-Your Venerable Buddhist Monks,
–H.E. Yvon Roé d’Albert, Ambassador of France to Cambodia,
-Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, National and International Guests
-Military Officers, Non-commission Officers, Soldiers and Participants,
-Our Beloved Compatriots!
Today, I am honored and have a great pleasure to participate with Your Venerable Buddhist Monks, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, National and International Guests, Military Officers, Non-Commission Officers, Soldiers, Participants and Our Beloved Compatriots in the Closing 7th Batch of Active Military Officers Training Course which is the first Bachelor Degree Course being offered to Military Officers and due to the request from the school management and the Ministry of National Defense, I would like to name this Batch as “Makara Sen Chey Batch” (Grand January Victory) and I wish this batch and the next successful in all tasks.
On behalf of the Royal Government and myself, I warmly congratulate and compliment Ministry of National Defense, General Command of Royal Cambodia Armed Force (RCAF) that closely cooperated with Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to initiate and organize this training course and the step-by-step reform in order to formulate these training sessions in to a new study curriculum by assigning professors to teach the fields of general knowledge, socio-economic science and political science until successfully receiving the Bachelor Degree at this 7th Batch of Active Military Officers.
Taking this opportunity, on behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia and myself, I would like to express my respect and gratitude for the sacrifices and dedication in overcoming obstacles by Military Officers, Non-commission officers and Soldiers of the RCAF in the cause of reconciliation, unification and peace for our nation. Moreover, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to our compatriots who have personally sacrificed their beloved children, husbands and relatives serving the RCAF to protect the nation of all generations and I would like to convey my regards with respects, love and gratitude to families of the deceased, disable, demobilized and under-treatment soldiers to have good health and quickly recover from any kind of disease.
In addition, on behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia, Ministry of National Defense, General Commander of the RCAF, I would like to welcome military attaché of the friend countries who present here and via them, I would like to convey my thanks to their respective governments, arm forces and people who have supported the reform, building and strengthening of the RCAF.
Particularly, I would like to sincerely thank the Government and Army of the Republic of France, especially the French Military Cooperation Mission Group in Cambodia, for good cooperation with the RCAF by providing support in materials, spirit and budget to equip facilities for the Military School since 1993. Obviously, French has renovated the school by constructing more buildings for accommodation, classrooms, water and electricity supply, modern facilities, training fields and other services to modernize the training process of Military Officers of RCAF. Moreover, we are going to officially inaugurate the Simulationroom by using the information system that will be installed here for study purposes.
I still remember that, on 9 June 1998, I presided over the closing of the 1st Batch of the Military Officers Training Course. The duration of the training course was only 18 months after when the students of both sexes were being selected with bachelor degrees who have voluntarily joined the RCAF following the Prakas of Ministry of National Defense for the training of soldiers of the big brigade or compatible rank.
Today, I participate once again in the closing of the 7th Batch of the Active Military Officers Training Course which is the new course after the reform by the RCAF in 2003 by selecting candidates with High School Certificates and extended the training course up to 4 years. Certainly, the reform is for higher education, meaning that bachelor degree courses were being offered to the military officers which are equivalent to the bachelor degrees that are being offered at higher education institutions elsewhere across the country.
Under this framework, it should be noted that the achievements that we are celebrating here today has revealed the progress of the RCAF which is a part of Human Resources Development following the Rectangular Strategy of the third legislative Royal Government. Moreover, the training of the bachelor degree for active military officers is a good start in expanding the capacity, know-how, socio-economic and political knowledge and high responsibility and efficiency of General Commander at all military units who have been trained by the military school so far.
-Your Venerable Monks,
-Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, National and International Guests
-Military Officers, Non-commission Officers, Soldiers and Participants,
-Our Beloved compatriots!
In responding to the obligation of this new phase and some other works, I would like to advise Commanders, Co-Commanders, Military Officers, Non-commission officers and Soldiers at all institutions and all units of the RCAF to further broadening the achievements so far by focusing on some of the practical priority works as follows:
1. Must continue to successfully attaint the objectives as set in the political agenda and the Rectangular Strategy of the Royal Government and, especially the RCAF’s reform program.
2. Continue to rightly fulfill the roles and responsibilities as stipulated in the General Ethics of the RCAF by expressing honesty and all kinds of sacrifice for the national interest.
3. Strengthen and expand the quality of army’s capabilities through technical training and short training courses, training for trainee, psychological education as well as strengthening the discipline, morality, attitudes, respecting the rules and regulation of RCAF and the state laws. These tasks need to be regularly monitored for their contribution to the enhancement culture of peace, strengthening the state law, promoting democracy, respecting human rights and decent livings, as to gain respects and loves from the people.
4. Continue to make further effort in training more human resources to develop a suitable size and efficient arm forces in fulfilling their job. Moreover, we need to organize some more professional training courses such as agriculture techniques, handicrafts and services etc. to build sufficient capacity for armies of the RCAF to make their living and improving their living whenever they want to get back into their normal lives as civilians.
5. Must continue to improve the living standard of armies living in the units by paying attention on the building of camp and head quarters, health cares and farming for their daily living in addition to the government budget with innovative ideas and high responsibilities.
6. All military units of the RCAF have to cooperate with local institutions and authorities to maintain peace, public order by actively participate in cracking down crimes and offenses including robberies, homicides, drug trafficking, women and children trafficking, money laundering, forest land encroachment, natural and cultural resources depletion and the wide spread of gangster cult as well as joint with competency institutions to fight against illegal business and smuggling etc. In order to achieve the above objectives, all RCAF units must:
(i) Improve the management and monitoring explosives, seize and take legal action again the illegal weapon trafficking aims at building more confidence of our people on security, social stability, especially must participate to implement the Law on Managing, Using, Trading, Transporting Weapons adopted by the National Assembly which is now is up for review by the Assembly.
(ii) Cooperate with local authority and competency forces to strictly and constantly monitor the anarchic check points of all forms that constraints the rights of the people and our economy.
(iii) Strengthen the cooperation with national and international community to fight against anarchic activities, terrorism, cross-border crimes and eliminate any illegal political and military organization that severely threaten national security in order to maintain, strengthen and improve safety, public order, social stability as well as for the common safety of the region and the world.
7. Contribute to building social infrastructure and development in all fields at the bases near the military units, especially make a favorable environment and be ready to help people during catastrophe. RCAF have a very important role to protect national sovereignty, security and safety for the nation and people during war time and the factor of production during the peace time in order to address the issues such as lack of water, labor forces during harvesting seasons etc.
8. Continue to expand international cooperation following the policies of the Royal Government to integrate Cambodia into the international communities. In this regard, RACF do not need to only build a good relation with friend countries, but it must train forces to be ready for International Humanity Mission if requested by the United Nation and under the command from the Royal Government.
Once again, I would like deeply thanks Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen who are the Military Officers, Non-commission officers, Soldiers, who are leaders and trainees who have fulfilled their duties with proud success in organizing the course and working together as well as joint together between the people and the RCAF to address all issues. Finally I would like to wish you all with the Five Gems of Buddhist Blessings.
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