Bakong – a Visit after 12 Years
I am so glad to have come once again to the pagoda of Bakong after my last visit in 1996. After twelve years, the Buddhist temple here is already completed. Another difference to mention is I was then 44 years old and now I am 56 years old. My hair has changed its color to gray and my children have been married, and have children of their own too.
In the course of our country’s development both in hardship and in progress, Bakong had been a pagoda that did not have its temple yet. The construction effort was made in 1970 but was at the same time destroyed after only a few beams were erected. The Polpotists broke the beams for steels to make nails. Concrete buildings everywhere had been subjects for demolition for steels. They called this their development.
Peace – Encouraged, War – Discouraged
It is in this concern that everything has to start from peace because with war no construction is possible. Take for instance the Buddhist pagoda like Bakong, it was destroyed after the war broke out in 1970. So whatever actions that are leading to instability and war should not be allowed. On the contrary, whatever actions lead to peace and stability should be encouraged and supported by our people.
Wining or losing, when war broke out in Cambodia, it is the Cambodians who shed their blood. It was in this understanding that the win-win policy has been carried out so that the people are the true winner of the situation. I am so glad and thankful for the support rendered by all parties in conflict to my policy aimed at unifying our territory and rehabilitating our country.
Thanks for Voting CPP
I would like to thank our people in the province of Kompong Thom province as well as the people in the whole country for their supports for the Cambodian People’s Party in Kompong Thom in particular and in the whole country in general. CPP has won 4 out of six seats in Kompong Thom or two thirds of the seats. This has been an encouragement for the CPP leaders to continue to serve our people. I will cease to make public statement from June 23 after the inauguration of achievements in the province of Pursat.
I will not make comments or speeches everyday as I am doing now anymore. I will also stay out of the electoral campaign as well. No matter how serious and perfidious their attacks have been or are going to be, we will continue to be patient. I am so grateful to our people who have taken their time to defend the Cambodian People’s Party on radio Apsara station which has been relaying to forty other radio stations.
Rain Comes, Rice to Grow and Export
On my flight here I have noticed that the rain has come and our people early start cultivation. We will have rice to harvest in August this year, so there will be plenty of rice in the Cambodian market. As of now we have one million tons of rice for export. We could go without oil with difficulties but we could die to go without rice. Cambodia has been praised because of its decision to re-export rice after a two-month break. It is indeed a gesture to contribute to resolve the problem of rice surplus in the local market, so that our people could re-export for cash, and partly to make rice available in the regional and international markets.
I have instructed the Minister for Commerce to expand market to Africa for rice from Cambodia. We have rice to harvest almost every month and the price has been between 600 and 700 US dollars per ton, compared to 1000 US dollars per ton of rice in neighboring countries. Some politicians claim they could bring the price of gasoline down to so and so and the price of rice to so and so. I would say they should try and lead only their family because their economic philosophy has not been comprehensive yet.
I could remind them of the dialectical relationship of what happens. When they talked about rice, they decline to mention about oil. They would pick only one separated incident to be the subject of blame but as a matter of fact everything has its dialectical relationship and politicians should well understand this./.
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