{"id":31324,"date":"2018-05-31T08:05:02","date_gmt":"2018-05-31T01:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh?p=31324"},"modified":"2018-06-05T08:14:05","modified_gmt":"2018-06-05T01:14:05","slug":"selected-comments-samdech-techo-hun-sen-at-the-inauguration-of-the-conch-cement-co-ltd-in-battambang-province-unofficial-translation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/en\/archives\/31324","title":{"rendered":"Selected Comments Samdech Techo Hun Sen at the Inauguration of the Conch Cement Co Ltd in Battambang Province [Unofficial Translation]"},"content":{"rendered":"

CNV:\u00a0

My wife and I are so happy to join with all of our people in celebrating this inauguration of a big cement factory in the province of Battambang [\u2026] I may bring back some of our memories of Battambang as a whole, and this place, Ratanak Mondul and Sdao area, in particular, which are on the road to Pailin. Today we put into operation this cement factory, a joint venture between a Chinese Conch International Holdings (HK) Limited and a local company with combined investment capital of 230 million USD, in time for increasing demand for construction material. The factory will put out some 5,000 tons of cement per day and about two million tons per year [\u2026] we have so far had four cement factories [\u2026]<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Some Are Not Aware of Cambodia\u2019s Pasts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some people have said that I tended to look after workers than farmers. It is quite na\u00efve to have said so. They do not seem to have a knowledge of Cambodia\u2019s pasts and\/or said so just to look for votes. They should have known that I had been the Prime Minister who had spent most of my time in rice field with farmers. In the 2003 elections campaign, some even insulted me that that I liked to be in the field transplanting with farmers, I should not return because there was someone to take post of Prime Minister already. Normally, I did not take part in the campaign and I used that time to go see farmers [\u2026] now they say I am closed to workers than farmers [\u2026] in a recent roundtable policy discussion participated by various political parties, one of party said that I (the Prime Minister) pay attention to workers and enough to farmers [\u2026] it is so unfortunate that some Cambodians are not well aware of their pasts, including the fact that the country was liberated from the Pol Pot\u2019s regime [\u2026]<\/p>\n

More Demand for Cement<\/strong><\/p>\n

We are proud to have established achievements after we have secured peace. In the framework of demand for cement, our country has imported from foreign countries at a size of about seven or eight million tons. With this cement factory in Battambang, plus three more cement factories in operations in the country, we may be able to produce some seven million tons of cement per year [\u2026] demand for cement will not fall down.\u00a0 We could have noticed that cement is in high demand for constructions of homes, schools, pagodas, etc. Use of wood in our country for construction would one day deplete our forest [\u2026] we are assured of higher demand for cement because there is currently need for cement to build roads \u2013 national and local ones. We are gradually moving away from using tar. We still need to build more tar roads but swapping to building concrete roads is rising [\u2026]<\/p>\n

Pursuing Political Gains, Some Take No Consideration on National Interest<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have now reached this stage of fueling kilns by electric power in place of firewood and coal [\u2026] we encourage this process of brick making. If they can, I wish them to consider making bricks\/tiles from such electricity-fueling kilns. To continue to harden bricks\/tiles using firewood, in place of those imported from other countries as some people suggested, we would be depleting our forest. The Royal Government has balanced profit from loss. In economy, we must think about profit and loss. Some, in pursuing their political gains, they would not take into consideration national interest. They single out a tree and care about no forest [\u2026]<\/p>\n

Cambodia Wish to Export Cement<\/strong><\/p>\n

With its capacity to produce some 1.7 million to two million tons of cement, we would only satisfy demand in only this northwestern and northern areas of the country \u2013 Battambang, Pailin, Banteay Meanjei, Pursat, and perhaps to a certain extent Siem Reap. We may need to look for more investment in cement production. I told HE Suy Sem the other day about one mountain in Kompot \u2013 Ta Tom. One company has got a license and kept it on hold. The Ministry of Mines and Energy has to commence discussion with the company and find out whether they have ability to start the project. If they cannot, we must give it to the one that can [\u2026] we want not only to have sufficient cement to respond to local need but also to export it [\u2026] we should consider this possibility when we have more cement that we need [\u2026]<\/p>\n

Jobs Interconnected as a Network<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have created only some 500 jobs here but we must understand the repercussion to a wider jobs relatedness and network. Jobs created always have active interactions and connectivity to other networks. We may offer jobs for only 500 people here but there are many people indirectly benefiting from this factories in transportation, charging and discharging, construction projects, etc. [\u2026] I talked about this sponsorship thing at the inauguration, in Kompot, the Chip Mong Cement factory. When the company sponsor TV shows of boxing or concerts, they have provided for many \u2013 musicians, singers, cameramen, etc. [\u2026]<\/p>\n

