Selected Comments Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the Graduation and Diploma Presenting Ceremony of the Western University​ [Unofficial Translation]

More Technicians Needed for Investments

As far as training is concerned, we have to relate it with provision of jobs. We have seen that previously our country had yet to develop, there were no investors, and there were not many students taking up classes in the Preah Kosomak Vocational Training School. Some of them did not take up classes because after graduation, they were not able to find jobs. At present, we have investments from local and abroad, and while the Royal Government is working hard to provide with infrastructures, there is growing demands for human resource for development. Foreign investors would not want to bring in their technicians to Cambodia because their costs are high, compared to those locally. As investments grow from day to day, we see clearly that we need to provide more technicians into those development projects.

It is in this respect that we need to expedite training of human resource in order to replace those foreign experts with the local ones. Take for instance in garment, in the 1990s and early 2000s, I noticed in my visits to factories there were many foreign technicians. It seems that these days, we have less number of foreign technicians and more of our Khmer technicians. In some construction sites, we do not have the right expertise to replace those from foreign countries. That is why lately, some of our people seemed to have expressed concerns about presence of some foreign nationals working in Cambodia. They were here to respond to expertise demand, whereas the best choice was to train our human resource to cater to every demand there may be for our country’s developments.

Nearly 30 Jobs Created in Just Two Months

Are we to sit and wait until we have our own experts to start allowing investors to commence their projects? We should not do that. We need them to come in quick and we should allow them to bring in expertise from whom our students and technicians can have their on-the-job training. Once we strengthen our capacity and are able to cater to those demands, we would be able to replace those foreign experts with our own. In December last year and January this year, because of surge on foreign investments, we have been able to create some 30 jobs. As you can see this has required more training of human resource. No country in this word would be able to develop without human resource […] I am so happy to see that about 90% of graduates so far have been able to find jobs and some have even practiced their own trades. Self-employed business not only provides themselves with jobs but, once they grow, they also will provide jobs to friends and others. They not only learn to find jobs or to get employment but also to operate own businesses and to create more jobs for others […]

Studying Objective and Subjective Causes for Female School Dropout

… Yesterday I led a meeting of the National Council for Women to review progress made so far and to figure out remaining challenges for women. We have noticed that there are comparable number of female students at primary and secondary schools to those of male ones […] Starting from bachelor degree level, we tend to notice the difference in which there are less number of female students […]

This is where the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports will have to discuss it with parents and even directly with female students. We must find out the causes why in tertiary education, number of female students reduces in comparison to those of male students.  What could be the objective and/or subjective factors? Yesterday I have pinpointed this issue to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs as well as the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports, and expected them to work out the issues related so that we will be able to set out policy and action for female students continuing their tertiary study.

It is true that traditionally, at their marriageable age, women will have to get married. Some even in their marriage continued their studies, but most will abandoned schools completely. We also notice that some female students made their ways whether with or without husbands and/or children through to higher education than when they got married. We must see that out of these traditional barriers, there are also issues that need attention and provision from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and/or investments from the Royal Government, for instance hostels for female students in schools that are far away from home […]

Investments on Wellbeing and Intellectual Resource

… Reform in the field of education continues and we must drive building technical and material bases for education, while distributing and providing encouragement for teachers. We are providing high salary for teachers and physicians. This means that we are paying attention on human investment, which is relating to wellbeing and intellectual resource of our children and youth in remote area. We are using fund to build schools, roads, etc. for the sake of training human resource. We are building hospital for people’s healthcare and wellbeing. These are the ways to make an equitable funding […] Roads connect between urban and rural areas, where before were separated for absence of infrastructures. The Royal Government’s use the capital to build infrastructure to respond to those demand is very equitable […]

