the same manner, it is faith that brings about marvelous achievements. It is true that if the head monk as well as concerned persons, fails to ascertain people’s faith and trust, it is highly probable that these achievements are not here in existence. It is a two way development relationship that where development exists in the secular world, similar trend will be in the Buddhist world and vice versa. Again, things could be realized only when there is faith.

Buddhist Monk Hul Sovan

We also celebrate today the 87 birthday of Preah Moni Kaosal Hul Sovan and HE Min Khin has read you Preah Moni Kaosal’s personal background. It is a respectful value that Preah Moni Kaosal, after becoming monk when he was 19 years old to repay gratitude to his grandfather, never left the monkhood except under Pol Pot’s time, still, he strictly followed Buddhist teaching. Pol Pot did indeed put a stop to Buddhist and/or religious activities, but faith prevailed with every followers. It was in this fact that after January 7, 1979, Buddhism has made great achievement along with education. The country now has some 4,000 pagodas that were built and respected by the people.

National Council for (Khmer) Language

In my discussion with HE Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister in Charge of the Council of Ministers, and I, on issue of establishing in the near future the National Council for Language, and because of Preah Moni Kaosal’s profound knowledge, in my capacity as the Honorary President of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, I would invite Preah Moni Kaosal to sit in this Council.

Cambodia is in need of resources to improve its language use and development. We have been under shortage of language expertise as for every law written, there has to have a lexicon attached to it. We need to have a unified form of language use. I am sure his profound knowledge and his French language skill will be of great use and help in this task.

Latest Developments at Border

Please allow me to share with all of you the latest information in the border conflict with Thailand. Starting from April 22 through to May 3 and into this early May 4, it was the first night within the stated period that there was no gunshot at the Ta Moan and Ta Krobei temples areas. While shootings occurred every previous night, the Thai army told us they had been haunted. They claimed to have seen Cambodian people - women and children too - went throwing hand grenades at them. That was what the Thai army head said to the Deputy Prime Minister, HE Tia Banh, Minister of National Defense.

It has been rumored too that (Cambodians) have by the magic power sent over twenty thousand poisonous snakes to Thailand. It was said so on the Thai side because my wife had in the previous years went to the temple of Preah Vihear to celebrate religious rituals and they had taken it as Cambodia is making a spell on them. Again, last night was the first night there was no gunshot.

Building Trust at the Front

In order to build up trust and to verify the possibility who initiate the shot, our commanders at the border have found out a formula with Thai commanders to place soldiers together at several points. So when the trust is being created there would not be any more fighting. Cambodia seeks no war as it will only bring destruction, on soldiers and civilians alike. Upon receiving the news that soldiers from both sides are on good term with each other, the remaining 200 displaced families have left the camp this morning already. What remains to be done is for the President of the CRC to speed up construction and repair of those destroyed or broken homes.

We may understand it to be true but also this can have its twisted fact as they claim this has happened so that they acquire chance to open fire on us. So the formula that soldiers stay together could possibly be one of the best solutions to prevent unpredictable shootings. However, I am happy that our people can now return to their villages and homes. As the rainy season has now started our people could be prepared in time for cultivation.

Address at the Commemoration of the 148th Anniversary of the International Red Cross

2011-05-22T16:06:00.001-07:00

Address at the Commemoration of the 148th Anniversary of the International Red Cross - Red Crescent Day, Under the Theme of “Force of Volunteers, Effectiveness of Humanity”

Phnom Penh, May 3rd, 2011

Your Royal Highnesses, Excellencies, Oknhas, ladies and gentlemen,
Distinguished national and international guests, dear all the participants,

Today, it is my privilege and pleasure to be in the commemoration of the 148th Anniversary of the International Red Cross - Red Crescent Day, which celebrated annually to mobilize funds from national and foreign donors to support the humanitarian activities of the Cambodia Red Cross. This is a very important event for the Cambodia Red Cross, the Royal Government as well as the people because your participation reflects the will, determination and concerted effort in promoting socio-economic development, in particular for the cause of humanity through providing relief assistance to our people during hardship and natural catastrophes. The event also attracts interest and attention on the global challenges faced by the the International Red Cross - Red Crescent Movement so that we can jointly rescue victims and vulnerable groups timely and effectively. The task is indeed a big contribution to the Royal Government’s effort to reduce poverty incidence and relieve the hardship of the people.

During the last decade, the Cambodia Red Cross has been fulfilling its role effectively, including the response to and prevention of disasters, prevention of disease outbreak such as HIV/AIDS, dengue fever and bird flu, public health education, community sanitation work, promotion of the principles and value of humanity, provision of first aid service in the community, provision of clean water, provision of early warning alert of flood, drought and storm, and provision of education on UXOs and traffic law for reducing mortality rate and so forth. Moreover, the Cambodia Red Cross has acted as the pubic administration’s agency in providing aids to the people regardless of their races or political belief.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to sincerely praise H.E. Dr. Bun Rany and wives of other members of the Royal Government who always pay visit to our armed forces, especially remote and island-based armed units to provide relief assistance to our soldiers and their families and to ignite their patriotism to protect national sovereignty. In particular, the management, all levels of officials, and volunteers of the Cambodia Red Cross have recently paid visit to and provided aids to frontline soldiers and war refugees.

This shows the Cambodia Red Cross is playing an important role in socio-economic development, poverty reduction and promotion of dignity and value of human.

Taking this opportunity, I personally and on behalf of the Royal Government would like to praise the management, all levels of officials and volunteers of the Cambodia Red Cross, donors, national and international organizations for the mental and physical effort, material and financial assistance, technical support and close cooperation to support humanitarian activities of the Cambodia Red Cross. All of your contribution reflect the “Culture of Sharing” during hardship. These meaningful activities have further encouraged the Cambodia Red Cross to continue its duties and mission more actively and effectively to rescue those affected by disasters to promote social wellbeing and poverty reduction.

In general, we acknowledge the work coverage remain very limited which hinders the capacity to provide relief assistance to all victims. We also understand that more human, material and financial resources are needed to allow the Cambodia Red Cross fulfill its duties more comprehensively and timely. However, although there are complicated challenges, Cambodian Red Cross has overcome and tried to implement its duties without hesitation by continuing to attract the participation from national and international institutions, national association of cooperation partners, especially national and international donors inside and outside the country.

We have been aware that the world today is facing the crisis in economics, politics, armed conflict, religious war, and the growth of demand of natural resources in order to complement the socio-economic development for the countries in the region and the world, especially the challenges of climate change and global warming, which are the new topics for the whole world. In this context, I realize that huge natural calamities such as flood, drought, storms, season change resulting in irregular raining, high temperature and the spread of the epidemics may occur incidentally in the future. These issues will cause threat to security, safety, social order and livelihood of the human being in the world, and the impacts of those disasters may have effects on the people and territory of the Kingdom of Cambodia as well, which will become heavy burden for the whole society.

Through this, I strongly believe that Cambodian Red Cross, which is a strongly leading National Association Organization in humanitarian acts will continue to play role as a significant agency of the Royal Government on humanitarian sector in order to help solve those issues for the interest of the nation, people as well as upgrading the dignity, virtue, value of humankind and participate in the process of poverty reduction of our people. In this spirit, under the wise leadership, high sacrifice, management ability and transparent and efficient use of financial resources of H.E. Dr. the President of CRC, I strongly believe that Cambodian Red Cross will double its efforts in strengthening and developing its institution to be more comprehensive and gain more support from the national and international institutions, development partners, national and international donors as the people have always provided trust and confidence so far. At the same time, on behalf of the Royal Government, I am truly proud and would like to continue supporting without any conditions to the activities of the Cambodian Red Cross-Red Crescent, in which there are the inclusion of volunteer forces, Cambodian Red Cross Youths in the branches of 24 cities and provinces in order to serve the activity of humanitarian acts such as educational dissemination program, preparedness and responsiveness to the disasters, education program to promote traffic safety, health maintenance, and service provision on primary aid kits according to the topic put up for this year. In this spirit, the Royal Government will be highly capable in managing the activities timely in order to response to saving the lives of our people in order to contribute to achieving poverty reduction, development, progress, prosperity, harmonization and happiness for the whole society. In practicality, in this situation, I believe that Cambodian Red Cross will truly pursue its priorities to be firm, deep and more comprehensive in order to continue the humanitarian mission in saving human being as stated in the slogan as “The Red Cross is where there are hardships”.

In front of us now, we have clearly understood that the whole world is now worried about the adverse impact from the climate change and spread of the epidemics, which are the root causes of severe effects on the living of the people and there are universal challenges for socio-economic development. In general, we can not get away from the impact that is the result of unexpected incidents, therefore, we have to be on alert and higher attention with greater efforts are to be paid by all related institutions. In this sense, I would like to propose the National Committee for Disaster Management and the Cambodian Red Cross to jointly cooperate more actively in order to be prepared for protection and prevention of the issues that may threaten safety and security of our people and humankind as a whole. Through this, we have noted that we are one step ahead in terms of preparation for any incidents by not just focusing on emergency response, but also provide higher possibility to better understand the situation and estimation of any impacts.

Within the framework of this work, I would like to express my full support to the Cambodia Red Cross, who has selected the topic of “Volunteer Forces, Humanitarian Efficiency” this year, which is the key message for the campaign of the World Red Cross-Red Crescent Day, and this spirit has been incorporated into the 4 year development plan 2011-2014 by adapting to the Strategic Plan 2011-2020 in order to be used as a map and indicators in defining common objectives for implementation. Moreover, I would like to highly value the Red Cross volunteers, who are the driving forces that cannot be absent, meaning that “Volunteers are the Backbone of the Community”. Within these, we must continue to expand protective measures for volunteers and find weaknesses or barriers in regulations and guidance relating to responsibilities, safety insurance and health by paying special attention to voluntary emergency in order to comply with key messages of international federation of the world red cross-red crescent and other partners, who have appealed to other governments in the world. In this regard, I would like to further call for our people in all level, ministries/institutions, local authorities, related organizations/agencies to make continued efforts to actively cooperate to transform topic of “volunteer- effective humanitarian” to the practical implementation to settle daunting challenges in the future. Overall, I am still of the view that the humanitarian activities of Cambodia Red Cross have significantly contribute to the society and are the encouragement mechanism consistent to its vision and strategic action plan. I would like to reaffirm that the Royal government will continuously support all endless humanitarian activities of the Cambodia Red Cross to rescue victims and fulfill other humanitarian activities.

Once again, taking this opportunity, I would like to put up a number of more recommendations for the Cambodia Red Cross and other related ministries/institutions to effectively implement their tasks and responsibilities as the following:

First, the National Committee for Disaster Management, which is a credible and focus point for multi-disasters, must continue its close cooperation with ministries/institutions, local authorities and development partners, especially the Cambodia Red Cross to be ready to respond to the urgent need of our people when disaster is occurred.

Second, The municipal, provincial, district and communal authorities must work closely and constantly with the people at their localities in order to be well aware about vulnerability and set up reliable database system in order to make it easy to prevent and take action against impacts and destructions such as houses, properties, crops and people lives when the calamities happen. The local authorities, in case of the occurrence of natural disaster, must continue its close cooperation with Cambodian Red Cross to get the real needs of the local people done and take immediate and effective action for the vulnerable.

Third, all related ministries/institutions and local authorities in all level must pay further attention to closely working with and supporting the Cambodian Red Cross to implement its humanitarian mission such as education and dissemination of the information about traffic safety, HIV, basic primary support, community health service delivery, and danger of mine.

Fourth, the Cambodian Red Cross, the National Committee for Disaster Management and the Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology must work closely with each other to study adverse impacts of climate change, resulting drought and serious flood, to gather in advance information about natural disasters’ possible and calculate its impacts to disseminate those information to our people, especially to those living in the rural area.

Fifth, the Cambodian Red Cross must continue to strengthen and expand its voluntary forces and youth as well as increase the provision of training to them to prepare themselves ready to be dynamic forces and are capable to contribute to humanitarian activities with the Cambodian Red Cross in consistent with the proverb of “youth and volunteer are dynamic forces of the red cross – Red Crescent”.

Sixth, related ministries/institutions, especially the Ministry of Interior must continue its close cooperation and deepen relation with the Cambodian Red Cross to enhance its propaganda and dissemination of land traffic law to let our citizen be well aware of the law and jointly implement it with effectiveness to reduce the rate of traffic victims and dead.

I would like to advice the conference to consider my above mentioned recommendations to realize new tasks and responsibilities of the Cambodian Red Cross in the future. My sharing Idea and sense of moral responsibility would help to contribute to the conference, the management, officials, volunteer and youth of the Cambodian Red Cross to be included in its direction, task and action plan to continue implementing its task with quality, effectiveness and higher productivity to contribute to fruitful development of our society.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the management, staff and voluntary youth of the Cambodian Red Cross and related ministries/institutions, who have made greatest efforts to in this humanitarian work for the victims in Cambodia and are suitable for receiving trust from our citizens and victims. I believe that we will continue implementing these valuable activities and are determined at the utmost to continuously fulfilling its mission with highly special attention and moral responsibility to make sure that the Cambodian Red Cross has sufficient and stable finance, to build a society, where the principle and value of human being, happiness, peace and prosperity are guaranteed.

Last but not least, I would like to take this opportunity to appeal all ministries/institutions, local authorities at all level to continue to pay serious attention to and ensure the livelihood of Cambodian refugees, who escape from armed conflicts along the Cambodia-Thai border, causing by Thai invasion and fire to Cambodia’s territory, forcing thousands of civilian, mostly poor farmers to flee from their residents and damaged property and house.

In conclusion, I would like to wish Excellencies, Lork Oukgna, ladies and gentlemen, national and international guests, charity, especially the management and officials of the Cambodia Red Cross the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Address at the 12-Year Stocktaking Extraordinary Conference of Cambodian Women Association

2011-05-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

Address at the 12-Year Stocktaking Extraordinary Conference of Cambodian Women Association for Peace and Development 1999 - 2011 and Direction Setting for 2011 - 2015

Phnom Penh, April 27, 2011

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen Distinguished National and International Guests,
Dear all Participants,

Today, it is my honor and pleasure to be here once again in the extraordinary conference of the Cambodian Women Association for Peace and Development. I am convinced that the conference is a great opportunity for all of us to review all achievements and challenges during the last 12 years and build on these to set future direction.

Taking this opportunity, I personally and on behalf of the Royal Government would like to praise H.E. Mrs. Men Sam On and all levels of officials of the association for the last ten years of hard work and continued progress with high responsibility. Along with this, I also note that the association has received all kinds of support from development partners and domestic and overseas donors. The support has allowed the association to take part effectively in all social, economic and humanitarian activities, which can be translated into a contribution to the Royal Government’s socio-economic development effort to bring about better living standard, social welfare and poverty reduction.

In particular, the report provided by the association indicates its determination, willingness, solidarity among members, unity and responsibility that will make the association a key player in various women movements and in promoting women’s value, gender equity and social development. The association was indeed born under the umbrella of the Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation, and realized numerous achievements since then. Since its formation, a lot of our women have made both mental and physical sacrifices, even their lives, to rescue the country from the Pol Pot regime, which massacred millions of innocent people over its rule of 3 years 8 months and 20 days. I recall that even after the salvation, our women left their beloved husbands and children to join the army to protect the people. Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government and the people, I would like to pay tribute to the heroic bravery of our women who sacrificed their blood and flesh for the cause of national salvation and socio-economic development that results in what we witness today.

The past strategies of the association cannot be appropriate for all circumstances as we need flexibility to accommodate specific political, economic and social situations. However, the association still firmly maintains its basic vision and mission. It is essential that the association strengthens its partnership with men in all activities and under all circumstances to support the Royal Government’s effort in maintaining peace which is the prerequisite for all development fronts. Moreover, the association has gradually strengthened itself and expanded its role in human resource development, especially for women, to promote women’s role both in the society and international arena.

Along with this, I also note that the association has expanded its operation in the municipality and all the provinces. The sub-national levels of the association as well as its branches in government’s ministries - institutions have shown a concrete solidarity to take part in social and humanitarian activities by providing assistance to those affected by disasters, mobilizing resources to build physical infrastructures in health and education sectors, engaging in education, health, sanitation and disease prevention work, promoting social morality, the value of women and gender equity mainstreaming, disseminating various laws and government policies, addressing the needs of the poor especially women and children, visiting and supporting brave soldiers protecting our sovereignty and so forth.

The Royal Government always treats women as key actor and dynamic partner to the contribution of Cambodia’s socio-economic development. Within this, the Royal Government has paid particular attention and has provided highly valued women through the enhancement and encouragement of their livelihood, rights status and role in the society. It is clearly understood that the creation of favorable condition to enable women to move out of vulnerability toward happiness and good livelihood help them to achieve social harmony. We have also acknowledged that women’s hard-works have brought about the positive change in human behavior and given social benefits as a whole. This means that the concept of “women cannot move beyond her chore” becomes an obsolete view and is replaced by the recognition of women’s potential and egalitarian status in the society with the view that “women are the backbone of development” or “mother of the world and key partner of men” in the process of personal, family and social development. Therefore, women have been paid particular attention to with high value and respect in the modern Cambodia. Along with this, we all acknowledge that Khmer women are dignified and gentle, being good wives, mothers and good elder sisters. They can play good leadership role in family, community and society through their practical role in political and socio-economic development, as well as being able to work as employer in private sector and society in Cambodia.

Moreover, the Royal Government is determined at the utmost to continuously creating more favorable condition, especially for helpless women living in the rural area to enable them to create business, receive health care, send their children to schools and to have proper living condition and fair legal protection for women, and avoid from violence, trafficking, rape and all other forms of violence. Another important part is that the Royal Government always pays attention to increase women participation ratio, at the maximum level, in all levels of national organizations. Within these, Cambodia has made many achievements in enhancing valuation and role of women, prevention and elimination of discrimination and violence against women. However, more efforts remained to be done in order to continue improving and successfully and effectively solving the above said problems. I am of the view that we have to continue making relevant laws and regulations in order to develop policy and to promote law and regulation enforcements, aiming to help women serve themselves, families, and nation, which is necessary for all agencies, especially Cambodian Women Association for Peace and Development to continue cooperating with each other to effectively implement the policies and regulations.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to suggest the Cambodian Women Association for Peace and Development to put further efforts to work closely with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and relevant ministries/ institutions to implement its missions in order to enhance women’s value and role, prevent and eliminate all forms of violence and discrimination against women. In this regard, the association has to continuously find a source of fund from development partners and other charity to support its activities in the enhancement of women’s welfare and the solution of women difficulties. At the same time, the association has to closely work with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and related ministries - institutions to promote education and disseminate information on the consequence of domestic violence and discrimination against women, especially street children, homeless men and gang ring, who always stir up fear and insecurity in the society. These negative social phenomena have to be continuously cracked down and simultaneously implemented to prevent them from seriously taking place; and the solution could be made later.

Since Cambodia had made remarkable achievements with high economic growth over the last decade and noticeable poverty reduction, its economy suffered the adverse effect from the global financial crisis and economic meltdown in late 2008, especially on physical economic sector while we have bravely fought back with the Thai invasion to protect our own territory and sovereignty.

However, Cambodia is now standing in equal face and rights with other countries in the region and the globe as a gloriously cultural nation and civilization in Southeast Asia. In addition, Cambodia experienced economic growth of more than 5% in 2010 after sharp drop due to financial and economic crisis in 2008-09 and is projected to grow more than 6% in 2011. Total paddy rice production increased to 7.9 million tons, with paddy rice surplus of 3.8 million tons or equivalent to 2.4 million tons of milled rice for export. Within this economic growth, we are able to reduce poverty from 35% in 2004 to 27.4% in 2009 and will further decline in 2011.

I realize that the missions and achievements we have accomplished are the contribution that cannot be separated from our women. In this connection, the solid solidarity of all women members in the Cambodian Women Association for Peace and Development from the national level to the sub-national level have formed the network of strong driving force, which is the effective supporting foundation to back up the implementation of missions, which is a national requirement. The significant role of women in all levels has formed as core forces of comprehensive people’s movement to promote and advocate the policy implementation and strategic plan of the Royal Government.

I strongly believe that our meeting today is to monitor, discuss, open dialogue more comprehensively in order to collect excellent comments to be used as inputs to prepare the strategic plan for implementation in 2011-2012. The direction setting of “building families and communities with true happiness” of the Cambodian Women Association for Peace and Development will truly contribute to achieving strategic policies of the Royal Government and bringing about harmony and happiness to our people. Taking this opportunity, I would like to join you all in setting out a number of recommendations in order to ensure the success of 2011-2012 direction setting as follows:

First: the Association of Cambodian Women has to further promote the dissemination of women and youth education to be more comprehensively educated, life skills and consideration in order to avoid vulnerabilities that may result from being cheated by the gangs and try to expand opportunity for small and medium enterprise, especially the skills in plantation, animal rearing, agricultural production and processing, handicraft in order to meet the domestic demand and export to the foreign countries.

Second: Cambodian Women Association has to continue strengthening and expanding its existing mechanism in order to ensure working efficiency and attract women’s participation from all corners. All levels of women members have to actively participate in promoting women’s value and social morality, reducing domestic violence, enhancing the health of mother and children, especially our people in the community.

Third: Cambodian Women Association has to be in cooperation with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and related ministries - institutions in order to promote the dissemination of policy on gender integration and the enhancement of women capacity to the women living in the localities to be prepared for effective leadership in the socio-economic activities.

Fourth: Since Cambodian Women Association for Peace and Development is the concentration center of women resources, full of mixed abilities, it has to put further efforts in strengthening the leadership capability, skills in various sectors of women to make them become valuable resources and partners who cannot be absent in our nation.

Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government, I would like to recommend all skilled authorities of the ministries-institutions either at the national or sub-national levels to further pay attention to providing public services to the people, especially poor women by providing them opportunities in building professional and vocational capacity as well as paving the way for them to set up more small and medium enterprises. At the same time, we have to further promote the health of mothers and children in order to reduce the mortality rate of mothers and children and spreading rates of other epidemics. We have to pay attention to the effective implementation of “Safe Village - Commune Policy” in order to ensure that the people, especially women and children are feeling warm. I would also like to appeal to Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen and all participants to participate more actively in all raised projects as well as sharing information, knowledge and experiences gained from this meeting for the improvement of implementation to achieve new achievements for the nation.

Finally, I would like to wish Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, and all distinguished participants the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Speech at the 2010 – 2011 Stocktaking and 2011 – 2012 Direction Setting Conference of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

2011-04-23T16:30:00.002-07:00

Royal University of Agriculture, 7 April 2011

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear all Participants!

Today, I am pleased to attend the ceremony for the “Closing of 2010 – 2011 Stocktaking and 2011 – 2012 Direction Setting Conference of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries”, which is significantly important for Cambodian society. At first, I would like to extend my warm welcome to Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, national and international guests, and all lecturers and students who have attended this closing ceremony of the conference. This ceremony truly provides a valuable time for us to meet, discuss and exchange ideas on weaknesses, opportunity and confronting problems, and reappraise and assess the achievements that we have made in the past. In general, through this ceremony we have an appropriate opportunity to gather knowledge in order to closely work together to find new measures for the continued planning preparation and implementation with the focus on agriculture sector and the promotion of active participation from all ministries-institutions, development partners and agencies, private sector and communities to ensure the effectiveness of work and the development of agriculture. The work that we will introduce for implementation necessarily need to be consistent with the work of ministries-institutions and relevant stakeholders in order to achieve new fruits for our society and serve as a base for supporting the economic growth at present and in the future.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to highly value the management of the ministry and civil servants at all levels of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for fulfilling their work with responsibility and good accomplishment in 2010. All these achievements cannot be decoupled from the tireless efforts and the persistence in addressing facing challenges, until agriculture sector of Cambodia has made many proud achievements, and has been steadily and continuously promoted and given attention to. In this spirit, I firmly hope that we devote all our spirits, efforts and minds to continue the hard-work with the performance of each individual duty in order to achieve new objectives in the years ahead.

The Royal Government always considers the agriculture development as a priority area in all situations for Cambodia and a necessary work because the scope of the work has helped complement the sharing of the fruits of economic growth, the increase in national productivity and jobs, the use of maximum potential of economic resources and the promotion of living standards of people about 80% countrywide. In this facing spirit, we all need to further continue the implementation work with great focus in order to successfully achieve the rehabilitation and expansion of physical infrastructure, the development of institutional capacity and human resources, and the continued expansion of the scope of work on agriculture development sector to be more comprehensive, and to timely and effectively respond to the real need that often occurs. With this view, I believe that the progress of agriculture sector is not just a core of the driver of economic growth but also promotes the living standards of the people and maintain food security as well. In fact, the recent need for agricultural production is high at global markets, resulting in the increase in food prices globally; and that is a concern of the world on the food security issue as well.

This event has caused an increase in investment in this sector rapidly to satisfy the supply need of food that has been forecasted to continue increasing in the medium-term ahead. Hence, Cambodia has to seize this opportunity, in particular the promotion in paddy rice and milled rice exports that are our advantage sectors. By doing so, we not only make economic growth increase but also make the cracking-dry rice fields become lush green in all seasons as well as allow rural youths to have jobs and ability to upgrade their living standards. Truly, this work is a medium-term mean for moving Cambodian rural areas closer to urban areas; and also for closing the gap between the rich and the poor.

Based on the speech delivered by H.E Chan Sarun, it shows that paddy production in 2010 reached almost 2.8 million hectares on the cultivation land areas of about 2.78 million hectares. For that, the annual average yield for both dry and rainy seasons was 2.97 tons per hectare; last year we only received 2.83 tons per hectare. In terms of total paddy rice production, we received 8.25 million tons; and we have 2.5 million tons of milled rice remaining or equivalent to 3.9 million tons of paddy rice, which is a great achievement for Cambodia. Total yields increased around 8.75% in 2010, compared to 2009 due to increase in the planting area, irrigation development, improvement of farming technique and management, new advanced technology and high yield seed. Overall, we are so proud that rice yield is gradually increased and we have considered that rice paddy remains one of the key factors to support living standard of our people in the rural area of Cambodia. Moreover, I have observed that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has promoted all agricultural crops, especially strategic agricultural crops such as rubber and other crops, poultry and sub-fishery sector, which do not only meet the need of domestic consumptions but also increase the surplus for exports.

I am optimistic with pride that the improvement of agricultural production and diversification remain the current and future priority. In this spirit and with the objective to further contribute to key recommendations I have previously made for implementation in this sector, I would like to take this opportunity to give more practical recommendations for your consideration as follows:

First, continue to improve agricultural productivity, diversification, export promotion and build farming infrastructure, agricultural experiment station and development center to ensure research and development as well as transfer new advanced technology to farmers. In addition, we have to pay attention to change the way of farmers’ practices on agriculture production, including moving from subsistent agricultural production to industrial agriculture, through farmer cooperative program, which can be a mechanism to further increase farmer’s capability in financial and technical resource. In this regard, I would like to suggest the Rural Development Bank and the Agricultural Development Support Fund to seek financing to support farming cooperatives, who are the agricultural crops producers.

Second, continue to advice professional agriculture organization and veterinarian to seriously take both technical and lawful measures on agricultural production sub-sector and veterinarian to increase all kinds of poultry production, prevention of infected disease on animal and public health, bear more responsibility on animal and animal-product illegally imported from oversea. Within this, we must continuously disseminate the Announcement No. 549 date May 20, 2010 on the decision made at the 15th private sector-government forum on “all forms of domestic product delivery is openly made without any check-up along the road, excepts hygiene examination, animal health and meat quality, which is to be controlled at departure, middle and final place because this would have effect on human and animal health, in particular the prevention of contagious disease”. Furthermore, I have often noticed that poor quality of meat imported by dishonest businessmen has been confiscated and burned by our police, but have rarely seen that those people were sent to the court. I am wondering whether dishonest businessmen are strong or police does not enforce our laws and regulations. In this regard, I would like to remind all level of authorities to take serious action with higher responsibility without any involvement with dishonest business activities and businessmen. In addition, we must carefully enforce existing laws and regulation to combat and eliminate the import of poor quality of meat and ill animals; and we have to seek for dishonest businessmen to be sent to the court and serious actions must be taken on all polices and agencies involved in these business activities as well. We acknowledge that poor quality of products thrown away is very bad for health of our people and society and we are more critical we will see that they consider “Cambodia as rubbish dump for them.” Do you think that these activities contribute to improving the honor, dignity and prestige of our nation? These points should be seriously and carefully considered.

Third, continue to cooperate with related ministries and local authorities to timely combat deforestation of the flooded forests in prohibited zone such as third layer zone surrounding Tonle Sap Lake and mangroves and must set up strategic mechanism to prevent the land grabbing in the flooded forests and mangroves areas. At the same time, Tonle Sap Authority has to clearly define border of the reserved area (core or third zone) and other area are defined on the basis of information and studied documents, including documents produced by the Mekong River Commission and information on floating rice produced by pre-war regime should be considered for people use. Yet, newly occupied anarchic land should be confiscated.

Fourth: the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, local authorities and all levels of competent authorities must firmly cooperate with each other in order to prevent the provision of land concession or other development lands, which affect the flooded forests, mangrove, sea flowers and seaweed, which are the important shelter for national fishes, especially around Tonle Sap Lake and coastal areas.

Fifth: must pay further attention to promote all kinds of aqua-culture development such as pond feeding, farm feeding and BAE feeding according to the situational practicality, especially in the area of water shortage, fish shortage by encouraging and boosting for small scale fish rearing for family consumption as well as attracting investors to participate in the intensive aqua-farming in order that this sector can help strengthen aqua-culture. Along with that, the Fisheries Administration at the local levels must continue paying attention to the promotion of standing by at each fishing lot in order to carefully monitor the fishing instruments, which have been used in the lots, to be legal and conforming to the technical standard. In addition, you have to strength the monitoring activities of investigating the fisheries criminal acts through out the country, especially the activities of destroying small fishes and fishes for breeding.

Sixth: must try to set up the forest protection area and preserve the forest resource, in particular along the range of Cardamom Mountain in order to sustain the water regulation for the process of hydro-electricity and maintain the good scenery and environment for the development of eco-tourism. The Fisheries Administration must also cooperate with the relevant institutions and local authorities, development partners, international organizations and non-governmental organizations to promote the implementation of National Forestry Program to be more effective as planned. At the same time, the Forestry Administration and all related ministries-institutions must participate in implementing this National Forest Program organized according to the universal principles by paying further attention to the roadmap for strengthening the mechanism to prevent the loss and degradation of the forest, management and use of state-owned forest land for reforestation nationwide quickly in order to contribute to solving the issue of climate change and global warming, in which there are more reforestation, restoration of all kinds of forests and preservation and development of forest with sustainability and increase the forest cap up to 60% of the total land surface according to the Millennium Development Goal by 2015. Moreover, we must continue confiscating the economic land concession, that the concession recipients have not complied with the contract, and confiscate the forest lands that have been illegally occupied, with the objective to restore and develop our national forest. In this connection, I would like to remind the competent authorities to accelerate solving the cases related to forest criminal acts as soon as possible, and request the court to condemn at the maximum level to those who commit the forest criminal acts, especially the criminals who prevent and threaten the lives of the skilled competent authorities during the suppression mission; and I have mentioned these issues every year already. Another critical issue is to suggest the local authorities, all kinds of armed forces, court and related institutions to cooperate with the Forestry Administration in continuing the campaign to constantly crack down the forest criminal acts through out the country with effectiveness and efficiency. As for the Forestry Administration, you have to pay particular attention to the strengthening of strict disciplines among the forestry officials as well.

