(1) Oknha Association has a strong structure with legal standards and mechanisms to ensure operational sustainability and effectiveness
First of all, allow me to convey my greetings and best wishes for the success of the annual convention of the Oknha Association of Cambodia from His Majesty the King and the Queen Mother […] according to the report and the video broadcast, we can see the establishment of a strong structure with legal standards as well as support mechanisms to ensure the sustainability and effectiveness of the association’s operations. I would like to commend the initiatives that the Oknha Association has taken, under the leadership of Mr. Oknha Ly Yong Phat, and which, based on the legal standards, ensures that the operation is in accordance with the regulations, and support mechanisms that ensures the operation is well-organized. I have said before that it is difficult to get something established, but ensuring sustainability is even more difficult […]
(2) The private sector is the engine of economic growth, while the state is the economist and manager
I am taking this opportunity to thank the Association for its participation in priding HM the King and the Queen Mother resources so that Their Majesties are able to lead in the humanitarian work. You know that in this world, our King is the poorest, but is also the most generous […] the participation of the Oknha Association with the Cambodian Red Cross, to provide help to hospitals, and other activities, including sports and culture, all demonstrate the activities of participation and support for the process for society […] We must clearly understand the strategies and methods, as well as the actual situation that has arisen, is arising, and will arise in the future, namely that the private sector is the engine of economic growth, while the state is only an economist and a manager […]
(3) From being an importing country to be a manufacturing hub for export
I have listened attentively to the Prime Minister’s closing remarks […] and noted that Cambodia’s trade volume has increased to a total of 56 billion USD, in which Cambodia’s exports has increased to over 26 billion USD, while imports stayed at 28 billion USD […] Cambodia used to be an importing country to meet domestic demand. Now, it has the capacity to be a manufacturing country to export […]
Trade between Cambodia and Thailand has been recorded at about 10 billion (US dollars). We import more from Thailand than we export from Cambodia to Thailand […] The reason is that we have higher internal demand. Supplies from Thailand come to meet the needs of construction or consumption in Cambodia, such as fuel or other materials […]
Our trade volume with Vietnam is over 10 billion USD and at a similar rate […] previously, we imported more from Vietnam than we exported to Vietnam. Now, we exported to Vietnam less than we imported. Now, the trade volume between the two countries is almost balanced […]
Another thing that needs to understand clearly (is the trade balance) between Cambodia and China. We export less to China than we import from China. Why is there such an imbalance? Cambodia needs raw materials imported from China, especially fabrics, to serve garment factories […] (In this sense) China has contributed to helping Cambodia in supplying raw materials for production for export […]
(4) Maintaining the existing markets and expanding new ones
It is imperative to explain to the 17 million people in the country what the balance of trade is. Why there is a difference between imports and exports in the balance of trade? […] Noticeably, exports from Cambodia to some countries within the ASEAN framework are more than the exports from those countries to Cambodia. For example, our exports to Malaysia are more than the imports from Malaysia to Cambodia. This is the economic law of demand and supply […] From a country that relied on imports to feed itself, Cambodia has become a country that produces for exports. We are continuing to do this, through the Oknha Association and through the Chamber of Commerce, to maintain the existing markets and expanding new ones […]
(5) Strengthen the capacity of those with resources in Cambodia
The stronger the private sector, the stronger the country. I have said before that all means should be used to strengthen the capacity of those with resources in Cambodia […] one can look at President Donald Trump, who is gathering billionaires to help run the state […] It is good to see that all companies in Cambodia are doing well in tax compliance, allowing the new government to continue to improve national income through customs and taxes […] It is quite encouraging to see that companies did not go bankrupt despite the difficulties experienced in the years of COVID-19 through to the time of war in Europe, which had a profound impact on the socio-economic situation worldwide, and the geopolitical competition included […]
(6) Together prevent Cambodia from getting caught in the middle-income country trap
[…] May all businessmen with or without the title of Lok Oknha, Lok Nak Oknha or Oknha, support the goal of Cambodia leaving the status of the least developed country by 2026, and becoming an upper middle-income country by 2030, as well as achieving the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2050. I hope that the government, political parties in Cambodia, the Cambodian people, including the private sector, will contribute to preventing Cambodia from falling/getting caught in the middle-income country trap as what had happened to some countries in the world […] by striving to increase the capacity of the state, the private sector, accelerating growth and becoming a developed and high-income country.
(7) “I am willing to let the hybrid court fail but I will not let Cambodia return to war”
According to studies by economists as well as the Oknha Association, we are starting to have a labor shortage. On this note, I am calling on our workers to find job opportunities in the country […] and I want to emphasize the triangular strategy and the two goals that I put forward in 1998. The triangular strategy has three angles. The first angle is to achieve Cambodia internal pacification so that Cambodia does not return to war. I dare to speak to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Peace Palace in 2010 upon his visit to Cambodia that “I am willing to let the hybrid court fail, but I will not let my country return to war.” While convicting five or ten or 20 or 100 people, (the trial would be) bringing Cambodia back to war is not what Cambodia wants […]
That is why I am proud of what Cambodia has done […] Cambodia has maintained its authority within the framework of the hybrid court. The second angle of the triangular strategy is to achieve Cambodia’s integration into the international community as soon as possible. In a week, we took back the Cambodian seat at the United Nations […]; led the country into ASEAN, into the World Trade Organization, into all components of international mechanisms, even if we had to pay for membership, and that would include also the International Criminal Court (ICC), of which Cambodia is a member. In ASEAN, Cambodia is the only member of the ICC […]
(8) “Hun Sen of Cambodia”
When Gaddafi was killed, those opposition politicians compared me to Gaddafi. When Aung San Suu Kyi won the election in Myanmar, they quickly compared themselves to Aung San Suu Kyi and likened me to the military in Myanmar […] when the Bangladeshi government was overthrown, they immediately compared Cambodia to Bangladesh. When Assad left the country and the opposition took over, they compared me to Assad again. When the Duterte case happened, they compared me to Duterte […] they should not liken the success of others to theirs and blame every failure on Hun Sen. Let me tell you, Hun Sen is Hun Sen of Cambodia’s […]
(9) Four factors attract Cambodia to join ASEAN
I am getting back to talking about the fastest integration into the international community […] There are four factors that attract Cambodia to join ASEAN. The first factor is the principle of non-interference in internal affairs […] The second factor is community spirit. What is the community spirit? That is a process in which members are working on a consensus based, there is no minority, only the majority […] The third point is that we benefit from economic integration.
