Selected Comments Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the Get-together of Workers/Employees in the District of Korng Pisey, Kompong Speu Province [Unofficial Translation]

CNV:

I am so glad to be able to come meet our workers/employees once again after we ended the fifth legislative and start the sixth legislative Royal Government in about two weeks now. You may have known already that the fifth legislative term Royal Government came to its end on 6 September 2018, when the sixth legislative term Royal Government starts. I could not set aside my time to come meet you right away as we have the Royal Government to form on 6 September and the first Cabinet meeting on 7 September […]

More Trips Abroad

I wish to inform you that on 27 September 2018, I will travel to New York for the UN General Assembly. This year, Cambodia is taking for the first time its elected role as Vice President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA). As a matter of fact I should have left Cambodia earlier to attend the Earth Summit where the French President E Macron will attend. However, I will not be able to make it because I will deliver a speech between 12am and 13pm (New York time) on 28 September, plus two more meetings with Prime Ministers of two other countries. I also have a schedule to meet the Secretary General of the United Nations at 5pm.

On 29 September 2018, I have schedule to meet with Cambodian living in the US. As you can see people in many Facebook groups have already told that they will come to welcome Prime Minister Hun Sen. Up to this moment, we can be sure already that there will be more than a thousand of them. If there are that many, I could arrange more than one meetings with them since our people have reserved their respect and affection for and are taking their times to welcome the country’s leader […] upon returning from New York, this year I may have time only for one day of Ben – the traditional Buddhist 15-day ritual, which is on the ninth of September.

I will leave for Japan on 6 September, which is itself the Phjum Ben day (the last or biggest Ben ceremony). On 10 September, I will leave Japan for Indonesia for a meeting before returning to Cambodia. On 17 October, I will leave for Brussels for the Asia-Europe and ASEAN-Europe meetings. I also have a visit to conduct in Turkey before extending trip to Geneva for the Summit of Trade.

Cambodia Is a Sovereign State

That I have listed my schedules here for you is because I wanted to enlighten some that Cambodia is a sovereign state and is occupying the Cambodian seat in every international forum in the world. They may not confuse themselves. Upon making this statement, I wish to affirm that the next communal elections in Cambodia will take place as schedule in 2022 and the general elections will happen in 2023. They may not expect (a reelections). A dead man can never be brought to life […] some have gone around for days now to wish about Cambodia being stripped of its seat (at the United Nations). Who would do that? […]  I wonder why some have believed them? They should know that after they believe in lies for the third time, the ones that listen to lies are the unwise ones […]

Court’s Discretion for Safety of the Accused

As we have taken some actions to ensure safety for the accused, some have quickly linked it to international pressure […] it is the court decision to decide to place the person (Kem Sokha) in a boundary. Samdech Sar Kheng already said it the other day and I just wanted to add that that was just a change of custody. If we were to leave him in custody and he were to die there, the Royal Government would have more problems. It was in humanitarian and for the safety of the accused […] Cambodia does not have a law to put someone under house arrest yet. The court has decided to define a selected area for the accused to stay and in this case they have chosen that the accused was to stay in his house. We may need to come up with such a law in the future […] it is in the court’s discretion to move the accused to any custody where they deem necessary […]

Minimum Salary for 2019

In days to come, you will know how much salary for 2019 you will get. I also do not know yet. I am waiting for result of the meeting of the triangle mechanism. I also will have to think about helping to readjust the sum but I do not know it yet. No matter what, we will not stay at 170 USD. Last year, your minimum salary was 153 USD and this year we are exercising 170 USD. Next year, we will have more but let them talk it out […]

Taking Part in Democratic Process for Peace and Development

I am taking this chance to express my sincere thanks to workers/employees who are present here for one reason to take part in a democratic process to go to vote. Participation of up to more than 83% represents highly wills of the people. Some have fooled their thoughts that they would go on keeping their previous number of those voted (for them in the past) plus more who would not turn out on the voting day. It was to their dismay indeed that more than 83% of the Cambodian registered voters have exercised their rights. For the second reason, you have exercised rights and voted for peace and development. It is a correct choice to guarantees that after the elections there would be no more concerns. You have vote for the Cambodian People’s Party to continue leading the country.

