Japan Provides Assistance and Builds Many Hospitals for Cambodia
I am so pleased today to join with all of you to put into official use “The Sunrise Japan Hospital”- which the first of its kind of the Japanese private investments. Prior to such investment, the people and government of Japan have provided numerous hospitals for the people of Cambodia in form of its grant aid. If I could recall, over the past years, I have worked with many Japanese ambassadors to put into official operation and use of hospitals in Phnom Penh, Kompong Cham and Banteay Meanjei, for example. This has clearly revealed efforts and care given on wellbeing, by the government and people of Japan, to the people of Cambodia.
The report by Dr. Shigemi Kitahara has set lights on points that there are needs further private sector assistance can be of help. I would like to take this opportune moment to express my sincere thanks to HE Kiyoshi Odawara, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, for kindly making his presence possible to this event and for delivering us such an important message from the Japanese Prime Minister HE Shinzo Abe. It is encouraging that some of the points raised in the letter have singled out importance of relation between Cambodia and Japan, whereby the Sunrise Japan Hospital is also in it.
In the visit of HE Shinzo Abe to Cambodia in 2013, if I could recall, there were discussions in which the Sunrise Japan Hospital investment project was afro mentioned. Days ago, in Vientiane, Laos, at the ASEAN-Japan summit and the Mekong Sub-region, HE Shinzo Abe also reaffirmed efforts and mad a review of what Japan and the Mekong countries have achieved, in which the Sunrise Japan Hospital is an example.
Many Works Achieved With HE Shinzo Abe
HE Shinzo Abe and I have been partners that worked a lot for the relationship between Japan and Cambodia. I worked with many Japanese Prime Ministers but HE Shinzo Abe and I have been working together to promote our two countries’ relations to strategic partnership. We did so many things and many achievements scored last year – the Neak Loeung Bridge that our people had waited many past decades with a new name – or Tsubasa. On 1 September, direct flight between Narita, Tokyo, to Phnom Penh started. I am certain that the Vice Minister will take a direct flight this evening from Phnom Penh to Tokyo.
I am looking for appropriate time to be able to travel to Tokyo also with this direct flight. I have been wearing Japanese artificial eye since 1997. Now I have only one left. It would be difficult to find in case it falls breaking for any reason. I am also figuring out my time to go to Japan for some new ones. Please allow me to take this opportune moment to deliver my thanks from afar to the Japanese Prime Minister HE Shinzo Abe, as well as the whole government of Japan for always supporting development of the Kingdom of Cambodia …
Advanced Hospital Increases Confidence of Tourists and Investors
I am sharing my joy with the view that this is just the beginning. Dr. Yoshifumi Hayashi has acknowledged that there is a long road to go and he will make this a hospital that supports and answers to people’s demands. That we have such high-standard hospital will increase trust and confidence of investors and high-end tourists from anywhere to come to Cambodia. They may need to know before investing in Cambodia or making a tour in the country, whether there are hospitals with complete services to save them. Building a hospital is not one that answers to requirement for health care alone but also other related sectors such as tourism, investment and research, for instance, in Cambodia.
Well, I could have been the hospital’s first patient because I am having a fever today. I cannot cancel this pre-scheduled event though. I could not do it for the event yesterday and the same for today. I am having throat infection … I will have to get back home to finish my paper works. I did yesterday work with it until 1300 hours, and later had a meeting at the office of the Prime Minister until 1900 hours. I will however make myself ready to see Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, HE Kiyoshi Odawara, in the afternoon […]
Keeping ZIKA Away from Cambodia
I would take this opportune moment to appeal to our people and health sector on this contagious virus ZIKA that rampages from Latin America through to countries nearby us, or we could say right at our gate. It has not been discovered in Cambodia yet but it is not far from us. They discovered it in Thailand. It is reported to have occurred in Singapore. In this situation, I am seeking care and attention to pool efforts to keep the Kingdom of Cambodia free from this dangerous virus. With controls set up by the Ministry of Health, plus efforts made by people to exercise hygiene and care when they travel from one country to the other, we will be able to protect our people’s health.
