Banteay Meanjei to Uddar Meanjei NR 56 Rebuilt
I am so glad to have the opportunity to return to the district of Svay Jek once again after my last presence here eleven years ago in December 2001 to inaugurate the Buddhist pagoda of Taben. Twenty two years earlier I also came here to test fire BM 21 rockets. I would recall this part of history later. It is a pleasant development indeed that, after the construction of the NR 59 from Koun Damrey to Malay and Pailin with the Chinese financial assistance, we have this opportunity to launch another construction of the 113 Km NR 56 from the city of Banteay Menajei’s Serei Saophoan to the city of Uddar Meanjei’s Samraong.
The NR 56 is being reconstructed under the financial assistances of the Asian Development Bank and the Republic of Korea. I would take this opportune moment to express my apology to the people who live along the projected road for the fact that it has taken longer time for this reconstruction project to commence and that they have been so concerned about it. I could remind you that on April 9, 2012, I sought our people’s undestanding and forgiveness when I presided over the launch of the construction of the NR 68 from O’smaj to Kralanh.
I told you that we have no alternative but to follow the procedures of the Asian Development Bank and of the Republic of Korea. The two combined has required an amount of time. Today, with the construction luanched, the NR 56 that our people have anticipated will be eventually taking shape and I hope that the companies involved in the construction will get the project completed acording to schedule.
The NR 56 first segment of 29 Km from the city of Serei Saophoan to the district of Svay Jek is to be constructed by Tan Kim Eng company in cooperation with BC company from Thailand. This segment is financed by the Asian Development Bank and will take 22 months or until mid 2013 to complete. The second part is 84 Km running from Svay Jek district to the city of Samraong in Uddar Meanjei to be financed by the Republic of Korea and constructed by Kumho company in collaboration with Fang Bun firm. It is going to be ready by mid 2014.
You may have remembered that I used to compare the lengthy process relating to the reconstruction of the NR 56 road as that of a pregnant elephant. I do not mean to demand change to the ADB procedure but to express my concern as there has been endless of criticism in the local media as far as decision relating to the road condition is concerned. While urging the Minister of Transport and Public Works to go about fixing the road, we now have the project going and I am of the opinion that the construction and consultant companies concerned will make the best performance to get the project done.
Thank All Parties Involved
Taking this chance I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as well as the Republic of Korea for financing the construction of the NR 56. Started in 2008, the ADB has offered assistance to build 38 bridges of 1043 meters in total and various types of culvert along the NR 56 and NR 68, which is in the northwestern part of Cambodia. Time can be long for those who wait it out but fast for those who do not.
As I said on various occasions, to be late to do it is better than not to do it at all. I do not mean to make a reference to the procedures of the ADB and the Republic of Korea but to make a comparative judgment to our people that to do more is better than to do less, and to do less is better than to do none. It is equally so that doing fast is better than doing it slowly, but doing it slowly is still better doing nothing still. I may remind you that the procedures adhered by the ADB is not what one can decide in Cambodia but in (its regional office in) Manila, the Philippines. It is a matter that requires understanding.
It should be noted too that to work too fast could also compromise the quality of the road as well. Look the NR 6 from the city of Siem Reap to Serei Sophoan and on to Poi Pet, which was funded by the ADB. I also thank the company that implemented the project that could be considered one of the standard road. The people in Kralanh district of Siem Reap province in 2000 ridiculed about the road that the Royal Government “is on extreme austerity measure that people had to walk on ricefield levee instead of NR.” Again it was not the decision made only by the Royal Government but it too had had to wait for the procedure of the financing partner.
While thanking the ADB and the Republic of Korea, please allow me to thank also the Ministry of Public Works and Transports, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and various sections concerned, the sub-national level authorities in Banteay Meanjei and Uddar Meanjei provinces also included, together with people who reside along the projected road, for coordination and cooperation so that the road construction could be launched. After finishing the construction, people residing along it will be first to benefit from it. I used to live in the farm house too. We have to clean dust from our house, as the road in front of the house is a dirt one, every time a motorcycle passeds by.
Connectivity – RGC’s Priority
I am sure that people residing along the NR 56 are going through this experience too. It is less difficult in rainy season but not so in the dry season. Please take note that this is not an issue that happen particularly and separately for you. Countrywise and regionwise, the Royal Government of Cambodia is making connectivity a priority and placing it within the prioritized framework of development in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, which is also supported by the ADB, on top of priority set for the 2015 ASEAN integration.
