My wife and I are so happy to be here and would like to express our sincere thanks to the warmest welcome and support of the people in Pursat and I would on this occasion like to thank especially the people in Pursat who have voted for the Cambodian People’s Party 100% – which we won all four seats – in the 2007 general elections. For people who took part in the elections, not just people in Pursat but in the whole country are well aware that if the Cambodian People’s Party wins the elections, Hun Sen will become the Prime Minister … In the name of Samdech Heng Samrin and Samdech Chea Sim and other leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party I would like to thank our people in Pursat as well as the people in the whole country for extending the Party’s mandate to lead the Kingdom of Cambodia.
I came to Pursat – in the course of my round trip to provinces – in June 2008 and it was my last trip before the electoral campaign and I disappeared … to listen to the campaign and read press releases before the voting day … They criticized me inside out and blamed me for doing nothing… People see that Hun Sen does nothing other than building bridges, roads, canals, schools, Buddhist temples, take for instance the Sampeo Meas island here today …
This Sampeo Meas (gold ship) island is indeed the result of environmental and natural evolution in the area which according to geologists the sea started to retreat from here and left the geological setup like this … Studies should be conducted to figure out if the statement is true. There was this belief that a statue of Buddha has been retrieved to place in this island “known to be Chao Sen” but was later disappeared in the Pol Pot time … It was a sacred object for our people … We should start recording for the sake of our people’s history at least from this time on …
HE Suy Sem has requested to see me in my residence in Takhmao to ask my permission to organize and build the ship like island – it was in July 2007. The construction of the bridge was covered by my budget and the ship area by HE Suy Sem with the total cost of US 679,549.47 dollars. It is now the public property and of the state and I thank HE Suy Sem for taking his busy schedule to lead the organization of architectural studies and develop the plan for this beautiful place.
… This is the renovation of what has been our history for three hundred years. Those who twisted or fooled the history would not be able to hide it for long, sooner or later, the history will elucidate … Take for instance Lon Nol, because of deception, his power lasted only five years, whereas Pol Pot’s was 3 years eight months and 20 days …
Those who perform merit will last long and be reputable … I would like to take this opportune moment to urge more works to be done from the part of the provincial authority and related institutions – 1) I would ask you to allow our people to visit, to exercise free of charge because this is the public property.
… Therefore I call on the Municipality of Phnom Penh and other cities to develop places for people to relax and enjoy themselves. This sacred place Sampeo Meas Island could be an attractive destination for local tourists but also for use by the civil court because there are cases that swearing oblige … for your information I have ordered to take out the clauses in both civil and criminal codes for crimes punishable by death oath – such as house on fire, car crash, etc.
… I have asked them to be removed because swearing for a car crash is a collective death for everyone on the car not just the one on the case …
… 2) I would seek your attention that big lorry should not be allowed to enter whereas visitors should be on foot if they wish to enter and visit the place … 3) guards should be organized for keeping security and order and if there will be crowd of people, medical service should be ready … 4) gardening and maintenance service should be well organized and strictly operational … and 5) the place should not be used or incorporated for commercial purpose at all …
Pursat is now different form 30 years ago … It was liberated on January 14 … This means that the people in Pursat, 30 years ago, were four days from being liberated by the army of the National Salvation Front of Kampuchea … It was because many reasons that January 7 is the special day for Cambodia – it saved lives not only people who were under the authority but also those in the Pol Pot’s line … Two Khmer Rouge’s Vice Presidents of the State Council were killed, almost all regional heads, except Ta Mok and Ke Pok, and Deputy Prime Minister Vorn Vet, Ministers Hu Nim and Hu Yun and other associates were all killed …
… What has been a difference is that the Cambodian People’s Party has always set human being as its target of service and it has proven to be the correct one. Liberating people from death is to serve the people and get the people out of hunger is to serve the people …
After January 7 we left no one to die of hunger so our soldiers together with Vietnamese soldiers shared their food with orphans and set up orphanages for parentless children … CPP deserves to claim pride from start to finish as we have chosen human beings as our serving objective … We study the need of human take for instance water canal, school, road, hospital, etc. We have in this sense organized huge meetings to commemorate the event 30 years ago and I on behalf of the President of the Cambodian People’s Party, Samdech Chea Sim, President of the Senate, thank our people in all parts of the country for taking active part in this solemn occasion …
Cambodia has ended civil war by peaceful means and no country in the region has achieved this including those who have extended hands to help us in the past … We have now identified and proceeded to disclosing those behind the home-made bombs and will take the matter to its root.
Pursat has indeed been a province with many historical facts as it used to be the stopover frequently used by former Kings Preah Reajea and Preah Srey Reajea who fought against the Thais while, according to the history, Preah Dhamma Reajea did not allow them to return to the city … Cambodia was in fact divided into many parts in the past at the time of Chadomuk, Samraong Tong, Bati and Khsach Kandal’s Tuol Basan, … and at the time when Grandfather Moeung and his wife Grandmother Khan Khoeun accompanied the King in the West who fought against King Sdech Kan, … etc.
In its modern history Cambodia also was divided into many parts, some times four, when there was at that time State of Cambodia, the Democratic Khmer, KPNLF and Funcinpec …
There is a proposal for me to build a 175 meter bailey bridge by people in the commune of Lolok Sar and I would offer according to their request… As for other matter I am so pleased to note that Pursat this year will have about ten thousand tons of foodstuff whereas according to the report by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Foprestry, Cambodia this year may have a surplus of three million tons of rice. We should try to boost it up to four or five million tons in the forthcoming years …■
