In addition to the prepared texts, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen made impromptu comments with unofficial selections and translations as followed:

  • Samdech, Excellencies Deputy Prime Ministers, Senior Ministers, Ministers;
  • Excellencies Labor Ministers of Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam;
  • Excellencies Ambassadors, Distinguished National-International Guests;
  • Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, and All participants!

Today, I have the great honor and pleasure to participate in this opening ceremony of the “3rd Ministerial Conference on Labour Cooperation in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam (CLMTV) under the theme of “Toward the Protection of Migrant Workers in CLMTV: Cooperation on Social Protection Sectors”, which is solemnly organized at this moment.

[Impromptu Comments 1]

It has been quite sometimes that we only use this acronym CLMV. Now we have included our Thai friends who is with us in ACMECS, the Greater Mekong Sub-region, and our neighbor. Alphabetically, T (for Thailand) will come before V (for Vietnam). You may have noted that in every meeting as such Vietnam always came last to give speeches. In ASEAN, Brunei is before Cambodia and Cambodia stands second among ASEAN countries alphabetically.

[End of Impromptu Comments 1]

I would like to express my warm welcome and appreciation to Excellencies, Labour Ministers of Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished National-International Guests, who are present in the land of Siem Reap, the rich area in world heritage and the city of wealth and wonder of Khmer Empire during the Angkor period.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my appreciation to the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training that has had good collaboration with relevant ministries and competent authorities in organizing these significant meetings of 5th Senior Officials’ Meeting and 3rd Ministerial Conference on Labour Cooperation in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam (CLMTV).

On behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia, I would like to congratulate on the progress of the labour cooperation in CLMVT that has provided appropriate job opportunities, and addressed high attention on the protection and promotion of migrant workers’ rights in accordance with 2007 ASEAN Declaration on Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers in Cebu, the Philippines, and 2017 ASEAN Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers in Manila, the Philippines.

Nowadays, employment migration has become a global current that has had influence across countries in the world.  So far, employment migration has increased only between the neighboring countries while nowadays, with the modern and loaded means of receiving information in the world as well as the easier and cheaper transportation, people have been given more possibility and ease to migrate for employment opportunity in the foreign countries.

In fact, CLMTV countries always address attention on the well-being of migrant workers through the implementation of protection and respect for rights and working condition policies in compliance with ASEAN standard and international treaties by considering the implementation of labour rights and social protection as the implementation of human rights. Meanwhile, the cooperation of CLMTV has also introduced the initiative on mobility of social protection for migrant workers in order to provide more possibility for workers to benefit from social protection regime, despite the mobility of their work from one country to another country. This is the joint goal of CLMTV as well as ASEAN community and other countries in the world that have been implemented.

Therefore, as one of the members of CLMTV labour cooperation, Cambodia would like to support this initiative through the introduction of various policies and regulations on the protection of rights and benefits for both Cambodian migrant workers in foreign countries and foreign migrant workers in Cambodia. At the same time, Cambodia has also been implementing bilateral agreement on labour cooperation with other countries among the 4 friendly nations in order to contribute in the implementation of the Cebu ASEAN Declaration and Manila ASEAN consensus, which is the jointly agreed objective of the CLMTV countries on the mobility of social protection regime, which has accomplished in the past.

[Impromptu Comments 2]

New Tendency for Workers Abroad

Let me have your attention from this forum on a new tendency in our world. Previously, traveling from one country to another, especially in the time of cold war, had not been that simple. As the cold war subsided, I noticed that a number of countries started to welcome foreign workers from other countries. Vietnam has had this experience in sending their workers to the former Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries. As for the present tendency, since there is a better integration in the region, sub-region, and with many partnering countries, while there are information on jobs markets available coupling with more convenient means of transportation, people are seeking for jobs opportunities. We have noticed that there are growing number of aging people in some countries that creates jobs (in caring of the aged) for younger population from other countries. Take for instance in Japan, regulations have been relaxed for foreign workers to come work in Japan. South Korea sends many of theirs to Japan.

Thailand Receives Migrant Workers In and Send Thai Workers Out

We are talking in the framework of five countries no matter in what group we are talking about whether ACMECS or Greater Mekong Sub-region, to include just China and Asian Development Bank (ADB). We are talking now in the case of five countries, which is a part of wider cooperation among ASEAN nations. In ASEAN, countries with shortage of labor could be Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia. Other member countries have their own labors. Take for instance Thailand, even if it receives migrant workers from Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos, Thailand also sends its workers to countries where their skilled labor would earn more. It has been a normal development. Upon meeting with (Malaysian) Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad, I learnt from him about many migrant workers working in Malaysia, Thai workers also included. In any instance, we must accept that among Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam, Thailand is leading in taking in migrant workers – mostly from Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos. There are jobs available out there and it has a correlation to many things. Should Thailand stop receiving migrant workers, its economy is going to fall because of shortage of labor.

Some Criticize Finding People Jobs Abroad as Sending Them Work as Servants

I know it is not only the case of Cambodia. As far as I know, Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia are working in cooperation with Thailand on status of workers turning them from illegal migrant workers to legal ones. I do not what happens in your countries but in mine, helping people find jobs opportunity abroad like in South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, etc. received criticism for sending people to work as other peoples’ servants […] jobs area available either local or abroad and everyone has to have a job to make a living. Helping people to migrate for jobs has become an issue that some blaming us for lack of jobs inside the country and sending p