Three Achievements, Buddhist and Secular Relation
I am so glad today to have the opportunity to return to the pagoda of Serei Sarpij after I came here once in 1997 to put into official operation the Primary School of Buddhism – Hun Sen Serei Sarpij in this pagoda. Having come here again, I clearly noted with my own eyes the progress made contrastingly from when I was here in 1997, and am sure far more from the time under Pol Pot. In 2010, when the head monk requested for my assistance to finish the construction, a photo left with my assistance (from 1997) shows that we both were younger. In 1997, I was 45 years old and now I see that you and I are 16 years older. I thank HE Heu Pavi for representing me in bringing donation and contribution to the pagoda for the construction.
As is reported by HE Has Sareth, Governor of Prey Veng province, we have three achievements to inaugurate today – (1) a six room Hun Sen-Serei Sarpij Secondary School of Buddhism, (2) a 16-rooms residential hall and (3) a 20-rooms residential hall. The total cost of building the three achievements is 198,400 USD. Why do we have to build many-story building here? We have the secondary school of Buddhism here so there are many monks who come to study and need a place to stay. I am grateful to the effort made by the head monk as well as the district and provincial head monk for this beneficial effort. This has made the pagoda a good place for senior people and Buddhist followers at large to practice their religious belief […]
I came here to see the Pothi Luas pumping station in Prey Veng. I also had my children with me. I can recollect that HE Bin Chhin at the time was the Deputy Governor of Prey Veng. We stayed in the provincial town but I left early in the morning without the knowledge of governors to observe the rice purchasing process. I even checked the scale too. I did that because there was a time when they pre-arranged rice purchasing and scaling process for me to see it. I think that was the case in Kampong Chhonang, when brother Daok Narin was governor. It was about 4 pm. I talked to the people “why don’t you come to sell rice in the morning?” They said: “I did sell in the morning but they asked for our presence because there is some senior officials coming to see.”
With this experience, since people never saw Hun Sen by the face for absence of TVs in remote areas, I blended in. It was back in 1985. They did the same when I visited the fishing lots. I always asked my staff to get motorcycle ready but I never let them know where I would go. In Pothi Luas I found that the scale created problem. As leader, sometimes one has to check his/her junior staff.
Titles for Inundated Land
Yesterday I had a report from HE Has Sareth concerning the land titles for inundated land. I have said it once in Koh Thom. There was one day that I coincidentally called HE Has Sareth and cadastre officials to my house in order to resolve some problems concerning lands that are not registered yet in some districts of Prey Veng. I also clarified to them the policy concerning land title to be issued for people who occupy and reap benefit from inundated land. Everybody knows that those areas in Cambodia can be six-months, or at least three or four-months under water. In some cases, they are under water up to nine months. The question is do people who use those types of land can obtain land titles.
Under the time of the State of Cambodia, we issued them the land title, widely known to our people as the one with imprinted feather. There is also a circulation on the issue. We also have issued a sub-decree on this matter. Particularly, I delegated the responsibility for Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng to oversee the handing out of land titles to the people.
As far as the issue is concerned in the province, land measuring prior to this date was impossible for it deemed to be relating to the law on fishing lots, which some had interpreted that the fishing lots extended to wherever the water reached. The Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction and the Ministry of Agriculture had discussed the matter. On March 8, 2012, I issued a declaration and a sub-decree to deregulate the fresh water fishing lots in the whole country. There is no reason whatsoever to talk about fishing lots anywhere in the country and therefore land title will be issued automatically.
In the whole province of Prey Veng, land titles of 16,039 over 18,900 parcels have been issued for 4,534 over 6,376 families in 30 villages of nine communes in three districts. Particularly in the district of Preah Sdech, 1,546 over 6,407 land parcels have been registered and issued land titles for 1,016 over 2,690 families in twelve villages of three communes. What I need to clarify is that though there is not youth volunteer mission here, the land measuring must continue with the cadastre officials. I am asking for your cooperation to infiltrate or claim no further land in the inundated areas. We need to keep some of the areas as shelters for fish to reproduce. We need to maintain a balance of benefiting from the dry season rice and crop cultivation and fish reproduction.
I wish to stress we are carrying out the work not only in Prey Veng but throughout the country, except in the area of Tonle Sap lake that is under study. To claim land ownerships, people must exercise rights to use, reap the benefit and manage the land. For people in the Tonle Sap area, though they have not got the third right – managing their land, still they have exercised fully the first two rights – use and reap benefit from it. The Royal Government engages a thorough study on areas to be cut out and given to the people. It is relating directly to our rice barn. Again, I am asking our people not to infiltrate and claim inundated areas where we need to keep for fish to reproduce.