Once again, I would like to appreciate and highly value the management and officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, who have tried your utmost in active contribution with high responsibility in achieving and building various achievements in the sector of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and I would encourage you all to continue this noble tradition in order to overcome all obstacles to achieve the visions we have set. In the meantime, I would like to appeal to related ministries-institutions, local authorities, armed forces, development partners and agencies, national and international organizations, private sector and the community to continue participating in all forms to support farmers and the national agriculture development to be more developed with pride. It is true that the better growth in agriculture sector will allow lots of Cambodian people, who are doing farming, to receive interest from this growth, and their living will also be further upgraded. The progress in agriculture and the promotion of living standard of the people are the intentions of the Royal Government and Cambodian society as a whole.

Before ending, I would like to appeal, once again, to Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen and all Participants to participate in the implementation of the action plan mentioned as well as trying to share information, knowledge and experiences received from this conference to officials, staffs, colleagues for the improvement of implementation and duties in order to achieve new accomplishments, based on our National Agriculture Development Strategy.

At the end, together with the closing of “2010-2011 Stocktaking of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and 2010-2012 Direction-Setting Conference” now; and during the occasion of Khmer Traditional New Year of Rabbit, Buddhist Ear (BE) 2555 that is coming next week, I would like to wish Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Lecturers, Students and Compatriots the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Speech at the Official Inauguration of “Phnom Penh Thmey School for Blind and Deaf Children” at Sangkat Phnom Penh Thmey, Khan Sen Sok

2011-04-23T16:30:00.001-07:00

Phnom Penh, 6 April 2011

Your Venerable Monks,
Excellencies, Lok Chumteav Members of the Senate, the National Assembly and the Royal Government,
Excellencies, Ladies, Ambassadors, National and International Guests,
Mr. Benoît Duchâteau-Arminjon, founder of Krousar Thmey Foundation
Dear Teachers, Students and Compatriots!

At the outset, on behalf of the Royal Government, my wife and myself, it is my great pleasure to be here with Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, teachers and compatriots, blind and deaf children and orphans for the “Official Inauguration of Phnom Penh Thmey School for Blind and Deaf Children“, which is an outstanding achievement accomplished under the cooperation between the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veteran and Youth Rehabilitation and the Krousar Thmey Foundation; and it is a gift of Krousar Thmey Foundation for the traditional New Year occasion, Rabbit Year Buddhist Ear (BE) 2555 that is coming soon. In this grand occasion, I would like to take this opportunity to express my admiration and high valuation to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation for having cooperating with the Krousar Thmey Foundation, ministries-institutions, local authorities and donors for successful implementation of Phnom Penh Thmey School for Blind and Deaf Children until it is officially inaugurated today. I would like express my warm welcome to Mr. Benoît Duchâteau-Arminjon, founder of Krousar Thmey Foundation, and thank you for this remarkable gift.

The inauguration ceremony of this school for blind and deaf children today is another important event of social affairs sectors, especially for the disabled in Cambodia. This school is another new achievement resulted from the hard-work of Mr. Benoît Duchâteau-Arminjon, founder of the foundation, and all members of Krousar Thmey Foundation, who have taken part in human resource development, especially in the protection and promotion of the rights of the disabled by providing education services to disabled children in Cambodia. This is the evidence, showing the fruit of the cooperation between the Royal Government and the development partners, non-governmental organizations in addressing the disability issues and better promoting education sector for disabled children with the aim to help the disabled children receive necessary needs, in particular the need for education, that are in line with “Education for All”, and ensure the implementation of the four rights of children: the right to life, the right to protection, the right to development, and the right to participation.

Based on the speech delivered by of H.E Ith Som Heng, Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, and the speech of Mr. Benoît Duchâteau-Arminjon, founder of Krousar Thmey foundation, I would like to express the admiration and high valuation for this remarkable mission with good willingness, and to the humanity of the Krousar Thmey Foundation for setting up special education programs such as special education classes, mixed education classes, integration classes and the professional care given to children in the center to assist the blind children, deaf children and vulnerable children in Cambodia, and accomplished many achievements.

We all know very well that Cambodia has come across wars and genocidal regime, resulting in many difficult consequences, in particular the high rate of the disabled if compared to other countries in the region. At the same time, demining accidents, unexploded ammunitions, traffic accidents, work accidents, nutritional deficiency, mild illnesses and disability caused by other reasons also have increased the number of disabled children.

After the liberation day, 7 January 1979, in the rehabilitation process of the country from scratch even facing many difficulties, the Royal Government of Cambodia has always placed importance on the welfare of the people, in particular the welfare of the children. Now, Cambodia is moving firmly forward with confidence and certainty including institutional development and the strengthening of ownership. The economic growth in the past few years has increased substantially; a number of sectors have strongly progressed such as agriculture, industry, tourism, construction, infrastructure constructions etc. Along with this, social affairs, education, health, rural development, gender mainstreaming, children’s welfare, the disabled, veterans, government retirees, the old aged sectors have also been given priority through the increase in national budget for them every year.

The Royal Government has given attention to the increased intervention in social affairs sector, veterans and youth rehabilitation, which aim to promote job opportunity, reduce the vulnerability of the poor, increase the activities of emergency assistance to help people being suffered from natural disasters and other calamities, expand the rehabilitation program for the disabled, continue to provide strong support and assistance to the disabled soldiers and the families of soldiers and ex-soldiers, who sacrificed their lives for the cause of national defense and to improve welfare program for the disabled, the elderly, disabled children, orphanage children, victimized women and vagabond. At the same time, the Royal Government has built thousand of schools spreading around the countries and implemented special education program for disabled children by creating special, consolidated, and integrated classes to create foundation for the development of national education system.

In actuality, the current objective of the Royal Government is to shorten students’ travelling period from home to school, by building schools closer to residential area and creating a special education system to meet the demand of the disabled children. I think that this policy would reduce drop-out rate of students in rural area and make it easily accessible for school-aged children enrollment, including the disabled children. Moreover, the Royal Government has further paid attention to the welfare of our citizen, orphans and child care through the creation of disease prevention program and reduction of orphans and child disease; diarrhea; respiration bronchitis; stunning; iodized deficiency, vitamin C shortage and nutritional deficiency; HIV and AIDS infection and youth rehabilitation ...etc Furthermore, the Royal Government has also taken serous measures through Five Year National Plan in order to combat and eliminate the trafficking of women and children, promote the practice of laws and international rules and regulations, and to increase further cooperation with neighboring countries and other counties in the region in order to effectively combat exploitation on children and all forms of violence, in particular the disabled children. In this spirit, the Royal Government has strong commitment to take necessary measures to prevent and combat all forms of exploitation on children and the disabled, including illegal employment of child labor, child prostitution and trafficking and non-employed children in armed conflict, neglect of the disabled children, immoral acts, and exploitation on children and the abuse on the disabled.

The Royal Government has promoted the provision of service to vulnerable children, homeless and poor family’s children. 11, 945 Homeless Children have been taken care by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, other non-government organizations and that of 4, 884 children have been taken care at the local community. The Royal Government has also paid attention to homeless children, disabled and a small group of family who like to live on the street in Phnom Penh and other towns. Those disabled families and children are subject to the vulnerability or face other social issues such as health problem, uncertain future, drug use, AIDs infection, prostitution, acts of gang and unsettled living. At the same time, the Royal Government introduced law and regulation, aiming at improving the rights to protect and increase the benefit for the disabled. Moreover, the Royal Government has broadened structure and activities of the Cambodian National Council for Children at the national and sub-national level and related ministries-institutions to facilitate and consult on the disabled issues. Along with that, the implementation of policy to take care of children and increase child protection network at the community has also been paid attention.

Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government, I would like to appreciate Mr. Benoît Duchâteau-Arminjon, the founder of Krousar Thmei Organization, for cooperating with the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans, and Youth Rehabilitation, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and for making remarkable achievements, including Chba Am Pov School for Mute and Deaf Children, School for Blind, Mute and Deaf Children in Battambang, Siem Reap, Kampong Cham, Phnom Penh Thmey, where we now are inaugurating. Admirable humanity activities have clearly reflected your care on providing support to Cambodian children and integration through special education program for blind and deaf children, provision of service and assistance to meet the need of children who have been neglected, homeless, children being suffered from trafficking and the development of culture and khmer art to enable them to fully participate in social activities, by giving them access to basic education, leading them to have brighter future career. The established education system is consistent to national education system under welfare and safe environment. Through this system, blind and vulnerable children are accessible to education, professional training and the rights protection to shape their future direction to better live in their community.

Based on this perspective, I strongly believe that the program of Krou Sa Thmey truly helps the blind and vulnerable children to peacefully attend school and get warm care from your mothers and teachers, who are taking care of you all, to bright your future. In this regard, the Royal Government will continuously support and closely cooperate with Krousar Thmey Organization to strengthen, expand programs and improve this education system, in particular for blind and deaf children to be better, aiming to develop education and welfare of Cambodian children.

Taking this opportunity, I would like the Ministry of Social Works, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Various Ministries-Institutions and Sub-national Administrations to continue good cooperation with Krousar Thmei Organization, strengthen and expand the programs to be more efficient and sustainable in order to enhance the welfare and four basic rights of children aiming to contribute to poverty reduction of the people based on the Political Platform and Rectangular Strategy-Phase II of the Royal Government and try to make laws such as Law on unlawful person, Law on Children’s Welfare and preparing other legal documents in order to effectively implement the laws that have been adopted already. At the same time, I would like to suggest all ministries-institutions to pay high attention to a number of works as follows:

First: must disseminate and well implement the rights of the disabled by all means in order to reduce and eliminate the discrimination against the disabled people, especially disabled children.

Second: the Ministry of Health must continue boosting the birth defect prevention program through the creation of program for health and sanitation education and the prevention of disability.

Third: the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation must promote the implementation of the law on the protection and promotion of the disabled’ rights to be more effective, must continue to further strengthen and expand all kinds of welfare service of the disabled in order to promote the integration of disabled into the society without obstacles, must cooperate with related ministries-institutions and partner organization, promoting the implementation of the Braille system service, sign language for eye disabled, mute and deaf, try to research and insert this service into the information technology in order to serve the living and academic needs of this kind of disabled. Along with that, we have to pay further attention to collect data and evaluate the disabled women and children as I have recommended, so far, during the meeting of the National Council for Women and Children.

Fourth: the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports must promote the implementation of law on education, especially the special education from the rights of disabled’ education in learning with other general students in the normal program and the special education program for disabled students. At the same time, we must try our utmost to solve the language translation for the translation of Braille letters and sign letters at higher education in order to provide opportunity to disabled students to pursue their higher education.

Fifth: the Ministry of Information must continue encouraging the state-owned and private TV stations to further expand more sign language programs. Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my deepest thank to a number of stations, that have paid attention to the creation of programs for disabled people such as information program, entertainment program, disabled sport program as Bayon TV, CTN and Apsara TV Stations and others have already created a number of programs.

Sixth: the Ministry of Social Works, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport must prepare legal documents in order to define the technicality in movement of the disabled in public spaces and institutions in order to facilitate them in moving to participate in various activities appropriately.

Seventh: the Ministry of Works and Vocational Training must cooperate with the Ministry of Social Works, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation in creating the vocation training program and job creation for the disabled.

Eighth: All levels of Sub-national authorities must incorporate the issue of disability into the development plan in each class; especially they have to pay attention to the poor disabled in each locality.

Before ending, I would like to appeal to civil servants, teachers as well as all parents and staffs, who are serving in the schools for disabled, mute and deaf people, to try their greatest efforts to feed, take care and educate the disable children and our vulnerable children in order to maintain their gentle personality, good morality, respectfulness, and follow the advices of teachers, study hard with higher knowledge in order to become “good child, good student, good friend and good citizen” in the future.

At the same time, I would like to appeal to related ministries-institutions and local authorities to pose favorable conditions to the operation of Krousar Thmei Organization and School of Eye disabled, Mute and Deaf Children in the Kingdom of Cambodia to move on smoothly with the spirit of solidarity and good cooperation in order to be the best interest of Cambodian disabled and vulnerable children.

At the end, I would like to wish the Krousar Thmei Organization and all Donors the constant progress. I wish Mr. Benoît Duchâteau-Arminjon, founder of the Krousar Thmei Organization, Donors of the Organization and all Colleagues the best of health and success in their duties.

Together with the Official Inauguration of the Phnom Penh Thmey School for Blind and Deaf Children and for the occasion of coming Khmer New Year of Rabbit, I would like to wish the Venerable Monks, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Teachers, Students and Disabled Children and all Compatriots the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Speech at the Inauguration of “Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN - ROTA High School and Technical School-Ksach Kandal”

2011-04-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

Ksach Kandal District, Kandal Province, April 4, 2011

Your Venerable Monks,
Mr. Essa Al-Mannai, Director of ROTA and Representative of H.E. Sheika Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chair of the Board of Director of ROTA, Qatar,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, National and International Guests,
Dear Teachers, Students and Compatriots!

Today, my wife and I are very pleased to be in this auspicious event to inaugurate “Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN - ROTA High School and Technical School-Ksach Kandal”, which is located in Sonlung Village, Sonlung Commune, Ksach Kandal District, Kandal Province.
I would like to congratulate with the people living in Ksach Kandal district on the recent historic achievements such as Cambodia - China Friendship Bridge and National Road No.8, which links the eastern end of the bridge to Anlung Chrey with this magnificent school.

Taking this valuable opportunity, I would like to convey my sincere and deep gratitude, through the director of ROTA who is present here, to H.E. Sheika Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chair of the Board of Director of ROTA, Qatar for providing grants of USD 4.78 million to support the initiative of building this High School and Technical School, including the infrastructure in package, class buildings, administration building, student and lecturer dormitories, canteen and sport playground. This marvelous asset will indeed provide knowledge to and enable young people who live in this and nearby areas, especially those living in Ksach Kandal, to find jobs.

Moreover, the Royal Government believes this achievement will be a tremendous contribution to human resource development, which is a key determinant of national competitiveness and assurance for sustainable development in the long run. Therefore, I strongly hope that ROTA Organization will continue supporting and funding this High School in the future in order to be the symbol of friendship and close cooperation with fruitful result between the Kingdom of Cambodia and Qatar.

The objective of this school is to provide both the general knowledge and technical skills to those who live in Ksach Kandal and come from nearby districts such as Lvear Em, Muk Kampoul (Kandal Province), Srey Santhor (Kampong Cham Province), and Pea Riang (Prey Veng Province). In this regard, students, who have successfully finished lower secondary education, can be admitted into this school, either in general knowledge or technical skill training according to their preferences. This indeed provides more opportunity to our youths and contributes to growth in this region.

Another advantage is the existence of dormitories for female students and lecturers, who live far from school. Specifically, two dormitory buildings are for female students and one dormitory building is for teachers. This is a new concept, which has been gradually incorporated into the education development policy of Cambodia. Therefore, I would like to encourage and provide my utmost support to this school to carry on its activities and expand education programs for national interest, especially for our youths and people living around this area.

Along with this, what we achieve today also requires contribution from students. In this connection, my wife and I strongly believe that all students will study hard in order to make yourself a good child, a good student, a good friend, a good citizen and a good intellect, who are full of competency, skills, knowledge, know-how, morality, virtue, dignity, gentle, firm and suitable to be a well-deserved Khmer citizen, who can effectively and efficiently contributed to the national development to be more prosperous like other civilized countries in the world.

All students must remember that USD 7.4 million has been invested on this school, a substantial figure of investment on the future. Therefore, you must grab the opportunity and maximize your gain for your own future, your family and the nation as a whole. You must always remember you are the bamboo shoots of the nation. You are the nation’s scarce “resources”. You cannot allow yourself to become the “burden” of your family and your nation. All students must work and study hard to absorb knowledge and skill, as well as eliminating all kinds of bad deeds, which will bring about disaster. What the Royal Government must and can do is to ensure the prerequisite and equitable condition for human resource development so that each of you may become a nation’s resource with efficiency and quality. The final outcome depends on your respective efforts.

The Royal Government has given high priority to socio-economic development in all provinces, especially development of physical infrastructure such as pagodas, schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, water wells, ponds and irrigation systems to provide a favorable and appropriate environment to enhance the livelihood of the people, who desire peace and prosperity and be away from poverty. The inauguration of this school reflects the practical result of participation and support from all domestic and overseas corners inside and outside the country for the right policy designed by the Royal Government in its pursuit of poverty reduction and sustainable socio-economic development. Therefore, we can evaluate with confidence that we have been moving on the right path and we will not lessen this effort.

In this sense, the Royal Government will do more to mobilize contribution from development partners, private sector and domestic and overseas donors to fill out the gap in the development of physical infrastructure to doubly accelerate socio-economic development.

As I have already mentioned, the Royal Government clearly understands that education development is the key to promoting Cambodia’s competitiveness, especially the importance of increasing rural schools in ensuring that all children complete high schools. In this connection, we will continue to implement some practical measures to ensure we have enough teachers with modest salaries and suitable means in living and teaching, which is the most effective measure to ensure education quality in Cambodia.

In this regard, I would like to reiterate the importance of the linkage between general knowledge and technical skills. This further moves theoretical education closer to actual implementation, which is a key factor in promoting productivity and job opportunity. Our immediate task is to further promote this linkage by linking general knowledge and skill training to market demand and region’s economic potentials. For example, for general education and technical high schools, we should check them if we can establish a better link between vocational technical skills in school with the practical needs and potential of the economy in the surrounding bases. If we can do that, this link will become an important impetus and movement for the promotion of activities and productivity of the economy in the surrounding regions, which will provide lots of practical benefits for the people in the area.

Before ending, on behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia, my wife, and myself, I would like to take this opportunity to highly value the achievements made so far by the Local Community Strengthening Body of Ksach Kandal District, led by H.E Dr. Aun Porn Moniroth, complying with the recommended directions of the Cambodian People’s Party and the Royal Government. I would like to express my admiration to the Moni thapana Foundation for the initiative to construct this “Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN – ROTA High School and Technical School-Ksach Kandal”, and to fulfill the obligation to implement the project effectively until we have received such a proud achievement.

Also, I would like to highly value the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance for providing cooperation, support and facilitation to all necessary tasks for completing this project. Along with this, I would like to thank and admire the local authorities and all compatriots at this community as well as other related donors for providing cooperation and support in all kinds to the preparation and implementation of this project until it became completely successful and can be put into operation today.

Once again, I would like to remind the management, civil servants and all branches of armed forces at all levels throughout the country, provinces/municipalities, districts/khan, communes/sangkat to further focus on your work, including placing high value on security and safety of the people, particularly in this upcoming Khmer New Year occasion, without discriminating against skin colors, religions and political ideologies, with the aim to ensure the primary objective of the “Village-Commune with Safety” of the Royal Government. In parallel, we also need to continue with greater focus on the implementation of protective and preventive measures for traffic accidents that have become a new focal point of our society.

Finally, together with the official inauguration of “Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN – ROTA High School and Technical School-Ksach Kandal” now, I would like to wish the Vulnerable Monks, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, National and International Guests, Teachers and Students the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Address at the Conferment of Diplomas and Degrees to Technical Trainees and Students of the National Technical Training Institute

2011-04-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

Phnom Penh, March 28, 2011

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Board of Directors, Lecturers and Students of the Institute!

I am pleased to be here to confer diplomas and degrees to 2,562 trainees and students of the National Technical Training Institute (NTTI). Today’s event will award junior technical trainees and students of technology to 424 students of which 61 students are female, advanced pedagogic diplomas of technology to 960 students of which 177 students are female, advanced diplomas of technology to 405 students, bachelor degrees of technology to 749 students of which 24 students are female, and master’s degrees of technology to 24 students which include 2 females. I can recall that I have conferred degrees and diplomas to the institute’s students twice, the first on November 28, 1996 and the second on October 24, 2005. Although this is my third time, I am still pleased to attend such event which represents our hard-earned achievement in human resource development effort because I clearly understand that knowledge and know-how are the key investment to promote social welfare and poverty reduction in the era of peace and political stability.

I take this opportunity to praise the board of directors, the management and lecturers of the institute for the hard work that helps realize today’s achievement. On behalf of the Royal Government, I sincerely congratulate the institute for the prideful achievement in the area of human resource development.

The conferment is merely an evidence of human resource development for socio-economic development, while Cambodia is seeing a full-fledged development progress and needs more skilled labors to accommodate growth. I strongly believe that in the short and medium terms, demand for skilled labor will be on the rise as growth is predicted to be 6% in 2011 following the end of the crisis. In this spirit, we need firm contribution from both private and public vocational training institutes in terms of quality programs and ethical conduct as did by the institute.

The rapid growth requires some pre-requisite factors such as macro-economic stability, good governance, favorable condition for the private sector, investment on human capital and so forth. I believe that before Cambodia can achieve high growth, we need to invest in skill development as it is a pre-requisite for productivity improvement and better competitiveness; while the private sector sees it as an important incentive for investment and participation in economic activities. To achieve this target, we must have adequate resources, especially financial resource, to invest in skill development before we can attract investment and promote economic growth.

The Royal Government has introduced a number of measures to promote skill development, either through the implementation of its own programs or assistance provided by development partners, ranging from technical skills such as construction, decoration, electricity, tailors to other skills such as marketing, accounting, management, rural development, tourism and so forth. However, we can also note the limitation of our technical skill resources, both in terms of quality and quantity, for the demand of labor market and socio-economic activities. Moreover, Cambodia over relies on basic skilled workforce to fulfill the demand of garment and construction sectors. In the long run, I think we need to further develop our vocational training based on the concept of “expanding quantity and strengthening quality” and transform Cambodia froma country abundant in labor force into a country abundant in skilled, knowledgeable and innovative labor.

Therefore, I think skill development needs to connect with actual employment and business knowledge to facilitate students find a job and earn income. This initiative is designed to help the Royal Government in the area of human resource and skill developments, especially to cushion the people’s living standard during any economic crisis. For instance, in 2008, the Royal Government implemented a short-term vocational training program under the “Special Fund of Samdech Techo Prime Minister” by incorporating “Entrepreneurship” into the program, while Cambodia was affected by the global economic crisis which resulted in a number of investors closing down their factories or reducing their employees. For example, in 2008 the Royal Government introduced a short-term technical and vocational training project under a project called “Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen Special Fund” by including “Enterprise Initiative” program in the time that our country was affected by the impact of global economic crisis, resulting in merchants, businessmen, companies, factories and enterprises closed down or retrenched their employees and workers. This project was created to enable employees and workers to obtain new experiences so that they succeed in their businesses and know how to choose a business by relying on resource management skills and market needs, calculating, budget management and so on. In this spirit, I would like to appeal to all relevant ministries and institutions to focus on the skill development task in the direction of labor markets and career creation aimed to increase work productivity to attract investment and promote economic growth.

Taking this opportunity, in order to take part in the development of education training sector, in particular technical skill development in line with the Rectangular Strategy of the Royal Government, I would like to leave some comments for the National Technical Training Institute, other training institutions and the students as below:

First: The institutes have educated students and university students to have knowledge, know-how, intellect, and optimism in living in society, and has taught whatever good for the future of students and university students, so you all need to stick to the principles of good citizens, know how to live in harmony in the society in order to take part in building the country for the future.

Second: Truly, educating human beings is difficult, and it requires patience and diligence serving as a model including attitude and the talking. In addition, educating human beings is a difficult task that is different from planting trees and vegetables; planting trees and vegetables if we do not take good care of them, not enough watering or fertilizers, then we do not get the yields without having any big impact on the society. In this spirit, the National Technical Training Institute and other training institutions need to pay attention on their education to ensure good quality in order to make them become active people, and conduct good deed by not causing troubles for society.

Third: I also would like to advise all students to always do good, deserving as human resources with quality, knowledge, know-how, unification and good morality for living, know how to live in harmony in the society in order to serve a good role model for youths who are the descendents of our country.

Fourth: I hope all students continue the efforts in study, which is “Life-Long Learning” in order to upgrade your knowledge and become a good role model for younger generations to stick to this customs in order develop yourselves so that our Cambodia has plenty of human resources with high knowledge for taking part in social development.

Fifth: I strongly hope that all technical trainees and students of technology who have just completed their studies with success at the National Technical Training Institute and will play role as human resource developer in the capital city of Phnom Penh, provinces-municipalities, district-khan and other ministries and institutions. At the same time, those who start with teaching career have to be aware of their roles and obligation in order to build the foundation of growing human resources with good morality and transfer your knowledge to train the students who are our new human resources within the framework of the technical and professional training institutions in the cities-provinces to make sure they will gain knowledge, experiences, good morality, quality and efficiency in order to be able to support their living with modest conditions, based on the policy of poverty reduction of the Royal Government.

Sixth: As I have mentioned above that the human resource and skill development is the foundation for building society and national development as a whole. In this spirit, I would like all levels of management and lecturers to pay attention to institutional and human resource development. I strongly believe that the National Technical Training Institute, which is the institution for technical and professional training, is the model institute in training technical trainers and students of technology with quality on professional skills aiming to contribute to the national development based on Rectangular Strategy-Phase II.

Seventh: I would like the National Technical Training Institute to continue further efforts in order to achieve the vision set for 2010-2015 by making sure that trainers are more competent in technicalities, foreign languages, use of computer and research. In this connection, the Institute has to support the education quality at high school level nationwide by creating Center for Multi-Information and electronic based academic curriculum. This modern curriculum must be attached with the training cooperation program and pedagogy in order to improve quality, efficiency and responsibility.

Before ending, I would like to take this opportunity to highly appreciate and value the Bachelor Students of Technology who are a bit old but take your busy time to pursue studies until success. I strongly hope that you will put the knowledge and experiences gained so far into practice with success and contribute to the nation building.

At the end, I would like to wish Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished National and International Guests, Lecturers, Trainees, Teachers and Students the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Address at the 2009 – 2010 Stocktaking and 2010 – 2011 Direction Setting Conference of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports

2011-04-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

Address at the 2009 – 2010 Stocktaking and 2010 – 2011 Direction Setting Conference of the Ministry of Education Youth and Sports

Phnom Penh, March 24, 2011

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen Distinguished National and International Guests,
Dear all Participants!

Today, it is my pleasure to be in the “2009-2010 Stocktaking and 2010-2011 Direction Setting Conference”, which is organized by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. The conference is indeed a great opportunity for all of us, especially the Ministry’s local-level officials, to discuss, exchange experiences and come up with new measures to further education development. Through this, we can also review past progress and identify issues and challenges to ensure equity, quality and efficiency at all levels of education.

In spite of some challenges during the last academic year, the Ministry has made a very encouraging achievement, which will help realize the Rectangular Strategy-Phase II. The development of human resources and physical infrastructure is the key to poverty reduction and improved living standard.

In this spirit, on behalf the Royal Government, I sincerely praise H.E. Im Sethy, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports and all levels of the Ministry’s officials, lecturers, students’ parents and guardians, community, civil organizations, donors and local authorities as well as national and international organizations and development partners for last year’s concerted effort to deliver outstanding result in the education sector that will become a key contribution to future development. All material, financial and technical assistances clearly indicate the ongoing implementation of the “Education for All, All for Education” spirit. In this sense, we expect that all the people will have access to education as set forth in the Millennium Development Goals 2000 – 2015, that were agreed in the 2000 World Education Forum held in Dakar, Senegal. The goal is to ensure all children have access to equitable and quality education regardless of race, color, sex, language, religion, politic, origin and social status. In this spirit, I further encourage the management and all levels of official of the Ministry, related ministries – institutions, related organizations, development partners and the private sector to continue the cooperation and assistance to realize the vision of the education sector development. The rehabilitation and expansion of the education’s physical infrastructure, and human and institutional capacity building not only timely respond to socio-economic development but also promote harmony, anti-violence and anti-discrimination culture in our society.

As I have often mentioned, the Royal Government gives high priority to education, youth and sport sectors as it still remains our strategic front to reduce poverty incidence. Along with this, human resource development remains the determinant for national development since “a country’s richness in natural resources does not guarantee that it will become prosperous and developed if quality human resources do not exist, and vice versa”

Particularly, in the face of the global economic crisis, many Cambodia’s sectors have been affected but the education sector remained strong and a notable progress has been made. This stems from the concerted effort of all levels of officials in promoting the education sector. As a result, we managed to achieve sustained smoothness in the education sector, which is another proud achievement.

Moreover, we must continue to promote and develop all levels of the education sector. By realizing this, we will be more capable and in better position to conserve, protect and develop our culture and customs. These not only raise the image and dignity of the country, but also allow us to stand alongside other nations based on egalitarian status. These will not only upgrade the prestige and dignity of our nation, but also make us stay on equal footing with equal rights in the international affairs with other countries in the region and the world. For this vision, I would like to appeal to parents and sponsors of all students to participate and continue educating their children to be better educated and on the right path by cooperating with schools in order to build a new generation of youth with development in all sectors, meaning that we have to provide them education, experiences, virtues, morality, dignity and harmonization, to particularly achieve the 4 principles of the basic foundation of education “good children, good students, good friends, and good citizen”.

For the issue of training, I would like to appeal to all levels and sectors of formal and non-formal education system in both public and private sector, starting from primary to higher education, to increase quantity and ensure quality of goods in the context of highly competitive market economy. Thus, we have to be aware that in order to facilitate the export of goods, we have to produce goods with high quality first. These are not different from human resource development, which ensures quality, capability of students in order that they able to be employed according to the social requirement, meaning that they have to study hard and smart with specific skills, not just learn to gain degrees. In this context, I am of the view that education and training must be further improved within the framework of deep reform for quality by paying special attention to the orientation for professional training and jobs for our students, which could be used in families and society by starting from simple technical issues in labor works, production, agriculture and craftsmanship. Along with that, the Ministry of education, youth and sports must actively implement the policies put up so far, in which the education equity in all levels, improvement and promotion of education quality and efficiency, capacity building and institutional development, development partnership with the private sector as well as with national and international organizations, development partners and donors will be ensured.

With the objective to strengthen and expand the quality and efficiency of education sector and additional basis for direction setting of plan of action for 2010-2011 today, I would like to provide a number of key recommendations as follows:

First: continue the policy to ensure the possibility of receiving equitable education service more comprehensively, in which we have to enlarge the small children education programs, especially for the kids of 5 years old by paying attention to the commune/sangkat where the enrolment rate is low and high class repetition in primary schools in cooperation with commune/sangkat in doing census of children regularly and rightly. At the same time, we have to provoke and encourage the commune/sangkat to be aware about the importance and value of education through implementation of incentive program, provision of scholarship for outstanding students, students who face difficulties, especially female students, and enlarge the participation from the private sector and community in all levels of education through good cooperation with the commune/sangkat and national and international community in order to develop education sector based on the principle of “school is connected to families and society”.

Second: continue to build schools in order to response to the increasing number of students annually, in which we have to pay attention to the construction of more schools located close to the houses of the people for the reduction of cost for students and families as well as contributing to the objective of education equality. At the same time, we have to strengthen the non-formal education to be in line with the formal education system by increasing cooperation with the development partners in collecting students, who have dropped their schools, and people, who have lost their opportunity for learning, to study in the illiteracy classes. If these could be done, we will not only be able to strengthen the non-formal education, but also solve the issues of children and youth, who are outside schools, prone to being addicted to drugs, immoral acts as well as being gangsters.

