On 28 January 2016, in a message on Facebook recalling about smoking and quitting smoking history, Samdech Techo wrote “28 January 2016, my granddaughter turned 16 years old. The biggest present I reserved for her was my fulfillment of a promise that I would stop smoking when I had a first grandchild.” From March 2014 up to the present, Samdech recalled, “I quitted smoking completely 22 months already.” Samdech Techo affirmed he no longer had to flee or put out cigarettes immediately when his grandchildren came to visit him or when he paid them a visit.
Reminding smokers to cease smoking and those who intend to smoke to not do so, Samdech advised that to do no smoking not only saves them money but also keep them good health and those of their families, friends, community and environment, all of which are part and parcel of public health. Samdech said that “after joining the army, I became a smoker, started with learning to smoke … (at that time) to reduce stress and/or prevent bites of mosquitoes and insects.” It was not long that Samdech became a chain smoker and continued to smoke while in deep thought. Nearly all soldiers in the military unit that he served smoked. His addiction was deep enough that he had to find other leaves such as papayas’ to replace hard-to-find tobacco, sometimes, Samdech wrote.
Samdech Techo also recalled that from 1979 through to 2014, Samdech tried 12 times in vain to quit smoking. Even 28 January 2000, when his granddaughter was born, Samdech still could not do it. In March 2014, he succeeded and it was not only for fulfilling his promise, Samdech stressed, but also for the sake of his own health, and those of his wife, children and grandchildren, as well as in conformity with current world and Cambodian movement to reduce and stop smoking to achieve a Cambodia free of cigarette smoke./.