Excerpts of Off-the-Cuff Speech at the 22nd National Culture Day, the Closing of Sixth Youth Arts Festival, and the 3rd Gathering of Artists [Unofficial Translation]
[…] (The Ministry) must find it out. Even if the (Cambodian) persons who led the Royal Ballet team is a royal families member himself, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts must invite and give him/her instruction on such devastating action. Cambodian arts belongs to the Cambodian nation, not an exclusive property of anyone royal members. Even HM the King, he never considers them his own exclusively […]
[…] Firstly, please work together to keep value of national culture and arts by maintaining the different forms of arts that we have. I continue to say that there could be no cultural aggression from outside but only voluntary acceptance […]
[…] Secondly, may I ask artists not to insult each other online/Facebook? It is quite inappropriate. As artists, you are public figures taking your appearance on TV and among thousands of public where you performed. What would it do to your reputation when you insult one another on Facebook? […] either in associations or as individuals, artists must refrain from such rhetoric or insults […] you are pursuing roles of social educators but you seemed to do things that disrepute yourselves […]
Samdech Techo Hun Sen, 22nd National Culture Day, 3 March 2020