Third: continue to implement the policy of quality improvement and education efficiency, in which there should be the arrangement of good governance, effective institutions and high responsibility in all levels of central level, municipal/provincial level, district/khan level and school level. The actual implementation must be paid attention, especially to ensure stability and safety in schools and education centers in order to improve the activities of teaching and learning in schools and education centers with quality and efficiency. In this regard, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports must strictly control the safety, stability in all public and private education centers, in particular, kindergarten and primary schools, which mainly focus on children.

Fourth: continue the capacity building policy and institutional development for decentralization, in which we have to increase the possibilities and means of fulfilling tasks in materials, budget resources and human resources, monitoring management, inspection, education assessment, staff management, financial utilization, right use of skilled officials and dissemination of staff to the local community in order to ensure more effective and efficient education services.

Fifth: continue to implement with high efficiency the utilization of cooperation financing by illustrating about the necessity among the suitable and achievable cluster of priorities, based on the priorities stated in the Education Strategic Plan 2009-2013, especially by sharing these efforts in the process of education reform in all levels.

These five recommendations, that I have raised above, are meaningful, significant and in line with each priority activity of education sector. Hence, I would like the conference to take these recommendations for consideration in order for us to clearly see the practical tasks for the implementation of the direction of duties of this new academic year and in years ahead because education is long-lasting work that need to be continuously done from year to year and from generation to generation. Truly, these tasks will provide perspectives and spirit to the participants of this conference, education officials and personnel, teachers, professors, and the management at all levels to integrate into the direction, duty and action plan so that we can continue implementing the work with better quality, more effectiveness and productivity to contribute to social growth and development.

Along with that, regarding the commitment to standardize writing, reading, word creations, and borrowing words from other languages, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Excellency Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, the Chairman of Khmer National Language Committee and Excellency Professor Prum Meol, Permanent Vice-Chairman of the Khmer National Language Committee, for their leading efforts in collecting words that are used in Khmer language together along with steady determination of the standardization of writing, reading and meaning of Khmer language. However, with respect to the conservation and progress of Khmer language and words, it would take a long time and require lots of resources including human and financial resources. In this spirit, in order to bring together public figure experts in Khmer language from all places and establish a permanent institution to be responsible for this vital work, I would like to support and encourage the creation of the National Khmer Language Council as soon as possible in order for this council to determine the standardization of the use of Khmer language and words, aiming to conserve and develop the use of Khmer language and words with continuity and sustainability.

Before ending, I would like to appeal once again to the management of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, education officials at all levels together with professors, teachers, and education personnel to continue their efforts for the implementation of duties with cares and high responsibility by having clear understanding of the future destiny of socio-economy, which is depending on the operation of education system with the involvement of Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, who are the management, government officials, education personnel, teachers, professors working in this education sector. In this regard, we need to always remember that people of the whole country have provided strong hope for the education service provision that can promote the capacity, knowledge and know-how, as well as upgrading the living standard, community development and national socio-economy in the future. In this sense, our education system needs to be in good shape, vigorous, and responsive to all aspects at present and in the future. At the same time, I would like to appeal to parents, custodians, communities, local authorities, national and international organizations, development partners and all donors to continue close cooperation, and support the education sector in order to continue the mission with success and prosperity.

Finally, together with the closing of the 2009-2010 Stocktaking of Education, Youth and Sports and 2010-2011 Direction Setting Conference now, I would like to wish Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Government Officials, Education Personnel, Professors and all Participants the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Keynote Address at the Closing of the 2010 Stocktaking and 2011 Direction Setting Conference of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training

2011-04-04T11:07:00.000-07:00

Phnom Penh, March 23, 2011

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Dear all the participants!

Today, it is my honor and pleasure to be here in the Closing of the 2010 Stocktaking and 2011 Direction Setting Conference which has been organized over the last two days by the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training. This event is an opportunity for all of us to review current progress so that we can learn and discuss together, exchange experiences, identify challenging issues and lay down new measures and targets for the upcoming years. In this spirit, I give my strong support and encouragement to the management and all officials of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training to work harder for more achievements in public service delivery, which is a significant contribution to growth, socio-economic development and poverty reduction.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank related ministries – institutions, the private sector, national and international organizations, and development partners, especially ILO for the close and fruitful partnership in labor and vocational training sector development. Along with this, I also praise the management and all level of officials of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training for the concerted effort in realizing the national development strategies.

Along with this, I am pleased to note strong contribution from the private sector, development partners and national/international organizations in promoting the vocational training sector as well as growth and socio-economic development. In this sense, we must further explore all means and methodologies and mobilize development partners and the private sector that can complement the more important role of vocational trainings.

In general, the government clearly understands that human resource development is the core of socio-economic development and regards it as a priority area in the Rectangular Strategy Phase II. The Royal Government must continue to implement market-based vocational training policy by closely cooperating with all stakeholders to focus on four policy measures including: (1). Providing basic vocational training to rural dwellers to increase incomes, (2). Providing vocational training to factory workers with cooperation from their employers, (3). Continuing to expand the geographical coverage of this service and incorporate entrepreneurship skill into the program, and (4). Establishing the national employment agency and provincial/municipal employment centers to facilitation job advertisement. In connection to the four measures mentioned above, I note that the Ministry has done exceptional job. Looking ahead, the Royal Government will regard employment and vocational training sector as the main managing and protecting mechanisms of labor. As a result, these works correctly respond to capacity development among the youths so that they will become more skillful and professionally capable for domestic and overseas labor markets.

Currently, Cambodia’s labor force (people aged between 15 and 64) amounts to 7.4 million and at the beginning of each year, around 200,000 people enter into the labor market. This is one of our comparative advantages. This also requires a clear planning for vocational training to avoid migration from rural to urban areas in order to find jobs in the service and industry sectors. Among the challenges, we must continue to strengthen the private sector, promote SMEs and attract new investments to create more jobs and ensure good working atmosphere for all workers. To support this task, the Royal Government has already implemented a number of policy packages to support the private sector, in particular and in general, such as garment factories. The assistance includes the deferment of income withholding tax payment up to two more years till 2012 and the contribution of 0.3% out of 0.8% for the payment of job insurance for two years, 2009 and 2010. Moreover, 40,140 laid off and unemployed work force have received vocational training supported by my special fund called “Samdech Techo Prime Minister Special Fund” and we have given approval to this fund to operate for three more years from 2011 – 2013. At the same time, we have also established and started the operation of a self-employment generation fund, managed by the National Committee of Training, in order to provide microfinance to trainees who have been trained, and examined to have adequate capacity for the management of their own employments.

Furthermore, we have also allowed workers to go to work overseas through private companies that have received licenses from the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training. Now we have cooperation with the Republic of Korea on this, sending workers through the “Employment Permit System” in order to make sending workers to overseas more effective and safe because this system is managed by the state. In the past through this mechanism, we are proud of our compatriots who have gone to work legally abroad and brought back lots of incomes to their families in the home country, on average 180 million dollars a year; and when coming back to Cambodia they also brought along new skills that they have received from practical work in overseas. In parallel, I would like to appeal to all Cambodians, in particular youths, not to believe hoax of bad people finding jobs outside the country illegally because this kind of act is susceptible to all kinds of risks.

With this goal, the Royal Government is implementing a comprehensive reform of public administration including retiring people reaching the retired age and substituting with officials next in line who have been trained and have in-depth knowledge and know-how in order to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of public services.

In the aim to solve the issues sustainably and long lasting, Cambodia needs to modernize its economy, which is the “Promotion the Development of Industry Sector”. In this regard, we will promote industry sector and ongoing and new services because this sector is a foundation for the long-term development and rapid progress. Besides, we will continue promoting the development of handiwork, agro-industry and agro-business sectors in the medium term ahead because these sectors will support the growth of other sectors such as agriculture, garments, and tourism sectors that are important inputs of Gross Domestic Product. In parallel to this goal, we have to configure the labor force properly in order to ensure they possess capacity, talents and hard-working attitudes and patience that are must-have factors for production. Our joint efforts on all these tasks not only ensure the growth of national productivity but also maintain safety and social order as well.

In this spirit, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training together with relevant ministries and institutions need to work hard continuing maintaining the harmony on vocational relations, and minimizing work disputes from now on. At the same time, we need to ensure the health of the workers and employees through the promotion of safety condition inspections and hygiene at workplace by having aid-kit boxes or nurses at the factories and enterprises. With this, the Royal Government will continue promoting the draft of legislations on enterprises, and then submit them to the legislative branch for adoption at the end of this 2011 in order to promote vocational relations sector effectively.

Moreover, we have also begun the implementation of social safety net system for the workers and employees in private sector, which is a new turning of history of social safety in Cambodia that ostensibly shows the concern of the Royal of Government on workers and employees in the private sector. Because this is new work for Cambodia, and in order to avoid the burden of the financial crisis context, and parallel with the beginning of the implementation of social safety net system for the first time in 2008 we have prepared the operation of this system through three major steps: (1) implement work risks insurance, (2) health insurance, (3) pension. Based on the experience of the implementation of the first step in the past two years, this system has been well-received by companies, factories, enterprises and has provided insurances to workers and employees of about 10, 000 people. The Royal Government clearly understands that certainly the implementation of social safety net system contributes significantly to promoting work productivity through the provision of warmness and confidence of employees on jobs in private sector. This can eliminate the stereotype thinking that only government jobs get protection, in particular receiving pensions. Through this, the Royal Government will work hard preparing the implementation the remaining steps, making sure they are in line with the practical socio-economic situation.

I believe that, the two days conference has fruitfully discussed, evaluated and developed action plans, measures and targeted objectives to be achieved in 2011 and in the future. In this regards, I would like to take this opportunity to put up some more practical recommendations for the management and officials of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training to consider for further implementation, aiming at improving development of this sector to actively contribute to economic growth, in particular employment generation and professional training. The recommendations are as the followings:

First, continue to pay attention to the improvement of professional training program which can be linked to the job market requirement in order to be effective, attractive, publically recognizable, and parallel to the government vision to upgrade Cambodia’s economy. Moreover, the ministry should continue to implement focus-growth strategy, improving comparative advantage, and diversifying skills, professions and business activities to catch up market mechanism evolution, which would enable us to sustain economic development and capture as much benefit as from economic growth.

I also believe that agricultural development, which is dynamic force in the world market and that Cambodia has advantage in this sector due to its endowment of land and about 80 percent depending on agriculture, has provided opportunity for Cambodia to rapidly increase income for its people and higher value added in the short and medium term.

Within this strategy, we has offered opportunity to our farmers, rice millers and exported companies through rice production and export promotion policy, which is able to create a good model for other crops and agri-business development in Cambodia. At the same time, the ministry should continue to improve professional training program for industrial development in the medium and long term, including engineering, construction, service, and information and communication technology. In this regards, the Ministry of Labor and Professional Training has to pay higher attention to as such skills, aiming at supporting our development policy.

Second, improve the quality of professional and skill training program, aiming at increasing job opportunity, productivity and higher income generation for our citizens. In the future, the ministry should create vocational training program to offer to vulnerable group, youth, and poor women, creating a room for them to be able to open their own business and have more opportunity to get employment, which would reduce their vulnerability and maximize their participation in productivity and enhance their social welfare.

Third, strengthen the principle of equitable training provision and make further effort to enhance social safety net, focusing on women, vulnerable group, poor youth, dropped class students, demobilized soldiers, retired civil servant, disable and handicapped person, dead militant family, and vagrant to improve their living standard and effectively and actively support public welfare.

Fourth, Ensure participation of the private sector on professional training program since many companies have pledge with the government. Within this, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training and relevant ministries have to cooperate with private sector to create training program which respond to the company requirement, utilizing fund given by the company. For instance, when an animal feed producer invests in a particular location and provides training to their own staff, we can avoid sending our citizens from other part of the country by just allowing the company to recruit people on the spot. If the recruitment process is able to implement, scale of training program will be intensified and can be guaranteed that more people will get different training program, enabling us to diversify our worker skills.

Fifth, make continued efforts to finalize the union law in cooperation with related ministries/institutions, international labor organizations at the end of 2011. Moreover, the ministry has to strengthen law enforcement to guarantee peace in production process and service to comply with the rights and benefits of employees.

Sixth, make further effort to solve wage conflict for workers, utilizing the mechanism of labor consulting committee. At the same time, the ministry should strengthen social safety net system by creating health insurance and pension scheme to guarantee that our workers have income security in the present and the future.

In this regards, as public service provider, I think that my proposal would suit and contribute to the benefit to our nation and people. I strongly believe that the conference will consider my recommendations as important points, which would be included in your action plan for implementation in 2011.

In this regards, I would like to appeal to Excellencies, ladies, gentlemen and all participants to actively implement your proposed action plan and share information, knowledge and experience with your colleagues to achieve further achievement in compliance with the development of our vocational training.

Last but not least, I would like to express, once again, my appreciation to the management and all level of civil servant of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training for your strong effort to implement the assigned tasks and responsibilities with high moral responsibility as public service provider. I also would like to appreciate the private sector, development partner, local and international organization to support and promote labor and vocational training to move forward in Cambodia.

In conclusion, together with the closing of the 2010 Stocktaking Conference and 2011 Direction Setting of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training now , I would like to wish Excellencies, ladies, gentlemen, all civil servants of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training and participants the four gens of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Address at the Ground Breaking Ceremony of the National Road No 57B

2011-04-04T11:06:00.001-07:00

Address at the Ground Breaking Ceremony of the National Road No 57B
with the length of 176.35 km from the National Road No 5 at Thmor Kol-Borvel-Sampauv Loun and Borvel-30 Village-Phnom Preuk and 30 Village-Kam Reang-O Dar

March 21, 2011

Venerable Monks,
H.E PHAN GUAN XIA, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Cambodia,
Excellencies Members of the Senate, Members of the Parliament and Members of the Royal Government,
Excellencies, Ambassadors, Distinguished National and International Guests,
Civil Servants, Armed Forces, Compatriots, Teachers and Students!

It is my great pleasure today to once again participate in the ground breaking ceremony of the National Road No 57B with the length of 176.35 km from the National Road No 5 at Thmor Kol-Borvel-Sampov Loun and from Borvel-30 Village-Phnom Preuk and from 30 Village-Kamreang-Odar in the northern part of the Kingdom of Cambodia. At the same time, I am pleased to note that in only the first 3 weeks of March 2011, I have participated with H.E PHAN GUAN XIA, Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China in the inauguration ceremony of infrastructure construction of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport for 4 projects, which is the concessional loan from the Government of China for the construction, along with the counterpart fund of the Royal Government for dealing with resettlement and people’s accomodation, demining of the unexploded weapons as well as the responsibility of custom duty imported for the construction. Those four projects include Prek Tamak Bridge, National Road No 59 with the length of 144 km from the National Road No 5 at Kaun Damrey Village, Banteay Meanchey Province to the National Road 57 at Steung Karch Village, Pailin Province, Container Terminal of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port, and the contrsuction project of the National Road No 57B, which is being celebrated to start the constrcution.

Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government and people of Cambodia, I would like to express my deepest thanks to the people and Government of the People’s Republic of China, who have always been our historically close friend long time ago, is the potential development partner, unconditional financing owner, who is always timely responding to the need and request for the development of all sector in Cambodia, especially the agenda for rebuilding and developing socio-economic infrastructures such as roads-bridges, ports and electricity network ...etc. These achievements are not only the evidence of our friendship and economic and trade cooperation between Cambodia and China, but is also the key contribution with potential to sustain the process of socio-economic development aiming to reduce poverty of our people.

The People’s Republic of China, so far, has been supporting to construct lots of National Roads-Bridges in Cambodia with the length of 1,400 km as well as building irrigation systems, electricity, and continually has received many human resources in these sectors to be trained in the People’s Republic of China every year. Moreover, the Government of China has also paid attention to encourage Chinese investors to invest in Cambodia with the first rank.

Based on the perspective of the Royal Government to transform the former fighting frontline to be an area of development, and transform all Cambodian borders to be the areas of peace, cooperation and economic development, I strongly believe that the National Road No 57B is another significant strategic road in the northern border of cambodia. This area used to be the hot frontline during the war, and after 7 January 1979-1996, it was controlled by Khmer Rouge, leaving the ditches of grenades, bullets, and mine plantations with hundred tons of all kinds. Therefore, it is true that this road is the road network that has history and geography of closer relation, and is interconnected with complementary potential with the National Road No 57, which is almost completed and the National Road No 59, which has just recently been started with the construction. This shows that the achievement of this National Road No 57B is another additional input to support the people’s living in this area.

I strongly believe that these road networks will jointly contribute tremendous interest to transform this northern border of Cambodia to be more developed as other areas through out the country as well as the nearby areas of the neighboring countries. The National Road Passage No 57B, which is from Thmor Kol of Battambang Province to Borvel and then Sampauv Loun, will connect with the Cambodia-Thai border, which is called Damrey Border Pass, as for the Road Passage from Borvel to 30 Village and then Phnom Preuk, will connect with Cambodia-Thai border called O Rumduol Border Pass, and the third Passage from the 30 Village to Kam Reang and then O Dar, which is another Cambodia-Thai border pass, where the people of the two countries exchange their products constantly.

The situation of these roads is truly the economic vein for the nation and families and people as a whole. Furthermore, this reflects the practical result of the stategic implementation of the internal integration within the Kingdom of Cambodia and with the neighboring countries as well as the integration in GMS, ASEAN and the whole world. In fact, the interconnected and potential economic veins will truly contribute to the transformation of the far-flung area and border to be areas of fast development as it will make our people easy to generate income to support and upgrade their living by exchanging goods at the border. In this regard, the area located next to the National Road No 57B is crowded with people who are mostly doing farming and trade with Thai people, especially the exchange of agricultural products, which are being planted by our people at the border with high yield such as corn, bean, cassava, mulberry tree, and lead to planting rubber that can be exported up to more than 10,000 tons per year.

Along with this, this economic vein will also provide opportunity for the Royal Government of Cambodia to build hospitals, schools and the connection of other roads which may help attract investment in all sectors and bring about richness in business with harmonization between our people and thai people. This achievement is the fruit of the successful implementation of the Win-Win Policy of the Royal Government that completely closed down the political and military organization of the Pol Pot genocidal regime and build the national unity, which is the cause of the maitaining peace, political stability, safety and social order, which is the pre-requisite for socio-economic development for our people and nation. All these pre-conditions have realized the interconnected connectivity of this communication infrastructure and it will pose favorable condition with lots of options for the transportation to Battambang provincial town and continue to Pailin and then to the National Road No 57 toward Cambodia-Thai border at Psar Prom border pass. In addition, this interconnected road networks will facilitate the traffic of our people in this area to get to all parts along the Cambodia-Thai border, other provinces of the country and to Phnom Penh capital city for working relation, job seeking, businesses, products exchange, trade, industry, education, health, and especially tourism because beside the tourism resorts in Siem Reap and other provinces, there are also attractive tourism resorts for the trips of national and international tourists as well in the northern provinces.

In fact, the construction of this road as well as other roads all over the country can be successful due to the active contribution from our people, local authorities and all kinds of armed forces, especially the support and warm confidence of our people on the policies and implementation of the Royal Government. These supports are the essential impetus to the Royal Government in continuing its historical mission to restore development, protect sovereignty and territorial integrity for our people and nation. Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government I would like to express appreciation and deepest gratitude to our countymen, armed forces and civil servants in all ministries-institutions, who have contributed to socio-economic development, especially to make every socio-economic infrastructure development projects a success like today. I would like to continue giving priority to the restoration and development of transport infrastructures such as roads-bridges, railroads, waterway, airways, in order to promote the connectivity of the rural areas to the city and various pre-historical tourism resorts, aiming to promote the flow of tourists and connectivity to the neighboring countries for internal economic and social integration of Cambodia, region and the whole world, as well as to create condusive environment and cooperation along the border and businesses, trade, investment and other jobs creation for our people.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to congratulate the two Chinese companies (CHINA ROAD AND BRIDGE CORPORATION), which has conducted research and implement the project, and (Guangzhou Wanan Construction Supervision Co. Ltd), which is technical controller. I would like the two companies to work hard to implement their duties in order to be able to complete this National Road construction as planned with high quality. Along with that, I would like to thank and appreciate the efforts made by the Exim Bank of China, especially H.E PHAN GUAN XIA and all his Colleagues of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, who have cooperated and coordinated to provide fast loan approval so that we can process the construction of bridges in many places as well as for the construction of this National Road 57B today and other bridge construction projects in the future.

Before ending, I would like to once again remind all people who are living along the road to be highly careful in the traffic and transportation of products, and respect the traffic law such as wearing helmet while riding motorbikes, and must drive within the speed limit of 90 km per hour outside the people living area and more than 40 km per hour in the crowded area. At the same time, you have to take further care about dust due to the traffic of machineries along the road during this construction process. After the road is gradually completed, there will be the increase in traffic, and the cars will be of higher speed. If we don’t take care, there will be traffic accidents causing loss of lives and injuries to brothers, sisters and children, which is your hard burden as well as the worry of the Royal Government.

At the end, together with the Ground Breaking Ceremony of the National Road 57B with the length of 176.35 km: Thmor Kol-Borvel-Sampauv Loun-30 Village-Phnom Preuk-Kam Reang-O Dar today, I would like to wish the Venerable Monks, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished National and International Guests, Civil Servants, Teachers and Students, especially His Excellency Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China and his Colleagues, Chinese Experts and Technicians, who have been on mission to the Kingdom of Cambodia, the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Address at the Closing of the 2010 Stocktaking and 2011 Direction Setting Conference of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport

2011-04-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

Phnom Penh, March 16th, 2011

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

It is my pleasure to be here in the closing of the 2010 Stocktaking and 2011 Direction Setting Conference of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport that has been held over the last two days.

First of all, I would like to commend the management and all level of officials of the Ministry who have been working hard and making noticeable progress on rebuilding and developing the public work and transport sector of Cambodia. This conference is a good opportunity for all of us to reassess the progress, exchange ideas and experiences, identify the weaknesses and strengths, and lay down the measures for future years. In this spirit, I strongly support and encourage the management and all levels of officials of the Ministry to continue your hard work to achieve more successes for the sake of socio-economic development and poverty reduction.

The physical infrastructure, especially roads and bridges, is crucial to the pace of growth and social development as roads and bridges link all corners of the country and link Cambodia to its neighboring countries which will accelerate internal, regional and global integration. In this sense, Cambodia can grab the opportunity to promote trade and cooperation in all sectors.

This indicates that infrastructural construction is a prioritized area that aims at delivering public goods and maximizing the national interests. In particular, transport infrastructure such as roads, railways, waterway, international ports and airports has seen a noticeable development progress. According to the report of H.E. Tram Iv Teuk, Minister of Public Works and Transport, Cambodia has made numerous achievements including asphalt pavement of 2,852.18 Km which is equivalent to 52% of the total length of our national roads and construction of some landmark bridges such as Prek Kdam and Prek Tamak bridges. These achievements perfectly respond to the needs of the people. Moreover, I have recently opened the construction site of Neak Loeung Bridge which is financed by grant of the Government of Japan. This bridge will link the eastern part with the western part and rice production base of the country. The new bridge will promote growth and provide enormous benefits to the people.

Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government and the people of Cambodia, I would like to convey my deepest condolences to the people of Japan, especially the families affected by the quake and tsunami on March 11.

As I have already raised, the “Rectangular Strategy” prioritizes the rehabilitation and construction of the transport network including roads, bridges, railways, waterway, ports and airports that link all parts of the country and neighboring countries. The stable, safe and economically efficient transport network are key to the promotion of trade, tourism, rural development, regional and global integration, and protection of national sovereignty and integrity. In this sense, we prioritized the construction and maintenance of rural roads to maintain the stability of transport.

Along with the implementation of this vision, the Royal Government has undertaken multifaceted reform to ensure and directly underpin the sustainable phase of economic growth, of which the construction of roads and bridges is the priority. Therefore, I am still of the view that “Wherever there is road, there is hope” which transform this concept into one of priorities of water, electricity and human. Indeed, these four priorities are keys for socio-economic development at any time and at any stage of development. If there is no physical infrastructure of road, water and electricity together with human resource, then the society will not develop. Someone may argue that if peace, stability and social order are necessary for development, then road, water, electricity and human resource are the key foundations for generating, maintaining and sustaining development. When society has achieves diversified development, they will need more physical infrastructure as well as human resource of higher quality and efficiency.

Nevertheless, as for Cambodia, the goal of developing complete infrastructure nation-wide remains a long way to go due to our limited capability to answer all demands in a short time period. Therefore, we must encourage and mobilize capable development partners and private sectors to complementarily develop physical infrastructures to allow for active participation in shortening the time of socio-economic development for the better.

Against this backdrop, the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation must pay further attention to maintaining roads/bridges to maintain their existence and durability as well as to ensure the traffic flow and freighting. In parallel, new infrastructure development projects must accommodate the increase in traffic and freighting activities, follows legal procedure socio-economic impact assessment standard, to be in conformity with public procurement procedure, inventory book and appropriate technical standard, and must be transparent and efficient, by having mechanism to regularly check work activities. Indeed, to follow this spirit, we must have clear policies, management mechanism and concrete measure to efficiently maintain roads in the cities, provinces and at rural areas.

Through such enthusiastic discussion during these last 2 days, I strongly believe that the conference has evaluated and set new plan of actions, measures and directions toward realizing new achievements for 2011 and the year ahead on the development and rehabilitation of public work and transportation sector. In addition to what we have already implemented, the comments raised in the conference and with the objective to promote the development of this sector, I would like to take this opportunity to provide more recommendations as the follow:

First. Continue to cooperate and share experiences with development partners, private sectors and engineering units on the rehabilitation and construction of transport infrastructure to ensure that all construction projects meet the required quality condition and designed for long-lasting use. The ministry has to cooperate with local authority to create traffic accident data compiling system to record all traffic accidents which allows us to deter traffic directions and improve road condition to avoid future accidents.

Second. Continue to pay more attention to traffic safety and transport management, by doing further researches on technique and the cause of traffic accident, to put more traffic signs and lights along main roads. Moreover, the ministry has to deepen reforms to improve the management of all forms of transportation including on-land transportation services and business, waterway and small ports. At the same time, the ministry should plan and encourage the creation of dry ports, warehouses, and cargo services. In particular, the ministry must also pay high attention on the existence of used vehicles and illegal overloading trucks, and those illegal altered vehicles by preparing a particular policy and tough measure which strongly comply with traffic and land transport regulation. “In this regards, I would like to remind the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, local authority and traffic police to continue to take tough measures on traffic offenders such as illegal overloading, and the alteration of original vehicle appearances. I am wondering why we cannot eradicate this problem after having seen all the causes that damaged our roads/bridges so far. I think it is about time to solve these issues. I would like to urge Excellencies, Ladies, Gentlemen who are responsible to find the best way and to take measure to immediately solve these issues and permanently control them, and not acting as the “ten legs official” as I had often mentioned”.

Third. Improve access to transportation services for a whole year with affordable price. At this point, the ministry should pay attention to the preparation of municipal public transportation action plan to help reduce pollution, traffic accidents, and traffic jams at local communities and rural areas. We can attract investors in transport sector, in which there are many options such as the investment on bus service, airbus and air rail. The Royal Government will continue encouraging the participation from the private sector on transport development and infrastructures as well as posing favorable conditions for free and fair competition along with encouragement and concession.

Fourth. Continue to strengthen and improve safety and security of the shipping services of goods and passengers through strengthening the security on car, ships as well as in the ports and garages ...etc as well as to promote working activities of maintaining small infrastructures and increase road construction, which could be used in all seasons and to promote development of small ports in provinces.

Fifth. Cooperate in trade facilitation and cross border trade, in which we have to inspect, negotiate, and implement the multi-lateral and bilateral international agreements, aiming to upgrade and improve the cooperation for cross border transportation of goods and people, transfer and supply of the regional logistics, international trade, and international tourism facilitation. Along with that, the transportation facilitation and trade along the southern economic corridor, southern sea corridor, central corridor from Vientian - Streung Treng - Phnom Penh - Sihanoukville and a number of important corridors of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) and ASEAN and in the framework of triangle development area Cambodia-Lao-Vietnam, ACMECS Cooperation ...etc in order to boost the transformation from transport corridor to be economic corridor, contributing to the regional and global integration.

Sixth. Improve the capability of transportation institution and human resource development, by providing skills training in transportation, and strengthening the human resources in both public and private sector with the vision to provide transportation services with good quality for the people and society. At the same time, we have to implement the competition movement to gain masterpieces in building infrastructure and transportation system of the officials in charge in all municipalities-provinces. Through this, we will be able to find the highly productive officials who have to be given suitable incentives, but those who are passive should be advised.

The Royal Government will actively pay attention to the restoration and development of infrastructure and transportation in order to promote and strengthen domestic and foreign trade as well as regional and global integration, which is the significant interest of the nation and people. In this regard, I strongly believe that the conference will take these recommendations as the spirits for implementing their own roles according to the objectives set by the conference for 2011 and for the social interest.

Once again, I would like to appeal to Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen and all participants to participate in actively implementing the plan as set in order to achieve new achievements based on the strategy for infrastructure development of the Royal Government. In this spirit, I strongly believe that Cambodia will move ahead with optimism, progress, and prosperity in a more comprehensive and favorable basis as well as ensuring peace, political stability, harmonization of the national fold and sustainable development.

In this occasion, I would like to congratulate and continue to support the management, civil servants, ministries and institutions, and all officials, who have been working together to visit and support our soldiers stationing at the border to protect our territorial integrity at the frontline of Preah Vihear region. I am proud and delighted while the people all over the country get together and support the position taken by the Royal Government in protecting sovereignty, territorial integrity of our Kingdom of Cambodia.

Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government and people of Cambodia, I would like to highly value and express deepest gratitude to the development partners and friend countries who have actively contributed in time that Cambodia is in need to restore and develop its physical infrastructure. These contributions are truly supporting economic growth and have promoted the livelihood of the people of Cambodia based on the set objective.

Before ending, I would like to, one again, thank the management, civil servants, engineering forces, and department and institution, public enterprises, department of public works and transport of Phnom Penh Municipality-provinces of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, related ministries-institutions, private sector, which have supported and promoted the infrastructure sector in Cambodia to be further developed.

Finally, together with the closing of the 2010 Stocktaking Conference and 2011 Direction Setting of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport now, I would like to wish Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen and all Participants the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Keynote Address at the 2011 Cambodia Outlook Conference

2011-04-04T11:03:00.002-07:00

Keynote Address at the 2011 Cambodia Outlook Conference: A Partnership of CDRI and ANZ Royal Bank «Driving High Growth and Sustainable Development for Cambodia – Opportunities and Challenges»

16 March 2011, Phnom Penh HotelPhnom Penh, Cambodia

Excellencies, Distinguished Guests,Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is for the fifth time that I have delivered the opening keynote address to the 2011 Cambodia Outlook Conference on “Driving High Growth and Sustainable Development for Cambodia – Opportunities and Challenges”. I would like to congratulate CDRI and ANZ Royal Bank on their initiative in hosting this important annual conference, which brings together officials from the Royal Government of Cambodia, the private sector, the research community, civil society and international development partners to consider Cambodia’s achievements and the challenges we face, and to seek good approaches we can work on together for the benefits of our nation.

