[1]
Once again, I would like to express my deep gratitude for the presence and active participation of His Excellency, Lok Chumteav, Lok Oknha, Nak Oknha, Oknha, ladies and gentlemen – members of the General Assembly – in/for sharing their views [at the General Assembly of the “Cambodian Veterans and Retirees Association” (CVRA)]. Although we did not have much time to discuss, judging from the report of His Excellency Kun Kim, which was both a report and a coverage of discussion, and the comments of His Excellency Tea Banh, has acknowledged that the General Assembly comes to an agreement on those views.
[2]
I would like to thank you all for entrusting me as the president (of CVRA) for life. Please allow me to say here and now that when I can no longer work (or play golf), even though I don’t have to leave the position, I am asking the General Assembly to let the first vice president take over the position. It’s not a possibility to say that even I can’t work and would still continue to be the president. I accept the entrustment willingly, but I am reiterating that when I can no longer work, please remove me or (give the opportunity to) the first vice president to take over the position as president.
[3]
Now, through the Sub Decree, (the foundation date of the CVRA) has been transferred from June 21 to May 12. I thank you for changing the date. I should point out that (this date) is the day when we started building the armed forces – “Solidarity for the Salvation of the Nation of Kampuchea.” The first military unit came to being was the 125 unit – which means (it was created on) May 12. This is how the military units were named at that time. If it was created on May 12, then we put 125. Then we went to create the battalion 246 – which is June 24 […] I thank you for the decision to issue the date transference to May 12, which I was the commander of, and the one who created the armed forces of “the National United Front for the Salvation of Kampuchea” […] (Let us thank) the Prime Minister/the Royal Government for issuing a sub-decree to adopt that day as “Veterans Day”.
[4]
I would like to take this opportunity to inform the leaders of the association that, according to the statement of His Excellency Deputy Prime Minister Aun Pornmoniroth, Prime Minister Hun Manet has agreed to increase the budget (for CVRA?) from four billion riels per year to eight billion riels per year starting from 2026. Starting next year, another four billion riels will be added, up it to eight billion riels, which will help reduce difficulties for the leaders of the CVRA, especially His Excellency Kun Kim. Let me thank the Prime Minister […] In the past, his father had worked very hard to solve this problem […] he has got to see to it […]
[5]
Before moving on to the introduction, I would like to take this opportunity to thank His Excellency the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, Aun Pornmonirath, who has paid attention to my initiative since the fifth term (of the Royal Government), to solve the problem of early retirees and late retirees. This issue has not been a small matter. Why? The salaries of our soldiers are low. For example, the salary is only 500,000 Riel. When they retire, their salaries will be reduced. Later, new retirees with the salaries of 1 million Riel or more, when they retire, their salaries are still high. For those who are early retirees get between 300,000 or 400,000 Riel, while the later retirees get up to 800,000 Riel, which is very big different. So, at that time, we asked His Excellency Aun Pornmonirath to take over this task.
We have adjusted therefore the salary of the early retirees to more than 840,000 Riels. This has in part reduced the gap between early and late retirees. This gap has already been bridged. We will continue to monitor this matter with the attention of the Royal Government, which hopes that this gap will not occur between early and late retirees. In the future, there will be increases, but usually for retirees included. It is for all. So, at this level, we no longer raise any issues, neither for civil servants nor for the armed forces. When I use the word “armed forces” I mean the army, police, and military police […]
[6]
I think we don’t have to worry about this anymore because we have put into operation this banking system that covers all places and we have enough cash to distribute, and we have been able to pay our civil servants every two weeks salary. Just a reminder, please be careful with the timing of the money to arrive at the destination. For veterans and retirees to receive the payment, there must be cash there waiting for them. We need to monitor and check the network that we send to everywhere, whether the cash has flowed to the needs to be distributed or not, to avoid a situation that they go to the banks and there is no cash in those banks.
[7]
(…) Verify the authenticity of the lists of veterans and families of deceased members of each ministry before transferring them to the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation for further management. In saying the words – Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior – it is like giving orders. It is different from before, when I was the Prime Minister and the President of the Veterans Affairs. I am still using this word. Everyone should not forget that today I am holding the position of acting head of state, in which case, I can use this language at this time.
