Selected Comments Samdech Techo Hun Sen, at the Celebration of the 11th National Clean City Day 2023 [Unofficial Translation]
(1) “Visiting Cambodia Year 2023” … urban and rural sanitation promoted
The “Visiting Cambodia Year 2023” campaign is an important event, (and it will not be for) just this year. (Please do not be) mistaken that (efforts will be made to keep the city) clean only in 2023, and not clean after 2023. We have put a lot of effort into campaigns for urban hygiene and sanitation […] the cities and towns have reduced a lot (of scattering plastics). But we still have some issues among our people that we need to take care of, to educate our people to understand that this is their land, everything is theirs, and they have to participate. Everyone from ordinary people to high-ranking officials must attend. Not just the urban people, the rural people too need to improve this sanitation situation. It is not only for tourist attraction but for the sake of our people’s health and cleanliness of the city […]
(2) “Clean village, good rice field” extends to the countryside to attract tourists
About two decades or three decades ago, we used the slogan, “clean villages and good rice fields.” This means that we have done a lot of campaigns on hygiene issues, especially to avert some diseases, such as dengue fever caused by the lack of sanitation in the countryside […] this campaign refers to the city (but) I wanted to extend (its coverage) to the countryside, by which people in the countryside can improve their health. Sanitation will lead to better conditions in the villages and communes, and attract more tourists’ visits […] we do not do it for one year. This movement will take many years and expand from the capital city to the countryside, […] “clean villages, good rice fields” is a movement that drives development, which prompts changes in local situation. This requires the attention of the authorities at all levels. Things have to happen at the grassroots. It never comes anywhere but in/from there. We at all levels must contribute to promote this movement […]
(3) Exports on the spot and encourage uses of local products
Firstly, we need to use the potential of tourism to continue to implement the concept of export on the spot. Our concept of export is not limited to export to markets outside the country, but when we receive tourism, the hotels can buy the products of our farmers, who raise livestock, and/or grow vegetables. In addition to finding markets abroad, we must strive to enable them to supply the local market. Therefore, (secondly) perhaps the Ministry of Tourism remembers my recommendation that when giving points (on competition among hotels) to hotels that are using the most local products rather than imported ones […]
(4) Tourists’ arrivals in Siem Reap and Sihanoukville are picking up
Agriculture needs to improve the quality of cultivation and husbandry, avoiding use of chemicals and/or other substances that affect the health of tourists/consumers […] Okhna Sok Kong, whom I asked on my way in, says that the uptrend of tourists’ arrivals in Siem Reap now seems to have started, with 300, 400 or 200,300 rooms per day. The number in Sihanoukville is also picking up […] we have seen the flow of tourists starting to increase, and on the other hand, the Cambodian people now can afford to stay in a five-star or four-star hotels […] well, it is a blending number of local and foreign tourists, […] we need to adjust all aspects so that we can receive more tourists […]
(5) Good hospitality, security, sanitation and hygiene make tourists come again
I have always said in the past that to attract tourism, we did not need to broadcast on CNN, BBC, but mainly through all the tourists who come to our country. We must think of way to make a visitor want to come again, and not coming alone, but bring family and friends together. That is the key point […] the real solution is when tourists come, we receive tourists with good hospitality, we have good security, we have cleanliness (because of sanitation and hygiene), […] that should be the points the entice tourists to return […]
(6) Protect the environment, forests and wildlife to attract tourists to rural areas
Let us Cambodians work hard, because this is in the national interest and it has spread the growth of the country from having more and more tourists’ arrivals to the countryside. The good thing is that the number of domestic tourists on weekend – Saturday and Sunday – is no less than 300,000. They go to the coastal areas because we have now convenient road infrastructure. Those of you who have coconuts can pick and sell it or other fruits that tourists can eat. That would provide a lot of work, accompanied by education to protect the environment, not to cut down trees, not to destroy wildlife, and use the environment to attract tourists […] who like to see the forest and the animals […]
(7) Cambodia takes actions on plastic wastes at sea, lakes, rivers, and canals
