Also included was the Prime Minister’s information on an air crash in Kompot procince and his press conference on June 27, 2007 on the rescue operation.
… I am very glad indeed to preside over the graduation ceremony for 213 students who have completed their studies at the Institute of European Union and this is my second time for being here – first in 2005. I thank the Institute for making its way through various difficulties as non-governmental organization to provide human resource training for over two thousand students already. It also has planned to provide higher degrees. As I used to say before to have it established is indeed hard but to ensure its sustainability would indeed be harder.
I am sure that the institute would go on making progress and would not let our professors and students hopeless at all. I knew of an educational institution that closes down its activities, while transferring students to other schools. I would not want that to happen, whether it is private or state institution. I wish that you all pay attention to sustainability of educational institutions. We also should not afford to survive and just stay afloat. That should not be acceptable.
For those who travel a long hard road, they should strengthen their institutional capabilities as our country is in its stage of development. I also urge them to pay attention to providing quality education according to our education accreditation committee’s criterion. Once again I wish to express my sincere thanks to teachers and those involved in providing our graduates with knowledge and know-how. Thanks also go to the students themselves for their efforts in making their study a success, from where some would go on in work as well as in furthering their education.
We should also see this success thanks to parents’ contributions and sacrifices in exchange for their kids to complete educations. I would urge them to further their efforts either to continue their studies or to hold on to works in an active manner because by the end of the day one has to help oneself. We have noticed in the past some of our youngsters have involved in drugs and we may pose a question why? It is not merely because the question of drug distributors, which is considered to be crimes, but also those who have indulged themselves as well. And it is our youth.
Together with spouses of other leaders, my wife has conducted a visit to Banteay Meanchei province to provide buildings for drug fight and also to visit drug addicts. They are no criminals and they deserve consideration and attention. My wife mobilized contribution of 24 ambulances. The 24 ambulances have been given to military police in each of the 24 provinces. Some ill-willed politicians say it is inappropriate to give the ambulance to the MP and why not to the hospital, while another group blamed this action of seeking votes. I would say they would not gain any votes for their lack of no trust in anyone. In this circumstance I would urge our eligible voters to cast their votes for the Cambodian People’s Party in 2008, because those politicians will anyway accuse us of making vote raising campaign.
Also, on a different focus of attention, I would urge our parents, especially those who are senior and powerful officials, to make efforts in educating their children or those under their supervisions. Recently there was an incident that those kids of these families made their shooting spree as a bet. Lawyers have sent me a letter requesting them be bailed so that they would not miss their studies. It is a wrong argument. They must serve their prison term according to the law.
I wish to reiterate what I used to say that governors, mayors, military or police heads should get themselves prepared for replacement if they were to be useless in face of these incidents. I have closely followed those at SPARK and before the National Assembly building, and if they were to be causing problems, another city mayor would go. Otherwise those from the poor families would serve unjustly the prison term while those from powerful ones would escape justice. I would not find that acceptable at all. No matter rich or poor, as long as they committed crimes and found guilty they have to serve the court’s sentences so that we could ensure that there is social equity.
Before we do not have enough food to eat and that was a big problem for us. Now we have food and other facilities, those kids turn to be gangsters taking part in cars, motor-cycles or even to have a bet in shooting. It is great that parents have been able to provide those of us here with money and other resources for your study. That is a tremendous gratitude and what you should do in response is to cause them no trouble or hardship.
I have provided two tons of rice and two million Riels per month to the Human Resource Institute, the same amount for Asia-Europe Institute, for Khmer New Generation – and I wish to do the same for the European Union Institute as a part of contribution for the Institute to help those students from the poor families in terms of food and lodgments. You may now learn that you have a better situation than most of us in my generation as for me all I have to eat was food left from the monks.
We learned from the press recently that some politicians pointed guns at one another in their political party’s headquarters. I urge their self-restraint or they will have to be arrested on criminal charges. I wish to declare that no matter what party you belong to, supporters should not engage in revenge and blame their actions on the Royal Government or those in power. Every time we have elections, there had always been complaints of political threats. They dream of the post of Prime Minister and they would never get it for their ill-will, injustice, insincerity which are strongly required as quality for leadership.
Another group of ill-willed politicians came up with an idea that Hun Sen should not let his child take charge of Bayon Station. I wonder who should hold the company if it belongs to me. I would not accept their request for swapping for their radio covers a small area of operation while our radio and TV cover a larger area. They insult the Royal Government so that they continue to receive financial assistance. However the situation has shown that their acts of insulting would not ensure their goal at all. Take for instance, their propaganda aimed at obstructing provision of financial help to Cambodia in the Cambodian Development Cooperation Forum (CDCF) friends have pledged their continued assistances anyway.
Sadly, I was about to cancel this program today because of a plane crash accident. We have conducted searching mission but there is yet a clue for its whereabouts due to heavy rain. According to our judgment the plane crashed because of the weather and not because of technical matter. I will soon leave for Kompot province by car to take up leadership in this search and rescue mission. The operation will be conducted day and night, by infantry and by air forces. We have made a request to HE Ambassador of the United States of America to help us in providing their satellite searching system to this area for the sake of spotting out the crash site.
HE Nhem Vanda, Head of Disaster Preparedness and Response of the Royal Government of Cambodia has already gone into an area called Thlan 100 and we could not reach him now. I wish to take this opportunity to place an appeal to our people living in the Kompot province, Kep city, a part of Kompong Speu province, a part of Takeo and a part of Sihanoukville to help with the search and rescue mission. However, we have little hope that there might have been any survivors. But we are committed to get to the site, to get to passengers who together with five Cambodians are Koreans, Czechs and a Russian. Those this number of passengers is small compared to crashes in other places in the world, for us, it is a disaster that requires immediate response. I would take this opportunity to express my deepest condolences to families of those who died in this accident. HE Ke Kim Yan, Chief of General Staff already announced that a provision of 5000 US$ as a token of reward to anyone who could provide us with accurate information of the whereabouts of the crash.
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Provided herewith is Samdech Hun Sen’s Address to the Press Conference on June 27, 2007 in Relation to the Plane Crash and Its Discovery.
Yesterday HE Ke Kim Yan, Chief General Staff and HE Ly Thuch of Disaster Management and Response of the Royal Government of Cambodia gave you already accounts of our search and rescue operation to the crash site of a plane carrying passengers who are Cambodians, Koreans, Czechs and a Russian. May I express my deepest condolences and sympathy with families of those passengers aboard the crashed plane that it is so unfortunate that there were no survivors.
I thank HE Shin Hyun-Seok, Ambassador of Republic of Korea and the Ambassador of Czech Republic for joining us in this search and rescue operation in Cambodia. After a long search and rescue operation in bad weather condition, we have this morning discovered the crash site, where operation to get victims from the plane wreckage is underway. We have determined with all our mean and strength to get all victims’ bodies out of the crash site by the end of the day.
In relation to this search and rescue operation, we have made correct conclusions on two points – first, last radio contact did indicate where the crash site should be, and second, the crash site is within a no-man’s land area… We thank the United States for their help in providing us with their satellite photo… and our only effort now is to in deliver the bodies to their families. As head of the Government I would like to thank every units and everyone involved in this operation. This is indeed Hun Sen’s way of handling problem – from beginning till end. I will leave for Phnom Penh only after the last victim’s body is on the way out of here./.
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