I would like to take this opportunity to convey to the People of Japan, particularly the victims and members of bereaved families, my deepest sympathy and condolences for the loss of lives and colossal damages caused by the most powerful earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan in the afternoon of 11 March.

Today’s conference and its theme, Driving High Growth and Sustainable Development for Cambodia – Opportunities and Challenges, are both timely and relevant. We have recently gone through and mitigated the negative impacts of the global financial crisis and economic downturn of 2008-9 and are moving confidentially but carefully forward. We survived well for some important reasons - the stability and quality of our macro-economic management and the early policy responses of the Royal Government with the support of our international development partners; good governance and stability of our financial institutions; our economic and geo-political location in the East Asian region, the dynamism of our private sector, and the industry and resilience pf the Cambodian people.

However our experience of the crisis taught us some very important lessons that now drive government priorities.

Firstly we learnt that the economic growth of the prior decade would not be sustainable and inclusive without economic reforms.

Secondly, we understood better the need for a focused growth strategy and industrial policy to increase competitiveness and diversify the economy Cambodia if sustainable inclusive growth is to be achieved.

Thirdly, we now see more clearly than ever that Cambodia is well positioned to benefit from three important opportunities - harnessing the benefits of regional integration in our dynamic East Asian region; the management of our considerable natural resources in a sustainable way; and investment in the future through agriculture, infrastructure, education, and higher savings.

I am pleased to see that the priorities arising from these lessons are well reflected in the agenda of today’s conference and I welcome your specific ideas and suggestions of how we best respond to the opportunities and challenges they present.

The Cambodia economy is performing well. Growth for 2010 has recently been revised upward from 5.5% to 5.9% of GDP.

The future outlook for Cambodia is positive – the economy is projected to grow between 6% to 7% annually over the medium term. It is expected that Cambodia will benefit from future global investment and credit flows which will favours Asia due to the weakening of demand in the other parts of the world. The growth of the traditional US and EU markets could remain below its earlier trend at least for some time. With the growing regional cooperation and integration and faster growth of the Asian economies, Asian markets could offer more prospects of export and income growth to Cambodia. Thus, we have to diversify Cambodia’s economic structure to focus not only on serving the US and EU markets, but also Asian market.

International price for both oil and non-oil commodities rose considerably in 2010, partly in response to strong global demand and the situation in the Middle Est, but also due to supply shocks for selected commodities. Despite that, in 2010, Cambodia’s inflation has maintained an annual average at around 4%. If compared to December 2009, inflation in December 2003 was only 3%. In the coming years, we need to carefully watch the inflation as rapid rise of regional inflationary pressures coupled with the hike in food and oil prices could have an adverse spillover into our domestic economy disturbing macroeconomic stability.

Real sectors of Cambodian economy are on the strong path of recovery. Agriculture, which has maintained sound growth even during the crisis, in 2010 grew at around 4%. Asia's demand for agricultural products is set to grow rapidly. This would result with the prevailing high prices of food and persisting food security concerns. Price of raw materials for industrial use (like rubber) also expected to increase along with the increased trend of oil prices. The changing economic environment and its implications for food supply will likely also increase demand for agricultural products. Taking all this factors into account, the agricultural sector projected to maintain good performance in 2011 and in medium term. Agricultural product exports, including rice exports, expected to increase owing to high priority has been given to this sector by the Royal Government.

Industry grew by 13.5% in 2010 as compared to negative growth of -9.5% in 2009. Main subsector which underpins the growth in the industry sector is the garment exports, which increased by 15.2% in 2010. Industry sector expected to grow robustly in 2011 as the textile exports projected to rise further as the result of the EU’s “Everything But Arms” initiatives, where Cambodian garment exports, as from 1st of January 2011, will be subject to 0% of customs duties (compared to 12% previously).

The services sector expanded in 2010, supported by good performance in the tourism sector. Tourists' arrival into Cambodia increased by 16% in 2010 and reached around 2.5 million. Visit to Angkor (main tourist destination) increased by 26% to 1.15 million. In 2011, service projected to grow at around 5.7%.

Cambodia has already established a firm base in cultural tourism; the diversification can be based on clustering other tourism attraction such as leisure and eco-tourisms with cultural tourism. The government plans to develop a comprehensive tourism policy to transform the tourism industry to a high value added sector with linkages to the domestic economy.

As I said earlier, today’s conference agenda reflects some of the key challenges and opportunities Cambodia faces in ensuring a positive enabling environment to achieve our goals of high inclusive growth and sustainable development, and how we build on successes and remove constraints to position Cambodia to better achieve our goals. Let me deal first with the enabling environment to achieve our shared goals.

The maintenance and deepening of a positive enabling environment for business, as the driver of growth, employment and economic diversification is critical to our future success. We have provided business with political stability and responsible economic management it requires to thrive. We remain one of the most open economies in the world. The government’s Rice Production and Export Promotion Policy provides opportunities for rice producers, millers and exporters and will be a useful model for other crops and for the development of agribusiness.

Our strategic location in an increasingly integrated Grater Mekong Sub-region, in ASEAN and in our proximity to China, the world’s second largest economic power and the world’s largest market for agricultural surpluses is a major asset in private sector development and investment. We have an abundance of good arable land but this will only be effectively utilised if we better manage economic and social land concessions to ensure they contribute to productive land use that benefits investors, the private sector and local communities.

We have competitive low labour costs but we need to ensure that we make a more strategic investment in vocational education and training in to meet real labour market needs, through collaboration between the government and its development partners, and through creative public-private partnerships. We have provided the private sector with useful consultative mechanisms and direct access to government through the Government Private Sector Forum and its Working Groups, but we also need to more often get together the best thinkers, the most strategic planners, and the most entrepreneurial business people in focused ‘think tank’ processes to target our industry policy and private sector development support more effectively.

We need to ensure that the message that Cambodia is a safe travel destination with rich cultural assets and diverse tourism experiences is better broadcast regionally and internationally. We must keep up the pace of infrastructure and human capacity development, and mobilise more savings for domestic consumption and investment, to drive economic productivity and diversification in the transition to a new set of comparative advantages in the medium term.

The revised National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) 2009-13 provides a supportive policy, legal and regulatory framework to achieve these objectives, with its focus governance, private sector development, human development, and agriculture. The passing of anti-corruption legislation and the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Commission send a clear message to the nation, to investors and to the international community that we take anti-corruption measures seriously. However we also need to work harder, in cooperation with the private sector, to continue to government and business governance and practice to a higher international standard, strengthening institutions and building the capacity of government officials to build a healthy and dynamic but well-regulated environment for business.

Success in dealing with the related challenges of vocational education and training, tertiary education, human resource development and labour market responsiveness, in response to the country’s growing need for a skilled and educated workforce, will also be fundamental to our success. The government’s new Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) initiative, supported by a grant of USD 24.5 million grant from the Asian Development Bank will deliver vocational and skills training to ensure continuing improvement in national productivity, to promote the creation of jobs in the formal and non-formal sectors, to increase agricultural productivity by creating jobs in rural areas. It will establish technical vocational education and training (TVET) networks to assist both men and women, especially the poor, disabled and vulnerable, to respond to labor market needs. We will provide an expanded and more integrated training system that is endorsed by industry and better aligned with the skill requirements of the formal and informal economies, focusing initially on three industrial sectors - mechanics, construction and business services and information and communication technology.

As part of our commitment to a more pro-active human resource policy we are also now working with our development partners, and the private sector to enhance the quality and relevance of tertiary education to meet our nation’s needs. In response to out changing economic and demographic circumstances we need to rationalise the tertiary education sector to ensure that it delivers quality education for young Cambodians through both state and private universities, so that so that their graduates will be competitive in the domestic and international labor markets. This will require a significant investment in both the physical infrastructure and quality of academic leadership and management in our tertiary institutions, and in ensuring that tertiary education offers a more appropriate balance of physical and social sciences education on the one hand, and business and management on the other.

I believe these human development strategies will help deliver the skills and job opportunities to the younger generation of Cambodians that they deserve.

As an open, export-oriented market economy, building on our past success in trade and investment will be a strength for us as we move forward. Cambodia’s trade with China, South Korea and Vietnam all increased significantly in 2010, along with a recovery in garment exports to Europe and North America. The government’s rice policy reflects our high potential in agricultural production and the needs to continue promoting and attracting investors to invest in the agricultural sector, in the production of both rice, and other high demand export crops in our region such as cassava, soy beans and rubber, and in broader agribusiness and food processing. However we also need to focus our efforts, through more strategic industry policy, on the creation of new industrial sectors such as vehicle assembly and electrical appliances and other light industry, and further reforms to improve trade facilitation and the investment climate.

Underpinning the push for trade-based growth and economic diversification will be the continuation of the significant progress we have made on infrastructure development, along with associated improvements in both the hard and soft infrastructure that promotes a better logistics environment for the smooth movement of people and goods within Cambodia and across our borders. The progress we have made in the construction and rehabilitation of roads, railways, ports, and irrigation systems must continue, with cost-effective and environmentally responsible energy generation now also a priority. A $141 million project to repair 650 km (400 miles) of railway linking Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, to its borders with Thailand and Vietnam is now in train. Cambodia’s entire railway system is being rebuilt and expanded.

We must ensure that, along with this ‘hard’ infrastructure, we make further progress in the ‘soft’ infrastructure, the regulatory reform and capacity building of government agencies and officials responsible for the smooth, transparent and cost-effective movement of goods and people across our borders. This is now more an imperative that ever with the increasing pace of GMS, ASEAN and East Asian connectivity and integration.

Energy generation infrastructure to widen national access to reliable and affordable electricity is also now an imperative to help drive economic development, particularly in rural areas. While the benefits of exploitation of off-shore oil and gas resources, and their potential use in energy generation, may be a long-term opportunity, in the short term we will focus on significantly enhancing our hydro-power generation capacity and managing associated environmental impacts.

These are just some of the key opportunities and challenges that we face together in doing all we can to ensure a future of high inclusive growth, sustainable development for Cambodia.

I am advised that at tomorrow’s meeting of CDRI’s Board of Directors, the current Chair of the Board, His Excellency Dr Hang Chuon Naron, will step down as Chair, after serving two terms for 6 years allowable under the Anukret establishing CDRI concludes. I would like to express my sincere gratitude and congratulations to His Excellency Dr Naron for the very significant contribution he has made to the growth and development of CDRI over the past 6 years, and for the role model he has played for CDRI staff. I am confident that, even though he is stepping down, he will continue to work in close collaboration with CDRI in the years to come. I am also pleased to note that H.E. Dr. Sok Siphana, wil be nominated as Chair of the CDRI Board to replace H.E. Dr Hang Chuon Naron. I wish Dr Siphana every success in working with the CDRI Board, management and staff in taking CDRI forward.

May I conclude my opening keynote address here. I wish the conference a success in exchanging views and dialogue on the future of Cambodia. Once again, I congratulate the organising partners of the 2011 Cambodia Outlook Conference, ANZ Royal Bank and CDRI, and look forward to receiving good policy recommendations and ideas for action generated by the conference. I am now declaring the 2011 Cambodia Outlook Conference open. Thank you for your attention!

Keynote Address at the Closing of the 32nd Stocktaking Conference and 9th Joint Review Conference of Health Sector Achievements

2011-04-04T11:03:00.001-07:00

Phnom Penh, March 15th, 2011

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen
Distinguished national and international guests,

It is my pleasure and honor to be in the closing of the 32nd stocktaking conference and 9th joint review conference of health sector achievements. I believe the conference is a great opportunity for all of us to reassess the current progress and identify challenges in the upcoming years. According to the report read by H.E. Mam Bunheng, Minister of Health, the conference has reviewed in detail the achievements of the Ministry in 2010. The conference has also introduced initiatives and new methodologies to further smooth out work implementation and achieve success in the sector.

Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government and myself personally, I highly praise all levels of officials, doctors, medical practitioners, nurses and all staff who are working in the Ministry of Health, hospitals, health centers and health posts for the tireless effort in providing professional health care services to all patients. This progress not only is the prerequisite for better living standard and poverty reduction, but it also boosts public confidence on our health sector and image of the country. In this connection, I highly value cooperation and assistance provided by development partners and agencies, national and international organizations, private sector and all related institutions for increasing efficiency and effectiveness of the health sector. I would also like to request all health officials, related institutions, development partners and agencies, private sector and professional bodies to continue the contribution and effort to jointly realize the vision of our health sector, especially in the areas of rehabilitation and expansion of physical infrastructure, institutional capacity development and human resource development that are key foundation for expanding health service coverage and responding timely to the needs of the people.

The Royal Government has been attentive to the implementation of the strategic plan for health sector 2008 – 2015 that involves the strengthening, expansion and quality improvement of health services, behavioral change of health service providers, capacity and skill enhancement, improvement in the management and supply of drug and medical equipment, tightening of regulation on drug and health clinics, and the strengthening of health information system especially financing service and governance.

Moreover, the Royal Government also prioritizes the prevention and treatment programs, maternal and infant health program, and fee exemption for the poor. Through this, the Royal Government continues supporting the health equity fund to ensure the poor’s access to public health services. In this spirit, the Royal Government has gradually increased annual expenditure on the health sector, especially on the construction and expansion of referral hospitals, provincial and municipal hospitals, and village health posts across the country to move health services closer to households. The Royal Government believes this is an effective measure to provide timely health services to improve social welfare and accelerate poverty reduction.

In this spirit, the Royal Government has done its part to constantly increase the number of doctors, medical practitioners, midwives and nurses though training programs, capacity strengthening programs, and national and international internship programs. Along with this, we also pay attention to the allocation of doctors, medical practitioners and nurses in rural areas. We continuously strengthen the professionalism of doctors, medical practitioners and health officials to ensure the quality of health services. In this sense, I would like to appeal to health officials, doctors, medical practitioners and all health service providers who are responsible for the provision of health care services to adjust your behavior to the code of professional conduct in the health sector when you interact with the people and patients by upholding the technical and humanitarian principles and have to adhere to virtues, morality and high sense of self awareness and must always remember that “ doctors are saviors of patients”. All doctors and health personnel must not just consider patients as your customers; in contrast you have to consider patients as victims who necessarily need to receive saving, treatments and healthcare services, and provide them with best cares in order to make them have hopes in lives and trust and confidence in the service of our public heath.

In addition, the Royal Government has also thoroughly increased investigations on the provision of health services in private sectors, in particular on doctors’ consultations and treatments and pharmaciticual businesses by encouraing all hospitals, clinics and private medical centers to respect the principles of laws in order to ensure the quality of services and health of people as well as encouranging those health practicioners in private sector to strengthen and expand cooperation with other state institutions, development partners, national and international organizations and other donors, aimed to improve the public health of our people. In parallel, the Royal Government has been encouraging all stakeholders to continue improving and expanding their capacity to make a progress towards establishment of a system for insuring health, education and more-indepth information dissemination of health and hygience more extensively. I believe by doing so all those tasks would not only become effective social saftey nets but also can ensure sustainbility of health sector developoment of Cambodia.

Though we already have made many achievements and progresses, we are still facing a number of confronting problems that we need to work together to address in order to achieve the Millinieum Developoment Goals 2015, in particular the issues on child and maternal motarlity rates during laboring that are still high and women fertility. Along with this, the rapid increase in numbers of people in urban and rural areas, lack of research study and dissemnation of new disocveries of health problems, lack coordinating mechanisms of instistutions responsible for the healtcares of familiy and businesses enterprises, incomplete process of insurance, limited capacity of institutions in technology for communication and performing tasks systematically, and ourtbust of contagious diseases as such are all a concern that we have to persistenly face and address in 2011 and in years ahead.

In addtion, even in the past we have invested a lot in technology for use in medical and information technology sectors, and promoting the capacity of institutions to address confronting problems above, in particular for good diagnosis work and effective health treatments, all these tasks have not yet shown their effectiveness. Hence, at this phase we need to select additional investment projects in this area in order for medical technology and health information technology system to effectively contirbute to patients’ follow-up cares, analsyses, and disease treatments in a timely response to the need of our people in all places in the country. At the same time, we all have to actively continue encouraing and implementing key measures and policies along with further promoting partnerships and more in-depth reforms of health sector aimed to build more preferential environments for investment projects of private sector in construction of physcial infrastructure that will create a key mechanism for the development of health sector of Cambodia more quickly.

In this spirit, I would like to instruct the Ministry of Health and relevant institutions/authorities at all levels to continue working hard through effectivee uses of all means and resources in the right directions. That includes the Ministry of Health and all relevant partners need to mobilize new initiatives and good recommendations from this forum as input materials in order to ensure rights directions in prepartion and planning of activities for the positive results of continued implemenations of health tasks in this 2011 and years. Along with this, the Ministry of Health needs to establish mechanisms for patients’ follow-ups and diagnoses that can be trusted, and throughly implement those mechanisms to ensure quality and effecitiveness of the public health provisions to our people by complying with the standards and career code of ethics for doctors, dentists, pharmacists, doctors of medicines, midwives, male and femal nurses, officials, personnel, workers and all practicising agencies in the entire health sector.

Moreover, do not over overlook the outflowing trends of Cambodian people seeking healthcaer services outside the country. This factor not only make us lose the reveune of health sector, contributing to gross domestic products, through spending on the imports of health serivces from outside the country but also impacting general trust of our people on health sector that we have worked hard building and developing from scratch. In this sense, the Ministry of Health need to firmly increase attention on quality and effectiveness of public health provision to our people by adhering to the spiririts of high responsibility and caring on performing duties of each individual, for the the cause of welfare development for our people and society.

In this spirit, the Ministry of Health has to make its continued effort to encourage hospitalls, health centers, health posts and health service providing institutions, especially clinics and private poly-clinics to upgrade their medical equipments and facilities and medical professional in desease diagnosis and analysis to be perfect in medical consultation, treatment and healthcare for our citizens. Having said that, health service providers must strickly and seriously comply to the principle of public health disciplines called “human health is conscience obligation that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, health practitioners and other health staffs must primarily comply with. We must not let patients die or illness condition become more serious due to administrative arrangement and treatment service payment”. In this regards, health treatment must be based on humanitarian and professional code of ethics, with careful and comprehesive diagnosis and analysis on the cause and symtom of various deseases and must provide timely treatment to save our people lives. Along with that, I would like to remind the Ministry of Health to pay attention, take gradual and effective measures and cooperate with other relevant ministries/institutions to eliminate and crack down on expired medicines, obsolete medical facilities and equipments and unlicensed medical producers, pharmacies and clinics because ineffective or careless law enforment of above issues could possibly generates side effects on our people lives and the society as a whole.

Logically, a credible public health system is built based upon technical, technological, physical and institutional support. Therefore, the Ministry of Health and related agencies must make continued efforts to build supportive infrastructures to dispatch public services closer to our people in accordance with the decentralization and deconcentration policy of the royal government. Moreover, the Ministry of Health must continue to cooperate with other relevant institutions and agencies to solve inter-sectoral issues such as the averse impact of climate change and natura disasters, causing negative impact on animal and human health, economy, agriculture, water and environment. In this spirit, the ministry has to prepare itself by strengthening medical emergency rescuse capacity and jointly pay more attention to the provision of consultation service, health examination and treatement to our people and dessiminate conprehensively the measures to prevent and minimize impact of any disaster that may have on our people.

Last but not least, I would like, once again, to express my sincere thanks to Excellencies, Ladies, Gentlemen, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, health pactitioners, health staffs and development partners of both local and international organization and health agencies to participate with the government in developing Cambodia’s health sector so far and highly appeciate your arrangement and participation in this important conference. Taking this opportunity, I would like to urge Excellecies, Ladies, Gentlemen and all paticipants in the conference to continue providing support and actively implement any action plan as laid out in health sector to realize new achievemnents for our people and the entire nation.
Finally, along with the closing of the 32nd stocktaking conference and 9th joint review conference of health sector achievements I would like to wish Excellencies, Ladies, Gentlemen, distinguished national and international guests and the conferences the four gems of buddist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Selected Comments during the Graduation and Diploma Presentation Ceremony at the Royal University of Laws and Economics

2011-04-04T11:02:00.000-07:00

14 March 2011

RULES’s Self-Financing

It is a great pleasure indeed that I have a chance to join with the Royal University of Laws and Economics (RULES) to celebrate the graduation and diploma presentation ceremony for 1,315 students. I have presided over such event eleven times already for RULES since 1996. And this is the first time that the ceremony is being conducted in a new building. It has also reminded of my lecture here in the 1980s as is recalled by HE Yuok Ngoi, the Rector, in his report.

I am so glad that RULES has fully developed as a university in latest efforts. It should be proud that RULES has achieved self-financing from educational service, by which new infrastructures and buildings have been initiated and progressed in firm steps. I think that this could be a good model and example for other schools and universities to follow.

I am so glad that we have made tremendous progress in field of education as is sounded out by the report of HE Im Setthi, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, and echoed by that of HE Yuok Ngoi. So far some 11,049 students have graduated from RULES and some 17,775 are in pursuit of their studies. It is our pride that we have foreign students coming and studying in our tertiary institutions such as the Royal University of Phnom Penh, the Royal Academy of Cambodia and RULES, and perhaps others too.

I wish to take this opportune moment to express my sincere thanks and appreciations for efforts made and patience uphold by rectors, professors, managerial staff in the course of providing knowledge and knowhow for our younger generation. I also take this moment to give my appreciation and share my joy with our graduates today that they have become new human resources for our country. I would like to thank also families and parents of graduates for taking all hardships in their income making efforts so as to support and finance their studies.

Upholding Personal Income Tax Law

So far there have been so many requests for tax exemption from both schools that are run by locals and foreigners. When I am talking about this, I also mean diplomats who used to ask for personal-tax exemption. As they have come from afar to tell us about the need to get stringent with tax, they in fact should be aware that paying tax on personal income is an obligation.

In this instance I urge other training institutions, local and from abroad, that are present in Cambodia to take the law on personal income tax seriously. A favor granted to one institution would indulge a favor for another. Let’s all heed the obligation.

Fee Paying Students, a Way for Equal Chance of Education

Among the graduates, it is worth noting that only 232 students have been on scholarships (provided by the state), whereas 982 of them were fee-paying students. This once again proves that our policy to allow public institutions to provide training opportunity for fee-paying students as private education institutions has offered chance for education for so many people.

Cambodia Now Needs More Teachers & Doctors

It is in this trend that from day to day, more and more human resources have increased and this is a starkly different situation compared to some 32 years ago when Cambodia was starting from scratch. Despite the progress, we still have to take up the challenge of continuing to prioritize human resource development, especially through education, by building more schools and providing more teachers at the local level. I would have your attention here that as far as need for teachers is concerned, in time that staff recruitment is forbidden across the board, the Royal Government has allowed two ministries to go on recruiting staff – Education and Health. So every year we have allowed recruitment of some 5,000 teachers in replacement of retired ones.

Let’s Get Things Done and Ready for Rabbit Years

As Cambodia is anticipating the coming Year of Rabbit (in April), I hope that we all are making efforts to fulfill our tasks and missions so as to get ready for the New Year. I would urge our people to accomplish whatever they wish in their daily-life aims and refrain from committing offenses. Since we have here today presence of Mayor of the city and Head of Khan/districts, I would urge them to take counter measures against drug use. Let me remind heads of all police offices at the Sangkat/commune level that it is their duties to see that these matters be addressed.

Let me warn you that if you do not fulfill duty, senior level law enforcement mechanism will see to that. I would urge also that efforts and measures taken in this campaign must be straightforward and objective. We should try to root them out and jail them if need be. I would have your attention that crimes and offenses are always the case when the authority is engaged entirely in urgent affairs.
Take for instance logging, while in 2000 we were so busy engaging with rescuing our people from flood, had gone wild and out of control. As of the present time that the Royal Government is devoting its efforts and synergy in defending the country from foreign aggression, these crooks would deem it their best chance and time to conduct their harmful business to our country and society such as drug trafficking and logging. Let me warn authority about taking bribe from these crooks.

Talking about this I also warn officers who may take bribes by all means, take for example this case of fabricating or forging evidence so as to sway the verdict in court. This has been the case and we have taken stern measures so far that two or even three star generals have been arrested. It is because of fabrication of evidence that cases which deserve long-term imprisonment had in the past been either misjudged and delivered with a much shorter time of imprisonment or even suspended. Criminals benefitting from this had then gone wild and created worse case for society.

They could not be stronger or above the law when we all are enforcing the law and act in our duty. However, I would urge that actions should be taken within the legal limit and not to take it to the extreme as we are not following Pol Pot’s example of eradication or execution. As I said earlier, I would not forgive or argue it when officials of the Royal Government, police and military police, are found tainted with a case where ‘smaller fish fed bigger ones’ (lower in rank officials sharing bribes with higher rank officials).

I also would like to urge our people to control speed limit while driving as I have noticed numerous cases of severe road accidents. The one on the national road 4 the other day had taken lives of some twenty people, and wounded so many others. I am calling all of our people to limit their driving speed to within and below 80 km/h. I hope that from now to the Khmer New Year and on accidents as such would not happen.

Japan Quake & Tsunami - Horrific Contemporary Disasters

Last Friday, our people may have known it already that in Japan there as a horrific natural hit on Japan – earthquake and tsunami. According to the press, there have been over one thousand deaths and over ten thousands are unaccounted for. The holocaust also caused indescribable damage to property while putting Japan’s (Fukushima Daichi) electric plant run by nuclear power in a state of imminent threat. This natural hit is far bigger than the one Japan suffered 140 years ago. We are concerned that this will bear a huge spell on Japanese economy and hence more in the region and the world even would share the brunt.

On behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia and the people of Cambodia, I have sent a letter to Prime Minister Naoto Kan to share our sympathy and pity with our Japanese friends and contributed a sum of one hundred thousand USD for the people of Japan. This amount of contribution is very small but it is the Cambodian people’s heartfelt feeling for the difficulties that the people of Japan are in. Together with the people of Cambodia, I would like to share with the people and Government of Japan our deepest condolence for the deaths and concern over the destruction.

Accounting for Cambodian Students in Crisis-Hit Foreign Countries

As for Cambodian students studying in Japan, according to preliminary information so far, it seems that no one is reported struck in the incident. I have asked the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports to keep contact with the Cambodian embassy in Japan to keep an eye on this situation though. In case of any sad development, the information should be relayed to us the soonest possible so as to take appropriate and timely action.

However, on another instance, Cambodian students in Egypt, because of the incident out there, we have asked Malaysia to help flown them out. Some have chosen to stay on and as the situation returns to calmness they continue their studies. We also have evacuated all of our students from Libya with the help from Vietnam. They all are back in Cambodia now. Since we have students in so many countries, it would be wise concerned authorities are keeping their eyes on developing and evolving situation so that appropriate and timely measures could be taken.

International Students Contest – a Way to Go

Just now HE Yuok Ngoi mentioned about sending our students to an international contest. It is a good thing that now Cambodia is making its presence in international arena where some over one hundred countries have joined. Cambodia lost its identity and prestige in the world arena under Pol Pot’s time. After January 7 victory, there was a period of time that Cambodia was never fully affiliated to any specific forum or organization. Cambodian political factions had competed for seats at the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, etc., where Pol Pot, who committed crimes against Cambodians and humanity, was recognized, and so were for the seats in the International Olympic Committee and the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

Cambodians Unite, Foreigners Come By

As of now, all seats are represented by Cambodian people’s representatives. This has brought me to a synthesis that as soon as Cambodians fight each other, foreigners would take side and further aggravate conflict and when Cambodians unite, foreigners would come by in favor of our unity. Take a serious case as an example, the Thai-Cambodian conflict at the border of Preah Vihear temple. The fact that this matter has been forwarded and heeded with response by the United Nations Security Council is not a simple development.

Firstly, only one out of five permanent members of the UNSC vetoes the request, the UNSC’s meeting on the said conflict would not happen. Secondly, in similar instance, there would not be a communiqué too. One political party’s head in Cambodia has echoed that he had recommended long ago that this matter should be brought to the UNSC’s attention. I would respond that the person should learn more about the way things work in the UN and the UNSC, especially if the person wishes to make him/herself future Prime Minister.

To get the issue to the attention of the UNSC is not a simple matter and we have not brought for them the issue of border conflict (as maybe deemed by the person) but a matter of war that is posing threats to regional security. If it were the border issue per se, I am sure there would not be so rapid or even no response. I would urge politicians to study this matter through.

Ready for GBC & JBC Meetings in Indonesia

Where are we now? Cambodia is getting ready for a journey to Bogor of Indonesia for the meetings of General Border Committee (GBC) and Joint Border Committee (JBC) for Land Boundary Demarcation with coordination and involvement of the ASEAN rotating chair (Indonesia). The chair would open the meetings and stay there while the two sides will proceed with the meetings. In light of any meetings’ outcomes, the Indonesian chair would be co-signing as a third party. There is no more closed door bilateral meeting anymore.

There have been so many lessons already that such closed door bilateral discussions had brought us indecisive moments as what had been discussed and agreed upon in the meetings were not properly told to the press, which then caused so much misunderstandings. This has happened more than one and we cannot let that repeated. I agree that negotiations on trade and tourism can go on bilaterally. For things concerning ceasefire, observation and border issues will have to be conducted in third party’s presence.

Cambodia Wants No War but Life without Intrusion

It seems the situation has improved somewhat as there was a volleyball match among them (Thai and Cambodian soldiers) yesterday at Ta Thao according to my recommendation. Talking with each other out of differences is indeed difficult but it is better than we fight and shed blood. Let’s talk and play ball and even perform arts together. Let’s not fight. No matter who has what (weapons), once hit, there would be casualties and death. Who suffer most are the people.

It is in this realistic understanding and because we had spent so much time in the civil war that Cambodia wants no more war. All we want is to survive as a nation and no intrusion and abuse of any kind would be brought upon us. It is so ironical as it has been said lately that Cambodia invaded so and so country. I have said that it is the first time in the modern history of Cambodia that a country has said to be invaded by us. Take for instance the yellow-shirt demonstrators in Thailand always call us invaders. They claim we took their land but where their land is we do not know (according to the map recognized by the International Court in The Hague).

We will do whatever we need to defend our land and would resist all forms of aggression, forces included. We are no sheep. In instance of a ceasefire, all must stay where they are awaiting border issue solution. This means we will need for the International Court of Justice in The Hague to clarify (its 1962) verdict (that recognizes Cambodia’s sovereignty on the Preah Vihear temple). Cambodia would accept whatever the court would explain, i.e. if we are in the land that belongs to them (Thailand), we will move out, and if they (Thailand) are in our territory, they also have to reciprocate in kind. Both sides must respect the court’s decision.

Indonesia Can Send Observers to Cambodia Right Away

Now we have a ceasefire in place but we need to have ceasefire observation team from Indonesia to come to guarantee it. We have responded to the Indonesian side already and Thailand has yet to do so. I would stand by my position announced on February 20 that if Thailand does not allow the Indonesian ceasefire observation team on their side, Cambodia will accept them on our side still. I would urge for the sake of time saving for sending the team to Cambodia as we had the visit of Indonesian military attaché to the conflict sites already.

Cambodia has got a commission in place, to work with the Indonesian team, under the coordination of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense, HE Tia Banh. We also have a commission set up on legal affairs concerning this matter also chaired by a Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, HE Hor Namhong. As current ceasefire is so fragile, without waiting for the approval from Thailand, Cambodia urges Indonesia to send in to Cambodia their observers.