Another thing I have to have your attention is about the plastic wastes. Let me thank the most beautiful beach convention held in Sihanoukville recently for including my recommendations in its decision on plastic. Plastic can be serious in the next 20, 30 or 50 years because it flows into the sea, rivers, lakes and other waterways. This plastic does not melt like paper […] Cambodia has to contribute to this efforts with other countries […] for we have many rivers – Tonle Sap, Mekong, Bassac, Sekong, Sre Pok and canals […] Cambodia has paid attention beyond this – not only worried about the plastic in the sea, but also in the rivers, canals and lakes. We need to work together within our national framework and with our partners to reduce or eliminate (this non-degradable stuff) challenges. Eliminating it might be difficult, however, we can take measure to reduce wastes thrown into the lakes, seas, rivers, canals […]
(8) Former youth groups in opposition support the Royal Government
Days now, there is a lot of insults on social media, after some youth groups came to see me (and told me) that they had carried out a lot of activities, and in those activities against the Royal Government, they did not get anything in return. Now they see that the only way (forward) is to join the CPP and support the Royal Government. It is my will to accept and meet those children. The movement is now in momentum. But as the movement shifted its support from anti-government groups, the opposition attacked these young children. This is a lack of respect for democracy. When anyone support them in their course against the government, they say that those people are good. By the time those people cooperate with and/or support the Royal Government in development projects, for instance related to environmental protection, the opposition considered them bad element (selling their ideals out) […]
(9) Political parties and politicians not to paint color on former opposition youthsI am just sending a message that if you think about the democratic process and the rights of citizens in politics, you do not attack these children. It is not a matter of democracy. When they support you, they insult the government, you think they are good. When they see that it is best that they join the government, you consider them betraying their ideals […] youth in many organizations are supporting the Royal Government […] the wind is changing direction. I am calling on political parties and politicians not to paint color on these children. They had previously participated in anti-government protests. Now they do not do that anymore. They asked to join the government to do the works that they have been doing […] I warn you to be careful, not to push these children lose their patience. Do not insult them of selling their heads. They are angry. Thy are all intellectuals […]./.
Selected Comments Samdech Techo Hun Sen, at the Graduation Ceremony for Students of the National Technical Training Institute (NTTI)
(1) Significant progress in vocational technical training
[…] HE Ith Sam Heng has just made a report on vocational training for the development of our nation and recalled that in 1996, when I went to hand out diplomas, there were only more than 200 students. It was difficult time to find a job. Why it was in such a situation. It was because of the fact that the war was not over and there were very little investments. On that note, there was not many students to take training, in line with job management is difficult. We did not have enough base to absorb those people who had their training here […] I still remember that people asking for jobs in this place. I was well aware of the problems here regarding vocational training, for which I have led reforms since 1985 […]
(2) School of vocational training founded in 1958 by Preah Borom Ratanakaod
I went to the provinces in those days in the past. Kratie province was very strict and did not agree with the issue of reform. They did not embark on land reform too. Kratie province at that time produced a ferry. The boats in our country are not made of steel. They are made of wood. According to the province, we still do not have technicians to repair the agricultural machinery. Even training on this issue is not available. There are machines for farmers, but when the driver breaks down, the driver does not know how to fix it. In this regard, we introduced reorientation step after step […] looking back here, we could see that this the school of vocational training was developed in 1958, who was the leader then? It was Preah Borom Ratanakaod. He was King from 1941-55, before he resigned and returned the throne to his father, HM the King Suramarit […]
(3) If not for the 1970 war, Cambodia could have gone far already
Let me return to vocational training. The idea of vocational training is nothing new. His Majesty has taken care of it since he led the country in the late 50s already and established the Institute of Technology, the so-called (Kosamak) Technical School refers to the importance of this technical training. At this point, we raise the question that if our country did not suffer the war in 1970, how far would the country have gone? At that time, Cambodia had an income of more than US$ 200/person, while South Korea had (an income of) only US$ 78 per person. Cambodia moved faster than South Korea. Now, South Korea pass us away and left us behind. That was due to the mistake of the leader who decided to stage a coup (in 1970s) followed by the Pol Pot regime […]
(4) Vocational training after 1979 was not successful for lacking jobs market