Post 2013-Elections, Color Revolution; Post 2018-Elections, More Works to Do

Were there this kind of stability and security after the elections in 2013? Though the Cambodian People’s Party won the elections, there were actions of law breaking and interferences to overthrow (the legal Royal Government) through a color revolution. You may have remembered their analysis and conclusion that “there would be no better chance than 2013 to inflict change.” What would that mean? Who would be responsible for people who died? Now, we have discovered the ones responsible and we are bringing them to justice. As for this year, it is indeed a better chance for the people. We have more works to do. We have had flood in the country and many crops, including infrastructure, have been destroyed […] we have damaged national roads, gravel roads, and hydraulic works in waiting for restoration. That would include also restoration of water wells along the Mekong and flooded area […]

AMRO – Cambodia’s Economy Grows at 7.2%, Inflation at 3.1%

The ASEAN Plus 3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) – a mechanism with forecasting capability not less than the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) has predicted at the time we created the new Royal Government that Cambodia’s economy is to grow at 7.2% in 2018, higher than earlier forecast. Last year we had a growth of 7% and inflation under 3.5%. AMRO forecasts that we will achieve a growth of 7.2% and inflation will be 3.1%. That would be a good environment for our economy […]

At End of Sixth Term, Personal Income to Reach 2,000 USD

From one term to another, the Royal Government have been working to drive our economy to realize higher growth. I expect that by end of the sixth legislative term, we will be able to ensure that personal income of our people reaches 2,000 USD. The present income is at 1,560 USD per person. Taking a stable growth of 7% per annum into consideration, we would be able to predict people’s personal income to over 2,000 USD per person […] Cambodian has now become a lower middle income country and is striving to become a higher middle income country by 2030. That will be our middle-term goal. We have a longer-term goal to bring Cambodia to a high-income status by 2050 […]

Voting CPP Is Voting for Own Selves, Parents, Grand Parents

HE Ith Sam Heng already said what I wanted to say. However, I wish to propose to workers/employees, together with owners of the manufacturing investments, to take further responsibility to make sure that our country will continue to have peace and development. We have already exercised our rights in the elections and you have chosen a political party that guarantees they will safeguard peace from the very beginning. Voting for the Cambodian People’s Party is indeed voting for own selves, parents, and grandparents, who have journeyed together with the Cambodian People’s Party through many circumstances and to this far. One may never forget that it was your parents and your grandparents who joined with the Cambodian People’s Party to set ourselves free from the regime of Pol Pot.

It is on this note that voting to keep peace and development is voting for own selves, parents, and grandparents. I am so lucky to have received successive supports from grandparents to parents and to children for my role as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia. This has reflected successive supports from one generation to another. We must strive to keep our country away from destructive war and division […] you may already hear what voice coming from what group/s that is calling for war? We must not let them destroy our people’s peaceful life […]

Kowtow Once, Kowtow a Hundred Times On

… (It was like) months ago, in the US, a democratic member of congress was cuffed by police because they blocked the street in protest against President Donald Trump. The police handcuffed him for illegal actions of blocking street. Well, in the US, handcuffing member of congress in this case is lawful. In Cambodia, handcuffing members of the National Assembly with in flagrante delicto unlawful actions, they say it is wrong. While attending the World Economic Forum, I read the news that the US threatens to arrest and sanction judges (and other officials) of the International Criminal Court (if it moves to charge any American who served in the Afghanistan with war crimes). That the United States threatens such thing on others is not wrong? While we are carrying out laws in our country they say we are having a “remote controlling” court? […]

It does not seem to have justice in this world. The strong will win. The weak will lose […] no matter what we are to keep national independence and sovereignty and no one could have order us around. If we were to kowtow once, we might have to kowtow a hundred times on. I will not bow and we must talk and work together. If we could not come to an agreement, we would shelf it for next time or when we can talk with each other. You come to me with your arguments and I also present to you my arguments. That would be rational. That is what sovereign states would do. There is no such thing as pressure from so and so […]

To Tell UN More Peace Keeping Troops Ready

I am going to go to the United Nations to bring some issues to attention of the world. I do not have the need to go to the UN to tell what and how Cambodia is. I will inform the General Secretary of the United Nations that I have my troops prepared and ready to go to other target countries […] we have our troops in South Sudan, Lebanon, Mali, and Central African Republic. We will choose some more countries to send our peace keeping troops to. We will leave our door wide open for other countries to come learn from us about issues involving de-mining. We have this ASEAN Mines Centre in Cambodia, where they can come learn from it […] I will talk about issues of the world. In the last term, I went to the United Nations to deliver my speech in 2015. For this term, I choose to do it at the beginning of the term […]

I think I will end my speech here […] this afternoon I will have a guest and tomorrow I will receive a parliamentarian from Germany. Hearing that, some will start talking about pressure again […] frankly speaking, if what (the guest speaks) will not be in tune, the conversation will be short. I will just give my explanation, after which I will say thank you and wish for a good visit. That will be it […] that is what we call act of a sovereign state. We do not bow but we are polite. That is a normal thing to do […]./.

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