Selected Comments at the Inauguration of the Ek Sovan Buddhist temple and the Samdech Techo Hun Sen

2011-04-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

Selected Comments at the Inauguration of the Ek Sovan Buddhist temple and the Samdech Techo Hun Sen – Mongkul Junior Secondary School, Roboh Mongkul Commune, Mong Russei District, Battambang Province

10 March 2011

Buddhist and Secular Developments

I am so happy to be able to join with all venerable Buddhist monks and Excellencies, Oknha and Lok Chumteav and our people to officially inaugurate the Buddhist temple of Ek Sovan or Wat Kon Ka Ek and the Samdech Techo Hun Sen – Mongkul Junior Secondary School in the commune of Roboh Mongkul, Mong Russei District, Battambang province. Thanks to efforts made in the last 32 years (1979) by head monks and the Buddhist parishioners, now we see that the temple has been built anew and reflected our people’s strong belief in Buddhism.

I am sure it is to everyone’s knowledge that destruction under the former regime of the genocide of Pol Pot for the period of three years, eight months and twenty days, was a similar fate shared by the whole nation. The regime inflicted destruction on all religions and faith - Buddhism, Islam and Christianity. As of January 7, 1979, Cambodia restored rights to beliefs and faiths. Since the country has a long history of Buddhist belief, Buddhism has then revived quickly, despite initially difficult condition.
I am so joyful that Buddhist parishioners of the Kon Ka Ek Buddhist pagoda have called for my contribution for the construction of two achievements – Buddhist and secular - that we are putting into official use today.

School, Temple and More

Actually and accidentally, I learned of a Katina (collection of offerings for the Buddhist monks the sake of development of Buddhism) organized by Mr. Ith Seddha, one of the CTN TV presenters for the pagoda of Ek Sovan here in Mong Russei district. I could recall that on November 1, 2009, I have instructed my staff to bring a contribution of 50 millions Riel in addition to the amount the Katina collected for the pagoda.

We first dealt with the need for a school building. After finding out that they have a small plot of land available for school construction, I agreed to build a two storey building of ten classrooms because the narrow space would not allow it to be twelve rooms according to my standard. I spent 126,720 USD for the school buildings, with gate and fence around.

Later we have this issue of Buddhist temple, which, as is reported by HE Prach Chan, Governor of the Battambang Province, was first built in 1843, the year that is corresponding to the time when Preah Baat Ang Duong commenced his struggle toward Phnom Penh and also may fall on the time when the Vang Jas (former Royal Palace) Buddhist pagoda was built. Because the requested temple for reconstruction was not original, I have decided to offer to build a new temple. The new temple cost 152,400 USD.

It is thanks to Ms Yim Sam Oeun, mother of TV presenter Ith Seddha, we have made the two projects possible. Though the head monk dare not make it known to me, it is to my knowledge that there is a need for a dining hall and two poles to fly Buddhist flags in front of the temple. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior HE Sar Kheng and Madame have already covered the cost of building the dining hall. The Minister of Justice, HE Ang Vong Vaddhana and the CPP team for Battambang province will get the poles constructed. The Khmeng Wat Construction Company of Oknha Mong Rithy will take up the construction of the fence.

Dedicating to Buddhism and My Mother, All Bills Paid

May I suggest the Khmeng Wat Construction Company of Oknha Mong Rithy to change the wording that they had written ‘The Temple was offered by …’ to ‘The Temple Was Built by Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Lok Chumteav Bun Rany in Dedication to Buddhism …’ I hope this can be done now since the issue of wording has been discussed and decided on several occasions already.

I also would like to take this opportunity to inform that I have paid the balance for all projects to the Khmeng Wat Construction Company. They include everything. Let’s be clear that I have not allowed misuse of state property, wood for instance, for the construction of my schools at all. If that ever happened, it would not be under my knowledge and therefore is in the Company’s responsibility absolutely. I also instructed HE Chan Sarun, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on this matter too.

Having made these contributions, I would like to dedicate merits generated from these actions in memory of my mother who died thirteen years ago. In fact, according to traditional belief, my late mother has taken a reincarnation as my grand- daughter, who is now 11 years old.

Developments for Peace and Stability

Lately, there have been great developments and changes in the province of Battambang. As is recalled by HE Ke Kim Yan, Deputy Prime Minister (ex-Commander-in-Chief), Ieng Phan (formerly of the Khmer Rouge forces) then fought endlessly and relentlessly. In early 1995, after the inauguration of the Svay Don Keo Bridge under the presidency of Preah Karuna Preah Baat Samdech Sihanouk, the King Father, on their way back to Phnom Penh, one of our armored vehicles was ambushed. This is to remind all of us that this place used to be one of the most insecure until the 1996’s integration of Malai, Samlot, etc.

It is with this peace and stability that we have been able to build and maintain bridges. As you can see now we have electric poles mounting along the road from Phnom Penh via Pursath to Battambang province. Soon, electricity will be wired and run from (hydropower plant) in Koh Kong via Pursath province to Battambang.

As is reported by the Governor HE Prach Chan, Battambang harvested some 785,000 of paddy with a surplus of 85,000 tons compared to the previous year. Of which, about 44,000 tons have been exported. The province also harvested over one million tons of cassava and about half a million tons of corn. Though Battambang province has been divided into two, to establish Banteay Meanjei province, it is still a big province with so much potential. Also, the district of Mong Russei, though will be divided into two to create a new district of Rukkha Kiri, will continue to have potential with the 76 km of asphalted road between Mong Russei and Rukkha Kiri and also four other roads within the district iteself.

On Cambodian-Thai Border Issue

I am sure you are expecting to hear something about the development in relation to the Cambodian-Thai border issue. There have been clarifications and interpretations for the public by the spokespersons of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense already, however, I would like to add and clarify some latest developments to the issue.

We have received a letter from the ASEAN chairperson, Foreign Minister of Indonesia, to the foreign minister of Cambodia, HE Hor Nam Hong and to foreign minister of Thailand, Kasit Phiromya. The letter also has been copied and sent to all foreign ministers of ASEAN. This is a second letter that was sent to and copied to similar addressees. I would not need to clarify this issue of bilateral or multilateral (mechanism) anymore as you now can see, judging from the letters, there would not be any meeting only between the two sides anymore. It is up to them to say if it is bilateral or multilateral, but the setup now is that whatever discussed would be in the knowledge of a third party (and ASEAN members).

The Indonesian Foreign Minister’s Letter

I do not need to read the letter for you but roughly speaking in his letter, the foreign minister (of Indonesia) thanks the two governments for their supports of the draft of the terms of reference (TOR) for Indonesian observers, and has attached some changes to the conditions of TOR. Indonesia asked Cambodia and Thailand to consider positively and urgently a new TOR. The new draft actually has included no locations for deployment though in fact he (Indonesian foreign minister) has received observers’ proposed locations in areas where Cambodia suffered impacts. He said that ‘I hope to receive the proposed locations for observers from the Kingdom of Thailand.’

In another instance, the Indonesian foreign minister reassures his readiness to host and provide facilities for meetings of the General Border Committee (GBC) and Joint Border Committee (JBC) on March 24 and 25, 2011. “As I have received an endorsement from the Kingdom of Cambodia, I am anticipating positive response from the Kingdom of Thailand.” As you can see now that while Cambodia agrees to the meetings, Thailand has yet to respond to the plan.

I therefore urge the Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vijjajiva to respond the soonest possible to the Indonesia’s proposed meetings (in late May) and the terms of reference for the Indonesian observers, rather than to remind me to reciprocate. The Indonesian foreign minister also indicates in his letter a sense of urgency since it has been almost a month after the informal meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers in Jakarta on February 22. I treated this as a reminder and urge from the ASEAN Chairperson. As I instructed, HE Hor Nam Hong already responded less than 24 hours expressing our agreement to those requested changes.

Changes are in positive terms though since ‘… the implementation of the TOR will not affect the territory, security or public important interests, and results of negotiations on the border demarcation between Cambodia and Thailand…’ This paragraph (has indeed been written to) respond to concerns of Thai side as there have been conflicting signals between those approving and disapproving from the Thai parties, as some would want it to go open and some would want it to go undisclosed. For me this is a paragraph that provides feasible way for Thailand.

As for the point concerning the Indonesian observers and locations, I would assure that the locations proposed are not in areas that require demarcation because their mission is to observe the ceasefire. I think Thailand should not be concerned about this. Cambodia already made it clear in its letter dated February 27, 2011. As for locations for observation on the Thai side, the letter has underlined that the government of the Kingdom of Thailand has not yet provided its proposal. Again, as you can see, the Thai has not responded too.

Having said and explained all these, let them – the United Nations Security Council, ASEAN and international community – see who have actually done its part for detente by way of having an ASEAN mechanism in place aimed at averting renewed armed clashes from both sides.

Concerning the Cambodian proposed term of twelve month for the Indonesian observer teams, the Indonesian proposed in his letter to reduce the state timeframe from 12 to nine months to suit with the remaining time of ASEAN chairmanship of Indonesia. As after nine months Cambodia will take over ASEAN chairmanship from Indonesia, I think Indonesia has respected its role and duty. I have said earlier already that Cambodia would like Indonesia to carry on beyond but of course this issue requires continuing discussion.

You may see too that Thailand keeps rescheduling its parliamentary ratifications on the three minutes of the two foreign ministers’ meetings, now to mid-March. As I hope that the GBC and JBC meetings will be taking place, ratifications could also have given to the three minutes of the (Thai-Cambodian) foreign ministers’ meetings. I even told HE Hor Nam Hong that in case of urgency (the two sides) should not wait till February 24 and 25. They should go right away to Jakarta. If they reach any agreements, in alphabetical order, since we need to have signatures of foreign ministers of three countries, Cambodia would be on top, then Indonesia followed by Thailand.

Let me seek an understanding from the Indonesian foreign minister as I disclose everything today but to my knowledge there is nothing as secret any more since seven other countries also learn what is going on.

Address at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Construction of a New Container Dock of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port

2011-03-13T03:50:00.000-07:00

Kandal Province, March 9, 2011

Your Venerable Monks,
Your Excellency Pan Guanxue, China’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia,
Excellencies, Senators, Members of the Parliament, and Members of the Royal Government,Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, National and International Guests,
Dear all Compatriots!

It is my great pleasure with privilege to be here with your Venerable Monks, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen in theopening of the construction of a new container dock of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port, which is located in Kandal Leu Village, Banteay Dek Commune, Kien Svay District, Kandal Province and financed by a loan from the Government of the People’s Republic of China. Following my inauguration of Prek Tamak Bridge on January 24, 2011 and the opening of the construction of the National Road No. 59 from Koun Damrei - Malai - Sampovloun - Phnom Prek - Kamrieng - Pailin on February 15, 2011 organized by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, now I attend the opening of the construction site of a new container dock of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port. Once again, I would like to kindly request H.E. Pan Guanxue to forward the deepest gratitude from the Royal Government and People of Cambodia to the Government and People of the People's Republic of China, who is a very good friend and source of finance for the reconstruction of Cambodia, especially transport infrastructure such as roads, bridges and ports. China has always been attentive to provide assistance to rebuild our prioritized sectors including economy, industry, agriculture, education, health and capacity development that are main catalysts for promoting growth and social development, creating employment and improving people's livelihood. The assistance includes the construction of irrigation systems, hydro-power plants and roads - bridges, human resource development and promotion of Chinese investment in Cambodia and so forth.

According to the report of H.E.Tram Iv Tek, the Minister of Public Works and Transport, the proposed construction area will cover an area of 6,600 meter square with 10 hectares of container dock, which include an administrative office and water and electricity network. The site is located along the Mekong River and the National Road No. 1 of Kandal Province, 30 Km east of Phnom Penh. The new container dock allows the docking of two 5000 T Ships simultaneously, with capacity of 120,000 TEUs per annum. The construction will be implemented by Shanghai Construction Group and inspected by Quangzu Vang Ang Inspection Company. The project will cost USD 28,220,000 million and take 30 months to be completed. I strongly believe the new container dock will increase the loading/unloading capacity of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port. The new dock will become a main hub for distributing goods across the country that can push the internal integration, international trade and regional trade a step further, especially to realize our rice export target of 1 million metric tons per annum.

Transport is crucial for economic development, trade, global integration, especially access to global market. Among all transport means, waterway transport is the cheapest. In this sense, I think water ports link dry ports, airports and train stations to the region and the world. Water ports have played an important role in the development of the global economy by partly promoting regional integration through the expansion of market access and establishment of free trade areas

The Royal Government, so far, has always regarded the construction of infrastructure including the economic infrastructuresuch as roads, bridges, irrigation, port ...etc and social infrastructure such as education and health ...etc, as the righteous option with high priority and the catalyst to upgrade the economic dynamism with high growth. Normally, the Royal Government has spent substantial amount of money for the investment on economic infrastructures. Along with that, the Royal Government has played a critical role to be a strategist, designing the policies to encourage and follow up the social infrastructure development that private sector can do it. The Royal Government realizes that this economic infrastructure development has provided three main benefits which are (1) to enable the people to be able to utilize infrastructure, which is the public goods of the state (2) the huge spending on the building of infrastructure makes the gross requirement increase and accelerate the pace of development and (3)the infrastructure provides inputs and possibility to the private sector in promoting production.

Based on this perspective, the Royal Government has paid high attention to the construction of port infrastructures either sea port or river port for the interest as mentioned above as well as to promote export, especially when Cambodia is improving its competitive advantage in the regional and global markets.

It should be noted that since 1952, the activities of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port have not been so much busy. Therefore, although there is on-going development today, this port has not responded to the need of water transportation as well as meeting the increase of container capacity. However, today the Phnom Penh Municipality is becoming larger because of the fact that huge buildings and constructions have been constructed according to the requirement of construction materials and the increasing quantity of the containers and cars and transportation activities have made the traffic more congested, especially in the capital city on the road of transporting, collecting and distributing of Phnom Penh Port. These factors will not allow the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port to enlarge its operation on the existing location at the Chruoy Changva, which is in the heart of the capital city and is also surrounded by buildings. Therefore, we have to select the new location for the construction of this new port in Kien Svay in order to contribute to improving capability of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port for receiving the increasing containers and diverting the traffic congestion in the Capital City of Phnom Penh. Moreover, the connection of this new port with the water transportation along the Mekong to the sea can actually reduce the cost of petrol, cheap cost and more economically cost effective and efficient. Thus, the water transportation is the best and most effective mean to ensure the low cost and transportation of goods, which are of high quantity to reach the far-reaching destinations, and contribute to the reduction of Carbon Dioxide and Green House Gas, which is the source of global warming. At the same time, this kind of transportation will also help the Royal Government in reducing cost on road maintenance which have been broken because of the overweight transportation activities as well as contributing to reducing the land traffic accidents.

I realize that this newly built port facility at the new location means that all sectors are developed due to jobs and new business activities will be created for people, who live around the port and those who are required to provide services for vessels and port. Moreover, new port facility development will help increase Cambodia’s domestic and external trade activities as port is a place for transferring and storing and distributing items to all places within the country, exchanging trade in the region and the globe as well as collecting large part of budget revenue for the nation and contributing to ultimate poverty reduction.

Our Phnom Penh Autonomous Port is a river port which is linked to the lower Mekong of southern Vietnam. Under China’s financing loan scheme for the river port construction, Cambodia will have better port system along the Mekong River to provide waterway transportation service from the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port to the Kai Mep Port, which is deeper sea and international port, directly linking to international markets.

I strongly believe that port facility development and container dock along the Mekong River will accelerate economic growth, create economic opportunity and new transportation channel to southern Chinese sea.

In the next 30 months, we will have new container dock under the authority of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port to meet highly demanded services of our nation. On behalf of the Royal Government, I would like to express my appreciation to the management and officials of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, in particular officials and workers of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Port, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, related Ministries/Institution and the Authority of Kandal Province, who have work very hard to realize the construction of this new port. The Royal Government remain persistently stick to its will to encourage and give high priority to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of economic infrastructures such as roads, bridges, railway, waterway and airway transport and port facility to better improve internal socio-economic integration as well as regional and global integration, aiming to create closer cooperation and good environment for trade, investment, private sector development, more employment generation to contribute to promoting economic growth, reducing poverty, enhancing social welfare for our citizens.

At the same time, I would like to congratulate the two Chinese companies – Construction Shanghai Group, which implements the construction project and Guangzhou Wan An Company, which controls construction techniques, for implementing other road and bridges construction projects in Cambodia. Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my high appreciation and encouragement to the two companies for their continued efforts to implement their respective projects in the construction of the New Phnom Penh Autonomous Port as projected with high quality assurance.

Along with that, I would like to remind our people, who live and travel along the road, to seriously take care of your traveling while travelling along good roads and bridges, in particular along the National Road No.1 which is almost finished its construction project being conformed to regional standard. I would also like to recall our compatriots to not drive over speed of 90 km/hour and of at least 40 km/hour in the town and avoid outdistancing in order to prevent from any unexpected traffic accidents, which may cause loss of human lives or serious injuries. Along with that, transport companies have to take highly moral responsibility as well as to strictly obey traffic law in order to stop overweight load to avoid damaging our newly constructed roads.

In conclusion, I would like to wish the Venerable Monks, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished National and International Guests, Civil Servants, Teachers, and Students, especially H.E. Chinese Ambassador and His Colleagues, Experts and Technicians, who have been commissioned to work in the Kingdom of Cambodia, the four gems of Buddhist blessing:Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

May I now declare the Opening of the Construction of the New Container Dock of the Phnom Penh Autonomous Portlocated at Kandal Leu, Bontey Dek Commune, Kien Svay District of Kandal Province!

Address at the Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the International Women's Day March 8

2011-03-13T03:49:00.002-07:00

(March 07, 2011)

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Today, my wife and I are very pleased to be here to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the March - 8 InternationalWomen's Day. The people across the country are also celebrating this anniversary. I believe the event will strengthen and expand our partnership with national and international institutions on the areas of gender equity, elimination of discrimination and violence against women, enhancement of women's ownership and social welfare.

I would like to take this opportunity to praise the Ministry of Women's Affairs and related ministries/institutions, NGOs and associations for the hard work in enhancing women's value and role in socio-economic activities and eliminating violence and discrimination against women. I would also like to commend the National Council for Women, National Commission for Promoting Social Morality, Women's Value and Khmer Families, and the Cambodian Red Cross for the active involvement to address women's challenges, to support women's enhancement programs and to encourage them to participate in socio-economic activities.
I would also like to thank the development partners, civil society and private sector for providing financial and mental support in the campaign.

On behalf of the Royal Government, my wife and I myself, would like to pay tribute to all women for their bravery in fighting obstacles to attain good likelihood, rights, power, status to move out of vulnerability and achieve social harmony. 100 years of women's hard work have brought about the change in human behavior and recognition of women's potential, egalitarian status, and opportunity to serve in economic activities. The celebration of this event does not imply that we have just started to recognize women's value. According to this history and social facts, women have received particular attention and been highly valued. The claim is further strengthened by the historical fact that Cambodia has been a maternal society and some educational proverbs such as “insulting own mothers equals insulting god”, “rice enhance land, women enhance men” and so forth. Along with this, we all acknowledge that Khmer women are dignified and gentle. They can be good mothers or good older sisters. They are working as employees and employers. Their jobs range from political positions, judicial positions to private sector. Cambodia indeed fully acknowledges women's capability, knowledge, skills, advantage and potentials that can be used as important input in socio-economic development, as we have always stated that “women are the backbone of the economy and society”.

In our past celebration of Women's Day, we always recalled the long history of women's fight for rights and power, equal opportunity for employment, likelihood, social status and role to prepare new strategies and activities to respond to these problems. In particular, this year's theme is “Youths helping women means helping themselves and the society”. The theme encourages youths to take part in maintaining the social order by saying no to violence and immoral activities against other people, especially women and female children, drugs and alcohols and fulfilling their respective duties in conserving the tradition, custom, and culture that are the identity of our nation, as stated in a proverb that goes “Youths are Bamboo Shoots”.
Youths are full of energy and mental strength, and they will become the core resources of the country; therefore, participation from youths is essential.

The selection of this theme correctly and timely responds to the needs of your society that requires all citizens, especially youths, to become good and dignified citizens in a civilized society, who treat others with respect. Overall, we clearly understand that if we are careless to solve all these issues urgently, these passive acts will mount into a big burden to families, communities and the whole society.

With regard to address these challenges, the Royal Government has immediately introduced the “Guideline on Implementation of Policy on Safe Commune/Village”, which states five objectives as follows: (1) No thief or robbery of any kinds (2) No production, distribution and use of narcotic drug, (3) No misconduct, women and children trafficking and domestic violence, (4) No gangsters (5) No gambling, no unlawful procession of weapon or no crimes of any kinds.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to request the leadership, officials, and local authority of all levels to strictly keep carrying their works, providing good cooperation and having high responsibility in the future in order to cope with challenges that women and youth are facing today. Separately, the Royal Government has also adopted regulation and other appropriate strategies and a number of coordinating measures to protect women and ensure them justice including “the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence and Victim Protection,” “the Law on Anti-Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation” and “Criminal Code”. Facing this challenge, all of us need to understand that discrimination against women, violence against women and children and woman and child trafficking are not only a problem of a woman, a family or a community, but also a tragedy of the whole national socio-economy and as a global issue.

Indeed, this day has made many countries make effort to ensure equity between men and women, to have same salary for same job, to ensure maternal leave, to ensure equal right between men and women, to have right to basic education, to prevent labor exploitation on women, and to consider violence as the crime to be charged under law. Along with this, Cambodia has also showed new much progress in promoting right, position and role of women in line with Millennium Development Goals as H.EING KUNTHAPHAVI, Minister of Women’s Affairs, has stated in this report a moment ago. In fact, Cambodia has successfully created a comprehensive systematic strategy for gender mainstreaming. Among those, key point to achieve Gender Equity areNeary Ratanak 5-Year Strategic Plan of Ministry of Women’s Affairs, which comprise of priority sectors and key gender mainstreaming programs such as providing economical encouragement to the women, women‘s involvement in decision making and politic; woman and education, changes in behaviors and attitudes, legal protection for woman, improving health and nutrition for woman as well as gender mainstreaming into policies, planning, legal and judicial and decentralization and de-concentration reform programs. In parallel, the government have prepared and expanded Millennium Development Goal to mirror a national specific context aiming to reduce violence and all other forms of violence to the women and children by the year 2015. Through this, Cambodia is the first country in the world which have embedded the reduction of violence on women as an indicator into national development plan and paid strongly attention to domestic violence, human trafficking and other forms of violence.

Moreover, the Royal Government is determined to at best effort to enable woman, especially support-less women living in rural area to receive health care, to send children to schools and to have proper living condition and just legal protection for women, and avoid from violence, trafficking, rape and all other forms of violence. Another important part is that the government always pays attention to increase participation ratio, at maximum possible, of women in all levels of national agencies from central to local ones.

At the same time, as my personal activities, I have always shares difficulties and support to family, particularly the women who delivered three babies, doing so I thought it was part of improving women and children welfare. Although those assistances are minimal it is sincerity in helping them to resolve their burdens. Truly, women who delivered only one baby sustains a lot of suffering, let alone the women who deliver three babies.

To what extend will she suffer? And these activities are exemplary to all other people to share burden of families and support-less women.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to admire and congratulate Lok Chumteav Dr. Bun Rany, as a Cambodian woman, who was named as “eminent figure of joint action plan of the UN Secretary General for women and children”, who fulfill very important role in humanitarian sector, to take part in poverty reduction and prevention of diseases in her capacity as President of Cambodian Red Cross. This high honor is birth of endeavor, utmost physical and moral energy, and intellect made in contribution promotion of woman, child and baby health, public awareness of issues related to woman, child and baby health, mobilizing funds from development partners, civil society and private sectors to support implementation of the action plan for the promotion of health of women, children, and babies in Cambodia. Along with this, I have observed that in the capacity as the honorary chairperson of the National Commission for Promoting Social Morality, Women’s Value and Khmer Families, Lok Chumteav Bun Rany has always supported and promoted the enhancement of situation, ranks and roles of Cambodian women and social welfare in order to contribute to the reduction and elimination of discrimination and all forms of domestic violence on women and children.

It is clear that extensively and bravely fulfilling its humanitarian mission ultimately helps reduce hardship of our people and victims on time and contribute to transform Cambodia’s society without all form of discrimination against women and children. In this regard, I would like to wish your Excellency a success in highly appreciated mission for the benefit of our people and Kingdom of Cambodia as well as a whole world human being.

In fact, over the last decades, Cambodia has achieved a great deal of achievement for enhancing value and role of women, preventing from and eliminating discrimination and violation against women. However, there are many things remain to be done in this sector which is required us to continue to further promote and overcome. In this connection, I would like to put up a number of recommendations for leaders and officials of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, related ministries and institutions to continue to implement the enhancement of value and role of women, the prevention and elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence against women as the followings:

First, must continue to mobilize financial resources from development partners and charitable persons to support for creating fund to implement women welfare enhancement program and to contribute to solve difficulty women are facing. In this regards, the ministry must continue to closely cooperate with related ministries/institutions such as the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Ministry of Information, Ministry of Culture and Arts and the Ministry of Cult and religious affairs to promote Buddhist religious preaching program to perform psychotherapy for youths group and adults and to inform difficulty of domestic violence.

Second, must continue to provide education of good culture and civilization of our nation to explore the value and role of women and Khmer family which is a mechanism to combat inflow of negative foreign culture, eliminate bad activities among youths and children group, badly influencing our national culture, custom and norm.

Third, must examine a possibility of creating rescue and solution of domestic violence center and establish voluntary group at community to ensure safety of women, children, and vulnerable group. Moreover, the Ministry has to find the way to improve performance of assigned officials to be more active in solving and downgrading problem while domestic violence or immoral activities are made based on the principle of cooperation, independent and high responsibility of those officials. Along with this, we have to search for means to accelerate the actvities of the officials in charge of this work to be more active with timely intervention and coordination, while there are any domestic violence or immoral acts, based on good cooperation, ownership, and highest responsibility of the officials in charge.

Fourth, increase the dissemination to all areas in the country about the urgent contact mobile number in each area and the dissemination about the scope of criminal offence for the those who commit domestic violence and other prosptitution. Once again, I would like all relevant ministries/institutions and all levels of local authorities to contunue strengthening and expanding working efficiency in the implementation of law and other legal documents related to the elemination of all forms of discrimination against women, domestic violence, trafficking of women and children and rapping ...etc.

During this solem celebration of a Decade of the International Women’s Day on 3 March today, on behalf of the Royal Government I would like to announce our commitment in fully promoting and supporting the mission to upgrade the value and roles of women under the theme: “Youth help women means help themselves and society”. In this regard, we all in state institutions, private sector, civil society, and national and international organizations, have to sponsor and support as well as providing closer cooperation in promoting the situation of Cambodian women and youth for the reputation and acceleration of our socio-economic development.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to wish the King Father, the Queen Mother, and His Majesty the King Samdech Preahbat Baromneat Norodom Seihamoni, the King of the Kingdom of Cambodia, who have always paid high attention to children and grandchildren, especially women and children, the strength of health and long live in order to be the shade for Cambodian people all over the Kingdom of Cambodia.

Finally, together with the dedecation to the 08-March International Women’s Day under the theme: “Youths helping women means helping themselves and the society”, my wife and I would like to wish Excellencies, Ladied and Gentlemen, Distinguished National and International Guests and all Compatriots the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Address at the 13th Anniversary of the National Culture Day

2011-03-13T03:49:00.001-07:00

Chaktomuk Conference Hall, March 3rd, 2011

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Veteran actors, actresses and instructors,
Dear all the actors and actresses,

Today, my wife and I are pleased to be here in the 13th Anniversary of the National Culture Day and the closing of the 2011 Khmer Cultural Show which is an event organized to promote and conserve our national culture. This event not only represents the policy program and cultural development plan of the Royal Government, but it is also intended to conserve, protect and develop the national culture and eliminate any campaign against the Cambodian culture.

Along with this, the Royal Government strongly supports the production of cultural crafts by encouraging innovation, promoting the richness of Khmer cultural products, raising awareness of the wonderful Khmer culture and morality, preventing the inflow of negative culture and eliminating negative activities among the youths and children that could dirty the wonderful tradition and culture of our society. In this spirit, the Royal Government firmly uphold the national solidarity policy to mobilize people from all corners and political factions to come under the national motto “Nation-Religion-King” to form a combined force to conserve and develop our culture, tradition, custom and social achievements to promote the image and dignity of the country with egalitarian status in the international arena. In general, the solidarity of our people not only contributes to an important input for protecting the sovereignty, integrity, peace and progress in Cambodian society, but it also help us conserve the wonderful culture of our nation.

Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government and myself personally, I would like to commend the effort of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts for the organization of this event. I strongly believe that the event will become a dynamic dissemination movement of “the culture” that will trigger further research and understanding. Despite it only runs for one day, this event will greatly benefit the socio-economic development effort and motivate all Cambodian citizens to take part in cultural conservation and development.

As all of us have been aware of, each society has been striving to conserve and develop their culture and civilization. Cambodia has a very long history and clear origin, can build its own culture, civilization and identity including language, music, musical equipments, dances, titles, temples, foods and other daily use equipments without having to steal from other nations. This richness in Khmer culture is reflected through stone scripts and unearthing of prehistoric sites. The claim is also supported by millions of sculpture found on all Khmer temples. This shows Khmer's cultural richness which has become an eternal spirit, heritage and identity of the Khmer kingdom and ancestors. We are proud since some of our cultural heritage have been globally acknowledged and inscribed in the world heritage list. In this sense, I would like to appeal to the people to ensure the safety of the Khmer culture by conserving and transferring cultural knowledge and experience to the next generation in order to conserve and develop the culture according to the Royal Government’s policy.

The theme of this year's cultural day is “Cambodia, Kingdom of Culture: all for safety, sustainability, harmony and progress”. Indeed, our country is full of cultural heritage and so it can also be known as the “Kingdom of Culture”. What we have raised so far are contextually and honestly true. The key factor is we are the descendents who have inherited this great cultural heritage; we together need to continue promoting the utmost potential, knowledge capacity, and know-how through research, documentation, restoration, information-dissemination, modernization and creation of new works complying with conservation methods in order to germinate the spirit of national culture and motherland loving that is the core of ensuring the security of culture, maintaining sustainability, and the progress of our society in the future.

Taking the opportunity of this culture day, I would like to request compatriots and all relevant ministries and institutions to unify and closely collaborate to achieve the goals that have been shown including continue imposing preventive measures through all means to make the entire society receive the continuity, security of culture, harmonization of national culture, and national reputation on international stage. In this regard, with respect to promoting of all kinds of cultures in our country, we do not promote only multiculturalism in our nation but also promote the sustainability of national culture as well. Hence, cultural institutions at all levels need to continue the hard-work and efforts more vigorously in order to make the spirit of our “3rd March National Culture Day” become a day to increase the potential of national culture aimed to make this sector contribute to the national socio-economic development. Before us now, our priority policy is culture conservation and development. For that we have many other missions including recommendations and guidance on culture to ensure the dignity, reputation, sustainability and progress of the country.

For this cause, we need to work harder together in order to make our culture sector become a genuine foundation of national socio-economic development, and we also need to continue germinating the youth spirit on national culture through promoting the participation of the people especially youth groups in maintaining, protecting and developing the culture. Hence, the training and knowledge-dissemination on the importance of culture conservation and development work along with encouraging the movement of popular arts are necessary for Cambodia at the present as well as in the future.