Back to the day of liberation on January 7, 1979. We started to organize training in all fields. They were not going any fast due to market factors. I still remember (that) 1996 … when there were no nob markets, our training efforts were not that successful. Sooner, the country has noted increase in number of people with technical training background. I still remember that the initiative to establish the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training was when Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh was the President of the National Assembly and I was the Prime Minister. On the day that Samdech Krom Preah and Princess Mary went to participate in the wedding of one of my children, we agreed to establish the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training. Originally the vocational training institute (located) in the Ministry of Education. Thus far the scope of work of the Ministry of Education covers a large area. Later, we created the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, which took over the vocational training from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports […]
(5) No country invests somewhere without peace, political stability and human resources
The ministry has grown to the point where today we distribute degrees to 5,455 people, all of whom are technicians. We now have greater demand for technical expertise because the local demand is already there, but also the part that is attracting investment from outside. If we do not have enough human resources to provide them, we cannot succeed in attracting investors. Remember that it is not a matter of addressing the job demand of so and so number alone without linking them to a multisectoral comprehensive development chain and/or macro framework coverage, such peace, which is a clear/sufficient guarantee for development. No country would dare to invest in somewhere without peace and political stability […]
(6) Culture to discuss with Labor on ancestral vocational training sites
The Royal Government has set a goal to hand over to the training of 1.5 million poor young men and women, most of which will fall to the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training. I also confirmed the day before that the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is to coordinate with the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training on the basis of training of ancestral professions. The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts may have some locations, such as in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, but in some provinces, the Ministry may not have the needed locations. If the Ministry (of Culture) could not have such facility, please rely on the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, in which Minister HE Ith Sam Heng mentioned in relation to my offer of vocational training schools in Sihanoukville […]
(7) To attract investments in processing industry
Now, 99% of the villages have electricity connected to them […] I always tell foreign friends and foreign investors to focus on investing in Cambodia. It is our goal to attract investors in two main areas – firstly, the processing industry that uses Cambodia’s own raw materials […] Cambodia could become a country that distributes cashew nuts […] Cambodia exports some one million tons of unprocessed cashew nut […]
As of present, we have not yet been able to process all of our rice yet. We have s surplus of some 6.6 million metric tons of rice, which is some 4.2 million metric tons of milled rice, far exceeding the local consumption demand […] we have moved from a country with food shortage to one with a surplus of rice. But we did not succeed in exporting the planned one million metric tons of rice […] we have a lot of rubber. We export them raw with not much local processing. As for cassava, some 20 million tons have been chopped into pieces and exported. For sugar cane, we have local sugar production […]
(8) To attract investments in high-tech industry
Secondly, we want to attract high-tech industries, which we have attracted them on a gradual basis, such as the Japanese company Minebea, which previously invested just over US$ 30 million, and now has reached nearly US$ 1 billion in motor production […] American carmaker Ford, South Korean company Hyundai, now the Japanese company Yazaki and in the near future Toyota will soon open up shops in the Phnom Penh Special Economic Zone. The big companies that traveled with the German president (to Cambodia the other day) talked about the purpose of bringing car manufacturers to install in Cambodia. I welcome this move, and in case they do, we have to have and provide these projects with the experts and technical workers […]
(9) The Oral area case in February 1996 was the first success of win-win politics, 1998 was the end of the implementation
Sometimes, some people just say that the Samdech Techo winning politics commenced implementation in 1998. That is wrong. I would ask the whole nation to remark that the win-win politics was not implemented in 1998, but ended in 1998. Apparently, in February 1996, the Oral area case had been the first success (of the implementation of the win-win politics). A Khmer Rouge leader reported to the authority and Hun Sen was satisfied to meet him and found out what would these people need so that we set out to respond to their needs […] again, on December 29, 1998 is the end of the implementation of win-win politics. Its process is not a one-day implementation. I traveled to Oral for the integration, then to Pailin, Samlot, Kamrieng, and Phnom Proek, and also Ta Ken, Koh Sla, in 1996 […]
