My wife and I are so happy to have come on the 99th anniversary of the International Women Day to visit the Military Handicap Development Zone (MHDZ) after they have moved from the center at Kien Svay. Last year I came on April 4 which was my official birthday but because the schedule for April this year has been too tight I have decided that my visit this year should take place at this time. In fact moving the schedule a bit earlier is so practical indeed as it gives me time to help solve the needs here as I learned that there have been things that need to be addressed urgently.
I would like to take this opportune moment to express my sincere thanks to HE Kit Peng Long for the report he made just now in relation to progress made by our soldiers. I am sure I agree with what has been said and accept that they are on the right path and will produce a long-term effect too. Back at Kien Svay centre, I have come to a big question as to how our handicapped soldiers could deal with their family issues depending solely on their supplied regime. They have many children and they have had nothing to give out to them when they are growing adult. It was with this thought that I have initiated to set up this region of military handicap development, where each family of handicapped soldier would receive a house and a 1.5 hectare of homestead.
As is said in his report, Gen. Kit Peng Long clarifies that in 23 months, which is still a short time for our heavily handicapped soldiers, progress has been visible, though some may depend on personal effort and handicap condition as well. We have given out a priority for those heavily handicapped soldiers to live close to hospital and for those who have minor handicap condition have to get their chance by ballots. I am so glad to hear that some of the produces do not have to travel to the market but traders have come in and bought them from here. I also thank those merchants for coming to fetch these produces to the market.
It is also a good thing to see that the Administration for Forest and Fisheries have made great efforts in providing trees and fish breeding techniques to our handicapped soldiers’ families. We have a major problem here for water as this is a place not for rice cultivation but for legume and fruit tree cultivation.
I would take a moment to talk about the case of soldier Chan Aun. It was about 12 years now that the fake Chan Aun died and the real one survives. Because of difficult life the real Chan Aun decided to sell his regime logbook to someone but the fake one died not long ago and now the real Chan Aun has taken back his logbook to claim his regime at the Ministry of Social and Veteran Affairs. I met Chan Aun at one of my visits to Sihanoukville province.
Having learned that I ordered for the reinstatement of his regime with the Ministry of Social and Veteran Affairs and Chan Aun has then been admitted into this program and sent to living here. I am sure there are more cases like that of Chan Aun and I would urge those who have bought regime logbooks from the handicapped soldiers to return them so they could make use of them to claim for their regimes.
As you see that these are issues that have been left from the war in 1970s as if it were not for that war, there would not be such social problems to be resolved today. That is why I have mentioned and I will go on mentioning that peace in this country is so precious that no war would allow happening again at all cost.
Here is a handicap soldier development zone whereby all handicapped soldiers are being mobilized by the Ministry of National Defense. We also have more of these at Kulen mountain range in Siemriep province, where each project consists also land concession for handicapped and deceased soldiers’ families.
Getting a project of this sort done is costly and would require a lot of thoughtful management and resources so as to achieve utmost aim that each family would have a better and appropriate living condition and will be able to pass some of their properties on their children.
Now that I have ordered the agro-machinery team of my bodyguard unit, which used to help till the land here, to go help at new villages created at Preah Vihear province. I have decided to provide two major tractors of John Deer type for the Brigade 31, which is to eventually take the unit’s place in helping our people here.
I would also ask Gen. Kit Peng Long to go contact with the company that produces sugar to figure out if our people here could opt for growing sugarcanes to supply to the factory. Oknha Ly Yong Phat has got a project to start a sugar factory in Kompong Speu and I think if we could get our people to start growing them prior to the factory’s operation, it would be an ideal situation.
I learned also that the factory has had contacts with those sugarcane farmers in Koh Kong’s Sre Ambel, Kompot and the Sihanoukville provinces as well.
I think they should start doing it right away as rain will be coming soon. As far as the need for water is concerned, I think it is rather a major issue here because with or without rain, we have to have water. I have a memory that in 1994-95, we had a severe drought whereby it was hard to find water even for animals in some provinces. It seemed that advance rain does not seem to come any time now so I would urge well drilling team to come back again and check to see why there are no water available for some wells. It would be a good think to see if the drilling did not reach to the water deposit underground.
Our solders at Koh Wai have had so much difficulty with regard to water availability. No one would say that we could drill a well at Koh Wai at all and what they did was to gather rainwater and store it in tanks for use in the dry season. However, upon my wife visit, she initiated for well drilling and it has up to now proved that there is continuing water availability from wells.
As for this place, for immediate need, as we also have here a hospital, school and pagoda, I would order for increasing hour in pumping water to meet their demands. I have also a suggestion here that more water supplying systems need to be in place and also reservation systems. I would suggest the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy to take care of supplying systems, and as for the tank and reservation systems I would urge the engineering team of the Ministry of National Defense to look into it.
Taking this opportune moment I would like to make some comments on what has been said by the Secretary General of ASEAN concerning Cambodia’s exercise of live ammunition firing. Cambodia never conducted any acts of instigation on any country but why has this General Secretary of ASEAN been so irritated about?
The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand did not react to this but why the General Secretary of ASEAN did and expressed a feeling that the region is not secure because Cambodia test fires its BM 21 rockets. Last year Thai conducted military exercise and its rockets landed on to Cambodian territory more than one time. Though they sent me a letter requesting my forgiveness for that incident I brought to their attention and warned them not to have further wrong-target firing into Cambodian territory anymore. What if Cambodia neglected and fired on accidental targets in Thai territory?
Why else the ASEAN Secretary General, who formerly was also Foreign Minister of Thailand, bothers about Cambodian test-firing its rockets and deemed it as an act to destabilize the region, while some countries are in the state of infighting and even some street bomb explosions. Have not they a cause of concern for that matter? I do not have intention to bring issue on anyone but I could not let such a remark goes unverified …
HE Hor Nam Hong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has had a letter written and sent already but as a head of Government of one of the ASEAN member nations, I would add that for making such a comment, he is not fit for the job that requires the person to be neutral …◉