Two Strategies Set Out to End War<\/strong><\/p>\n

I must remind why do we build factory here? Let me share with you the idea. This year, we are celebrating the 20th<\/sup> anniversary of the day that we put a complete end to war through the win-win policy [\u2026] let me share with you the two strategies that I set out after we ended war in the country. Strategy 1 was to transform former battlefields into market and development places. Strategy 2 was to transform border with neighboring countries to ones of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development [\u2026] in relation to the first strategy we have made this place where we are standing now, the hottest battlefield in 1980s, into a market place and development already [\u2026] we are working hard to clear mines and UXOs to liberate land to provide land to people for cultivation and other development purpose [\u2026]<\/p>\n

\u2026 In 1998, Cambodia has become a unified country with one Constitution, HM the King, the Royal Government, and the armed forces. Even under the French control, they did not rule every part of Cambodia. In the time of World War II, Japan came to Cambodia and they could not control the whole country. In 1998, up to the present, we are able to allow development everywhere and people can go wherever they may wish to [\u2026] aside from turning former battlefields inside the country into market places and development. We have also developed a win-win situation for peace, friendship, cooperation, and development along the border with neighboring countries. Take for instance, the border trade volume between Cambodia and Thailand reached six billion USD, of which 1,000 million is Cambodia\u2019s export to Thailand. Why are there so much import from Thailand to Cambodia? We have higher demand for their products and also we imported from them some for material needs in order to re-export [\u2026]<\/p>\n

Trading Life for Country\u2019s Liberation<\/strong><\/p>\n

.. My mother and my grand aunt went into my room as I woke up from bed in on Sunday morning. She just had her finger pointed at me and said to me if I did know or worry about being killed when I decided to go into the Khmer Rouge controlled areas. I calmed them down and said \u201cmother and grand aunt, if I were to die, I would do so alone or with a few of my entourage. If I didn\u2019t, I would bring back the whole land.\u201d You may join me thinking again, should I not go into Komrieng\/Phnom Proek, or Malai, who could have trusted me? In addition to that, most of them surrendered then not through the Cambodian People\u2019s Party but with Hun Sen [\u2026] as we are approaching the celebration of the 20th<\/sup> anniversary of the win-win policy\u2019s success in ending the war, I may share with you that for the Pailin area, we could say they have integrated 22 years already, since 1996. My plan was to take back Anlong Veng in 1997. Unfortunately, there was an arm clash in Phnom Penh [\u2026]<\/p>\n

Infrastructural Development Added to Political and Administration Integrations<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2026 I had reminded my councilors that it would be insufficient to integrate former Khmer Rouge\u2019s areas politically and administratively. We must start investment immediately. We must provide roads which serve us means for connectivity and from there development will come. We started to rebuild the national road 10 right away. We also build a road for connectivity from Bovel too. We now have asphalted them too. We provided them with schools and hospitals buildings [\u2026] I thank our people in the whole Kingdom of Cambodia and every stakeholders for supporting the win-win policy leading to national reconciliation and reunification, and development [\u2026]<\/p>\n

Easy to Remember, To Think, and To Tick On<\/strong><\/p>\n

To keep peace and guarantee national development \u2013 the easy way to do is to vote for the Cambodian People\u2019s Party. The man who stands here is the one who truly defend peace. The Cambodian People\u2019s Party has got its position slot number 20. There are 20 political parties to contest in the coming general elections. Judging by the slot number, the Cambodian People\u2019s Party is standing in the last position on a ballot \u2013 like the last child in the family. Voters would just look for the very last one to tick on. It is easy to remember, to think and to tick on, I said [\u2026] we will go to vote in 58 days [\u2026] some said that they would win if people just decided to stay home [\u2026] they have accepted in this case to abandon their rights to choose. They have told people to dye their fingers with hair colors to prove they have gone to vote. What is that? It is a criminal commitment of faking [\u2026]<\/p>\n

They go around telling people not to go to vote. However, to hide the truth that they do not go to vote they have to dye their fingers in hair coloring to prove they do. They forgot that their names are not crossed (or ticked by NEC staff in voting stations) [\u2026] the fugitive ran away from jail but he does things for jails to call him in. Not to go to vote is not a crime to go to jail but to fake finger coloring to be voters is a crime [\u2026] they have fooled people that there would not be a dissolution of political parties. It happened. They fooled people that the dissolved party would come back alive. It did not. They continued to fool people from registration to voting day convincing them that (the party would) come back alive [\u2026] we have go this far. No cremated corps ever return alive [\u2026]<\/p>\n

Full Railway Phnom Penh to Poi Pet Running Soon<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have spoken rather too much but because I am here where it used to be a hot battlefield, I just make it also hot today but not from fighting but from development. We must take benefits from this. People in this area will. I hope that our rail will be functional in full soon. We already have this segment between Pursat and Battambang, and between Battambang and Poi Pet running. We will have the last segment \u2013 Pursat to Phnom Penh soon. We have abandoned it for a long time because of war and lack of maintenance [\u2026].\/.<\/p>\n

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My wife and I are so happy to join with all of our people in celebrating this inauguration of a big cement factory in the province of Battambang [\u2026] I may bring back some of our memories of Battambang<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":31156,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-31324","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-slide-show-english","8":"category-speech"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31156"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressocm.gov.kh\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}