It is in this reagrd that the ADB is centering its attention on connectivity issue. Connectivity in Cambodia serves not only for Cambodia’s own integration but also that with neighboring countries – Laos, Vietnam and Thailand so as to encourage flow of trade, tourism and people to people relations. As is reported by Minister of Public Works and Transports, HE Tram Iv Toeuk, we will try out exchange of traveling rights for forty buses between Cambodia and Thailand via the border crossing at Poi Pet (on Cambodian side) and Aranhya Prathet (on the Thai side). We are also preparing for the possibility of traveling exchange for various vehicles between Phnom Penh and Bangkok, Siem Reap and other destinations as we have been doing with Vietnam between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh city as well.
Based on the experience from such travel exchange between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh city, we have noted that the number of bus has increased from 40 to 350 per day according to the number of travelers. We could also do that with Thailand. One problem we may anticipate is not about how we collaborate but the traffic rule since Thailand’s traffic is on the left-hand side while Cambodia’s is the opposite.
As far as internal connectivity is concerned, according to what have been achieved in the last few years, we have been able to make a systematic link of many dots as a corridor on the Cambodian map from northwestern to northern and on to northeastern part of the country. Between last year and this year, I have presided over the construction ceremonies of the NR 57B, NR 59 and NR 57, which links Battambang and Pailin province. Today we are connecting the provinces of Banteay Meanjei and Uddar Meanjei together.
Last April we have connected Kralanh district of Siem Reap to the border with Thailand. We also have a road linking with Anlong Veng district, to the province of Preah Vihear and on to Stoeng Treng, the part of which I presided over the construction last May 5. From Preah Vihear, we also have a road built connecting the city of Preah Vihear to the city of Stoeng Sen of the province of Kompong Thom. As we have our south and southeastern parts well linked together – from Koh Kong, Sihanikville, Kompot’s Prek Jak to Vietnam – we are now having the northern, northeastern and northwestern parts of the country connecting together as well. Before long we will have a corridor around the whole country.
I am still of the belief as I have said on various occasions that policital and administrative integration could not sustainably survive without the effort to integrate (former Khmer Rouge areas) physically. With political and administrative integration alone, people in the rural areas would be abandoned by the central government. It is in this belief that the priority of the Royal Government has continued to be centering on water (for irrigation and drinking), roads, electricity (power) and human resources (development). Having come to this I would appeal to the representative of the ADB and the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to continue to help Cambodia address these needs.
Besdies the NR, there are also many rural roads. HE Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda, President of ADB, already supports those projects. As for the Republic of Korea, since I will be meeting with the Korean President on June 18, and because he used to be one of my advisors, during the G 20 Summit, I could have his attention on that too. Talking about G 20 Summit, Cambodia’s participation is not that it is one of the rich nations but to be there in our capacity as the ASEAN chair country. Cambodia will be there to represent over 600 million people in ten different countries. You may note that the European Union, which has twenty countries as its members, has over 500 million people only.
I have seen a report here that the Republic of Korea and the ADB will cofinance on asphalting rural roads that we plan for 500 kilometers. We are also projecting to asphalt another 1000 Km. It was what I raised to the President of the ADB in the Greater Mekong Subregion meeting in Naypidaw (Myanmar). I had his attention again when he came to Cambodia. I would urge that they should not wait till the 500 Km project is completed before commencing the new ones because this project is not for helping Hun Sen but the Cambodian people. I think they should be quick to help them. This is what I call the way to gather resources for the people’s interest.
Reuniting the Country
The country’s internal connectivity has been my pride and happiness after the country was reunited. Perhaps you would allow me to bring up some historical facts here. The provine of Banteay Meanjei was then divided and ruled by four factions for many years. I would urge the foreign guests here to pay attention to hard-to-grasp background story that I am going to tell. The province was cut away from Battambang in 1988. Before then Battambang had the size of its current one and Banteay Meanjei.
It was then ruled by four factions – the People’s Republic of Kampuchea/State of Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge, the then Prince Norodom Sihanouk faction and the Khmer People’s National Liberation Front (KPNLF). That was the background of what had happened here. There was a time, one of the Phjum Ben Days (there are fifteen days in Cambodian Buddhist tradition), while I was at the pagoda in the district of Kien Svay of Kandal province, all walkie-talkie were turned off as we had to attend the Buddhist ritual. It was in the old days that walkie-talkie was what we had. Yim Chhai Ly, then Minister of Health, rushed to me in Kien Svay but for some reason he and I did not meet each other.