Economic Growth in 2017 Has Positive Impacts on 2018

In the last twenty years, we have maintained economic growth at 7.7% in context of regional and the world difficulties. In 1997, there was this Asian financial crisis, and later in between 2008-9, there was this world economic downturn and financial crisis. However, the Cambodian economy scored an average of 7.7% growth in the twenty consecutive years. At present, after crisis, we still maintain our economy at around 7% annually. After end of 2017, the growth of 2017 has been providing positive impact on 2018 economic performance. We have not yet include the figures from agriculture in 2017, but we are sure that by April, when the agriculture closes its book, we will have a surplus of nom less than 5.5 million metric tons of rice. At the same time, we also notice better prices for agricultural produce such as cassava, etc. This should be helpful for our farmers in getting access to markets for their produces. We also have positive rise in industry and service sectors, whereas agriculture has lowered its share in the Cambodian economy to only 25%. Industry has taken a share of 30% and service sector 45% […]

We must make further efforts to bring prices of our agricultural produces more competitive to those in other countries. We would aim to hit a price even lower. In rice auction to the Philippines, we never got a deal because of the prices provided by Vietnam and Thailand were lower than our bidding figures. Indonesia has an agreement to import some one hundred thousand tons of rice from Cambodia but it was inapplicable since our rice price is higher than those bid by other countries.

However, there is on special point about our rice. Leaders of some countries told me they consumed rice from Cambodia. They bought it from Cambodia. Producing high quality rice would also bring us to earning a high price. We must find ways to help alleviate costs of production on rice for our farmers such as providing them with fertilizer, etc.

Prime Minister for Ten More Years

… Since 8 January (1979) to 13 February 2018, I have been the only person who has been in the government for 39 years […] I have declared that will seek another ten years in office. Some challenged me to stop at 65 years old. How could a man in jail challenge a Prime Minister in office to end his elected tenure […] every time s/he issues a policy, his/her policy was always to eliminate his/her opposites. S/he said – “where there is (Hun) Sen, there would not be (Sam Rain) Sy.” I think it has taken the turn he wished it to be now. I had given him chances and he never transformed himself […] I would not give you any more chances. There will not be a third pardon […]

Welcome Step Forwards of the Two Koreas

… In recent days, there has been an encouragement that leaders of North Korea and South Korea – two brotherly countries, sought ways to resume dialogue. I think every country in the world – powerful or non-powerful nations should encourage the two Koreas to further their cooperation. I am so festered by some country’s behaviors when they see the two Koreas are in good term […] North Korea’s Kim Jung-un sends a high-ranking delegation led by Kim Yong-Nam, the second top man in North Korea along with his sister to deliver his letter to the President of South Korea. That was a positive gesture to seek reconciliation and to defuse tension in the Korean peninsula. I hope that it is a good way and we should encourage it. Other country should not obstruct it.

On behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia, I offer my congratulation and hope for the s speedy improvement of relations, which is better than tension. This is official position of the Royal Government of Cambodia on the most recent development in the Korean peninsula. I hope other countries also continue to encourage the two Koreas and to take up process for defusing tension […]

Modified Trucks

It took me to a surprise to see that there are thousands of trucks (modified to a non-technical standard for transportation) after I issue order to stop them from driving in the roads and reconfigure them to technical standard […] I am thinking now whether our officials are taking my order or implementing their duties according to the law? The law prohibits trucks from modifying to non-technical standard. Why did they not do their job? Why did they wait for my order? This is one very dangerous point for a management system. It seemed that they do not implement the law but heed the order […] Sub-national authority and other law implementing institutions have their duty defined by laws to implement laws in force, and not to wait for order from the Prime Minister. According to reports I got from the provincial authority, out of 500 trucks, 200 of them are modified ones […] Stop them. Reconfigure them according to standard. I will not back away from my decision to see this done […]

Let us do everything we can to minimize traffic accidents and fire at this Chinese New Year eve […] I am taking this opportune moment to send to every nieces about tomorrow Valentine’s Day. It is a foreign event. Though we cannot prevent this from happening in our society, I would just warn you to keep yourself safe […] Rose is a preferred flower in Cambodia and people sold them well. I wish the Valentine’s Day a day of love for parents, children, grandparents, nation, culture, etc. I am sure you understand what I meant […]./.

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