My wife and I would like to express our admiration and gratitude for popular art groups from all places in the country who have worked hard in training and producing many performances under the management of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts in order to participate in the popular arts opera nationwide, and congratulate the great “3rd March National Culture Day”. All these great activities certainly have many advantages for contributing further to the building of the kingdom of culture.

In parallel, my wife and I are indeed pleased to see the performances of the popular arts, participating in the arts show in this 2011, have increased compared to 2010. Indeed, last year we had only 27 but this year we have 52 performances; those performances are operas, Lkorn, Ayai, and dances as such, all these are our cultural assets with national pride. I have a belief that though all the performance in this year show have not shown perfect quality yet but through the opening of this show it has allowed all those performances to be improved and become productions for culture sector that can entertain the public and be used for businesses.

In fact, I acknowledge that all artists have worked tirelessly making each group and each performance have their own good quality worth to be merited. In addition, I would like to provide some recommendations to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, relevant ministries and institutions, production owners, composters, movie directors, and all artists in the aim to contribute to improving, conserving, and developing our national culture as followed:

The production of popular arts performances need to be linked to the national policy on culture sector; knowing the national policy on culture sector is necessary knowledge and a compass for composers, movie directors all artists. Extensive and in-depth research on national policy and national strategy on this culture sector will help composers, performance and show producers to be line with the social aspiration that reflects the true identity of Khmer culture. Hence, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts need to continue providing education and information-dissemination on national policy on the culture sector, which need to be done extensively among production owners, composers, directors, popular arts performance producers and all artists of us.

All productions need to be in compliance with national norms. Truly, our ancestors have created countless norms for composition, creation of art performances, and art shows that reflects our great culture. In general, our colors and identities of our nation are hidden in these methodologies. The creation of art performances lacking of norms is a destruction of the value and the spirit of our art culture. Hence, I would like to request production owners, composers, directors and all artists to continue studying thoroughly the norms of each art form so that we can maintain our identity and the spirit of art culture of our nation. We together need to remember that progress occurs from study, knowledge is valuable for conservation and development. If we have no extensive knowledge, development will face obstacles; and it is the same for the popular art groups. In parallel, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts should host a meeting for composers, directors and artists in order to strengthen their consultations aimed to share knowledge and experiences through mutual understanding and forgiveness. In overall, I am of the view that this method will provide key to effective improvement for unlimited development and new creation.

The quantity must be connected to the quality that is qualification to acknowledgement of art creativity. Repetition is vital enemy to the artists. In this sense, if we achieve many products without quality, those products will not be supported from people. In fact, creating a lot of art products is necessary, but ensue those product with high quality with objective to attain honorable entertainment for the people and dissemination knowledge for national cultural development is even more important and essential.

It is alright to be poor in anything, except ideas. Hence, initiative is prerequisites to overcoming poverty and creation. Although we have culture of diversity, but it requires new initiatives to further create more art products. Initiative and creativity enable us to avoid copying someone’s achievement. Copying someone‘s achievement is crime against intellectual property right which dampen growth of national cultural art. Of course, artists always learn from other, but they should copy from others thoughtlessly or copy the whole. They should draw good lessons for consideration and extract it into knowledge to create new product, so that national cultural art can make progress.

We need to use art to feed art. Obviously, un-depleted resources are supports from our people towards protection, conservation and development of national cultural heritage. Through this, our group of popular artists should try their best to train and perform in order to get supported by our people, and then it will enable our group to gain popularity and gain income for livelihood easily.

Opening up the opera house is a school because it will provide artists with the opportunity to share exchange experience and learn from each other in terms of stage performing and other arts such molding statute, craftsmanship, food and so on. As future visions, cultural institutions at all level should develop their own plan for hosting opera shows at their respective provincial, regional, and central levels to sustain the continuity of the national cultural art sector across the country. The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts must try the utmost to constantly provide the pedagogical training to performers by consecutively organizing annual opera shows at the community, regional, and central levels. If we can make this happen, we can truly transform our people’s arts to be more developed, which may significantly contribute to the name as Cambodia: National Center of Culture Dissemination and the Kingdom of Culture.

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts must comprehensively consider the words of Cultural Safety, which is not only aimed at the abstract culture, but also pay attention to the safety of the physical relics, meaning that we have to take care of the management, maintenance, preservation, protection, and repairing of the temples beside the Angkor and Preah Vihear areas, which are facing the collapse. At least when the national economy is not favorable enough for repairing, the management or protection should be paid attention to in order to prevent those shattered temples from becoming more serious with the lack of maintenance and we have to work hard to transform all historical temples and resorts to be welcoming places to serve the national tourism sector.

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts must make laws on the management of the national cultural asset management in either physical or abstract condition, and promote the implementation of the intellectual property, especially the law of writer’s rights and other rights in order to eliminate the stealing or plagiarism of other writers’ masterworks and protect the new masterworks, which are the intellectual property of the actors and actresses and writers, or this new masterwork creators.

In the substance as mentioned above, I strongly believe that Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen will continue your cooperation by discussing, sharing, exchanging dialogues and contributing to the development of awareness, experiences, findings, and visions for the cause of jointly preserving and developing the national cultural relics. Along with this, we have to increase closer and loyal solidarity based on the principles of maintenance, protection, promotion of the national cultural heritage and development of cultural actions, prevention and elimination of every campaign posing cultural war against Cambodia. At the same time, the Royal Government will continue implementing various measures in order to encourage all levels of civil servants, especially the production owners, composers, managers, people’s arts and all to abide by the dignity, noble morality, and effective implementation of the professional conscience with creativity and high responsibility, which is suitable to be citizen of theKingdom of Culture and builder of the rich cultural properties in the world.

Once again, my wife and I would like to thank for the efforts made by the management and officials of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, who have organized such significant national cultural event. Through this, I firmly believe that Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen will fully support the national wide people’s arts and this National Culture Day.

Finally, together with the dedication to the 13th National Culture Day on 3rd March, which is the day to commemorate the gratitude of our Khmer ancestors who have left the legacy of national cultural relics and the Closing of the 2011 Khmer Cultural Show nation-wide, my wife and I would like to wish Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen and all Actors and Actresses the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Speech at the Closing Ceremony of 2010 Stocktaking and 2011 Direction-Setting Conference

2011-02-28T18:47:00.000-08:00

Ministry of Interior, 24th February 2010

Your Excellency Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior,
Your Excellencies Deputy Prime Ministers, Senior Ministers, Ministers, Members of the Royal Government,
Your Excellency Commissioners and Officers of the National Police,
Your Excellencies Governors of the Municipalities/Provinces,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished National and International Guests!

Today, I am pleased to participate, once again, with Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, who are the management of all levels in the Ministry of Interior, in the 2010 Stocktaking and 2011 Direction-Setting Conference of the Ministry of Interior in this newly-built conference room in this auspicious occasion. Like every year, I always take my tight schedule to attend the annual stocktaking conference of the Ministry of Interior in order to encourage the management and officials of either administrative or national police under the Ministry of Interior and Sub-national Administration as well as to share my viewpoints and recommendations related to the key tasks of the Ministry of Interior and Sub-national Administration aiming to effectively take part in the process of nation building to achieve improvement of all sectors.

On the behalf of the Royal Government and myself, I would like to specifically extend my appreciation to H.E. SAR KHENG, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, who has made greatest efforts to manage tasks under the authority of the Ministry of Interior to achieve noticeable achievements.
Taking this occasion, I also highly convey my compliment and highly value the management, administrative officials and national police officers as well as all levels of authorities of the national administration for their concerted efforts to fulfill duties and produce enormous achievements for the nation and people in 2010.

I am of the view that this conference has brought lessons, experiences and better recommendations to successfully implement strategy, policy and national development plan in 2011 in order to vigorously ensure peace, political stability, and firm protection of sovereignty, national integrity as well as security and social order in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Indeed, the vital 2010 achievements were the social environment of stability, which provided the opportunity for the Royal Government to lead Cambodian economic recovery from the hardest time of economic crisis along with fully ensuring the integrity and sovereignty of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Obviously, our national achievement has been made by the joint efforts of the whole Royal Government with comprehensive supports from our people in which the Ministry of Interior did make huge contribution.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to emphasize our essential national achievements as follows:

First: Maintaining Security, Social Order and Protection of Territorial Integrity: The national police forces have excreted effort to actively maintain security and public order nationwide, and reduce crimes rate to approximately 10% lower, as compared to 2009. Along with this, the success of cracking down crimes has also made 75% increase of total crimes occurring in society, and these are showing efforts and competence of our national police forces. Moreover, our national police forces have courageous sacrifice to maintain security, prevent and crack down criminal acts along the borders and to co-operate closely with the courageous Royal Cambodian Armed Forces at the front line to protect territorial integrity and sovereignty as well as fighting against activities of foreign military acts, that encroach again and again into the western part of the country, especially in Preah Vihear Temple area, which enable us to firmly protect integrity of our beloved nation. Taking this special occasion, on the behalf of the Royal Government and people of Cambodia, I would like to extend my admiration and sincere appreciation for this sacrifice and bravery.

Second: Decentralization and de-concentration Reform through the Principles of Sub-national Democratic Development.
We have jointly promoted to deepen this reform through putting out the 10 years national program approved by the Council of Ministers on 28 May 2010. Based on this national program, the National Committee for Sub-National Democratic Development (NCDD) has introduced a first 3-year implementation plan to determine directions, goals and other important activities of this reform, from to 2011 to 2013. In parallel, even this reform has required us to reconfigure the structure and governance system at the sub-national level; this reconfiguration process does not obstruct the ongoing tasks of providing public services, development and works of other sectors at the sub-national level administration

Third: Coordination Management Tasks: The Ministry of Interior has led the coordination, and has accomplished lots of achievements in registering the birth, marriage and death of the citizens, providing honors and medals to donors, managing the tasks at the borders, of communities, non-governmental organizations, political parties, coordination with other ministries and institutions in addressing issues outside the court system, prisons management, and drafting laws and standard letters aimed to promote the state of law within the framework of duties and responsibilities of the Ministry of Interior.

Starting from the situation in 2010, and some trends of that evolving situation in the country and abroad, we can assume thatPeace, Security, Social Order and Stability are fragile, and can become chaotic at any time without an advanced prediction because there are many external factors such as global economic crisis, regional and global security, international terrorism, drugs and humans trafficking, violation of territorial integrity and sovereignty etc. All are factors outside our management.

In order to achieve success of our commitment and increase the spirit of fighting with obstacles as mentioned above, I would like to provide some crucial recommendations that the Ministry of Interior and authorities at all level need to continue as below:

First: the Ministry of Interior with other relevant ministries and institutions has to persistently defend the territorial integrity and national sovereignty, and maintain the strength of our national unification with measures featuring ownership to prevent and stop provocation, separation, and establishment of illegal forces that lead to domestic division and conflict, and do not allow other countries, seizing the opportunity, to use our territory against the neighboring countries.

Second: the Ministry of Interior and General Commissariat of the National Police need to be more attentive to taking care of and strengthening the national police in terms of education and providing adequate shelters, stations, police posts, protection network, equipment and supply for daily livings.

Third: the Ministry of Interior as well as police forces at all levels need to be-prepared with sufficient qualification, aimed to create an environment with security and good social order in order to ensure that the senate election at the 3rd mandate on the 29th January 2012, the commune council election at the 3rd mandate in 20112 and the members of parliament election for the 5th mandate in 2013 take place smoothly with security, freedom, accurateness and justice.

Fourth: the Ministry of Interior needs to continue cooperation with other countries as partners and national and international organizations, as well as promoting spirit of responsibility in preventing criminal activities of all sorts across the borders, especially imposing preventive measures to stop terrorism acts from happening in Cambodia and focus on other unsafe activities such as drugs trafficking, humans trafficking, money laundering, or weapons trading etc. Along with this, the Ministry of Interior also needs to impose efficient measures on managing the departure-arrival of the country thoroughly and properly, researching on important clues or suspicious signs in the country and promoting strict implementation of immigration laws.

Fifth: the Ministry of Interior needs to continue encouraging the implementation of “Commune-District Safety Policy”extensively in the nationwide framework and marshalling people and other organizations such as civil society organizations, private sector and other relevant entities to involve with movement for security protection and social order at places, aimed to create strong foundation for security at the lowest level with reliable and happy environments at all places for the community development. In this spirit, the consensus commanding committee at the capital, provinces, cities, communes, districts and villages need to work harder to perform your duties as responsible commanders in order to successfully manage the implementation of security tasks and social order at your places by not regarding this as a work of police or for police alone. In parallel, to increase the efficiency of the implementation of “Commune- District Safety Policy”, the Ministry of Interior and the sub-national level administration necessarily need to have stocktaking and draw experiences, and identify the weakness and strengths and other confronting problems in order to disseminate and learn good implementations from one place to another. At the same time, I think the Ministry of Interior needs to diligently promote and encourage the “Commune- District Safety Policy”into an vigorous movement that is active at the community level through the participation to protect the grassroots, the consultation on security tasks, public orders at the commune-district level, community forums or the reporting of information related to suspicious activities and important information that is crucial to the investigation to be made by the police forces.

Sixth: the Ministry of interior must continue its effort to further combat all criminal activities, in particular to prevent any violation and investigate criminal offences to be convicted as much as possible in order to enhance social justice and rule of law in Cambodia. Indeed, although the number of infringed activities was generally decreased about 10% in 2010, the number is still limited and is not considered as a case and some infringements such as murder is characterized as inhuman, causing loss of our people’s properties and lives, frightening and annoying our citizens’ daily lives. In such consequence, commander-in-chief of all levels, in particular commander of municipal, provincial and district police station need to think of and draw attention to seriously investigate the cause of infringement toward committing crimes or negative social phenomena and then taking preventive measures to depress all kinds of violation at your responsible area. Moreover, the Ministry and General Commissariat of the National police must expand their services proven rapidly and closely for our people, increase daily security guard at the villages and create 24 hour work shift to accept the suggestion of our people as well as provide hotline call services and the way of communication with the police officers when urgent emergency is needed.

Seventh: the Ministry of interior must continue its attention to extensively crack down drug trafficking, by not allowing Cambodia to become the source of producing all kinds of drugs and collect all investigative evidence, seriously destroy the root of drug trafficking by not allowing any passiveness in our police forces and effectively eliminate the source of drug distribution and use as well as taking measures to control drug addicts and continue to encourage participative activities from other organizations and associations to rehabilitate those drug addicts to be more reproductive. Having said that, the Ministry of Interior must mobilize participation from and cooperation with all levels of relevant institutions to prevent and depress human trafficking, child exploitation and women and children trafficking.

Eighth: the Ministry of Interior, national police forces and high commander, who have led the implementation of land traffic law at national and sub-national level, must further continue their efforts to implement existing measures and regulations and search for new measures to strengthen the implementation of land traffic law, maintain public discipline and minimize traffic accidents. In addition, they are to continue to further improve their performance by focusing on education of traffic law understanding and measures are seriously taken to promote the spirit of law obedience rather than police officers. In this sense, law obedience must be made at all time and we must promote the measure of strict punishment on certain offensive acts such as drunk driving, over-speed driving, driving car with no license plate, illegal licensed plates bearing the name of armed and police forces.

Ninth: the Ministry of Interior including civil and police administration must focus on its key duties and responsibilities such as control of illegal use of gun, issuance of Cambodian identification, preventing of fire fighting to achieve good result, aiming at enhancing social disciplines. In addition, the Ministry must continue to strengthen capacity-building of national police forces and civil servants including enhancing virtue, morality and the spirit of honesty for our nation and people in particular the spirit of professionalism as well as the provision of skill training to our staffs.

Tenth: the Ministry of Interior must cooperate with relevant ministries and institution to implement carefully the national program under decentralization and de-concentration framework in compliance with democracy at the national level, which is at the stage of deepened reform as it impacts not only on administration at the sub-national level but also at the central level. Under this framework, the ministry has to:

Examine on responsibilities and resources in all sectors managed and administrated by its central organization to delegate responsibilities and resources including financial and human resources to the administration at sub-national level.
Prepare financial system and asset of sub-national level by clearly defining authority framework of each administration at sub-national level to manage the use of budget and asset aiming at responding to key priorities of local communities.
Prepare the separate statute for the sub-national administrative staffs to make sure that each administration has the rights to manage those staffs, aiming to ensure accountability for the people within their administrative competency.

In actuality, the process of this reform requires gradual development based on “the implementation, the study to gain experience from the implementation” by relying on the practicality of political, social and economic situation of Cambodia. The expansion of this reform agenda at the municipal/provincial, district/khan levels is the process, which is full of rationalization based on the good experiences we have achieved during the process of reform at the commune/sangkat level for almost 1 year. There have been lots of studies carried out by the independent institutions, which have shown that Cambodian people have been fully satisfactory with the works done by the commune/sangkat councils, including the services and development allocated to their communities. Along with that, those studies truly reflect the people’s support, which is the participation to promote the popularity of the Royal Government in implementing this significant reform agenda.

Eleventh: the Ministry of Interior must pay attention to highly prioritize to achieve the human resource development. In this connection, I would like to request the attention to be paid to solving two major challenges: (1) training and human resource development, conforming to the requirement of the socio-economic evolution, and (2) preparing to substitute the annually increasing numbers of the civil servants, who are to retire as required by law. Each ministry/institution is required to prepare human resource development strategy and to suitably prepare the substitution officials for the short-, medium- and long term period. Therefore, the Ministry of Interior must urgently design human resource development policy and strategy as well as studying about the substitution officials in both civil administration and national police. At the same time, various ministries/institutions must also prepare their own human resource development policy and strategy with appropriate method in order to update these policies and strategies to be in line with the requirements for national socio-economic development.

Before ending, I would like to, once again, express appreciation and highly value the ministries/institutions, inter-ministerial committees, national police general department and municipal/provincial, district/khan and khum/sangkat authorities, national and international development partners and all compatriots to closely cooperate with each other in order to maintain peace, security, social order and stability of our nation.

At the end, I would like to wish Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, and all Participants the four gems of Buddhist blessing:Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

May I now declare the closing of 2010 Stocktaking Conference and 2011 Direction Setting of the Ministry of Interior!

Speech at the Degree Conferring Ceremony to the Graduates of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, RUPP (2009-2010)

2011-02-28T18:44:00.000-08:00

Phnom Penh, February 22, 2011

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished National and International Guests,
Rector, Vice-Rectors, Management, Staffs, Civil Servants, Lecturers and Students!

Today, it is my great pleasure to participate in the Degree Conferring Ceremony for Graduates of 2010 with Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, and Students of the Royal University of Phnom Penh at this moment. This auspicious event is the 15th one that I have attended and crafted lots of memories, which have always been in my mind. This ceremony showcases another new attainment that is beneficial to our nation.

According to the report by H.E Rector and H.E Im Sothy, Minister of Education, Youth and Sport, we could clearly learn that the outcome of fresh 2476 graduates is just one of many achievements that the Royal University of Phnom Penh and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports have achieved so far. These achievements, indeed, have responded to the agenda of the Royal Government and true need of Cambodia with objectives to build and develop competent, talented and quality human resources in order to contribute to socio-economic development and poverty reduction of Cambodian people.

This opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government and myself, I would like to highly value the achievement made by the Royal University of Phnom Penh and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, in particular endeavors of professors, lecturers and all officials working in this education sector. Obviously, today the University has timely produced large number of intellectual capital that we need human resources to develop our nation. Through this, I would like to continue supporting and encouraging the University to continue fulfilling mission in order to diversify the academic programs, which will provide huge benefits to our whole society and people in conformity with the Royal Government’s vision for human resource development. At the same time, success we receive today is a birth from joint efforts made by relevant institutions and stakeholders in education sector and contribution from the kind-hearted for years. Through this, we can see that these achievements cannot be decoupled from valuable support from international friends, who have always provided cooperation and enormous support for the development of Cambodian education strategic policy.

Along with this, I would like to convey my most loyal appreciation to the efforts made by all graduates who have paid great attention and made utmost efforts physically, mentally to overcome all kinds of obstacles and bring about bright success today. What we are witnessing now is a huge pride belonging to all of us, Graduates, Royal University of Phnom Penh, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, development partners and all Cambodian people. Furthermore, I would never forget to also appreciate and congratulate fathers, mothers, guardians, spouses and family members of students who have always provided moral and financial support to children, husbands or wives to complete education, and today’s result cannot be separated from the gratitude and contribution from all of them. This is the reality that we must value and acknowledge.

The Rectangular Strategy for Growth, Employ ment, Equity and Efficiency has been serving as compass for development process and implementation of activities of all sectors. Among those are: enhancing good governance, capacity building and human resource development, agricultural promotion, rehabilitation and development of physical infrastructures and private sector development and employment, and these sectors have been making remarkable progress. In general, we have made a lot of achievements; however, I would like to cite some achievements as evidence of our efforts. Obviously, with respect to development of physical infrastructures that we have actively carried out, we had opened construction site of bridge crossing lower Mekong River at Neak Loeung, inauguration of concrete bridge crossing over Tonle Sap and road linking eastern head to the National Road 6A, Cambodia-China Friendship Bridge Prek Kdam, Cambodia-China Friendship Bridge Prek Tamak. Agriculture productivity has been improved and diversification has been conducted by using utmost efforts and potentials of this sector, in which e have increased the rainy season rice productivity from more than 2 tons per hectars to 3 tons per hectars annually and we have also increased the dry season rice productivity from more than 4 tons to 5 tons per hectar annually. Through this expansion, Cambodia is expected to gain economic growth of around 6-7% in this 2011.

Indeed, along with focusing on other sectors the Royal Government has always regarded education sector a key in promoting the integrity and dignity of human beings as well as increasing the speed of economic growth and efficiency. On this point, I am very proud because all of these began with initiatives started 30 years ago from the Government’s concerns and cares on this sector including: “People with low education teach the ones with no education”, “People with high education teach the ones with low education”, and “We all need to learn continuously as always”.This concept certainly has contributed to all the achievements and promoted the expansion of the entire education sector that we have seen at the present; we have even established Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree Levels by ourselves. Hence, whatever we have obtained at the present did not occur randomly, but they occurred because of our firm willingness, commitment and efforts with ownership to make them happen.

Highly considered on this sector is initiated from the fact that we know in advance that our people necessarily need education to promote their living standards and the development of education sector will become an important factor contributing to ensuring peace, political stability and social order with human dignity, sustainable development and morality. Therefore, strengthening capacity and development of human resources through increasing the transfer of knowledge, experiences, and technologies are certainly the key mechanisms to achieve our goals.

Based on this perspective, I would like to request the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to continue focusing on the development of human resources for youths and younger generations, who may become talented and high-quality producers. In parallel, all education institutions have to continue improving their trainings and quality-improvement of their study programs in terms of efficiency in order to eliminate the view of “excessive but insufficient”, which means we have many experts in our country, but they are inactive in promoting productions. Why do we have to focus more on the production issue? The reason is that production is a core of economic growth; and a society with few productions will experience little economic growth. Furthermore, high growth of our economy may happen, but would require our efforts and diligence to create production system with high technology, which could be achieved through modernizing technology of productions and enterprises.

In this regard, I still hold a strong belief that “the value of education is a factor or mean for individual improvement and socio-economic development”. On the other hand, in the process of reaching globalized international economy, globalizing tertiary education is another new key that is essential for the development of quality and efficient education sector, and seizing the opportunity of international cooperation in order to achieve mutual benefits. In the future, our National University must be a leading institution by working hard to change the scope and image of its training programs to become a University with international standard, including many sorts of new academic programs. In addition, in order to fully achieve the goals of the development, our National University has to continue ensuring the value of our degrees with quality and universal recognition that can be used in labor markets in our countries and abroad. This work will accelerate the integration of Cambodia with equity in the regional and global affairs, and achieve the knowledge based economic growth and ensure the competitive advantage of our country too.

In this spirit, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport has to lead others in strengthening and developing human resources with quality in line with the goals of education, which is to educate to become a “good child, good student, good friend and good citizen”’, as well as in line with the four pillars of education that are “knowledge, know-how, good morality, and living with other harmoniously”. This work is a factor to ensure sustainable development and poverty reduction as well as building Cambodia’s society to be a society with fast development that people have tremendous knowledge in technology, deep understanding of culture and decent living standards with happiness, peace and dignity.

Generally, our education has to take quality into account if not then all our hard-work and expenses would be meaningless because we ruin not only the benefits provided to students but also damage the capacity of our nation living in globalized network. At the same time, we also cannot have the living standard and economy at the international level if we do not possess labor force at the international standard quality or education with international standard for our country.

In this regard, the Royal Government strongly believes that Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Civil Servants in all levels of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and all Lecturers will continue their duties with high attention and firm commitment on these tasks, and the new achievements will truly contribute to the promotion of honor, dignity, national reputation in the national, regional and global levels.

In this era of knowledge, education is to define the future of the nation and the hope of each Government. In this connection, building human resources with high quality is the mechanism to ensure the process of economic and social integration in the region. It also reflects the qualification of the people of those countries as well as the ability of those nations in responding to the new challenges and needs posed by the highly competitive and changing global markets, and in order to prevent you from losing profession in the future, you have to abide by the notion of learning and learning for life in all kinds even though you have already graduated from the Bachelor’s Degree programs and have been exposed to the society and labor markets. Further self learning and research will sharpen our capability, intelligence and spirit to be brighter. In addition, you have to maintain your position to struggle, be patient and try your utmost to gain work experiences, which are the foundation for growth of your living standard. You have to be stick to the ownership, discipline, responsibility in either working lives or families and these factors will define your value, dignity and future. At the same time, you have to learn how to fully utilize your time by not having it wasted, which is the obstacle for development. You have to know that our market is quite extensive, including financial industry such as insurance, banking, micro-finance, pawnshop ...etc. Along with this, various specializations are also highly required such as civil engineering (construction), mines, energy, railroads, environment, and electrical technology.

Moreover, if you can set up your own business in the society, it would be great and most successful in life because we can manage and be responsible for our own destiny, and only those who have been stick to education can receive greater success. The creation of your own business does not mean only to help yourself, but also contribute to the national development such as 100 Riels is the hundred times of 1 Riels. Those businesses are also creating branches of socio-economy, in which it provides a number of jobs to other people. In general, your continued efforts will contribute to achieving objectives of the Royal Government, which is set to gain the annual economic growth of 7%. In fact, stemming from your progress, each family’s progress, which is part of the society, will boost the whole nation to be more developed as well. Taking this opportunity, I would like to wish all graduates success, happiness in lives in the future.

Once again, I strongly believe that all 2476 students, who will receive the Degrees of Bachelor and Master shortly, will definitely become the knowledge based workers to serve our society and you will prepare yourselves to be educated people with high consideration and good morality in order to lead Cambodia to position firmly in the region and the world.

Finally, my wife and I would like to wish Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished National and International Guests, Rectors and Vice-Rectors, Management and Staffs, Lecturers and all Students the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Press Briefing and Conference on Issues Concerning War on the Cambodian-Thai Border at Preah Vihear Area and the UN Security Council Session

2011-02-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

February 17, 2011

Usually I talk on current topics and issues during my presence at events or prescheduled occasions so that the press do not have to ask me for my opinion on the current trend of development. However, to I have the need to give a press conference to address some of the issues for national and international public concerning the war at the Preah Vihear temple area on the Cambodian-Thai border. I also have the need to make some notes on the meeting of the UN Security Council that some circles and politicians have misinterpreted and in some instances even discrediting Cambodia for not listening to the international opinion or work for persuasion of Cambodia to agree for a meeting that is outside the ASEAN framework.

As you know that I have just met with Thai Deputy Prime Minister, HE Trairong Suwankiri, and I told asked him to convey some of my messages to the Thai side. As we have here TV3 from Thailand and some other Thai press, I would like to you to take note on who has run counter to international and/or regional (conflict resolution) mechanisms, UN or ASEAN. Maybe I should start on who has actually requested for convening of the UN Security Council meeting. Was not it a letter sent by Hun Sen proposing to the chairman of the UN Security Council? My proposition has been obstructed by Thailand 1) to have such a meeting convened and 2) to present any declaration at all, in case there was going to be a meeting.

In fact, I would rather keep quiet and leave it cool down and I would not want to find anybody’s fault in this. I am sure Thai Prime Minister HE Abhisit and his Foreign Minister Kasit Phiromya surely understand this problem and more importantly they know for sure what they have done in preventing the UN Security Council from convening such a meeting or making statement. The UN Security Council has already met and a statement or rather the communiqué has already been made. Whose victory is that? I would call it a victory because everybody knows that it is not that simple to get border conflict as such to the Security Council.

Why then did Cambodia send this issue for the UN Security Council’s attention? It is because of the nature of war, which one could define it as a big armed clash or a small scale war. Those people in Bangkok have argued that in order to be defined as a war the event must involve the use of aircraft. For me, when every side fires upon each other, it is a war. An armed clash would not last longer than a couple of minutes. However, this fight has been a heavy exchange of fire that could be called a war.
It was because of an aspect of being at war (of the two sides) that the UNSC convened for an urgent meeting. This, for the above reason, has not been a meeting at the request of Thailand, but definitely in response to the request of Cambodia. So for what Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya has said to Cambodia to listen to the international public opinion or decision, I would ask for him to really have to do that himself.

Secondly, who has rejected the role of ASEAN? In 2008, at an ASEAN Foreign Minister meeting in Singapore, Cambodia sent its request to ASEAN meeting calling for a convention of ASEAN on issue of Thai-Cambodian border conflict. Thailand too objected to any involvement from ASEAN. As the war took place, Surin Pitsuwan, General Secretary of ASEAN, expressed concern of behalf of ASEAN and will to involve (in helping to find peace and stability) but Prime Minister Abhisit himself stated ‘it is too early for ASEAN to get involved.’

To be frank, even after the visit to Phnom Penh and then to Bankgok of the Indonesian Foreign Minister, rotating chairperson of ASEAN, Bangkok still sticks to its position of bilateral solution and no involvement from ASEAN. Maybe I should urge the Thai leader to keep track of what they have said. They all are well educated people. So I may urge them not to deceive others as well as let other deceive them.

It is so shockingly funny that as ASEAN convenes a meeting (on Thai-Cambodian border conflict) on February 22, Thailand abruptly swapped position while making it public that (the region should) persuade and advise Cambodia to go to the ASEAN meeting. Well is not it the ASEAN meeting (or mechanism) that Cambodia has been waiting for? Don’t you see that Cambodia’s urgent demand for a solution (of the problem) could not be addressed directly by ASEAN for needed consensus? Cambodia needs to get the matter to New York (for the UNSC’s attention) and wait for the ball to be shot to the goal in Jakarta? One should see this fact.

A former Thai diplomat, who was a permanent representative of Thailand to the United Nations, said that was not Thai wish, it was Cambodia’s intention. He had said it correctly. I understand why Thai leaders up to the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister levels have taken risk in making such an interpretation of their stands. Always they have opposed to the Cambodian proposal, but now they have gone to 180 degree in opposite to their earlier stand. They have applied what I call the ‘eel-style’ diplomacy, or literally being intrusive to a point that they would not know where to go.