Monarchy under Insult, We Must Protect
Today I have some works to share with our people and please allow me to send from here a political message. Firstly, I need to assure people whose the message is for not to get too excited that Hun Sen was afraid of them. We need to protect the monarchy and HM the King as well as the whole institution. A prince has involved and engaged in politics with the opposition party. It is alright that he choose to be in politics and with the opposition. What matters is the fact that on April 28, in Kompot province, in the effort to publicize political platform of the National Rescue Party, he said that he represents the Cambodian royal family. Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranaridh wrote me a letter on April 29 saying “… though it is his right, I need to deny absolutely that the prince does not represent me, a member of the Cambodian royal family at all…”
On May 10, six days ago, in an interview broadcast on Free Asia, Prince Sisowath Thomico said in response to the question what does he gain from the forum (that his party organized in Kratie), and I quote:
“Some said they want peace and progress but I wanted to make sure that progress should come down to lower tiers. I have told the people some important points that firstly if we depend on the figures of the communal elections in 2012, we see clearly that the Cambodian People’s Party has lost already. The CPP had only 3.5 million votes. Six million voters more did not vote for the CPP. Why the opposition parties did not win then? It was because there was division among them. However, the electoral status in 2013 has changed. Now there will be only two parties to contest. The Cambodian People’s Party will achieve 3.5 million votes and the Cambodian National Rescue Party will get the rest six million votes. I mean at this hour, today, the Cambodian People’s Party lost already. Leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party know well. Those at the junior level are unclear about this. They do not know that they have lost yet …”
“Secondly, what do we use the victory for? I told the people to choose either the communist regime or the Sangkum Reastr Niyum regime, which I represent … ”
As you can see here, in Kompot he said he represents the royal family and in Kratie he said he represents Sankum Reastr Niyum (Populist Society).
Please allow me to interpret this point before I get to the issue concerning the figures of the vote. This will be a political message, not against this type of person. I have no need to explain to this person but I need to share it with people in the whole country to see the dangerous term used in this instance.
Firstly, I would appeal to our people not to have confused thought towards HM the King and HM Samdech Me, the Queen Mother for this prince who claims to represent the royal family and the Sankum Reastr Niyum. Some analysts may have thought that HM the King and the Queen Mother are catching fish with both hands. The thought is disastrous for the royal family. This has gone worse when the prince has been using the name of Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk and his title in the Cabinet of the Queen Mother. Many analysts have been suspicious that it is a maneuver of HM the King and the Queen Mother.
It is disastrous indeed and I have to come forward to protect our respected King and the Queen Mother. I put my life as a guaranty that this issue has nothing to do with HM the King and the Queen Mother. It is totally the political right of the prince and the prince only who has joined the opposition countering to the foresight of Samdech Preah Borom Ratanak Kaod. Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranaridh stated in his letter that that is countering to the advice of Samdech Preah Borom Ratanak Kaod too. HM the King works closely and regularly with the Royal Government and communicates with the National Assembly. HM the King worked hard even in his mourning period of Samdech Preah Borom Ratanak Kaod. The Cambodian People’s Party is the firmest wall to protect the throne, monarchy and HM the King.
With this clarification, I would urge our people not to cling to confused thought that the fact that Prince Sisowath Thomico joins the opposition party is the maneuver from HM the King and Samdech Me. Prince Thomico wrote a letter to seek an apology and also requested a meeting with me. I annotated let’s do that some other time. He joined that Party afterwards. In Hainan, the People’s Republic of China, prior to heading for Beijing, the Cambodian Ambassador to the PRC received a call from Samdech Me to inform me of Prince Thomico to join the opposition party and it was hard to stop him. I understood her difficulty. The title bestowed by HM the King as Techo is for the protection of the King. On May 8, HM the King presented my wife with the title of Samdech Kittiprittbandit too. Titles presented by HM the King for the leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party are not by chance. They are the strong wall protecting the throne.
Who Is Prince Sisowath Thomico?