In this regard, at the 2000 meeting in Singapore, who was the chairman of ASEAN, we put forward the ASEAN integration initiative, with which the old ASEAN actors help contribute to the new ASEAN members through human resource training, tax preferences, even within the AFTA framework. The fourth point is that we see ASEAN as Cambodia’s diplomatic outlet. ASEAN has many partners, both regional partners and bilateral partners, such as ASEAN Plus 3, ASEAN Plus 1, ASEAN-Europe, ASEAN-UN, ASEAN-US, and other ASEANs. Then Cambodia’s diplomatic relations will expand […]
(10) Battlefields to become development areas and building a border of peace, friendship and cooperation
The two objectives (set out at the end of the war in late 1998) are – 1) transforming all former battlefields into development areas and markets. We have realized about 95% of the objective […] the remaining 5% is subjected to mines clearance and removal of unexploded ordnance […]; and 2) transforming the border lines with neighboring countries into borders of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development. Let’s not treat each other as enemies. All problems must be resolved peacefully and through negotiations […] a country can strive to develop with two main factors. The first factor is internal stability and the second factor is good neighborly relations […]
(11) Cambodia makes friends with every country in the world
I am sending this message (to the opposition) do not be hopeful for the “blossoming flowers” approach. Your hope will not come true. Day in and day out, (they are talking about) defeating (the government) […] they openly criticized Donald Trump during the election campaign. Now they are relying on the United States to put pressure on Cambodia, while Cambodia is the mediator between ASEAN and the United States. Do they not understand this? Are they really stupid or pretending to be one? […]
Cambodia is a member of ASEAN on the one hand, and a mediator on the other, so Donald Trump’s mandate requires him continued the coordination […] We do not consider America an enemy. We make friends with everyone in the world. We support solving all problems in the world through peaceful negotiations. We support a ceasefire in Gaza and Palestine, and continuing negotiation to reach peace. We encourage negotiation to solve the problems in Ukraine through negotiations, whether this is the role of the United States or whose else, as long as the war is stopped, it is good and that is what we wanted […]
(12) Oknha Association should do two things to help
I would like the Oknha Association, which has many investors, to help (1) buy paddy rice from our farmers to mill into white rice to distribute to the people or to supply it to their workers […] and (2) consider creating added value through agricultural production. Cambodia is becoming the country with the largest fresh cashew nut production in the world […] Vietnam imported it from Cambodia. In the recent meeting, Vietnam supported investing in processing in Cambodia rather than transporting it to Vietnam […] If we grow more industrial crops like cashew nuts, along with improving the livelihood of farmers, we also create a larger forest cover, which will ensure the greenness of Cambodia. This should be done together. Becoming an agro-industrial and agro-commercial sector is a transformation towards a developed country by 2050 […]
(13) In the proportional representation system, the party has a role in determining policies
I hope that the Prime Minister, the Ministers, and the Deputy Prime Minister (of the current government) will not be bored with, and do not see it as I am taking over the job. Foreigners say that Hun Sen still has great power. Of course, how could he lose the power. I am the head of the ruling party. You (in the opposition) must understand. You are the ones who are ignorant because you could not even understand the electoral system. To say whether Hun Sen has power or not, you must study the electoral system first. In the proportional representation system, the party has a role in determining policies. The Royal Government assigns and implements within the framework of the party’s policies.
(14) The Cambodian Constitution prohibits detention of Cambodian citizens and/or sending them abroad
If there is a change, the Prime Minister initiates adjustments within the framework of the party’s policies/guidelines. Even (in) the first elect to the post system, they government leader also respects the party’s policies […] for Cambodia, I declare that we will not detain our citizens and hand them over to other countries. The (Cambodian) Constitution also prohibits the detention of Cambodian citizens and sending them abroad […] (the opposition should) not compare Hun Sen with (Rodrigo) Duterte case […] I warn people who do not control their fingers on the social media/Facebook or they will be asked to come explain […]
(15) Handing over documents from pre-NUFSK until the latest documents to Win-Win Palace Management Committee
This morning, I told Samdech Pichey Sena Tea Banh and His Excellency Nem Sovath that I will hand over to the committee that manages the Win-win Palace all the documents from before the establishment of the National United Front for Salvation of Kampuchea (NUFSK) in 1978 until the latest documents, to be kept there. They will see Hun Sen’s handwriting about how to name of the Front, and to print money in Phnom Penh, when I had to explain to Brother Cha Rieng (then governor of the National Bank) how the banknotes would look like. The organization of the NUFSK’s General Assembly, and who belonged to which group, and did what. The organization of the third Party’s Congress, as who belonged to which group, and did what […] etc./.