The news that brough him to a rush was the other side almost took the city/town of Serei Saophoan. We all met together and General Pol Saroen hold in his hand a map. It was to our bad luck that the walkie-talkie from the town of Serei Saophoan ran out battery. We thought then that the town would fall into the other factions’ hands. An hour later, fortunately, the battery was charged and the news was that the town stayed intact. However, the State of Cambodia lost to other factions one barrack in Kandor. Then they attacked Thmor Puok. We then withdrew to Svay Jek. They – the KPNLF and the Khmer Rouge – fought together against us to capture Svay Jek.
It was then that the State of Cambodia had to change its military strategy. We learnt that there was a tactical mistake. When the Vietnamese voluntary forces were with us, we spreaded the forces still when the Vietnamese were no longer there. This had made our forces spread thinner and easier to be flanked. We then applied a tactical approach by concentrating forces in high lands in Serei Sophoan. I spent a night with HE Ke Kim Yan on a mountain. We moved our forces up hill and allowed other factions to come through. We ordered division 4 in Samlout to destroy their artileries and retreated to Treng. Division 6 in Malay also had to destroy their artilleries and moved back to Bovel.
I may apologize once again to Preah Karuna Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk the King-Father that at the time I had ordered the State of Cambodia forces to take Svay Jek by 3 pm at the latest so that at 3:30 pm I would go into negotiation with Samdech Preah Sihanouk. It was to make use of upperhand in the battlefield to put pressure on negotiation. I was still in bed at around 2 pm, my assistant HE Ho Sitthi came in and said to me “Bong (Brother), it was reported that Svay Jek has been re-captured.” At the negotiating table I told Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk that my army captured Svay Jek already. I warned him not to go to Thmor Puok because the army was heading there and “I could not guarantee your personal security.”
Long after, Samdech Me (the Queen-Mother) once asked “Samdech, who ordered the shelling on me?” There was a time we fired on to Thmor Doun. I told her I did not order any shelling. There was a clear command right at the time. As far as BM 21 artillery is concerned, the commanders of the military region had the rights to order shelling of 130 mm and smaller. The chief general staff would command firing only the 152 mm. When the State of Cambodia regained the barrack at Svay Jek, it was about March 1990, I came to test fired three trucks of BM 21 to Boeng Trakuon. We had no idea who were there but later Mr. Paan Thai said his faction’s commanders ran off from a meeting.
Win-Win Policy, Vote and Not Arms
Thanks to the win-win policy we have ended the status of “one country two political rules.” Our people no longer flee because of war. No one is competing for weapons to kill their own Khmer nationals. We now use votes and not weapons. Just now, while coming through the crowd, I noticed that only one person has got his finger cleaned without the permanent ink. Before we fought with weapons to win over other factions and many were killed or maimed. Now we have replaced that with ballots and we just did it on June 3, or five days ago. Is it not a good thing?I do not know who voted for what party here but that is not my concern as I would give you my reason later. We now have to tranform all former battlefields into development zones and I am determined to get that done. I am so grateful to people and soldiers, officers from all former factions for the supports they have given to my initiatives so that our nation could reunite all four armed forces into one and under HM the King, Constitution and Royal Government. That we have many political parties is true but not many armed forces.
We have some to a totally different situation if we were to compare the past and the present. It was unbearable in the past that foreigners started the war flame and the Cambodians were the one to suffer the consequences and deaths. We could also point our fingers at those who launched the coup in 1970. The 18 March 1970 coup was the precedent of 17 April 1975 disaster when Pol Pot came to power and conducted a regime of genocide. The Cambodian nightmare was over in 1998 after we opted for integration in Anlong Veng.
On another front, we fought agianst poverty and built irrigation system, roads, electricity/power and human resources since 1987 or some 27 years now. There was this article, very critical one, “10,000 Days of Hun Sen” in the New York Times (Opinion Page). I just learnt from it that by 10,000 days means a period of 27 years of premiership, and they said that Hun Sen would join the “10,000 Club…” Well, we started development works, poverty reduction and promoted economic growth, for which we have been praised by both critics and supporters. They said Cambodia is a developing country with its economic growth reaching over 8% within ten consecutive years.
From Battlefields to Development or Market/Commercial Zones
Now we are making efforts on the need to continue to transform former battlefields into Development and trade/market zones. With the prospect that Cambodia’s economic growth per capita will reach 1,200 USD by 2014/15, I would inform the Representative of ADB and the Republic of Korea that Cambodia would not ask for loans if at this rate of growth, loans would not be allowed at concessional rate interest. We would not ask for loan with commercial inerest but concessional one with long repaid period.