Let me now go into the second point that the prince has declared “representing the Cambodian royal family” or “… to choose the Sangkum Reastr Niyum that I represent.” Who is Prince Thomico? He was a soldier in the Lon Nol regime. With this fact, he cannot talk about protecting the monarchy or the throne or HM the King. He himself joined Lon Nol to uproot the monarchy and Sangkum Reastr Niyum. Lon Nol was against (the late) Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk and the Queen Mother. Lon Nol toppled the monarchy. Lon Nol launched a coup to eliminate Sangkum Reastr Niyum and created the Khmer Republic under the pretext to rescue the country. Now we have this “rescue” thing again.
Prince Thomico has no right to claim what he says as he was one of Lon Nol’s soldiers who took the life of the monarchy and carried on his shoulder Lon Nol’s rifle in fight against (the late) Samdech Preah Norodm Sihanouk. A man who betrays his own parents, grandaunt and granduncle … how could anyone trusts him. Your HRH, I may clarify that when my wife and I – HE Sar Kheng, HE Men Sam An, HE Pol Saroeun, etc. included – were grown up men and women, we carried rifles on our shoulders in response to the appeal of Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk. We fought to regain his rule, while HRH was a soldier that took the life of Sangkum Reastr Niyum and the monarchy.
It was quite fortunate for you that the Cambodian People’s Party and Funcinpec jointly created constitutional monarchy, which allows you to be a Prince again. I may let you know a secret. In Vientiane, holding hand together with Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranaridh, we discussed about “reinstating the monarchy.” We agreed that Samdech Krom Preah worked with Funcinpec and I worked with the CPP so that the two parties reached the agreement to reinstate monarchy. Being in politics, I would urge the Prince to walk on his feet and not to wrongly steal someone else’s power. What I am saying today will be heard. Since he wants to be in politics and he now is, probably he should be relieved from the current royal duty that he receives stipend from the state. Maybe let him goes on receiving it so that he could use it for expenses and in his campaign. I may remind HRH that Princess Norodom Arun Reasmey, President of Funcinpec, never exploits the royal institution’s name and power to attain votes from the people.
Different Groups to Overthrow Monarchy
There is one other point relating to the vote. Since you have brought this matter up, I wish that you should be angry. HRH always show his suspicion as to why the Prime Minister likes to talk about protecting the monarchy. The same trend of thought expressed from the opposition parties. I already took an oath before the body of Samdech Preah Borom Ratanak Kaod in Beijing that I am determined to protect the monarchy, the throne, HM the King. If there were no cause of concern, I would not have said those things. Now, please have your attention on this. There are four different kinds of flags here. Whatever they do, if they only change me out of the Prime Minister post or the Cambodian People’s Party out of power, would not be a cause of concern.
You can see here. This is the flag of the Khmer People’s Power Movement. As you can see, they change the flag. This leader once stepped on the stage of the Yellow Shirt of Thailand. I have requested to the United States to help investigate this case. I think the police already forwarded the case to the US already. I requested to them when they were here to protect President Obama. The US would have to go against action unleashed by their citizens against a state with whom the US holds diplomatic tie. Chhun Yasith, committed act of armed terror in 2000 in Phnom Penh, was arrested and jailed in the US. I heard HE Nhek Bun Chhay said he already committed suicide in jail. I have no account of that. This group based in the US and has an armed personnel training ground in Thailand. Some from Phnom Penh also are in this group.
This is what they call Liberation Tiger Movement. They also have their own flag. Here is their organizational chart. This group disguises themselves in the opposition party. The first group also does so because they could not disguise themselves in Funcinpec or CPP. They shelter in opposition parties to have political legitimacy in a political party and to continue their armed movement as well. The third group here is The Great Kham Movement. It based in the US. They also have their version of flag. Some people of the movement also disguise in the two opposition parties. Now they have merged into one. I do not frighten our people with this fact but with these flags and mentality, there could be a possibility of war.
This one that we have already stripped its flag is the Khmer National Liberation Front, created in Thailand but Thailand expelled. We have arrested them but we withhold their flag and information. They also have their men in the opposition parties. There is this other fifth group called “Former May Force Soldiers.” They also have their own flag. They have their armed group inside Thailand. We have continued our cooperation with Thailand to neutralize this group. You may know them to be “white kerchief soldiers.” I wish to share it with the opposition parties that if there were any arrest, they should not distort it to arresting their party members.
We arrest terrorists only. May HE Net Savoeun, head of national police, send a set of these flags to Samdech Krom Preah because it may be of his interest too as he needs to monitor the issue in order to protect the monarchy in his name as the President of the Supreme Privy Council. To take Hun Sen out is just opening the gate, while the truth is to overthrow the monarchy and HM the King. To get there, they need to remove the protecting wall. Please do not be confused on why Hun Sen and/or the Cambodian People’s Party issue political framework to protect the monarchy and the King. Without any cause of concern, that would not be necessary.