Let me quote a sentence on page five of the speech by HE Hor Namhong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, to the UNSC: “Though patience and effort by Cambodia to seek for a solution by peaceful and bilateral means have failed, Cambodian is always nurturing its wish for a peaceful resolution within the ASEAN framework as both Cambodia and Thailand are its members.” Never has Thailand made such a move, whether international or regional. Cambodia has always been the one doing that. Why has it now become Thai victory? And why is Cambodian the one to be, in their words, persuaded?

When we decided to have a meeting in Jakarta, where there will be presence of the rotating chairperson of ASEAN, I would like to ask (Thai leaders) if it is anything but not bilateral way. Meetings between Thailand and Cambodia at Hua Hin and Siemreap were bilateral but the one to be reconvened in Jakarta, with presence of the third party, is not. The mechanism for this conflict resolution has now become multilateral. Of course, it is true that the two sides, Thailand and Cambodia are the ones to settle the differences but with a third party present and is sitting there too. They should not try to fool Thai people as doing so would also impact on Cambodia. Never has it for once that Thailand wishes for ASEAN or UN to involve, except bilateral negotiation, which has come out to a standstill.

I have asked Deputy Prime Minister Trairong Suwankiri to convey my message to Prime Minister Abhisit on a number of points since on February 12, PM Abhisit had asked a third country, I would not disclose it, to send me messages seeking my understanding on three points. Firstly, he said he and the yellow shirt are not the same. He has my understanding but he should not allow himself to repeat whatever the yellow shirt has been saying. Some of his words have got similarity with those of the yellow shirt too. While saying that Abhisit could not control the yellow shirt, do you mean that Sondhi Limthongkul and Chamlong Srimuong are also Prime Ministers? On the contrary in Cambodia, we have not got any movement against Thailand.

Secondly, I have been described as not understanding internal Thai procedure on ratifying the three minutes of the previous meetings (of the two countries’ foreign ministers). The Thai side has had so much difficulty in lobbying the Thai parliament and Senate to give the three minutes their ratifications. Don’t you expect I understand that? Only it has been too long. The lapse has been from 2008 though to 2011. As this is the case, would there be a need for more meeting of the Join Border Committee while minutes from the previous meetings have yet to be ratified? Would this not be only a pretext to contain the matter within the bilateral boundary? So my position is that you ratify the previous documents before asking for more negotiations. We should not, according the article 190 of Thai Constitution, create a fourth minutes.

Thirdly, he said he could not control the media in Thailand. I understand their difficulties and I also understand the freedom of press but one should also make some efforts. Well this is what I have to say about as PM Abhisit has depended on a third country to relay the message to me about his difficulties. Now we have come to a subject of our press conference today which is the communiqué of the UNSC and one of the most important points is creation of a state of permanent ceasefire.

Based on this position, in the forthcoming meeting between Foreign Minister of Cambodia with Foreign Minister of Thailand in the presence of ASEAN members as a whole or the ASEAN rotating chairperson, Cambodia will propose for signing of a ceasefire agreement. A countersign of the ASEAN chairperson would also be great but all would depend on negotiation. The UNSC has recommended ASEAN to see about getting a ceasefire agreement signed. How do we go about setting a framework for a ceasefire?

Cambodia would propose four major points in such agreement:

First – Cambodian and Thai sides could think of a term used to describe the situation such as a permanent ceasefire to be signed and countersigned by/between the two Governments which here later I call in short ‘Cambodian and Thai side.’ What we have to ensure to have no more shootings or explosions forever.

Second - Maintain the status quo of military position of both sides, while a stop and observation must be put on troop movement, adjustment and/or any further violations until ultimate solution on border demarcation is reached. How to go about maintaining the permanent ceasefire? (Both sides must observe) a permanent ceasefire whereby military must keep troop positions where they are. This should mean military locations while troop number could be readjusted to smaller. Here I have said it to be troops and their locations, not forces, as the number of troops should be under the discussion of military commanders of both sides. I wish that the press get my speech and what I said correctly. They should keep in mind that my speech has been taped and broadcast in whole.

Third – Encouragement for dialogues between the two armies should continue. What has been done yesterday at the Phnom Trop was good since because of discussion between the two militaries, there was a quiet night last night. However, such ceasefire is still fragile that a more durable one is in the making. I encourage that both sides urge for closer cooperation between the two armies as what was before July 15, 2008. They may do sporting matches together to ease tension.

Fourth – in order to guarantee an effective ceasefire, both sides propose for a control of ceasefire by eight ASEAN countries, excluding Cambodia and Thailand. I can guarantee that the Thai side would not agree to the fourth point of this ceasefire agreement. In that case, Cambodia would welcome unilaterally military presence of the ASEAN countries on Cambodian territory so that they could police Cambodian armed forces. It would even be better if they could be stationed in between the two armies. (Both sides) should show their goodwills and we should stay under the light so that everyone is seen and there is nothing to be afraid of a monitoring mechanism.

I have mentioned already that Cambodia would urge for military observers, peace keeping forces and fact-finding missions from any institutions, be it the UN or ASEAN, as long as there is this presence of the third party. HE Hor Namhong, DPM and Foreign Minister of Cambodia is taking the initiative to draft the agreement. Upon its completion, it will be sent to ASEAN rotating chairman. While visiting Cambodia, the Foreign Minister of Indonesia and Chairperson of ASEAN, HE Dr. Marty M. Natalegawa, has illustrated that there should be a ceasefire at a higher level than the one being conducted currently between military regions.

Again, in this understanding, Cambodia proposes for a ceasefire that is going to be signed by foreign ministers of Cambodia and Thailand at the ASEAN meeting. Also, I have depended on Thai DPM to pass the four points of the agreement to PM Abhisit so that he could formulate a position.

Let’s see who would be signing the agreement and who would not? Again I must say (Thai) needs not tell Cambodia to go to ASEAN because it is Cambodian wish since 2008. The conflict has now been brought at the UNSC and the world has got a sense of what it is about. It would also be visible to the world as to who has taken initiative for a ceasefire and who has tried to hinder the effort. Foreign Minister of Thailand Kasit Piromya has urged that Cambodia respect and implement what has been called for by the international community and Cambodia is well on its way to doing so, and I just wanted to add here that it is Cambodia, not Thailand, who made this case heard at the UN Security Council.

Now that there is going to be the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting, Cambodia is also taking the initiative to propose a permanent ceasefire in accordance with the recommendation from the UN Security Council.

Let me now make it clear as to which forum and which form should be conducted regarding concerned parties. Again, within the framework of the border conflict, there must be this presence of the third party. Take for instance, the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting on February 22, there will be the presence of the ASEAN chairperson or the whole of ASEAN members. The Join Border Committee also needs to have the third party’s presence in its meeting. As for where to meet, Cambodia would be quite flexible but on one condition that there has to be a third party present. It is true that any final decision reached will be by the two sides.

Aside from this, other forums for trade, tourism, culture would not need to be conducted in the third party’s presence. It is not that Cambodia is looking at a third party’s presence for every forum. On another instance, the temple of Preah Vihear is no longer one that belongs to Cambodia alone anymore. It is now the world heritage. When PM Abhisit prohibits the UNESCO mission to the temple, what does he think he is? He owns the temple or what? We have to work to contain the border conflict on the spot and not to expand to throughout more than 800 km borderline. Efforts need to be made to containing military conflict from spilling over issues of trade, investment, tourism and culture, etc.

To get our problem to and through the door of the UNSC is by no means easy matter. A veto by anyone member among five permanent members, the UNSC meeting would not happen or a communique would not be possible. Actually Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya did a great deal in his lobby to either have no meeting or to have no resolution of any kind at all. Now he (acted as if he) has won it all. Let him have it. I just wanted to remind him that he has used terms that have not been constructive. At one point he compared Cambodia to a bad kid in the neighborhood and warned that by messing with Thailand, hurting oneself would be the result.

He may now have the feeling that who gets more pain than whom. By splashing water on each other, no one could keep himself dry. Maybe we should sit down and have a game of chess together. Someone in Bangkok sounds out recently that now it is time to change negotiator. I would not poke my nose into Thai affairs but this Foreign Minister should review what he had said in the past days in disrepute of China, France, Russia and India. I also have a pity on Thai press that whatever they quoted their leaders as saying, they later were the ones to be responsible for whatever mistake those leaders did.

Again both sides need to maintain their troop positions and refrain from mobilizing their troops until there is a final solution on issue of border demarcation. When that happens may not be possible because the two sides are far apart from each other and ASEAN could not solve the problem but only to contain it. In Cambodian view, even the UNSC has not taken up any particular measures, Cambodia is preparing to demand the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague’s decision from 1962 (on Preah Vihear temple and the annexed maps) be clarified again. We are not seeking for retrial but clarification of the court’s decision.

HE Hor Namhong already told Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya on February 4 in Siemreap province already. The court decision is one best way for both sides as whatever decision made by the court will be understood by the people. We cannot avoid going to the court. We wanted the UNSC to ask the ICJ to provide a clarification on that, but because the UNSC did not do it, the intention has been interpreted (by Thailand) as (Cambodian) disappointment. Well in this case I must say there is no such thing on the part of Cambodia because it well understands that there must always be a bargaining in the market.

As for the four-point proposal for the ceasefire it is not indeed a cliché but more inputs need to add on to it. That is just Cambodian initiative to sound out what they see as important elements needed for framing up a ceasefire agreement. We will not abandon the MOU of 2000 but further meeting of JBC will have to be waiting till after the three minutes of the previous meeting are ratified.

A major issue here is the map. (Thai side) has unilaterally drawn and used a map. In the world history, only Adolf Hitler has been recorded to be the one to redraw a map and make war for it. Cambodia has got a border that is recognized internationally, while the ICJ’s decision has also determined based on the map of the Dangrek mountain too. No one, especially Sondhi Limthongkul or Chamlang Srimuang, etc. has got the right to interpret the court decision for having decided to offer temple to Cambodia and not the land. This also includes an inmate (Veera Somkwamkid) who would have to serve for at least two-thirds of the court sentence or he would not be receiving a royal pardon.

Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk, the Heroic King Father, has made great effort in a crusade to demand the return of the Preah Vihear temple in 1962. As his children, we would not back down on our endeavor to defend whatever was achieved and left by him. This is the land belongs to our ancestors. I would not elaborate on history and I would not demand for return of former provinces (that belong in the past to Cambodia). For me there will be no give and take. I would defend the land that is left for Cambodia from Samdech Preah Norodom, whom I would say in a way had made a correct decision to ask for French protection, and later Preah Baat Sisovath in 1904 and 1907.

Having come to this I would like to place an appeal to our people to stay calm and refrain from escalating situation into confrontation on all fronts. We have not hostility towards Thais no matter how hostile the yellow shirt people have on us. Even when the Foreign Minister of Thailand insulted me in the past, I have let it gone be by gone. However, I wish that he could distinguish between political nature and point. He was against the ASEAN framework one day and now acts as if he is the one wants that the most. I call that cheating oneself and his people. The other day they were against the UNSC’s meeting (on the border conflict) while lobbying for the group to issue no statement on it, a moment later they pretended to be the one who welcome it the most.

Kyodo: I have two questions. First, will the observers come in the military or police framework? Will it be one of ASEAN as a whole or any one member country could do so if they choose to? Second, what do you expect of ASEAN that looks like a grown up man but with relatively no teeth? Do you have doubt when the General Secretary of ASEAN is a Thai national and the Foreign Minister of Indonesia is married to a Thai wife as well? Has Cambodia sued to ICJ already or this would commence after the ASEAN led meeting?

Samdech Techo: Thank you for the questions. As far as observer status is concerned, we are in the stage of making a proposition. As to whether it will be a military or police, or by each separate nation or as a group of (ASEAN) countries will be up to the discussion. It is still in negotiating stage. However, as far as Cambodian position is concerned, we would approve all sorts of involvement - military, police or even civilian and/or by each separate member country or as a group.

Secondly, it is true that ASEAN does not have big muscle but this group has got a will which has been reflected through the fact that ASEAN is willing to solve problem among ASEAN members so as to build up an ASEAN community according to its charter. ASEAN wishes to achieve ceasefire, reconciliation and an end to the conflict. So, whether it has a muscle to show or not, if there were to be a ceasefire agreement between Cambodia and Thailand, ASEAN can perform its role by deploying its observers to oversee the agreement implementation and to prevent further conflict.

As far as your question about the General Secretary of ASEAN and the rotating chairman of ASEAN is concerned, I am sure they would perform their duties under the flag of ASEAN. I believe both of them will perform their duties. I am sure they will not make decision on the basis of racial inclination at all. Furthermore, Indonesia used to be co-chair country of the Paris Peace Agreement (or the political settlement for the Cambodian conflict). The current President of the Indonesian Republic is HE Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who led the Indonesian UNTAC (United Nations Transitional Authority for Cambodia) forces to Cambodia. In fact when we had this problem back in 2008, he already expressed his will to help. He called me on the phone and that assured me that he had strong concern for regional stability.

As for the process of bringing this case to the ICJ attention for clarification of its 1962 decision, we have sought for international lawyers to work on this case and the institution of law process for such a clarification would commence. Before we thought of going to the court together but now it is not necessary because we only require the court’s clarification of its 1962 ruling. It would not take long, perhaps after the ASEAN-led meeting.

Bayon Media: Suppose that the said (conflict resolution) mechanism is here to exist, would ASEAN report settlement to the UNSC for assertion and recognition so that Thailand would never be able to go back on what they have agreed?

Samdech Techo: I am sure this is important and we will see to that. Now we will follow the flow. This is a long-term problem where recognition and assertion will be a key matter. However, while the matter will be forwarded to the ICJ, I think there is no need for assertion whatsoever from the UNSC. That will depend entirely on the clarification of the court decision by ICJ only. Decision by ICJ would not need to be juristically approved by any other institutions. UNSC will of course monitor what they have decided and the mechanism (ASEAN) to see the matter through.

TV3 Thailand: What have you discussed with HE Trairong Suwankiri? Thai businessmen have had problem before, will they have problem again this time?

Samdech Techo: With HE Trairong Suwankiri, we have discussed various issues ranging from the Thai exhibition in Phnom Penh, preparation for business consultation, how to create investment confidence to other matters relating to development of the two countries (‘s relations). I have mentioned to Trairong about what happens in Kashmir but India and Pakistan have maintained business and trade between each other. I also depended on him, as I told you earlier, to send a message to PM Abhisit too.

I can assure you that there will be no discrimination that leads to unfortunate circumstances as in 2003. You may notice that here in Phnom Penh there is no forum that insults Thailand because here we do not have PAD (People’s Alliance for Democracy or the yellow shirt people) like in Bangkok, or Sondhi Limthongkul or Chamlong Srimuang, etc. Thais are welcome to Cambodia as tourists or businessmen. We do not expect those who come to lay mine or as part of drug trafficking. Both sides will have to deal with these groups of people. I am sure there will be plenty of security and many people will surely come to visit the exhibition.

CTN TV: First, Thailand has said before that there will be a meeting between the two defense ministers after the UNSC meeting, will now that be possible after the ASEAN meeting? Second, Will there be a third party involved in the process of border demarcation? Third, Thai wishes to have border demarcation starting from section where there is no tension as they have acknowledged border tension have occurred only within 5% to 10% of the whole border length. Cambodia is of the opinion that demarcation of the border should start from the Preah Vihear temple area. What is your opinion?

Samdech Techo: As for the meeting between the two defense ministers, we can foresee two forms. In the form of meeting that the two defense ministers will discuss issues relating to resolving border dispute, certainly there will need to have a third party present. However, meeting at the level of General Border Committee (GBC), for which the ministers of national defense of the two countries co-chairs, bilateral meeting can take place. Again this will have to be conducted without discussion on border dispute. You may understand that the GBC’s duty is to prevent drug trafficking and cross border crimes but not border dispute.

Now, on question would there need to be a third party in demarcation process of the border between Thailand and Cambodia which is totally about 800 km, whereas only about 10 km of that is in dispute. Cambodia would like the third party to be present in demarcation of the disputed part and not the rest. Perhaps also in the forthcoming ASEAN meeting, in the presence of ASEAN chiar, foreign ministers of the two countries could throw out initiative for troops readjustment so that search for mines and de-mining of areas out of disputed section of the border could be considered.

What remains to be seen is when the Thai parliament will ratify the three meetings minutes, which seem to have outdated already? I doubted if PM Abhisit could convince the Thai parliament for a ratification or stand up to threat from the yellow shirt for doing that. I see that we need to wait for the ICJ to make a clarification of its1962 decision first as we have two maps to decide here. Cambodia sticks to the one that was used by the ICJ then.

Keynote Address at the Opening of the 4th Cambodia Economic Forum

2011-02-28T18:38:00.000-08:00

Keynote Address at the Opening of the 4th Cambodia Economic Forum on
“Cambodian Economy in Post-Crisis Environment: Industrial Policy-Options Toward a Sustainable Development”

Peace Building, 16th February 2011

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Distinguished National and International Guests!

Today, I am honored and pleased to deliver the keynote address in the opening session of the Fourth Cambodia Economic Forum (4th CEF) on “Cambodian Economy in Post-Crisis Environment: Industrial Policy- Options Toward a Sustainable Development”, organized by the Supreme National Economic Council. Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my warmest welcome to all distinguished national and international guests for attending this important event. Once again, I would like to thank UNDP, ADB, the World Bank and other Development Partners for the continuous support in all sectors for the development of Cambodia, which includes institutional capacity building such as through this important Forum.

During the 3rd Cambodia Economic Forum, our deliberations were held in the context of Global Financial Crisis and a severe economic downturn. Our main concern at that time was to quickly put in place measures to prevent the adverse impacts of the Global Financial Crisis on the Cambodian economy. During that time, in my capacity as the Head of the Royal Government, I had set out a package of policies to reduce and mitigate the impacts of the Crisis on our economy. Through the firm implementation of those policies, the Royal Government has led the Cambodian economy out of the Crisis and has successfully addressed its negative impacts. The living standard of the people has been maintained as well as macroeconomic stability, which are needed for ensuring social stability. The recovery path is “V”shaped, reflected in the following significant indicators:

First: The growth rate after declining in 2009 due to the Crisis recovered to 5.5% in 2010; in 2011, it is expected to be more than 6%. In the medium term, Cambodia’s economy is projected to grow at around 6% to 7%. Inflation was around 3.5% in December 2010 over December 2009. In the medium term inflation will continue to be low and stay below 5% although we have to be wary of spillover from regional inflation and hike in oil prices. Cambodia’s financial and banking sector remains strong and healthy; liquidity in the banking sector has increased, due to increase in credit allocation for economic activities.

Second: Agriculture grew impressively during and after the Crisis. In 2010, the sector grew by 4.5%. Paddy rice sub sectorgrew by 6.0% and other subsidiary crops by 8.4%. Since high priority has been given to this sector by the Royal Government, we expect that this sector will continue to grow at a fast rate in the future also.

Third: Manufacturing and agro-industry sectors have also continued to grow. The garment sector severely affected by the Crisis in 2009 grew by 28% in the first 11 months of 2010, producing a total revenue of USD 3 billion. Reflecting the favorable impact of the rice production and export promotion policy announced in 2010, the official rice export increased by 45% in the first eleven months of 2010, over the corresponding period in 2009 (revenue USD27.5 million). Investments on food, beverage and tobacco industries have also substantially increased in response to the new policy.

Fourth: The services sector remains strong. It grew by 4.6% in 2009 and 6.4% in 2010. Tourism sector has a high potential for growth. The tourist arrivals in Cambodia increased by 16% in 2010 ( 2.5 million tourist arrivals). In 2010, the total revenue from tourism was expected to increase by 14% (revenue USD1.78 billion). During the post Crisis period tourist arrivals in the region have continued to grow, particularly Chinese tourist arrivals.

A key initiative was the fiscal expansion policy which focused on increasing public investment in physical infrastructure, such as consruction and repair of bridges, roads and irrigation systems to improve connectivitity and agricultural productivity; and provision of social safety net through capacity building and training of Cambodian laborers. This has laid a good foundation to expand growth and ensure sustainable development.

Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government, I would like to express satisfaction and appreciation to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the National Bank of Cambodia as well as other relevant Ministries/Institutions who have put in a great effort to successfully implement the policies in the package which I set out during the previous Cambodia Economic Forum for mitigating the impacts of the Crisis.

The present Forum is gathering at a time when the global economy, in particular the Cambodian economy has just recovered the Crisis. The time is appropriate to set a long term vision taking into account the fast and substantial changes occurring in the global economic architecture. Cambodia should quickly adapt to the evolving environment and seize the new opportunities, stemming from these changes to ensure its sustainable development.

I think the selection of the subject for today’s forum on, “Cambodian Economy in Post-Crisis Environment: Industrial Policy-Options Toward a Sustainable Development”, is appropriate, significant and timely. The Forum provides an opportunity for distinguished national and international participants to dialogue and exchange views on how best Cambodia can capture newly emerging opportunities and reduce risks and threats facing the economy during the process of development. I would like to share with you some thoughts which you may wish to deliberate on, in the Forum.

Let me start by making an overall assessment of the post Crisis global economic environment. The severity of the Global Financial Crisis was of a scale not witnessed since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Even though the world seems to have weathered the Crisis, the future is fraught with uncertainty in a number of regions. Global economic growth of 4.8% in 2010 was fairly strong compared to 2009 when global income contracted by -0.6%. However, this growth is fragile and uneven among countries. Developed economies grew by 2.7% in 2010 after declining by 3.2% in 2009; in contrast developing economies grew by 9.4% in 2010. Growth was particularly strong in Asia. In 2011 the trend of sluggish growth in the developed world and robust growth in the developing countries will likely continue.

The recent high economic growth in Asia was largely driven by strong economic growth of China, which is expected to emerge as a driver of global economic growth in the future. There is general agreement that Asia has led the world out of the Crisis and in the future Asia will provide the momentum for world economic growth. We have witnessed solid evidence of sustained growth in a number of emerging countries such as China, India and Indonesia. Fiscal stimulus provided in a timely manner helped stabilize these economies during the Crisis and keep their growth performance largely on track. However, fiscal expansion is a short term initiative and cannot ensure sustained growth; long term solutions for sustaining development momentum will have to be found. A key issue is deepening economic policy coordination at the global level. Many analysts believe that rebalancing the global economy and placing more reliance on domestic demand to foster Asian growth will be the key to ensuring the sustained recovery of the global economy.

The Crisis has served as a wake-up call for many developing economies like Cambodia. The need for rebalancing global demand and implementing policies to reform market structure to ensure sustained future growth has forced Asian economies to reduce their heavy reliance on the US and European export markets to generate growth and pay greater attention to the creation of domestic market demand through monetary, fiscal and structural adjustment policies.

How should Cambodia respond to the emerging trends in the global economy I outlined earlier?

In the Rectangular Strategy for Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency, the Royal Government has laid out ambitious goals. First, we have to ensure sustainable economic growth of around 7% per year on broader and more competitive economic basis. Second poverty incidence should be reduced at the rate of more than 1% per annum. In order to achieve these ambitious goals, I am of the view that in medium and long term, the Royal Government must focus attention on a number of key strategic issues:

First- the necessity to ensure sustainability of high economic growth in order to promote and accelerate poverty reduction

Second- the necessity to diversify the growth base that is currently narrow

Third- the necessity to solve unemployment and lack of skill training in the youth cohorts and equip them to cope with the challenges caused by unforeseen changes in the economic structure.

Let me elaborate the strategies of the Royal Government to address these issues.

Since Cambodian economy is still small sized ensuring high sustainable growth with steady poverty reduction will require Cambodia to adopt outward- oriented policy aimed at achieving economies of scale and receiving transfers of financial resources, technology and other vital knowledge and know-how. In the context of the drastic shift in the global economic environment Cambodia must seize market opportunities and harness them for national economic development. This will mean a diversification of the growth base of the economy.

In the post-crisis global economic context, the Royal Government’s Economic Strategy will mainly focus on:

Effort to maintain and further promote the current Cambodian markets, including US and EU markets. Even though US and EU economies are still facing challenges as well as some risks, those are likely to be only temporary. In the medium term these economies are expected to recover. Moreover Cambodia needs more time to prepare and penetrate the regional market chain which provides new opportunities.
Efficiently seize new opportunities emerging from the Asian Economic Recovery; as the slogan puts it “Look East” .This should be achieved through strengthening the implementation of the policy of integrating national economy into regional economy with active participation in the initiatives of all the bilateral, multilateral, regional and sub-regional cooperation frameworks. Within these frameworks the high economic growth of developing economies in Asia such as China and India, coupled with the policy to promote domestic demand in Asia, will certainly provide important opportunities for a small country like Cambodia to increase exports and gain from technology transfer. The rise in wages and production costs in countries like China and Vietnam in the region can make Cambodia a more attractive investment destination.
Continue to successfully implement investment and business improvement policy in the spirit of active management.Cambodia will continue to emphasize political stability, security, social order, macroeconomic and financial stability and trade and business facilitation including reducing bureaucracy, implementing “single window” or “single roof”mechanism, and eradicating unofficial fees and illegal checkpoints. The Royal Government will pay special attention to investment in physical infrastructure, especially roads, bridges, irrigation system, electricity network and clean water supply system as well as lay out and implement necessary measures, aimed at reducing transportation costs and electricity charges and strengthening and increasing the efficiency of vocational and skill training, which are needed to improve the competitiveness of Cambodia.

The Royal Government has acknowledged that the Cambodian economy cannot continue to rely on garment manufacture, tourism and construction sectors in order to promote sustained growth. We must expand our sources of growth by seizing opportunities emerging from the global and regional developments and by nurturing the industrial sectors in our economy with good growth potential Our excessive dependence on garments focused on a few market destinations in the developed world and tourism was the main reason why our growth performance faltered during the recent Crisis. We cannot allow this experience to repeat.

During the last decade, the Royal Government gave high priority to the development of agriculture to address poverty reduction and rural development. Our reasoning is simple. Cambodia is an agriculture based country. Agriculture contributes to about a third of the national product at present. Approximately 80% of Cambodian people are living in the rural areas, and about 70% of total labor force is in the agriculture sector. Agriculture has a high potential for development because of favorable climate and terrain, abundant water and good irrigation. With the use of modern technology and better agricultural techniques such as the use of vehicles, seeds and fertilizers agricultural productivity could be further improved. We have many opportunities to diversify the economic growth base by promoting agricultural development. Agricultural development will also help us effectively address the poverty issue that is ubiquitous in the rural areas of Cambodia.

In general, the measures taken by the Royal Government to respond to the Crisis were effective in pulling the country out of the Crisis. Nevertheless, we also know that this situation could change in the future and we have to carry out reforms to increase the resilence of the economy. The policy measures to promote agricultural productivity include encouraging the use of vehicles modern technology and techniques, and increasing farmer’s skills particularly for reducing the use of labor in agriculture. The Royal Government has to be long-sighted and prepare long-term strategies for matching the training and supply of labor force with the needed set of worker quality and skills required by the changes in the national economic and labor market conditions.

Cambodia has a labor force of about 7.4 million in the age group15 to 64. Every year, about 200, 000 people join the formal labor force. This is an important comparative advantage for Cambodia since the country has an abundant supply of young and low cost workers. But in parallel, we have to create about 200,000 jobs annually to absorb these workers. This along with the pressures created by rural urban migration can stress the labor market and the socio-economic environment of Cambodia in the future. Recent experience of social and political instability in some countries has confirmed the importance of solving unemployment particularly among the youth. This issue is closely linked with the problem of poverty reduction and ensuring sustainability of growth through promoting the diversification of economic growth base and the restructuring of the national economy.

There is no doubt that there is an urgent need for Cambodia to modernize its economy; in practical terms this means “Promoting the Development of Industrial Sector”. Modernizing the economy by promoting industrial development is an appropriate and necessary solution for achieving sustainable growth of the Cambodian economy and take it to a higher stage of development. It would help Cambodia avoid the “Middle Income Country Trap” that has crippled a number of countries from moving further after achieving a middle income level due to a lack of industrial capacity including technological know how. The industrial development strategy should focus on transforming the economic structure by providing more value added from a wider economic base that can ensure sustained growth with equity.

Our primary and practical objective is to upgrade our economy through promoting the development of the industrial sector that would lead Cambodia toward a “New Phase of Economic Base Diversification” through the use of our endowments and placing reliance on our comparative advantages. In this effort our priorities will be (1) promoting the development of agro-industry and agro-business in the medium term that supports the upgrading of important existing pillars of economic growth such as agriculture, garment and tourism sectors, (2) expanding capacity of some handicrafts and small industries which have the potential to evolve as core forces for promoting growth to serve exports and domestic markets and (3) discovering new industries with latent comparative advantages in order to link Cambodian economy with the value chain of regional and global production networks.

Indeed, the concept of industrial development policy seems to be broad as outlined by me earlier as we have not specifically determined the sectors that Cambodia should focus on. In general, designing industrial policy of each country requires the determination of priority sectors that are in line with comparative advantages and endowments of those countries. In this regard, Cambodia has important endowments such as water, land, mineral ores and a young labor force, and an excellent geo-strategic location at the center of ASEAN region. Certainly the economic potential of Cambodia is immense. The market mechanism will ultimately determine which industrial sectors of our country emerge as the country’s growth pillars. The role of the State is that of a strategic visionary, a manager of the development process, a provider of coordination and a facilitator of the market mechanism. I will revert to some of these roles of the state later. I would now like to dwell on the strategic and fundamental directions of Cambodia’s industrial development policy.

First: Capturing more value added of existing core sectors

We have observed that three important sectors of the economy have achieved remarkable development in the past, viz. agriculture, garment manufacture and tourism. This is attributed to our comparative advantage in land, climatic conditions and low labor cost, existing trade opportunity, and our rich cultural heritage. In the future, these three sectors will continue to play a key role to support the national economic growth, especially agriculture and tourism sectors that will maintain their importance in the long run. The garment sector would continue to be important for economic growth at least in the medium term. However so far Cambodia has been able to capture only a small part of the whole value chain of these sectors. For example, the rice sub sector of Cambodia exports almost 100% of unprocessed paddy rice; in garment sector, we only get the value added from Cut, Make and Trim stage in the entire manufacturing process, and in the tourism sector, we only get low value added from simple services such as air ticket fees, restaurants, guest houses and local transportation.

A strategy of pursuing a more complete linking of Cambodian industry with the entire value chain of activities in the concerned sector will allow Cambodia to gain more value added. For example, in the value chain of the garment sector the establishment of a buttons manufacturing factory to supply buttons to garment factories will create more employment and allow capture of more value added from garment manufacture.

Cambodia’s agriculture sector not only has enormous potential for further expansion, but can capture more value added. Forward linkages of agriculture with agro-businesses, agro-industries and SMEs can effectively contibute to higher value added from this sector and will be in line with the Royal government’s strategic objective of achieving growth with equity through industrial development.

Second: Upgrading emerging industries with growth potential

Apart from three sectors mentioned above, there are other existing industries in Cambodia which could evolve as new areas of comparative advantage. The new industries can emerge from fragmented and informal businesses that already exist in Cambodia. These include for example, furniture, handicrafts, paper/recycled paper, construction materials, household appliances, simple electronic equipment, oil and gas, mineral ores and fertilizer. These industries need to be closely studied to assess whether they can be competitive in the domestic and export markets. For example the Royal Government can study and identify Cambodia’s comparative advantage in developing oil and gas industry as well as mineral ores. The study will enable the Royal Government to introduce appropriate policies to upgrade and develop the emerging industries with good growth potential..

