It is tremendously a great pleasure for my wife and I as well as other leaders to meet you – handicap soldiers, families, teachers and Buddhist monks again today. Please allow me to excuse myself for being absent on 7 March 2012, when you organized the inauguration ceremony of a temple in your Buddhist monastery here. It was because I could not leave my late father then as he was in critical health condition. I had to ask HE Say Chhum, Vice President of the Senate, and HE Chea Sophara, Minister of Rural Development, to represent me in that very important religious ceremony.
TVD in a Little More than Six Years
I have just heard the report of General Tit Meng Long concerning the initial commencement of the Techo Village Development (TVD) and its progress over a span of six years. Let us think it over a little here. Six years ago, would anyone have thought that there would be referral hospital, Buddhist monastery and development centre right in the heart of this forest? I am sure there would not be. The progress has in fact indicated our carefully planned development. As of now, we have more teachers than we thought there would be. According to the report by HE Kun Kim, Joint Chief of Staff, we have here 12 new comers – medical and teaching staff, who would need to build homes, though the Centre has in fact provided them with housing lots already.
I urge the speedy construction of their homes. As those who have come before, we also offer each with a motorcycle. I would urge the Ministries of Health and of Education to consult and study local demand before sending more staffs here. I also learnt that some of the students who finished their upper secondary school education have also gone on to tertiary education sponsored by the scholarships provided by the University on my behalf. You may have remembered what I said at Kien Svay district before we moved our handicap soldiers to this place. I will not abandon my plan to keep monitoring the development of your livelihood in this settlement. It is true that it is immature to set up a University here but we are quite realistic that with the primary and secondary school education here, children and/or grandchildren of our handicap soldiers would have the necessary foundation of education to go on to University.
Connectivity Infrastructure
HE Chea Sophara has made me a report about a development plan that covers not only this village but also the whole area adjacent to it using the funding of over three million USD from the Republic of Korea. The project starts in the commune of Treng Troyoeung, Phnom Sruaj district, Kompong Speu province and the commune of Trapaing Plang, Chhouk district of Kompot. The project has provided communities with 25 hand-pump wells, two water ponds in Kompong Speu and one in the Techo Village Development. It also built a water reservoir of 100 meters by 100 meters in TVD and asphalted a road leading from the National Road 4 through to TVD in the commune of Techo Development in Chhouk district, Kompot province.
It has taken my convoy, led by a siren car, one hour and thirty minutes to get here from Phnom Penh. I would urge the Ministry of Rural Development to conduct a review study of the remaining four Kilometres of this road linking the TVD to the National Road 4. Connecting TVD on another side to the National Road 3 at La Ang, Chhouk district and the Ang Duong road, we also have to see to it too. Having said that, for the immediate phase, we need to connect TVD to the NR 4 and I am urging the Ministry of Public Works and Transports to figure out the second phase of connecting TVD through Damnak Ampil to Angduong road.
Facebook War of Words, Salary in Time
General Tit Meng Long also said that Electricity of Kompot has planted electric poles, which he thinks will wire electricity sometime in December this year into the area. I am urging the Ministry of Energy and Mines to speed up the working process of this front. This is the Techo era and the TVD has a beautiful pagoda. Some politicians, while enjoying their bathing at sea, flirted with children on the beach “which one is better Techo and Toek Cho (water rises)?” I cannot believe it really to have heard they made such analogy. In facebook, someone who must be CPP supporter returned the analogy of Rainsy and Angke Si (mangy) while asking which one is better. I wonder why the person always thinks and does things that are insulting others.
I have noticed that we have something beautiful in the pagoda. What is that? That is the rows of cucumbers. I learnt that our handicap soldiers are planting them. We have a problem here. We have a good pagoda but we still have fencing to finish. To help finish the fence, I am providing the remaining financial need and the military engineer team will be responsible. I noticed that the manager of TVD was a one star general when I met him at Kien Svay district’s Handicap Soldiers Centre. How long has it been now? Four years, right. HE Tia Banh, Minister of National Defence, should consider his seniority and the important work he has been doing.
Do you get your salary in time? You do, that is good. On what day do you normally get the pay? (Was it) on the 29th? That is good. On the 30th or 31st of the month is what we have been working to achieve. It is our goal that government servants, armed forces, handicapped soldiers, and retirees have to get paid at end of the month. The Ministries of Finance and Economy and of Public Functions have been working on that but the ministries concerned should also give further attention to that. Over the time I had not come there seems to be more children born here. I notice that we have newly born of 200 over that span of time. We started with 12 teachers and now we have 64 of them.