[8]
(… Enable those families to receive short, medium and long-term vocational training, provide scholarships to children of veterans, provide micro-credit, and provide emergency assistance to help improve and improve the lives of veterans and their families.)
On this point, I would like to ask all relevant actors to pay attention to solving long-term problems. We are not only concerned about the needs of the surviving veterans, but the important task is to pay attention to solving the training of their children so that they can continue their careers, their children do not have to face difficulties when they go without their parents. Therefore, providing scholarships and training for these people is important.
Solving their livelihoods, such as building houses now, is important, but what is more important is to train their children to be knowledgeable, so that we can solve the long-term problem. This is to ensure that the children of former soldiers/police/civil servants, after losing their parents, will not be falling into poverty. This would not be a good thing. We need to focus on solving the target issues.
[9]
(… Continue to review and assess the feasibility of providing social land concessions to former armed forces, veterans, and retirees who are truly poor.)
We have already resolved this point in stages. We have determined since 2012 that we no longer provide economic land concessions to any company. We have imposed a moratorium since then. We will continue to impose that we will not give land to any company anymore. As for the land that we have confiscated, I have (while I was the Prime Minister) continuously instructed that this land be kept as land for providing social concessions to those who lack land, of which a portion has also been provided to our veterans. The Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning (and Construction) must continue to manage this land thoroughly to provide it to veterans for those who truly lack land. As for (having been) given one parcel of land (and the given person) sell it and going to request for another parcel in another place, it is not (allowed). This must be made clear.
[10]
(… Continue the project to build houses for veterans and retirees who have achievements and already own land in the community. I have noticed that this project is very effective because the veterans and retirees themselves own land as a counterpart, while the Cambodian Veterans and Retirees Association, territorial authorities, philanthropists, and local citizens have contributed to support, provide funds and materials. This is a shared culture for veterans and retirees, making the lives of veterans and retirees continuously improved.)
My wife and I would like to announce today that we will help build 100 houses for veterans per year for five years, from 2025 to 2030 (when my term ends). So, I will use this five years (to help build) some 500 houses. Tomorrow, I will offer the sum for 100 houses. Next year, I will provide fund for another 100 houses and will continue for five years. By 2030, let me check again if I will still live. It is up to this point. Next, I will read the list of philanthropists who are making contribution in today’s (efforts to build houses for our veterans).
This is considered an information for those who saw this live broadcast that they (can) make contributions to the CVRA, should they wish to. There are now 13,440 persons. Please click and connect via Telegram. In fact, they do a lot of work but do not broadcast. They have one little-information Facebook profile, which does not seem to have any veteran activity. So, I created a working group for them, taking some from Bayon TV Station, some from my news team, plus some veterans to enliven its page. Now I see that the promotion is good and flowing […]
Today, I would like to confirm that besides my wife and I, who contribute 100 houses each year for the next five years, (there are following contributors – Samdech Techo reads the list) […]
I may clarify to the public and philanthropists that we are not enemies with money, even more so with money that we needed for building veterans’ houses. So, those who want to help may do so later. We are not finished by just reading this list. We are waiting to receive it through His Excellency Kun Kim. His Excellency Kun Kim will report to me, and we will express our gratitude to all the participants. So, we have more opportunities to continue to accelerate the construction. This evening or tomorrow, the funds will be sent from me for one hundred houses […]
I would like to clarify that this project is built for those who already have land. Let us carry this task out first. It is very effective. It is for everyone who have land, but whose houses are already dilapidated. In the beginning, he had a child, the child lived with him, and now he is old, he lives with his child, and divides the house for his child. Sometimes we can help facilitate because the child does not know where to go. The child lives with his father’s house, but it becomes the child’s house, the father lives with him/her. But if he has land nearby, we can also help facilitate, there could be some exceptions, and it may not be the same for every case.