On Number of Votes
Let me now deal with the issue relating to the number of votes. HRH said that the Cambodian People’s Party already lost. Let’s review the number of votes recorded in the communal elections in 2012. There are over 9.2 million voters from over 14 million populations. In 2012, 5,993,992 people or 65.13% of the total population who have registered in the voting list. Please visit the website of International Institute of democracy and Election Assistance, which provides detail on number of voters in various countries. Out of the 5,993,992 registered voters, there were 5,875,719 valid ballots or 98.03% of the total ballots. There were 118,273 invalid votes or 1.97% of the total ballots.
The Sam Rainsy Party, please allow me to mention the Party’s name, received 1,224,460 votes or 20.84% of the total valid votes. You are at 20.84% while the CPP is already at 61.8%. The gap is 40%. The Human Rights Party received 580,483 votes or 9.88% of the valid votes, or 52% lower than the CPP. Comparing the number of votes, while the Cambodian People’s Party received 3,631,082 votes, the Sam Rainsy Party received 1,224,460 votes and the Human Right Party received 580,483 votes. This shows that the Sam Rainsy Party has 2,406,622 votes less than the CPP and the Human Right Party has 3,050,599 votes less. Putting votes of the two Parties together, they received 1,804,943 votes. With this new combined figure, subtracting from the number of votes received by the Cambodian People Party, they still have 1,826,139 votes less.
Let me go the way you see the figure. The Cambodian People’s Party received 3,631,082 votes compared to the total voters 9,203,993. This means that 5,572,411 CPP voters have not voted for the Party. As for the case of Sam Rainsy Party, they received 1,224,460 votes. Compared to total registered voters, this Party needs 7,979,033 more votes. While the CPP was short of over 5 millions, the Sam Rainsy Party was short of nearly 8 millions. The Human Right Party received only 580,483 votes, compared to the total registered voters. This means the Party needs over 8 million more votes. Even if you put your votes together, both Parties received only 1,804,943 votes, while there are 7,398,550 voters did not vote for them […]
I asked people from other Parties, who come to join us, from where do they get their young voters? They said from their parents. When their parents vote for the Party, their children would do so too. Let’s apply the same pattern of thought. You have less members or voters, you also have less number of children. That the CPP has more voters, therefore they should have more too. This means that the Cambodian People’s Party will always be ahead. Now, what is your thought on that? Voters for the Cambodian People’s Party are “votes by family.” The Party never changes its name or sign. I think it is different from those seasonal Parties. While the Party is seasonal, their voters would also be. What could they do when they did not find their (Parties’) names? It is also a right not to go to vote.
IRI Figures and Account on Tuol Sleng
I have brought here figures generated by one of the American institutions to share with you. The International Republican Institute (IRI) has conducted opinion polls from 2006 through to late 2011, which until now it is about over a year old. There are also polls conducted by other institutions as well. According to IRI, 81% of respondent agreed in 2011 that Cambodia is on the right track. The figure has improved from 76% in 2010. The poll improved in just one year. This figure has been generated from some 2,000 respondents by the US institution.
As far as the popularity of the Prime Minister is concerned, 87% of respondents said they trust in Prime Minister Hun Sen. Before the polls in 2006, I do not know where my popularity was but in 2006, I was already at over 80%. This means that until now I have kept the curve higher than 80% in seven years. This is one among other reasons that the Cambodian People’s Party keeps Hun Sen’s candidacy for the post of Prime Minister. The fact that IRI opinion polls brought about disfavor for them, these people have made continuous insult on IRI. As for the result of the last elections, the Cambodian People’s Party got 61%, the Sam Rainsy Party 20% and the Human Right Party 9%.
It is ridiculous that yesterday evening they said that Tuol Sleng prison is in fact artificial. If Pol Pot killed people, they would not have left evidences of their action. How on earth could this person say so while Duch, head of the Tuol Sleng prison, admitted that he is guilty. Last night the press played their voices together Duch and that person on their different accounts of Tuol Sleng. While millions of Cambodians killed throughout the country, this person argues Pol Pot did not do it. What does he mean by that when the trial is still going on? As a politician, one has to be cautious in what one says or one will become the cause of destruction to one’s political affiliation. This person traded Son San’s party for Funcinpec’s member of the Senate. That fact is not secret to anyone./.