(10) Hun Sen and CPP complements each other
I have here some 60K interactions to my live broadcast from the Telegram group. This means that out of 500,000 people registered to my Telegram group, some 60,000 of them are watching. In Cambodia, Hun Sen’s popularity helps promote the CPP, and the CPP’s helps promote Hun Sen. We complement each other […] now bosses and those subordinates are vying for the PM’s job. But wait and see how the next 4 or 5 years come out? He is now appearing to have run for prime minister position. We wanted him to come out. He does come out. Was too easy. I do not want to say about it and please do not say that Hun Sen has a lot of tricks. If you do not know politics, better not to do politics. Those who could suppress Hun Sen at this time have not yet left their mother’s womb. I’m not referring to anyone […] just wait and see the results later […]
(11) Please favor Cambodia still with concessional interest rates
Soon Cambodia will leave its status of a less developed country. I am quite concerned. Why? When we leave the status of a less developed country, for example, we are no longer able to borrow money at concessional interest rates but at commercial interest rates. This is something that (concerned me about). If we are poor, they will lend us at the concessional interest rate. I told them that even though we are moving into the status of a low middle income country, please favor us with a concessional interest rate. I have spoken to Japan/South Korea/China/Asian Development Bank about them continuing to favor Cambodia their concessional interest rates. We still call on our partners to provide us with concessional interest rate loans, because the heavy interest is not profitable to do business. We need helps to build infrastructures such as bridges, and the likes […]
(12) Encourage BOT developed high-speed rail in Cambodia
We have to turn our tracks into all-speed trains. So here we call on (and) encourage countries to join and prepare for the B.O.T (Build, Operate and Transfer) investments, since we do not want to borrow money in a large amount to build a high-speed railway from Phnom Penh to Poipet (and) from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville. Instead of the old railroad, which now runs only 30 km/h, the expressway can run up to 130 km/h, which saves time and energy on transportation. During their visit to Cambodia, the French delegation encouraged the study and the French company would be interested in the B.O.T investment. We do not want to borrow money from anyone. If they can do in the B.O.T way, it’s good […]
(13) RGC builds the US$ 230 million bridge across the Mekong for expressway
Soon we will launch the construction site of the expressway connecting Phnom Penh with Bavet (at the border with Vietnam in Svay Rieng), and Vietnam will build an expressway from Ho Chi Minh City to connect with Cambodia at the border. Let me share with you (that) initially the company wanted to build a bridge across the Mekong River and using the bridge will oblige payment from the people. I told them that taking money from the people on the bridge is something I cannot accept. Please think it again. After all, it is impossible to let our people use the expressway at a cheaper price including the cost of using the bridge […] now, the Royal Government has decided to build the bridge, using about US$ 230 million to connect one side of the Mekong River in Kandal to the other side, with the expressway runs through Kandal, Prey Veng and Svay Rieng. We let the company, who have the technology, build it. We will pay the company […]
(14) Never rely on others for popularity, try to stand up from a young age
Please note that Hun Sen has never relied on anyone’s popularity to be his popularity. Hun Sen, for his whole life, has always tried to stand on his own from a young age residing in the Buddhist pagoda. The CPP has enjoyed the benefit from what Hun Sen has contributed. Though I am not the only one to do it, still Hun Sen’s prestige is not as simple as you think. If Hun Sen does not have enough prestige, can the CPP stand in Cambodian politics? (When you say) that Hun Sen is a dictator, […] I just wanted to point out that who is more dictatorial than Pol Pot, why did Pol Pot live only three years, 8 months and 20 days? While Hun Sen has been in power as Prime Minister for more than 38 years, and he is also the only person in the (royal) government for more than 44 years.
(15) Not many can predict the Hun Sen’s way
Samdech Pichey Sena (Tea Banh) always said that “Hun Sen is a character that has always been in all situations/events/matters.” There is no such thing concerning the country that Hun Sen did not know? Land reform, reforming the planned economy to a market economy (as well as) events related to the military. This year will mark the 45th anniversary of the founding of the Cambodian National Solidarity and Salvation Armed Forces, a major source of the formation of the National Front for Salvation of Kampuchea, which immediately became a political/military organization. You may not confuse the assessment of Hun Sen, lest it may lead to immortal defeat. Please evaluate correctly. But it is very difficult to assess which way Hun Sen would go and (there are) not many people who can predict (Hun Sen’s way) […]./.