Tall Tale of Hun Sen’s Death
Maybe I should talk about something. It must have been ghost talking now. There had been spread of news in Australia that I died of stroke. A person called but I missed his call and he texted me later for confirmation. This morning you may find a picture of me receiving former Foreign Minister of Singapore. I need to convey a message advising those who fabricated the tall tale to care for their own health instead. As educated human beings, they should pray for someone’s life, not death. I may advise them too that if I were to have died of natural cause, they may need to pack. Frankly speaking, there is only one man, at this time, who can apply inclusive force in Cambodia. By praying for my death, you may have no one to prevent harm from happening.
We need a man who can control the Cambodian situation. Some foreigners even whisper among themselves that Cambodia cannot go without Hun Sen yet. While those people spread information of my death, in fact with Deputy Prime Ministers and concerned officials, I was on a visit to the Royal Palace to present the report to HM the King. On Saturday, I had 18 holes golfing. I also had another the next morning. I wish to convince them I am from a family that never betrays the nation, does not have gene of leprosy or mental disorder – both from my mother’s and father’s side. My father had a good memory until his last minute. Why have they been so poor manner in politics? They never recognize their electoral losses. When they cannot win by elections, they resort to praying for their opponent’s death. They should know that that is a cheap move.
My death would leave them in packing mode. To be frank who else would control the situation. Please look at the Constitution. When the post of Prime Minister is vacant for permanence, there is a need to set up another Cabinet. That is the trick. It will not be that Deputy Prime Minister Tia Banh, Bin Chhin, Sar Kheng or Ke Kim Yan to take the post of acting Prime Minister. That is why I am telling them they should think of that. Who would control whom in that case? The strong will definitely do. That is the point of death. Do read the Constitution attentively. When the Prime Minister is dead or the post is in permanent vacancy, the Royal Government also ceases to function or dissolves. While going to the National Assembly for a meeting (on setting up a new government), who then would control the situation as no one would be in official posting. I just want to enlighten you this issue.
CPP Agrees to Add NEC as Chapter 15 of the Constitution
I wonder how people could have believed in them when they could do all the tricks and posting lies in facebook. If they could lie this much, I wonder what else that they would not go an extra mile to lie about it or do anything worse. I may warn them to measure their actions and words accordingly or they would meet consequences. I have allowed them to go extra miles for quite sometime now. I just cannot understand how cunning these guys can be. They negotiated with us. We reached an agreement. They then rejected the result and swapped their negotiators and topic of negotiation. That is why I asked (the CPP) negotiating team to send the taped negotiation and text to them.
They should be clear that while they possess the rights to hold protest, our side also do. Every time they threaten us with protest. The other day I learnt that there was a protest against them in Anlong Veng. While you have the rights to protest, your opposite has too. I could fathom that the Electoral Commission is to be stipulated in the Constitution but I never understand when they talk about it being a constitutional institution. I am telling you now that the Cambodian People’s Party agrees to include the election committee in chapter 15 of the Constitution, which stipulates about the organization of the electoral committee, its role and duty as well as the committee’s members selection process.
However, they should not go further to divide the power of the Constitutional Council or any other institutions. I have reported to HM the King that Cambodia could face anyone of three situations. I am sharing two with you – (1) your participation, which is a good option and (2) if you continue to stay outside, we will go on until the elections in 2018. The military dismissed and took power from elected government in a neighbouring country. In Egypt, they arrested elected President. The one who arrested the President is now the President himself. We have come from the election with approval of the National Assembly and HM the King, why can we not resolve the problem. You may go on staying outside because there is no law in Cambodia to carry you in.
After the elections, we have to proceed according to the electoral process and any problems must be resolved at the Constitutional Council. I told them since September-16 meeting that I do not have the right to talk with them on any of those issues as the Constitutional Council already gave its final decision on the matter. If I were to bring that matter up, I would face the law too. You challenge for a re-election, on which law should we do that, if we were to agree to do so? Even if you wanted to do a referendum, you would also have to sit and discuss in the National Assembly whether such a law would be necessary.
