To Excellencies, Lok Chumteav, Governors of Provincs and Capital City,
So far, I have given to all provinces/capitals the real power to allow or disallow a meeting or ceremony in their territory. I see that some provincial capitals have also taken measures such as suspending meetings, organizing wedding parties, etc., but some provinces they have not yet implemented. I am giving you this right because the situation is not the same from one province to another. Now we see that every wedding is risky gathering as in the new case in Takeo where there are people who go from one place to another to join the wedding party. This is an issue that I am asking the provinces to consider a decision to suspend permissions for wedding parties to take place.
I think this is something that we should seriously examine and set out a plea measure for our people to understand. Now, just because of this case (of tranmission in) Takeo, many schools have been closed. (We cannot say) how much more risks it will lead to. Regarding (power delegation), I have already given to His Excellency, Lok Chumteav, the right to act, and it all depends on whether His Excellency, Lok Chumteav knows how to use the rights that I have given. (I have given you already the right to) allow or suspend opening/operating so and so buildings, closing some areas, or closing a meeting. Please review where there are no serious measures, (you may need to) pay attention, because (this latest case is) someone living in Phnom Penh going to join a wedding party in the province, and that person tunred out to be Covid-19 positive. A case that surprised almost half the country. Therefore, the marriage should be suspended. It is also possible, and it has been a practice too among our people, to organize simply a small ceremony temporarily to seek blessing from passing away ancestors, and a proper wedding ceremony later.
I think our traditions are not in conflict with this. Even myself, under the Pol Pot regime, (our wedding went through) without the priest, the conductor, the music, but in the end I lived with my wife and we have children and grandchildren. However, some who had sublime marriages had, within days, months, years, divorces. So, in this circumstance, I think our people have an understanding of the difficulties that the country is in. I would like to ask the provincial governors to consider issuing orders for the temporary suspension of weddings or other ceremonies in their provinces, as some provinces, so far as I know, Kep, Kampot, Phnom Penh and some other provinces, already did.
Excellencies, Lok Chumteav, may review this and prepare a letter of notification to request the understanding of the people on the issue of temporary suspension of marriage and so on. Thank you, Excellencies, Lok Chumteav, for paying attention to this issue, and I hope that you will continue to call on the people’s participation in this difficult situation. Thank you.
