Prime Minister with the Most Selfies
[…] I am so happy that the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, the Municipality of Phnom Penh and related institutions are putting together this meeting here today […] I wish to express my sincere appreciation and joy to have received such a warm welcome and hospitality from our workers. In just a hundred meters, we seem to have taken one hour to pass through because of the many selfies we made together. It has become now a moment of free selfie, free embraces, and free kisses. I could have been the record breaker in the world of leaders with the most selfies with people […]
Your gestures of sincere appreciation and hospitality in every meeting we have had so far have shown me your pure hearts and affections. These are not affections expressed between leaders and workers, but more likely that of theirs with their parents and grandparents. That has brought me even closer to your feeling and I am feeling as if we knew each other very well for a long time. Your grandparents, parents have all been sharing a long journey of our country. We met at the time when the country was in annihilation, and we were together and to unite. We came from a time when we did not have anything to eat to now when we have a rather better livelihood.
Kingdom of Cambodia Is Free of Political Crisis
We still need to acquire more but comparing to the past we have put that long behind us. These happened not because I have made efforts alone, or with the Cambodian People’s Party alone. We have achieved this thanks to participations made and contributed by your grandparents, parents and at this moment, you yourselves. Hospitality and my trips over the past time since August up to the present, and our meeting here today has indicated that the Kingdom of Cambodia is free from all political crisis. Only some politicians have themselves sunk in crisis. In Cambodia, there is no such thing as political prisoners. There are only politicians who have incriminated. Cambodia is no hostage to anyone person. Though some have had to go to jail for their treacherous acts, Cambodia continues to advance and our workers are here continuing their jobs.
We had just celebrated with pleasure traditional and Buddhist ceremonies such as Pchumben, Katina and lately the water festival. I wish to take this opportune moment to inform our people in the whole country that on December 2 and 3, the Royal Government will organize a ceremony to pray for peaceful life for the Kingdom of Cambodia at Angkor Wat. We will have this Buddhist session of offering alms to somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 monks. I am inviting our people to go to Siem Reap on December 2 and 3. We will have live broadcast on this event from there too. What would that indicate? It would indicate that Cambodia is not in turmoil or war. It is a country in peace, independence, political stability. Everything is functional in a normal atmosphere.
To Attend a Dialogue Meeting of Political Parties
This week we have worked according to plan […] some of you here might have been meeting me once in Koh Pich. Today we are meeting in a larger scale. I welcome the 345 nieces who are in their pregnancies. I will meet them later to hand out my appreciation for their presences and perhaps make some photos together […]
I must apologize that in the later week – one whole week it will be – because of personal obligations and trips to the People’s Republic of China for a dialogue meeting of political parties, returning from where I will land in Siem Reap for the Buddhist event on 2 December, there will be no meeting. On Sunday, or 15th of lunar moon, we will commence such festive event in Siem Reap’s Angkor Wat […]
We have now come to a new phase of development, in which we are implementing industrial development policy for 2015-2025, and part of it is the fact that I have tried to meet you workers and employees so far. I wish to reaffirm that in my premiership, which I am seeking for the next ten years, I will continue such meetings throughout with our workers and employees.
Two Major Tasks for Economic Development and Win-Win Avenue
Looking back at our efforts made so far, we have resolved so many works already. Firstly, we put an end to the genocidal regime of Pol Pot and prevented it from ever returning. We had dissolved political and military organizations of Pol Pot. Secondly, we have sought to establish peace and to end the war through the win-win policy, which allowed us to commence national development in every field. I would take this chance to affirm to Samdech Pichey Sena Tia Banh that the Municipality of Phnom Penh has requested that we name the road and bridge connecting national road 5 to national road 4 that we purchase them back from Oknha Lyong Phat as the Win-Win Avenue. We only give this name to the avenue and we will keep the bridge name as it is […]
Women Empowered Economically
… There is one special point that I think the Ministry of Women’s Affairs who is overseeing gender issue will look into indicators that monitor role of women as this meeting of the Women’s Council, for which HM the Queen Mother is the honorary President and I am its honorary Vice President. We should look into strengthening roles of women in field of economy. As you can see, the majority of workers in factories are female. This has clearly indicated that women are economically empowered. Men must get themselves ready. They cannot depend on their wives and do not help women with household works. […]
Independence, Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity Bring Cambodia’s Development
We have reached this point because our country has ensured peace, sovereignty, territorial integrity. We have independence in politics. However, we find it impossible to imagine of some people to bow and act unconstitutionally for foreign domination. I said it was lucky that we uncovered such treacherous acts. Should we miss it, at this very moment our country could have been in destruction. They have figured it out to take me out on 29 December 2013. Should I have known about that then, something else could have happened. War would have been a reality […]
… (Some countries) should not try to come to Asia […] why would they appeal to the armed forces to turn their weapons against (the legal) Royal Government? Why would they give an ultimatum to bring down (the legal) Royal Government? Is that not a treacherous act? Even in the US, three people have been arrested from charges of conspiring with Russia on elections. As of this day, President Donald Trump is not yet a fully recognized President in eyes of some people […] when we arrest persons colluded with foreign powers to topple (the legal) Royal Government, was it not our right?