In general, let me emphasize that the Royal Government has done a lot regarding social protection work. We see that we have realized our social safety net, which we have spent a lot of money on, since the very beginning that I pointed out. Now it is continuing to be implemented, starting with pregnant women, to women who start getting pregnant and up to children who are two years old. Some people say that the money is too little. The Cambodian money is small, but the expenses are also not big. In France, the United States, salaries are high, but the expenses are high. You have a high salary, but the prices of goods in those countries are high. For example, for retirees, our lowest salary is 840,000 – 850,000, which is equivalent to more than 200 dollars a month. So, living in the countryside with farming and raising additional crops would be enough.
As I pointed out, solve the problem of employment, train their children, do not let them be a burden to their children. They support themselves. So, we need to pay attention to training the children of veterans, do not let them put a burden on their parents. Without parents, we should not let them lose support. So, we need to work on this important thing.
[11]
(… Screen and select qualified veterans to serve as leaders of various communities, such as fishing communities, water use communities, forestry communities, wildlife conservation communities, as well as local leaders based on their actual abilities and capabilities.)
At this point, please let the provincial governor at the local level (check) our veterans, civil servants who have already retired. We can choose those who are capable to be the head of the fishing community, the head of the forestry community, the head of the conservation community, or the head of this/that community. They are also capable and qualified because they retired at the age of 60. So, they are full of energy, they still have enough wisdom, […] for instance, some teachers, (let us assign) them to do what is in the interest of their locality.
[12]
(… The strength of an association depends on three factors – 1) having the right principles and course of action, 2) having a strong organizational structure, members, the public, and the people supporting it, and 3) having the finances to sustain its necessary existence.)
Let me clarify that the eight billion (Riel funding) that the government has to spend must be used in the right direction to ensure sustainability (of CVRA) […] Most of it is going to be spent on (supporting) the dead, because now more and more have come to an age where one has to say goodbye. We sitting on this podium don’t know how many (more years) we have left. How many years do you really have left until 2030? I hope I’m still alive. Luckily, there is hair dye, with which people sitting on the podium (can hide their white hair) […] from the start, like me, Samdech Kralahom, Samdech Pichey and others, are all of the same age, and until now, we are all over 70 years old. If you pass 70, you will go to 80, 90, 100, that’s good. In this instant, everyone argues about who would go first and who goes last? Some say s/he wanted to go first so that everyone could pay her/him respects or to organize rituals in his/her respects. In that case, the best-case scenario is that all do not die, and continue to be alive together. The other day in Prey Veng, I talked to (Sar) Kheng, saying that I will die first, and you, Kheng, must organize the ritual for me. Kheng said that he might go first. If we fight each other to go first, then we will stay together forever. Well, Human life is not predictable.
[13]
(… The fact that the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation helps develop the Cambodian Veterans and Retirees Association means that the Ministry has also fulfilled its duties in the field of veterans and retirees’ work. This is an example of enabling the direct participation of veterans and retirees, as well as creating partnerships with veterans and retirees in line with the partnership strategy, which is an important factor in good governance.)
The Minister of Social and Veteran Affairs – His Excellency Chea Somethy – should thank CVRA because this association has helped many veterans and retirees, covering almost 70% of its work. What remains the job of (the Ministry) would be the pension. Besides the pension, the association has done almost everything, and it is not a small job.
[14]
(… Prepare to establish the Cambodian Veterans and Retirees Association Committee as soon as possible, in accordance with the statutes and guidelines of the Cambodian Veterans and Retirees Association.)
This is a new aspect of state institutions that needs to be organized. Previously, only the Ministries of National Defense and Interior were organized, but now it has reached the Ministry of Civil Service. I think it also needs to be organized in other sectors, hopefully in non-governmental institutions, such as legislative organizations, including other sectors, the Senate, the National Assembly, the Constitutional Council, the National Election Committee […] however, we are talking now about institutions. Our retired civil servants are like orphans since they don’t know who to contact. As I said earlier, in some places they meet with retired people, and in particular, the Cambodian Red Cross is an example. The Cambodian Red Cross meets with retirees every year. They have done this very well, even though they are not paid employees, but they meet. Another group is the Artists’ Association. They have also done it. Our institutions have not done it. Now we have the preconditions to do it.
