… Today I have a great pleasure to return once again to the district of Rumduol of Svay Rieng province after my last visit to inaugurate the College of Hun Sen-Uong Phan and my recent visits to this province. I am very honoured to be invited to inaugurate the temple and this is in fact the last pagoda of the week that I cut the ribbon, in the Buddhist year 2546 or the year of the horse. As the year of the goat started, I will inaugurate one more pagoda on the last day of our New Year ceremony. I have listened to the report by HE Governor Hun Neng, but what impressed me most was that the pagoda had gone through many head monks and the venerable Long Sim, the head monk of this pagoda in 1970s, who had become one of the 14 members of the founding members of the National United Front for the Salvation of Kampuchea. I think this is a pride that our people as parishioners to the pagoda should be taking.
… Talking about the situation of Rumduol district, it should be recalled that there used to be minefields and booby traps. Almost 40% of rice fields and roads of Rumduol district were mined because this area was the way-in for our fight into the country and was providing soldiers for the armed forces. That is why many of our police and military heads are people from Svay Rieng, some are from Rumduol district. In the war to liberate the country, we had trained our forces in the Vietnamese territory before sending them into the country. Some of them died and sent for burying there and I have instructed HE Moeung Samphan (of the Ministry of National Defence) to seek for families of the deceased to come and collect their remains. But some of their families died without anyone left. However, they can rest assured as their remains have been kept in a respectful and peaceful place.
… I am glad to have detailed report of HE Governor on the district of Rumduol. In 1999 in Rumduol we had 9621 houses and as of the present the number rises to 10171 or we have 550 houses more than before. In just four years many of our people are getting married and they need new homes for their families. Some of our houses have changed from thatched roof to corrugated iron. This tells us that our regime is 180 degree different from that of Pol Pot. Pol Pot smashed huge houses to build smaller ones and concrete houses to build thatched houses. So, comparing the differences between the two make me happy and I wish that we will eventually replace more thatched houses with those roofed by corrugated iron. I am glad to notice that the district of Rumduol has made this record and I wish the whole country would do the same. Take for instance we could keep track of the number of motor bikes and other means of transports and irrigation instruments.
… These are the achievements scored so far to the last part of the term of the current government and in just a few months we will have an election through which a new government will be established for the third term. I wish to take this opportunity to wish our people from here a happy new year and a safe and peaceful ceremony throughout the Kingdom of Cambodia. This is the fifth year in which our people celebrated their new years in peace without problem of secessions, internal borders that prevailed in many decades in Cambodia. I am placing an appeal to our people that we should celebrate New Year 2003 by the Buddhist calendar in peace and in absence of any sadness. We should facilitate our people to organize traditional games. Prohibition must be placed on wild shootings, splashing water at each other, which could cause accidents.
Samdech Hun Sen on that occasion offered a sum of US$ 11,500 to the pagoda of Peam Ampil for the construction of three entrances and fences, one school building of six classrooms for the Primary School of Hun Sen-Wat Thmey, one school building of six classrooms for the Primary School of Khnar Thnung, one school building of six classrooms for the Primary School of Sek Yum, one school building of six classrooms to the Primary School of Samraong, one school building of six classrooms to the College of Samraing, and some money for finishing some constructions in the Primary School of Sangke and the people of the Kompong Chak commune.