…In the case of Cambodia, a VDO clip has shown and the person has made it clear that they were imitating (what was happening in Cambodia then) after what happened in Serbia and Yugoslavia. “I did not do it on my own,” the person affirmed. He went on to brag about so and son sending so and so professors to help them. As leaders of Cambodia, everyone must take an oath that the former King Father wrote it himself that in one of its important point we must not allow foreigners to order us in domestic and foreign policies. Why when Cambodia adheres to this and they said it is not right? However, not everyone said so. I have the news from Nay Pyi Taw where the Asia-Europe meeting took place that many countries took different position on the matter. Many who give weight to their independence and sovereignty have given us justice and supported legal actions that we have taken to ensure peace, stability, and development.
FUNCINPEC, Other Parties, and NGO to Fill NEC Positions
…We will continue our elections as scheduled. We will need to fill in three positions in National Elections Committee (NEC). Should there be a possibility to choose candidates to fill in the left positions, I think that the ruling party should not get involved in this. Funcinpec should get one and should hold the post of Vice President. The Cambodian Nationality Party, which will have two seats, should be entitled to one too. The remaining one of the three left positions (that the CNRP candidates resigned) should go to someone in NGOs. That is just my suggestion because I also have right to vote in the National Assembly […] the Senate elections will take place on 25 February and the national elections will take place on 29 July. There is no requirement as to whether there will or will not be foreign observers.
It is not the case that only in presence of observers should the elections be legitimate. No Constitution in any country in this world requires that there is a need for a signature from so and so President of so and so country, or even the UN Secretary General, to make the elections legal. I doubt if it is not a case of losing both fish and hare. (The court ordered) dissolution of a party and only 118 of their senior officials banned from political activities (for five year). What happened to the rest thousands of them? Why they do not set up a new party and contest in the elections? Should they later demand to get back into NEC, I insisted that HE Sik Bunhok should not allow.
Hun Sen Bows Only to the People of Cambodia
I wish to reaffirm that determined factors for a country does not lie in foreign power. As a country, we need to have equal right and footing cooperation. We need to be friend with every country in the world but not for them to boss us. The real boss of the Royal Government of Cambodia or the Cambodian People’s Party is the people. I myself as well as the Cambodian People’s Party would not bow our heads for foreign domination […] that is why I am saying though you do not give us money to organize elections, our elections will also happen. As the situation evolves, NEC has recorded some nine millions voters. As long as these voters go to vote, things will be fine. Should there be protests, the NEC would resolve. Matters NEC cannot attend to will go to Constitutional Council, whose decision will block all protests. NEC will then declare officially the elections results and candidates elected […]
What remained to be done is for HM the King to convene the first session of the National Assembly and signed a royal decree to appoint Prime Minister and the Cabinet for which the National Assembly will have to approve. That is it. There is no need for so and/or so to recognize it. The people of Cambodia have already fulfilled their tasks because they are not running away from factories […]
We must continue and make further efforts to keep peace and political stability. They are important. Our people should remember that democracy and human rights would have their place only in a country of peace. They have no place in a country of war. You are lucky that your births were not at the time of bombings but you may ask your parents and/or grandparents about that.
Five Things Underway for Cambodian Emigrant Workers
For workers abroad, I wish to send this message for a second time. The Royal Government is doing five things for you working and living abroad. Firstly, the Royal Government will implement the ASEAN declaration on defense and empowerment of rights of emigrant workers to help workers in foreign countries guarantee their legal benefits and interests […] we are putting together a centre to provide travel documents and worker’s pass in Phnom Penh, and a number of countries like Battambang, Banteay Meanjei, etc. […]
Secondly, we are working with partner countries to ensure mutual recognition of skills. For instance, between Cambodia and Thailand we have ensured mutual recognition for those specialized in construction such as bricklaying and electricity […]
Thirdly, we are cooperating with countries in ASEAN to ensure cooperation on social security regime. In Thailand, our workers will receive insurances from work related accidents and health as well. In the Republic of Korea, Cambodian workers will receive insurances for work related accidents, health, life and air ticket to return home […]
Fourthly, we are working in ASEAN to implement social security regime for workers to transfer their memberships, seniorities, and fee of social security savings from one country to another after they terminated their working contract. It will be used to calculate their retirement payments. Cambodian workers abroad will receive their rations as those working in the country too starting from 2019 […]
Fifthly, we are readjusting formality for workers to work abroad so that they can transfer their rights to their next of kin in the country to provide related papers of identifications so that they would not have to return home to do that. Particularly, for those working in Thailand, they can use their legally approved photocopied papers for formality processing […]
Let Us Keep What We Have in Hands
… We must continue to make efforts altogether. We must ensure that our country is continuing to exist in peace to guarantee that your will keep everything in your hands. What we have in Cambodia is the constitutional monarchy, and liberal pluralism. No one could infringe upon the revered monarch […] There is a clause that forbids amendment to the second point in the Constitution. Firstly, no one can touch on the constitutional monarchy and secondly, do not touch the regime of democracy and liberal pluralism. Our country continues to have multi parties. In time to come, besides keeping peace, we must fulfill our role as citizen in this country of democracy and liberal pluralism to go to vote […] about nine millions of you have registered to vote. You are free to choose. You have freedom of expression, political actions, and press […]./.