As I am proud with every efforts we jointly make together to ensure our health sector’s progress. I sincerely hope that our medical trainees attending this event will strive in their studies. I am sure this hospital will provide chances to you for your training purpose and I hope the director of this hospital will allow your presence, especially specialized medical staff. As I am pleased with what is happening now, I agree with the statement that this is just the beginning on a long trip we are making.
JMRP – A Good Initiative
The state sector of Japan did provide Cambodia with so much assistance in health sector. Japan also provided Cambodia with so much grant aid. In the past years, investments from Japan have brought Cambodia high-tech projects, especially to the Special Economic Zone in Phnom Penh, Koh Kong and other places. I hope that this relation will grow in conformity with strategic partnership and Japanese involvement in ASEAN integration, reducing gap between new and least development and older members, which is now in its third stage.
In fact the Japan-Mekong (Japan-Mekong Region Partnership) aid program, a very good initiative to help with the reduction of gap among mostly the countries along the Mekong, where development levels are lower than those of older ASEAN members. It is thankful that Japan picked up various projects together with Cambodia. In addition to connection of National Road 1, the project to improve National Road 5 from Preak Kadam through to Pursat, Battambang and to the border with Thailand, will serve as one of the most important southern transport corridor of the Mekong sub-region or in ASEAN.
Repairing the Japanese-Cambodian Bridge of Jroy Jangva
I hope that there will be more participations and I must make a point that anything that happens in Cambodia will be remarkably indicative to donors and people. Cambodians had gone through the most difficult period, since when Phnom Penh was without dwellers. It has now become overcrowded. Soon, we will seek our people’s understanding on the fact that we will have to close down traffic through the Jroy Jangva bridge for a while for the sake of repairing it. For the place where we are now, according to map, it used to be land of long reeds. Land erosion has brought this side of the Mekong river to gain high silt and more has built up. We do not allow that to go on. We are pumping sand to make way for water to flow […]
A Rush Judgment Would Worsen Things
There is a story that I wish to share with all of you. It is a story about a manager of a company and his accountant, who happens to be a female. The manager is also a married man. Exchange of messages was on Whatsaap or Line of Telegram. The message was coming in fragmented paragraph. The first part received by the manager’s end was “Mr. Manager, I am pregnant.” Picked up the husband phone to see what the notification was about, the manager’s wife saw the message. She hit her husband. The second chunk came “tomorrow I will inform my father and mother.” The manager’s wife in rage went on to a harder hit. While the third chunk arrived – “I am asking for your permission to go with my boy friend to see my father and mother.” Well, when the truth came in full, the manager enjoyed his wife three hits already.
The same is true for the situation in Cambodia. I would urge people not to make a rush conclusion but wait until they get to a complete set of facts. There was one other story. It is about a mother and child with two guavas. Mother gave two guavas to her child. The child had his bite on one of them. The mother then said please save me one. The child did not say anything but made a bite into the other one. The mother was so disappointed and turned away. Then the child called her and said “why don’t you take this one, mom, it tastes better.” Please do not rush to any judgment or one could worsen situation. This is just a food-for-thought thing. However, I am sure it could be true also in real life. You may liken this story to political affairs. Dr. Shigemi Kitahara made a brilliant point that it is just the beginning. I am calling for more supports to go on. This is optimism for evolving situation of Cambodia’s future.
Once again, via HE Kiyoshi Odawara, on behalf of the people of Cambodia, I would convey to Prime Minister HE Shinzo Abe as well as the government and people of Japan for always providing supports for the people of Cambodia. I also thank companies of Japan, enjoying loan from JICA, for making their decisions to invest in Cambodia. I hope that such investment will continue to happen. I am so anticipating when I heard just now that there will even be a university for health …/.
