NR 2 & 22 Important for Development in Southern Part of Cambodia
I am so happy to be able to join with all of you to launch the reconstruction of the national roads (NR) 2 and 22 that links (the capital of Phnom Penh to) Kandal and to Takeo. The NR 22 runs from NR 2 to NR 3 before connecting to the National Road 33 that runs through to the border with Vietnam in Kompot province […]
In my recent working visit to South Korea, I met with President Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister (Lee Nak-yon) to discuss bilateral relations as well as international affairs that has interests of both sides. I remind President Moon Jae-in that upon my return, I will join with the Korean Ambassador to launch the ceremony to rebuild NR 2 and NR 22 in our effort to improve connectivity to the southern corridor of the country, […] which in 30 months ahead, the reconstruction will be ready […]
RoK’s Financing to Cambodia’s Developments
Let me take this moment to express through HE Ambassador our thanks to the government and people of Korea who always provide supports for Cambodia’s developments. The assistances has so far allowed us, on top of the NR 2 & 22, to put into operation NR 21 that connects from the province of Kandal to Jrey Thom at the border with Vietnam. NR 48 – running from NR 4 through to the province of Koh Kong – will also be improved using financing from Republic of Korea […] the two roads – NR 2 and 22, in total more than 72 km – in which NR 2 is 62.56 km and NR 22 is 9.61 km, costs 56,100,000 USD.
The Royal Government provided a sum of 19,160,000 USD as counterpart fund to resolve impacts from the project. Republic of Korea financed the rest amount […] I always remind concerned officials that we have to have our money ready for infrastructural projects – either grant or financing in forms of low interest loans for instance. Our counterpart fund would be for de-mining and/or removing UXOs, and for compensations. In Cambodia, every construction projects cost higher than anywhere else because we have to add in costs of demining and/or removing UXOs […] left from war […]
Asking RoK President to Consider Building a Cambodia-RoK Bridge
[…] This time I have brought it to President Moon Jae-in’s attention. I said “in Cambodia we have friendship bridges with Japan and China but we have not had one yet with Korea.” I have asked President Moon Jae-in to consider helping build a bridge somewhere in Cambodia. According to our plan, we are in need of a bridge to connect Jroy Jangva on the western side of Phnom Penh to Svay Jrom of Kandal province. As KOIKA President will conduct a visit to the Kingdom in late February, we may bring him to see the location […] we also have the need to carry out a study on project to build a road and a bridge across the Mekong at Kdey Takoy on NR 1 […]
According to the study conducted on this project, the cost of building this bridge will be roughly between 40 and 50 million USD […] RoK has earmarked for Cambodia a financial loan of 700 million USD for three years – 2019 through to 2023. (We could take) a chunk of 40 or 50 million USD to build it […] as it is our priority, we are asking to use the loan for the project […]
In March, to Inaugurate NR 58 & 55, to Launch NR 10 Construction
As we are launching the NR 2 and 22 reconstruction, in March, we will put into official operations the People’s Republic of China-financing NR 58 that connects Poi Pet town (of Banteay Meanjei) along the Cambodian-Thai border through to Uddar Meanjei province. We will also inaugurate the NR 55 that connects the town of Pursat across the district of Veal Veng through Thmor Da to the Cambodian-Thai border in March. At that very moment, we will also launch the construction of the NR 10 that runs from Samlaut of Battambang province to Thmor Da of Pursat and on to Koh Kong province, […] that will save our people more than 100 km traveling from Battambang, Banteay Meanjei, Pailin and Pursat provinces to Koh Kong and on to the Preah Sihanouk province. As a conception, we continue to prioritize construction, enlargement and maintenance of our roads […]
Infected Person/s to Receive Treatments by Country S/he Was in
Please allow me to take this opportune moment to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to the Ministry of Health and concerned authorities for effective measures taken to prevent our people from infection of novel coronavirus. I noticed that no one is wearing mask here […] I had to go on TV to tell our people about wearing masks the other day as I noticed there is this much of fear than of new coronavirus. In Cambodia, this case of the novel coronavirus infected Chinese from Wuhan (in the city of Preah Sihanouk) has closed. He was discharged from hospital yesterday. According to schedule, he was to leave Cambodia back to China today […]
This morning, the governor of Preah Sihanouk province made a report that there has been a cruise ship docking in Preah Sihanouk port and a Dutch, not a Chinese, found to have high temperature. We have contained him in a hospital and waited for result from the lab to determine if it was or was not an infection of novel coronavirus. If it was, the Dutch fellow must stay and receive treatment in Cambodia until he recovered. This has been a principle that ASEAN took in 2003 relating then to SARS outbreak […] whoever was found to be infected in anyone country, s/he would have to stay for treatments by the country s/he was in to fully recover before allowing to leave […]
No Discrimination on Chinese
We had requested the RoK side to organize the lunch meeting early so that the Cambodian delegation could leave and arrive in (the People’s Republic of) China in time. Initially, I wished to visit our students in Wuhan. However, the city was in quarantine and there were no flights in or out, not only to outside world but also within China itself. They also close land and rail connections. In Beijing, I met with Premier Li Keqiang and later with President Xi Jinping. I had dinner with state councilors and Minister of Foreign Affairs, as the Premier told me he was in the 14-day quarantine (and he would not be able to do so himself). He thanked me for shaking hands with him with no fear of getting infected […]
It was a short working visit but we have learnt of measures taken by China in response to the epidemic of novel coronavirus. However, the problem has now been fear and discrimination, and these would lead to choking economies […] not every 1,400 million Chinese is infected. Wuhan has been under quarantine. No one is to go out and China sends in medical experts and staffs in […] people may think what do they feel when that kind of situation happened to them, for instance Cambodia, if they went around and met with denial to countries, to restaurants, etc. […] Chinese also are human […] they would feel insulted […]. The world must seek to prevent such discrimination. The World Health Organization did not even call it virus from Wuhan or China. They called it novel coronavirus.