Third: Discovering latent comparative advantage

Cambodia is a late entrant in industrial development. Considerable progress has been already achieved in science, technology, business and trade facilitation and development of logistics in the world. Globalization has contributed to dissemination of knowledge in many of these areas. Cambodia can use the lessons learned by other countries and use their experience to identify areas of latent comparative advantage. In some cases, I think that we can import technology. If we have appropriate strategies we can attract large scale multinational enterprises to set up new industries in Cambodia under the industrial park framework or in special economic zones supported by incentives and business facilitation based on specific frameworks and conditions.

It is clear that strategic industrial development is needed to bring about economic transformation and holds tremendous promise of success. To ensure success we have to integrate the industrial development policy into the general development policy systematically and consistently with interconnected policy measures. This reemphasizes importance of the State’s role in creating an educational system consistent with industrial development requirements. The other roles of the State include management of the development process and facilitating efficient functioning of the market mechanism.

I am confident that Cambodia now has appropriate favorable conditions to move forward to the next higher development stage. We have maintained complete political stability and peace for more than ten years. During this period, we have built physical infrastructure assets such as roads and bridges, irrigation projects, electricity networks and communication systems in many areas of our country. The Royal Government will continue providing high priority to public investment and the construction of all kinds of physical infrastructure.

At the same time, the Cambodian economy has been actively integrated into the regional and global economy. Cambodia is endowed with a young and dynamic labor force which is keen to learn and work very hard. The labor cost in the country is low. The Royal Government is determined and strongly committed to reform key sectors to ensure macroeconomic and financial stability as well as to improving governance, enhancing institutional effectiveness and capacity development. The reforms are aimed at reducing barriers to business and facilitating active participation from the private sector. These are the pre-conditions and key requirements to move forward on the development process.

I have already elaborated the necessity and key objectives of modernizing our national economy through an industrial development strategy for diversifying the Cambodian economy.. We might come up with some different views on the direction of Cambodia’s economy in this Forum. But I firmly believe that all of us are fundamentally agreed that Cambodia’s economy needs to be further advanced and its economic base has to be diversified by exploiting effectively and efficiently its comparative advantage in order to ensure sustainable development. This is a definitely a complicated assignment, which requires us to study in depth and carefully design a step-by-step strategy for implementation. In this spirit, I highly appreciate and welcome your constructive ideas, comments and recommendations.

Before ending, on behalf of the Royal Government and myself, I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the Supreme National Economic Council, which is the Social and Economic Policy Think Tank of the Head of the Royal Government, for organizing this Forum. I would also like to express my sincere thank to UNDP, ADB, World Bank and other Development Partners, in particular Japan and China as well as other Line Ministries and Agencies for their strong support for both technical and financial assistance to meet the capacity building needs of Cambodia. I believe that our cooperation will be further expanded in the future.

I would like to thank Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, and in particular those coming from outside Phnom Penh and Cambodia for spending your valuable time to participate in this Forum.

Finally, I wish the forum a fruitful and active discussion. I am confident that your deliberations will contribute significantly to the formulation and preparation of development policies and strategies for Cambodia.

I wish you all the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength. May I now declare the opening of the Fourth Cambodia Economic Forum!

Address at the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Construction of the Neak Loeung Bridge, a Grant Aid Provided by the Government of Japan

2011-02-28T18:20:00.002-08:00

Kandal Province, February 12, 2011

Your Venerable Monks,
Your Excellency BANO TUTAKA, Secretary of State of Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Your Excellency Masafumi KUROKI, Japan’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia,
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen National and International Distinguished Guests,
Dear all Compatriots!

It is my pleasure today to be in the Opening of the Construction Site of Neak Loeung Bridge, which is financed by the grant from the Government of Japan. The construction of this bridge is the 4th phase of the National Road No.1 development project which has been totally financed by the grant from the Government of Japan. I recall I inaugurated two bridges at the Kilometre No.48 of the National Road No.1 on December 6, 2005. That was the first phase of the 56-km National Road No.1 development project from Phnom Penh to Neak Loeung. Later on, the second phase was the construction of 42.880-km section from Korki - Kien Svay to the western Neak Loeung Ferry dock.

The third phase was the 9.10-km construction that started from Kilometer No.4 +000 in Veal Sbov Commune to Koki – Kien Svay of which 70% has been completed and the section was inaugurated on January 5, 2010. The construction of the fifth section which starts from Preah Monivong Bridge to the Kilometre No.4 +000 will commence soon. I strongly hope the Government of Japan will approve the grant for the construction of the fifth section along with the financing approval for the implementation of clean water projects of the Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority.

Taking the opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government and people of Cambodia, I would like to express my profound thank and high appreciation to the generous and dignified attitude of Japanese Government and people, who have constantly provided moral, technical and financial supports in the framework of cooperation financing with enormous grants since 1994 for restoration and development of physical infrastructure and human resources of Cambodia, particularly the restoration of roads and bridges such as Japan-Cambodia friendship bridge at Chruoy Changva, a link of National Road No.6 from Roluos to Siem Reap, National Road No.6A from Chruoy Changva bridge to Thnorl Kaeng connected to the National Road No.7 from Thnorl Kaeng to Chup-Memot, National Road No.2 form Takeo to Phnom Den at Cambodia-Vietnam border...etc, including a number of key bridges, especially 1,360-meter Kizona bridge crossing over the Mekong River at Tonlebet in Kompong Cham Province, and this time is 2,215-meter Neak Loeung bridge crossing over the Mekong River at Neak Loeung, which is the longest bridge in Cambodia. In general, the grant that the Japanese Government has provided for the construction of above-mentioned roads and bridges accounts for USD277 millions, of which USD56 millions for development of the National Road No.1 and USD92 millions (about 8,425,418 Japanese Yen) for Neak Loeung bridge, which are the grants from Japanese Government, with the counterpart fund of USD2.9 millions from the Royal Government of Cambodia for resettlement purpose and excluding waived import duty on imported materials, which is to be covered by the government. These supports are very important contributions from Japan to the Royal Government in boosting economic growth and social development, while Cambodia had just emerged from the war and is in bad need for national rehabilitation and development.

At the same time, I would like to highly appreciate the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, relevant ministries/institutions, local authorities, compatriot, Japanese companies and experts, who have exerted their efforts in conducting feasibility study and other tasks since 2003, which leads to the opening ceremony of construction site today. The bridge will become another achievement, which is the longest and most elegant in Cambodia, which we have never had in our history.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear all Compatriots!

As H.E Tram Iv Tek,Minister of Public Works and Transport, has reported already that the construction project of the Neak Loeung bridge is an opening of new page for Cambodia history because this is the first modern and huge architectural bridge construction that is ensured for technicality, efficiency and beauty.

Similar to the construction of the National Road No.1, the Japanese technicians have made thoroughly evaluation so that these road and bridge would become strategic road and bridge with three advantages, which are (1) facilitate land and water transportation services in compliance with international standard that can maintain the original water current and play a role as water irrigation system (2) facilitate the water current for the peoples’ cultivation, and ensure that water do not flood and damage roads and bridges and (3) maintain good condition of environment and society. In general, I think the construction of the bridge and the renovation of the National Road No.1 from Phnom Penh to Neak Loeung is to enhance the effectiveness of our blood vessels that have nourished and supported the economy and society of Cambodia; it also provides Cambodia with better capacity to take care of the busy transportation traffics throughout the region, which also can create budget revenue, employments and opportunities for the Cambodian people so that they can increase income to promote their families’ living standard, and improve their education and welfares.

In addition, this bridge and portion of the National Road No.1 financed by the Japanese aid would contribute significantly to solving the traffic congestions from Phnom Penh to Cambodia-Vietnam border at Bavet, caused by the huge increase of all kinds of cars and hustle and bustle of commerce activity crossing as well as the establishment of many factory enterprises along the road as well as along the Mekong river. I think the construction of Neak Loeung bridge project and the development of a portion of the National Road No.1 from Phnom Penh to Neak Loeung is a timely response to the implementation of a bilateral transportation agreement between Vietnam and Cambodia that have significantly contributed to promoting the economic growth and development of our countries through the internal integration, and regional and global integration, which aim to grab the opportunity to increase revenue from the competition, trade, tourism, industry, agriculture , and make it easy to promote other important sectors such as education, health, security, and the development tasks of areas along the Cambodia- Vietnam border to be areas with improvement in all sectors, strong international cooperation and complete peace with sustainability.

I believe that in the future Neak Loeung bridge and the National Road No.1 from Phnom Penh to Neak Loeung will become an effective mean contributing extensively to the economic and social development of Cambodia; because Neak Loeung bridge plays an important role for fulfilling the international standard condition and add more potential to the Sub-Mekong Region (GMS) highway and ASEAN 1 highway, serving the transportation crossing the region and eliminating the time and cost on using ferry of Cambodian people as well as regional transportation customers. Along with the advantages and important role of this bridge, I think this bridge will be “a bridge that brings fortunes, a bridge that brings opportunities” to increase economicdynamism and a catalyst for cooperation and economic integration in the region and the world. Indeed, the development of National Road No.1 with the construction of Neak Loeung bridge will certainly enhance the capacity of the road supporting regional transportation traffics focusing on the principle Connecting two big ASEAN Highways or Sub-Mekong Region Highway, they are ASEAN highway connecting Phnom Penh to Bangkok, Hochi Minh, and road from Kun Ming of the People’s Republic China connecting to Vientiane, Laos, passing by the National Road No.7 and No.4 of Cambodia toward the port in Sihanoukville and crossing the Mekong River, a big and famous river of the region because it provides not only water and fertile soils for people’s living and Mekong river agriculture but also plays an important role as a road transportation, commerce and communication between people in the entire region and provides cultures base, and great civilizations to Cambodian people and people in the region as a whole.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Compatriots, Teachers and Students!

Taking this opportunity, to ensure the development of infrastructure especially the construction of Neak Loeung bridge and the development of areas surrounding the bridge, and ensure the effectiveness of socio-economic development and poverty reduction I would like provide comments as follows:

First, The Ministry of Public Works and Transportation and relevant ministries, institutions and local authority together evaluate and gradually study so that the ferrying site of Neak Loeung after the construction of the bridge would become a river port or a warehouse and distribution site or ship repairing factory or whatever serving economic, commerce and transportation sectors; conduct a feasibility study to develop an urban area of Neak Loeung to become a modern economic and tourism city, like a powerful dragon cub on the Mekong River and the southern economic corridor with high potential and competitiveness to be in line with the study of Japan and ADB that have determined and chosen city and urban areas along the southern economic corridor especially on national road 1 and 5 to be developed into economic and commerce centers, aimed to promote good production and distribution helping the development of ASEAN Bangkok- Phnom Penh- Hochi Minh Highway. Since Neak Loeung region has good location, which is a meeting point of the National Road No.5 and No.1 from the west and National Road No.7 and No.11 from the North and South of Cambodia, and it is favorable for international water and land transportation.

Second, I would like to encourage the construction company (Sumitomo Mitsu Construction) and the Technical Consultancy and Monitoring Company (Chodai) in cooperation with the Oriental Consultant Company of Japan to closely cooperate with each other in order to promote and ensure the success of the construction of Neak Loeung Bridge, aiming to ensure safety for the project implementers and the people who are living nearby the construction site, the sea and land transport companies as well as ensuring high technical standard and be completed on time or before the set timeline. Along with that, I would like to request the Government of Japan to transfer the technologies and help train Cambodian technical staffs on the maintenance of this modern bridge after the completion.

Third, I would like to suggest the Members of the Royal Government, all levels of local authorities, the management and officials of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the Ministry of Economy and Finance to continue the cooperation and put further efforts in promoting the contribution in maintaining the Bridges-Roads with constant development in order to connect the transportation network in all areas inside the country as well as connecting with the neighboring countries in the long run.

Fourth, I would like to request all compatriots to support and understand in resettlement solution, which is the necessary factor for the process of building bridges-roads as well as maintaining productivity, quality and traffic safety.

Fifth, On behalf of the Royal Government, I would like to suggest all compatriots to pay attention on two important issues which are (1) to prevent the overweight transportation, which makes the hard earned bridges-roads quickly broken; and (2) to strictly abide by the traffic law in order to reduce traffic accidents, resulting in tragedy and bad effects for the society due to loss of lives, injuries of our beloved family members.

Before ending, on behalf of the Royal Government and people of Cambodia, I would like to convey my deepest thanks to the Government and people of Japan and all Aid Agencies, especially Japan, who have always paid attention to provide the support in all kinds spiritually, materially and financially for the cause of national unification, restoration and socio-economic development in all sectors through improvement and construction of the transport infrastructure, which is the key for economic growth and poverty alleviation of the people.

At the same time, with the request from our compatriots and local authority of Loeuk Dek District of Kandal Province, I would like to take this opportunity to Officially Inaugurate the Construction of the National Road No.118 with the length of 42.50 Kilometers (from Neak Loeung to Kaorm Samnor) and the Construction of 36 Bridges with the length of 759 Kilometers(among the 45 bridges) by using the national budget according to the Toad Pace Strategy, which started the construction since 2008 to 2010 by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport to be kept as souvenir for the people living in Loeuk Dek District of Kandal Province. I would like to express my appreciation with deepest thanks to the people, local authorities of Loeuk Dek District in the construction areas and related Ministries, who have cooperated in constructing this bridge with success.

Finally, together with the Official Inauguration of the Construction of Mekong Crossing Bridge in Neak Loeung, the Grant from the Royal Government of Japan, I would like to wish the venerable monks, H.E BANNO Yutaka, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, National and International Guests, Civil Servants, Teachers and Students the four gems of Buddhist blessing:Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Speech at the Conferment of Degrees of the Royal University of Agriculture and Prek Leap National School of Agriculture

2011-02-28T18:20:00.001-08:00

Royal University of Agriculture, February 10th, 2011

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen distinguished national and international guests,
Dear all the students!

It is my pleasure to be here to award certificates and diplomas to those who completed their courses between 2007 – 2010 at the Royal University of Agriculture. This is the 11th time I join the events held by the Royal University of Agriculture, also the 1st time I confer degrees to students of the Prek Leap National School of Agriculture.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to welcome all the participants to this meaningful event, especially all the graduates. This event is an important part of your life and determines your future and your jobs.

I highly value the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries as well as the management and lecturers at the Royal University of Agriculture and Prek Leap National School of Agriculture who have been working hard to produce the needed human resources for the sector prioritized under all circumstances. Taking this opportunity, I would like to convey my regards to the management, lecturers and students of Kampong Cham School of Agriculture who are not present in this event.

As we all have been aware of, the Rectangular Strategy Phase II and the National Strategic Development Plan guide us towards good governance, seek for increased investment in rural sector, boost support to the private sector which is regarded as a major catalyst of growth and employment, especially the agriculture sector which represents about 72% of workforce. Furthermore, in the context of free market, the success of training cannot be decoupled from active participation from the private sector, especially in terms of employment opportunities after graduation.

Regarding the training, at the moment the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries have three educational institutions under its supervision, namely the Royal University of Agriculture, Prek Leap National School of Agriculture, and the National School of Agriculture, Kampong Cham, which play a very key role in training and developing human resource at all levels in the agriculture sector which is a priority sector, and those 3 schools are acting to support and promote the sector to obtain remarkable achievement. Clearly, there are 2850 students of all levels who have successfully graduated and will be awarded with certificates in a short moment, among them, 1123 students are from Royal University of Agriculture and 1727 are from Prek Leap National School of Agriculture. Also, awardees from these two institutions are specialized in 11 subjects, and 4 of them including one woman have graduated and received doctoral degrees in Agricultural Science.

Besides, I have also noticed that the Royal University of Agriculture has sent a number of students to undertake study tour abroad, especially Israel which is a country with advanced development and rich experience in agriculture sector. These are the outcomes of the utmost efforts made by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and officials, professors and the management of the Royal University of Agriculture and Prek Leap National School of Agriculture, particularly those students who had overcome all kinds of obstacles during their studies in order to reach another bank of validity and intellectual enrichment to become successors of the previous generation. This achievement also proves that the battle field of human resource development in all sectors, particularly the agriculture sector, is a very intense battle field that the Royal Government of Cambodia of this mandate, like previous ones always gives priority to.

Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,
All beloved awardees!

The promotion of technology transfer is the key for creating new and interesting professions for our people. Technology transfer does not mean only the delivery of materials or equipments from abroad to Cambodia through purchasing, selling or donation, but also represents a mechanism which show that our workforce understand and are able to use technology in conformity to the technical standard. In this sense, we must possess other complementary factors such as producing goods, conducting joint research studies, having cooperation among universities by exchanging and training new students and building physical infrastructures. In addition, technology transfer is everything that helps us absorb the styles, techniques disseminated and new technology from another country. Starting from this problem, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery, relevant institutions and agencies have to focus more on technology and techniques education for our youths and younger generation students by making them become quality producers and makers, because if the level of technology and techniques education remains low they would not be able to produce quality products.

Indeed, vision and policy measures for the national economic development especially for agriculture sector development, as mentioned above, can be achieved unless there is sufficient human resources and using all them in the right directions. Hence, the Royal of Government in previous mandates as well as in this mandate has always concerned about the development of human resources so that Cambodia has adequate capital knowledge as a means for achieving our great mission, reducing poverty of the people and ensuring competitive ability of Cambodia in the future, that means the development of human resources is a means as well as a goal.

Taking this opportunity, as capital for these two agriculture training institutions as well as a reminder for students receiving degrees today I would like to provide the following recommendations:

I have often mentioned before, but taking this opportunity I would like remind that at tertiary education level all education and training institutions are required to have high quality in terms of theory, teaching, research and real practices for all activities including management and evaluation on study, professors’ teaching and students. At the present, education sector has had positive impacts on Cambodia’s society that has strengthened and expanded the partnership with private sector in the country and abroad through intense competition among education and training institutions especially tertiary education institutes in order to improve quality and promote reputation of each institution.
Continue reforming and improving education system, promoting more in-depth education in technological techniques and improving research ability on confronting issues happening now at communities in order to help with social development tasks. Especially training tasks for each specialty need to suit the need of employment markets that are always changing in the globalized context and identify new jobs in order to make trainings going in the right directions for the long future.
Study and examine our ability to establish new specialty universities in order to train human resources suiting the needs of markets and improve agriculture sector especially to in part promote the implementation of the promotion of paddy rice production and rice exports policy measure of the Royal Government of Cambodia. In this sense, investment on youths that have potential at all levels in rural communities is the most important movement in speeding up rural social and economic development and poverty reduction especially the move of technical services to farmers.
Promote and strengthen national cooperation and especially international cooperation on the development of education programs, exchanging technological techniques, exchanging programs for professors and students, research and finding development partners. Training need to be appropriately tailored following the real situations in line with recommendations that I have often raised by connecting the study of theories with hand-on practices; synthesized data show that 80% of students aim to conduct research on plateaus so that they can help solve the confronting problems that farmers are facing and 20% of students are conducting research at the three tertiary education institutions and relevant units. These tasks need to be done in compliance with the area environment; each geographical area has been already analyzed as well as the potential for cultivation that the ministry of agriculture, forestry, and fishery has been gradually determining. Especially the increase of paddy rice production that clearly shows in the indicators of the promotion of paddy rice production and rice exports policy measure of the Royal Government. Seeing this potential, investment in youths at all level at rural places is the most important factor towards achieving success for country development and poverty reduction to the maximum.
Students graduating today need to work hard fulfilling your obligations by successfully implementing the knowledge you have absorbed in your vocations and being officials with good attitudes, good disciplines, diligence, and good morals. Parallel to this, do not forget continuing research study in order to get updated to the continuous evolving of technology of each sector; and I hope that all graduating students will continue studying hard in order to obtain higher degrees. Here, we have to two senior students, Som Kim Sour, minister of ministry of national assembly senate relations and inspection, andPrak Ham, secretary of state of ministry of land management, urban planning and construction who have sacrificed their valuable time to study their PhD and will graduate today. They are good role models for other students.

Dear all Participants!

We all have known that, educating people to be good citizens, highly professional with clear specialization in order to serve and accelerate the national development, is truly financially and mentally difficult until we come to the graduation today. In the future, you all will face a lot more difficulties in lives when you get exposed to school of practical life in order to build personal living condition, to fulfil professionalism and to contribute to building and developing the nation in the name as a citizen. I believe that the to be soon graduates in all levels, will become labourers of true knowledge in order to serve our national society rather than to allow the society to serve you; and you will prepare yourselves to be intellectuals with consideration and good morality in order to contribute to the national development as the other highly civilized countries and I do hope that this additional force will truly contribute to improving the agricultural sector as set in the policy of the Royal Government.

Once again, on behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia and myself, I would like to express appreciation to the achievements made by the Royal University of Agriculture and the Prek Leap National School of Agriculture as well as the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and the efforts made by all students; and the teaching by all lecturers of both schools; and their respective development partners for working very hard until achieving fruitful success with pride. These achievements cannot be separated from the noble assistance from our friend countries, and they are the key for human resource development as well as national development.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to express thanks to all development partners who have always spiritually, materially and financially supported the Royal University of Agriculture and Prek Leap National School of Agriculture, in order to strengthen and expand human resource development to be more successful with pride. Also, I strongly hope that there will be the continuation of such good cooperation with further new success in the future.

Finally, I would like to wish Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, National and International Distinguished Guests, Academic Staffs, Lecturers and all Students the four gems of Buddhist blessing: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.

Address at the Closing of 2010 Stocktaking and 2011 Direction Setting Conference of the Ministry of Commerce

2011-02-28T18:19:00.002-08:00

Phnom Penh, February 9, 2011

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen!

Today, it is my pleasure to participate in the closing of “2010 Stocktaking and 2011 Direction Setting Conference of the Ministry of Commerce”. I believe the workshop is a good opportunity for collecting ideas, comments and experiences from all the participants in order to fine-tune our future plan and direction. On behalf of the Royal Government, I congratulate the Ministry of Commerce on their marvelous achievement made in 2010. In general, the achievement made during the past year is in line with the Rectangular Strategy Phase II which strives for growth, employment, equity and efficiency.

The stocktaking conference is indeed an important component that allows us to jointly review the performance and policy implementation in this sector as outlined within the framework of the national strategic development plan which regards trade as a source of growth. Drawing on this policy vision, the Royal Government has been working hard on reform inside and outside of the sector, including local infrastructure, production, industry and human resource as well as strengthening of international cooperation and global integration to ensure a sustained growth. In particular, thanks to our effort, international trade has generally increased. In 2010, international trade stood at USD 10 billion, an increase of 6.8% compared to 2009, albeit the global financial and economic crisis. The 2010 exports within the preferential treatment framework increased from USD 2.6 billion in 2009 to USD 3.3 billion in 2010, a rise of 27%.

Along with this, last year’s trade contributed roughly to 5% of growth. Inflation was contained at 4% in 2010, compared with 5.3% in 2009. Cambodia’s international reserves increased from USD 2,376 million in 2009 to USD 2,650 million in 2010. In particular, we expect our economy to grow by 6% in 2011 as our key sectors including manufacturing, garment, agriculture, tourism and construction have started to retake off. The currently rebounding manufacturing sector, especially the garment, absorbs around 376,000 work forces. The total figure of workers’ wage in 2010 was USD 372 million, compared to USD 25.7 million per month in 2006. This indicates that trade activities have played an important role in accelerating growth.

In this spirit, I would like to further encourage the management and all officials of the Ministry of Commerce to keep on implementing trade facilitation, especially negotiating with some developed countries to remove tariff and non-tariff barriers for exports from Cambodia. Along with this, the Royal Government will do its utmost to ensure political stability, peace and security that are the pre-requisites for realizing the full potential of its socio-economic development.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen!

As I have previously raised, our greatest challenge is to find and open the market for our agricultural, agro-industrial and industrial products as most countries are fiercely competing to export their own products. In this sense, obtaining low tariff treatment from developed countries for our exports is not adequate. We must not only implement practical measures to facilitate exports such as reducing the time request for goods inspection, the joint inspection by the Customs and Excise General Department, and the CAMCONTROL and reducing the inspection time of goods but we must also improve the export capacity and production ability in order to gain competitive advantage.

In fact, I have mentioned before that in order to speed up the development of Cambodia’s commerce sector we have to focus on diversification of markets especially markets for farmers’ yields. Because Cambodia has high potential in agricultural production and needs to continue promoting and attracting investors to invest in Cambodia, especially in agriculture sector and factories using agricultural yields as inputs so that we can increase our competitive advantage in business sector with high potential. Parallel to this, we have to find a measure to obtain Generalized System of Preference (GPS) for Cambodia, continue integrating and deepening Cambodia’s economy extensively into the region and the world in order to maximize the use of Cambodia’s membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO). It is very true that all these tasks requires us together to continue taking further care of because all these factors provide not only ability to Cambodia to compete on international markets but also incentives for innovative productions serving exports market, which is our priority.

In this spirit, in addition to what we have been implementing, and supporting what H.E. Deputy Prime Minister Keat Chhon, Minister of Economy and Finance has brought up and encouraged the workshop to thoroughly discuss in the opening of the workshop on February 7th 2011, with the aim to continue encouraging the development of national and international commerce sector, I would like to take this opportunity to provide some recommendations as followed:

Continue promoting the use of system of preferential commerce. The maximum use of imports tariff preferential markets is a key factor for continuing the promotion of Cambodia’s commerce and economic growth. Indeed, Cambodia has already received imports tariff preferential from developed and developing countries for many hundreds of Cambodia’s farmers’ yields such as the United States of America, the EU, Canada, Japan, Australia, China, Korea etc. together with imports tariff preferential market that we have obtained from cooperation in ASEAN region and ASEAN partners as well. Through this Ministry of Commerce has to work hard continuing promotion and encouraging exports of all goods with high effectiveness and efficiency. For that we have to ensure and promote extensive opening of current Cambodia’s market especially American and European markets because in the long term future the United States of America’s and Europe’s markets will remain as big markets for the world economy. In addition, Cambodia also needs some more time to prepare herself to enter the structure and market chains in the region, which is a new opportunity.
Encourage and promote the exports of Cambodia’s rice to international markets. We all know that agriculture sector is the third most important sector for Cambodia’s economy, after services and industry sector. At the same time, agriculture is a sector that absorbs the most labors in our country. Hence, the promotion of paddy rice production and rice exports is one important obligation that Ministry of Commerce has to pay attention to the implementation of policy measures on promotion of paddy rice production and rice exports, which was officially adopted on 17th August 2010. For that we have to continue finding solutions for relevant issues such as cutting the informal costs to the minimum and promoting investment in innovating rice to increase its quality to satisfy the quality standard importing countries want. I think that all these tasks will be enhanced because in a parallel manner we also introduced the implementation of another policy measure “Credits Guarantee Fund”, which is a new mechanism to promote production sector and the exports of Cambodia’s rice.
Continue maintaining price stability of goods and food security. Nowadays, natural disasters in a number of countries in the world have destroyed a lot of farmers’ yields, and the price of fuel has gone up. In this sense, maintaining the price stability of daily use goods especially food is very crucial for the stability and the development of society. Through this, Ministry of Commerce has to follow up with prices of important good on the markets and has to impose appropriate measures in order to maintain food security especially paddy rice and rice security with high effectiveness.
Ministry of Commerce has to continue writing laws and regulations that are not complete, in order to make free-market economic mechanisms in the country even better and to response to the new trends of commerce atmosphere in the region and the world by providing confidence to investors and businessmen doing businesses in Cambodia. Furthermore, Ministry of Commerce, president of National Committee of Copyrights Management, has to continue the cooperation with relevant ministries and institutions in implementing copyrights laws more effectively in order to stop violations of copyrights, stop trafficking of unsafe foods and quality, goods with inappropriate standards and bootlegged goods on markets.
Continue completing the tasks of integrating and deepening of Cambodia into the region and the world. The Royal Government of Cambodia is committed to promoting the integration of Cambodia into the region and the world through active participation in implementing the tasks that have been agreed upon in contracts. From those tasks we have to continue drawing benefits for Cambodia especially the opening of access for Cambodia’s products to markets in the region and the world. At the same time, we have to continue working hard with our utmost efforts to use the technical assistance provided by the development partners and try to find more new technical assistance in order to improve the capacity of our human resources in public institutions as well as private sector for the production and supply of our goods.

Indeed, although Cambodia has already integrated into the ASEAN community and the WTO, we need to take speedy action to get maximum benefits from these works. In parallel, we need to find way to tape potential from these cooperation in framework of Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS), Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS) and other sub-regional triangle development area as well as East Asia Community and Asia-Pacific free trade area, ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA), ASEAN-China free trade agreement, East ASEAN Free Trade Area(EAFTA), and Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia (CEPEA) in long term, because all these works will provide extensive opportunities for investment and foreign trade regime of Cambodia. All cooperation not only promotes trade and economic growth, but also creates a current towards establishing a new kind of Cambodian trade architecture, especially diversifying markets for Cambodian production in order to catch up with pace of world and regional economic evaluation and seize new opportunities from the emergence of Asian economy.

In fact, all cooperation has been providing other new opportunities for investment and international trade reform through liberalizing trade and eliminating barriers to investment. Furthermore, these tasks have pushed for implementation of reform programs, modernizing structure and management system of national economy as well as strengthening competitiveness in conformity to both regional and international standards. In this view, Cambodia not only overcomes obstacles hindering economic growth through implementation of reform programs, but also ensures conditions for growth sustainability, and for appropriate sharing cost and equitable sharing benefits from development.

Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen!

The Royal Government is committed and pays great attention to trade liberalization, free movement of goods nation-wide, bolstering foreign trade ties and integrating trade with the region and the world in order to bring benefits for the people and our nation. I strongly believe that the conference will consider these recommendations within the spirit of implementing their roles and obligation based on the objectives set for 2011 by putting into account the national interest.

Moreover, the Royal Government will put further efforts to develop various sectors, which are to directly support the trade sector as the Royal Government has, so far, implemented, which includes ensuring the banking and financial stability, improving the protection and prevention of social safety net, re-education, increasing the public spending on physical infrastructures and upgrading productivity in order to boost agriculture, including the creation of “Agriculture Support and Development Fund”. In fact, these affairs have led Cambodian economy to mitigate from the hardship of the global economic crisis as we can firmly maintain the financial stability as well as the macro-economic and social stability, especially ensuring the balance of the living standard of the people throughout the country.

In this regard, although we have tremendous potential in front of us, I would like all colleagues to take the concepts raised in this conference for implementation with high effectiveness and efficiency in order to achieve fruitful results for socio-economic development as a whole. Once again, I would like to appeal to Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen and all participants to actively participate in the implementation according to the plan, that has been put forward, as well as sharing information, knowledge and experience gained from this conference for the sake of improving the implementation to achieve new achievements based on our trade development strategy. In this connection, I strongly believe that Cambodia will move ahead with optimism, progress and prosperity on the more comprehensive and favorable foundation together with maintaining peace, political stability, social harmonization and sustainable development.

Before ending, I would like to take this opportunity to, once again, thank Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, officials of the Ministry of Commerce and related Ministries/Institutions, private sector and development partners, who have supported and promoted trade sector in Cambodia, to become more successful with pride. These contributions truly contributed to the poverty reduction of the people and the development according to the policy of the Royal Government.

At the end, together with the closing of the 2010 Stocktaking and 2011 Direction Setting Conference today, I would like to wish Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen the four gems of Buddhism blessings: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.