We have been patient. They should measure their move to a moderate mode. Otherwise, patience would wear thin. We have gathered and collated documents on incitements. We will send them to all embassies. When the time has come, you would not have a chance to escape. You do not have (parliamentary) immunity too. There is no need for immunity removal from the National Assembly. The court can just file an arrest warrant. Having said that, they would say in the course of negotiation, we threaten to arrest them. We do not arrest them and let them conduct the negotiation but they behave even more disrespectful. I heard that by staying out they have made better fortune. Months ago, they bought a plot of land in Mehmot, two plots in Chamkar Loeu, and houses. There are also those who have gone into debts since the elections and are in need of salary.
I dictated for him in the telephone conversation what we have agreed and should go on. The parliamentarian elections will take place in February 2018, I dictated and he repeated in his writing on the other side. We have shifted the voting day from July to February, a cooler month and people are free from their cultivation. If you do not take it, we will go on with the existing schedules. If you do not join the National Assembly to help with the amendment of the Constitution, it will be up to you. My priority will then concentrate on whether people have sufficient water to grow rice and if they live in peace, whether the royal armed forces and government officials get paid in time, or how to go about increasing salary for workers.
I need to warn them though, this time any protest will not go without anti-protest. They cannot deny us of our rights to protest. They say it is their rights when they protest against us. When we do to them, they say it is not rights but disturbance. An embassy sent a message to my son and my son responded: “rights of CPP supporters must be guaranteed equally as those of the opposition’s”. Look! What do they do in Ukraine? They launch military operations in Donetsk, Luhansk, etc. The Kiev government does not allow secession. You may want to try here. The first to take out would be the top. They have insulted my life beyond anyone could endure.
Charges of incitement for turmoil and loss of lives, damages of properties have yet to start and I am asking that foreigners should stay away from Cambodian internal affairs. What have they done in Egypt? The elected President stays in prison and the one who put him in prison has become the President. Have anyone ever said anything about it? Some have even declared getting ready to work with the new President. They do not say a word when thousands died of crackdown and hundreds died from trial. In Thailand, HM the King issued a royal decree for Gen. Prayuth Chan Ocha to lead the country. We have no choice but to work with the General. When they have a government, if they choose to visit Cambodia, we will have to answer to that.
As for me, CPP wins the elections. HM the King approved my appointment (as Prime Minister) and entrusted me with the task of forming the Royal Government, which we then presented and sought for approval from the National Assembly. With approval of the National Assembly, HM the King issued a royal decree endorsing the appointment of the Royal Government. Every RGC member has then had to take oath before the throne. Recognizing or not is your rights but in Cambodia you shall have to abide by the law of the country. If you choose to do anything unlawful, try it if you want and you will be handcuffed. If you are really defiant, do not run into foreign embassy. Upon our meeting, he said: “Samdech, we are growing old now, let’s fight no more and let’s do good things”. I responded: “Excellency, that is what I wanted the most but you said that when you meet me but when you are out of here, you scold me again.”
On TV Station for the Opposition
They told me they wanted a TV station. I told them to ask a company to write a latter to ask for permission to run a TV station. I told even before the electoral campaign (for the commune councillors’ elections) through an agent. I made it clear that the Party cannot own a TV station because if we have 50 political parties in Cambodia and each party wants one TV station, what can we do? I assured them to set up a company with appropriate trade registration. He promised me he would do that. I asked Information Minister Khieu Kannharith if we can give a channel for them from the National Television Kampuchea.
He should just write a few words on the company’s request, which could serve to protect his interest with the company at a later stage and I would be able to instruct giving a channel for the requested TV station. Up to this moment, because they wanted to shut out completely the result of the election, they leave it undone. May I send a message to supporters of the opposition that I have allowed the set up of a TV station and (the fact that it does not happen is) because the person is disrespectful. The US diplomat told HE Sar Kheng if we allow the opposition to have its TV, everything will be resolved. I agree for them to have a TV station, but why did you not write a letter to request for it? Is not it because you lack the will to resolve the problem?
Now it is up to you but you must not spread rumours of my death or I could pretend to be dead for a few days and wake up again. I would wait until everything is out of control and I will become alive again. In that case, they may find themselves in danger. They always say that they win the election. They win where and on what ground. In fact, they never win in their life. When they see that the Cambodian People’s Party lost some seats, and they gained some, they lust for re-election. There is no law for you to do that. Doing thing illegal is tantamount to launching a coup. I defend the Constitution, nation, religion and King. If you mess with us, it is because you ask for it./.