Support Mekong-Lancang Meeting Discuss Novel Coronavirus
I give my support to the forthcoming foreign-minister level Mekong-Lancang meeting leading to the ASEAN-China foreign-minister level meeting in Vientiane. I would give my support should the ministers of ASEAN and China propose for an emergency meeting of top leaders to respond, in a regional framework, to novel coronavirus epidemic. Some countries have taken measures that have brought about fear and discrimination. They should not be. As a member of ASEAN, I support the foreign minister level meeting of ASEAN and China, and other international forum – if there would be, to seek measures preventing spread of the virus […]
Raw Materials Supply Disruption Would Close Down Factories Temporarily
Novel coronavirus is no longer an issue faced by China alone. It has become a regional and universal one. We must work together to resolve this challenge. It is not the time to isolate or bring China down. China is surely capable of resolving this problem. Some countries have already come up with their calculations on losses from tourism because of fall of tourists from China […] in addition to that, China has been a source of raw materials supply to production chain in various countries. The impacts have come into effect now. Last night, on TV, I learnt that the Korean company producing vehicles in Wuhan suffered a big loss and had to close it down […] parts from Korea could not come in time and the production line stalled out […]
As for Cambodia, in the immediate future, should there be anyone factory that closed, it would not be because of the (stripping of whole or part of the) “Everything but Arms” (EBA) thing. We would suffer supply disruption of raw materials such as clothes from China, which is crucial to apparel factories in Cambodia. Without it, workers would have nothing to do. Workers would face with issues of not enough works out there. As for EBA, should they take the whole of it or only parts of it, it would be until August […] taking EBA away or not would be up to them. I just wanted to tell people that in the coming weeks, because of disruption of raw materials supply from China, not because Cambodia closed it but China could not sustain the chain of supply, some factories may close down temporarily. Let us not point finger to that as economic sanction from the European Commission […]
To Attend ASEAN-US Summit on 14 March 2020
We have now come to an era that we shake hands with everyone in the world, except the terrorists. Should the 14 March 2020 ASEAN-US Summit go according to plan in Las Vegas, let me share the news to the Cambodians living in America that I would be arriving in Las Vegas on 12 March. On 13 March, I would be going to play golf […]. On 14 March, I will attend the summit. On 15 March, I would have an audience with the Cambodians before leaving on 16 March. I would have a meeting with the US President Donald Trump as well […]
Two Challenges Ahead – Materials Supply Disruption, Falls of Chinese Tourists
Psychological war is there to come. As Prime Minister and standing before you, nieces and nephews, no matter what might come tomorrow (about EBA), 12 February, let us not be shocked as any decisions they would make would take effect six months later. The most urgent issue here is the novel coronavirus in China that disrupted or delayed supply of materials from China. Secondly, hotels may have faced falls of Chinese tourists as they may choose to cancel traveling […] as of this moment we are in need of two kinds of medicine. One is for fighting the novel coronavirus. Experts from WHO, China and the world have been working to find cure against it. The other one is to fight against fear and discrimination, which is more dangerous than the virus itself. I am happy to see that the Cambodians hold no discrimination against Chinese tourists and/or investors. I learnt that some hotels in Siem Reap even offered discount to welcome Chinese tourists […]
No Fear, No Discrimination, but Beware and Practice Hygiene/Sanitation
My message is for our people to have no fear but we all must be cautious and exercise hygiene and sanitation practices […] I also asked our people to refrain from holding discrimination […] let us wash hands as often as instructed. Let us start from each individual and/or family. Without hygiene and sanitation, there would be diseases of every sorts. Again, when there comes decisions of the European Commission, let us not be shocked. We must learn to breathe though with some aided oxygen would be nice. Should EBA be no longer here, I stressed again, we have no choice but try to breathe by ourselves. Should some factories halted productions in weeks ahead is because of disruption or delay of material supply from China […] I am calling on the Cambodian people to stand up defending peace, national independence and sovereignty for the sake of long-term development […]
Condolence to Families of Those Who Died; Thank China for Care to Cambodian Students
Let me send to President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, the government and people of China our condolence to those who died, over 1,000 of them, from the novel coronavirus infection and wish those who have infected, over 40,000 of them, to recover. As of now, over 3,000 patients have recovered […] we share hardships with people of China through our actions to hold no discrimination against and to refrain from unreasonable fear. I hope our students studying in China also hold no fear on this. Let me send my grateful message to the 23 students in Wuhan who asked me not to come to see them […] it was true. Should we be there in those times, it would be difficult for the host to take care of us and our students who are living in six different locations would have difficulties getting together too […]
We have decided to provide additional financial assistance of 500 USD per month and continue to do so if they have to live longer in the quarantined Wuhan. Some of the students have returned to Cambodia before the outbreak because it was a long Chinese holiday of lunar New Year […] China is capable and not only take care of their own population but also provide high care to foreign students, Cambodian students included […]. President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi are committed to keeping Chinese people’s interests above all else in this circumstance […]
Fake News Must Be Reprimanded by Law
The Ministry of Health has already shared information about the diseases. There has a Facebook account posting news that hundreds died (of coronavirus) but the Royal Government hid it. Whoever posted that fake news may think again, what would s/he receive in return from it? If s/he is in the country, law will bring her/him to prison. I have instructed to relevant authorities to apply educational measure but that would be applicable only to those who, after making the mistake, remove the fake news and make a correction note. However, to post fake news from hidden source would face with legal measures […] as of this moment despite fear of infection we have noticed no inflation in markets. We have monitored good political and macroeconomic stability, and stable prices in markets […]./.
