… I have a great pleasure to be able to return once again to Banteay Meas district. According to the record of former Governor of Kompot province and people’s representative of Kompot province, HE Saom Chen, I have come to the district five times already. I was here firstly in 1986, secondly in 1992, thirdly in 1997, fourthly in 2000, and again today. It seems like Hun Sen has yet to come to Banteay Meas, but I have in fact been here five times already….
What I am most excited about today is that my presence is unlike to those previously done, or in 2000 as that time I came to observe the difficult living conditions caused by flooding. My presence here today is to participate with our Buddhist monks and people, especially generous fellows from Japan in the inauguration of various achievements realized by the local people and contribution from abroad, especially from Japan…
Today we have a number of achievements to be inaugurated. First is the donation of Second Hand Association from Japan of a school building with five classrooms with necessary equipment at a total cost of US$ 23,679.20. Second are the two school-buildings with seven classrooms contributed by generous people locally and externally. The buildings cost totally Riel 23,176,000. Third is another school building with five classrooms that was renovated at the contribution of US$ 2,090 made by the World Food Program on top of Riel 1,500,000 contributed by the local population. Fourth is the two-floor Buddhist Primary school at the size of 10 meters by 9 meters, the cost of which is Riel 40 million and US$ 5,128. Fifth is a Dharma Assembly building at the size of 27 meters by 15 meters and cost in all of Riel 32,350,000 and US$ 3,659…
May I take this opportunity to express my appreciation to the venerable monks and our Buddhist followers as well as parishioners for such a splendid contribution and effort in matching the development in the secular world and the Buddhist world. I thank the World Food Program for its contribution to the renovation of the school building here and the generous fellows from Japan, who through the Second Hand Association and SVA, have built Cambodians here these school buildings. It is another generous offer made in addition to those offered by the Japanese Government and people, through the non-governmental organizations and volunteer associations…
The achievement that we are going to inaugurate later is part of our efforts to make an approach to rural area to reduce poverty of the Cambodian people. Facing with consecutive floodings in 2000 and 2001, the local authorities have been making efforts for the sake of people’s livelihood. As of this year, advanced rain is late in many parts making our dry season-rice cultivation unproductive and grass could not grow leading to famine for animals…
April 4 is my birthday and I have become 52 years now. In fact my right birth date is August 5, 1952. But I was registered to get born on April 4, 1951 – or the fifteen day of the moon, the month of Sraap and the year of Dragon. It was on a Tuesday. According to belief passed on from generation to generation, those who get born this day could be stubborn. Well I am stubborn but in a sense that I fought the Khmer Rouge till it fell apart politically and militarily, and peace prevails in the whole country…
Talking about requests for road let me take this opportunity to inform our people who have been waiting for road 33 and 31. The two roads have been proposed for assistance from the World Bank and it is now in the process of bidding. Normally the procedure could take a long time. But it is normal for an institution like that. The same is also true for ADB and other foreign donors. So I am seeking your understanding that we do not have enough of our own fund to do them all at once. Our ability would only be to fill some of those small potholes. But what we need here is a strong bitumen road. SO we have to start first by renovating the National Road 3 from here (Banteay Meas of Kompot) to Phnom Penh, while leaving roads 33 and 31 in the package that we seek funding from the World Bank…
In a separate event, the road from the provincial town to Tropeang Ampeo, which also include a bridge across a sea channel, I have already asked for loan of US$ 30 million from the Republic of Korea. This part of the road would link with the World Bank-loan part between the National Road 4 and Tropeang Ampeo. This road will serve as a link to Phnom Penh. So as you can see this project is a big one… As we are close to the Khmer New Year, I pray the new Devada brings just enough rainwater to Kompot as we have to produce salt here. In 2000 and 2001, we have dual problems – scarce of rice and salt. What I am most concerned here is that our people could not find good price for salt in the fish season.
… Personally I also have 14 school buildings with 62 classrooms already built. As there are some requests here let me inform that I am offering to build two school buildings – one building of five classrooms for the Damnak Troyoeung Primary School and one more with five classrooms for the Primary School of Wat Ang Khang Tbong…