Let me share my opinion. The president of the association should be the minister (of the institution). Put it that way. Whoever takes on the position of minister, s/he (must) be the president of the association. But where is the issue to be careful about. The Secretary General should be chosen from a civil servant. This person is not a politician. For example, the general administrator holds that job to make it easier to manage. Even if the minister is changed, s/he can still do it. According to each ministry, there is a general administrator of finance. So, that person should be chosen as the Secretary General. We can have a president who is a minister and some Secretaries of State as vice presidents, but the Secretary General must be someone who is a civil servant, not a politician, in order to be able to ensure sustainable management. Otherwise, as the minister will leave, so will we have to find a way to organize that place.
[15]
(… The Cambodian Veterans and Retirees Association at all levels must continue to promote culture in the competitive movement …)
It must be organized as a competition movement. I watched the BTV report and interviews (and saw) that sometimes in some places it is not the same. There are people who have been trying to raise animals, planting bananas, papaya, jackfruit, etc., while some are still not trying. The competition movement must be promoted because it is for their livelihood, no one will take it from them. That is something that must be worked hard on.
[16]
(… Strengthen the management and use of donations, contributions, and gifts from philanthropists by implementing them well, with high transparency and accountability …)
Above are the 15 points of guidance. I should raise the issue related to the chairmanship. Since the statute has already stipulated that, and I now accept it, but I would like to follow Luang Mae. Her Majesty is wise. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs proposed Luang Mae to be the Honorary Chairman of the Cambodian National Council for Women. Luang Mae appointed me – then as the Prime Minister – to be the honorary vice chairman. So, finally, Her Majesty granted the appointment of the Honorary Vice Chairman to the person with the highest decision-making power. So, all things were resolved. After I left (the position of) Prime Minister, Luang Mae appointed another Vice Chairman, the Second Vice Chairman, the Prime Minister (and) I became the first Vice Chairman. For what Her Majesty has done has made decision making goes easy.
I think we should learn this from Luang Mae. In the time to come, while having to choose someone, it may be possible that I choose Leang Khun, who has money (and) chooses a few people to be Honorary Advisors or put them in the Vice President positions. Having a few (money-rich) people to be Vice Presidents at once. (Doing this so that) when we look around, we are not surrounded by the Vice Presidents, who doesn’t have money […] Most of the time, whenever he sees something said about contributions, Leang Khun calls me and says, “Uncle, I want to help.” I said, “Okay, as long as you want to help.” Vinh Hoa can volunteer to be the Vice President. I’d make him the Vice President (immediately). Choose some tycoons who volunteer to help and be the Vice Presidents. Sometimes, we rely on the Vice President to help us with our work and help us with money. When I look at the faces of your (current) Vice Presidents, they are not people with abundant resource and have a lot of responsibilities.
This is the culture of sharing that I learned from Luang Mae. Luang Mae knows that the Prime Minister is the one in power. So, Luang Mae, the Honorary President, appoints the Prime Minister as the Honorary Vice President. So, I led the meeting every year. When I stop being Prime Minister, Luang Mae appoints the current Prime Minister as the second Vice President. So, I think I have to learn from this method, but taking advantage of those who have money. Money is power. Some may have thought it is not. If you don’t have money, nothing can be done, to be clear. This association has no money, it doesn’t work. It’s not possible to collect fund to build these 545 houses, and at least 300 houses per year for five years […]
For the soldiers who are currently in the battlefield and who have died, the Prime Minister’s wife is in charge of handling the matter. We will leave that for part for the Prime Minister’s wife to take care of so that there will be no confusion. Let the Prime Minister’s wife handle that. She has the budget to handle this matter.
[17]
I would like to clarify that our original plan was to spend a lot of money to organize a large-scale event, with up to 3,500 participants. However, due to the re-scheduling, we did not use up all of this income. So, we divided this money to organize these medals, and some of the remaining money was given to Kun Kim to organize a meeting with our veterans. So, there is transparency on the costs of participation in the past, which I would like to take this opportunity to thank for participating in organizing this convention./.