Cambodia is like a plane that is in accelerating mode for takeoff. It needs a lots of energy to push the plane from acceleration mode to climbing and to cruising phase before it allows the engines to run at an economical crusing power. Therefore, Cambodia needs more loans from ADB, the Republic of Korea and various other partners, and even more grants. No country on earth is like Cambodia that has started with 100% poverty rate. As of present we have been able to lower the poverty rate to around 25%. We are still poor but we are better than the situation that we were in 1979 and a while thereafter.
Traffic Concerns
As is brought to attention by HE Tram Iv Toek about the traffic safety, I would urge all to abide by the law on land traffic. What concerns me in the last few months, after having noticed normal traffic accidents between small vehicles, is the accident that involved tourists buses. I see it as a major disaster for the Cambodian economy, especially tourism. Just one day before the election day, in the province of Kompong Thom, a police vehicle loaded with rice crashed with a bus full of tourists of the Capitol firm. Another accident in Koh Kong province also caused death of some tourists.
I am calling all transport companies to pay attention on this matter or we will have seriour problem in attracting tourists to Cambodia. We have tried to make it safe to travel by air to and in our country, but we also have to make sure it is safe to travel on land to different tourist destinations. Last time I made an appeal to goods transportation companies but today to all of the transportation firms. We are talking about exchanging travel rights, but in this state of driving, would they allow us to enter and drive in their country?
I urge the Ministry of Public Works and Transports and the Ministry of Tourism to jointly review this issue. Cases may involve issues like loading extra passengers or careless driving to gain speed over each other from one company to another. I also seek HE Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and also Head of the Land Traffic Safety Committee to provide some guidance on this matter. We want tourists to visit many destinations in our country – not only Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. With incidents as such it is difficult to convince them of diversifying their targets and using our means of transports.
Communal Elections, Freedom of Expression
Let me now get into the (Communal Councilors) elections. Please allow me to take this opportune moment to express my sincere appreciation and respect to the National Elections Committee (NEC) for the efforts it made to organize the elections. It should be reminded that the registration phase of the elections had to be done at the time when we had a major flooding. The Royal Government has then requested to the NEC to prolong its registration period in certain areas so that our people, who had had to escape to safety grounds, could have their names resgistered.
There had been a good preparation from preparing the voter lists to awareness services to educate our people about their voting rights. Voting had been smooth in the morning but while counting was to proceed in the afternoon, there were rains almost throughout the country. However, the NEC had made respectfully unfaltering efforts day and night. The Royal Government had done nothing on this but performed only two major tasks.
Firstly, providing financial resource to the NEC in a timely manner. The Royal Government may have to slow down its financial obligation to other sector but not to the NEC. As this task had been fulfilled, please allow me to thank HE Keat Chhon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, for making efforts to implement according to my decision and guideline to provide financial resource to the NEC. The Royal Government provided 100% financial resource needed to organize the elections, while the UNDP helped with the advertisements. I did not ask for help from foreign countries. It is time we should be able to do things ourselves.
Secondly, providing security for the whole country, especially at the time of the elections for voters as well as for political parties. I have high appreciation for all armed forces and the leadership of HE Sar Kheng who took measures to organize security parameter around the voting stations as well as in strategic points. We could not go to vote with sound of explosion. The Cambodian elections this time did not have the picture of automatic rifles as when it was organized by UNTAC (United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia).
Those who look after security stay outside the stations and carried no weapons. All votes are counted right at the station, while the UNTAC administered elections in 1993, ballots were broguht to where they called “safe haven” to be counted. You may remember that on reason of Khmer Rouge threat, the UNTAC’s Ghanaian blue beret soldiers mounted automatic rifles in the stadium in Phnom Penh. Look, for the Cambodian-run elections, we had only three security personnels for one station and they were unarmed too.
Yesterday, on my way here, I came through the provinces of Kandal, Kompong Cham, Kompong Thom and Sirem Reap. Representing the Defence Ministers of ASEAN, who came to Cambodia for a meeting, the Defence Minister of Indonesia said to me that Phnom Penh is a beautiful city. I was asking for his understanding on the fact that he may find some sanitary problems because this is the period in which “everyone is climbing the tree.” I mean every political party has been placing their candidates and policies on the trees. (Pictures of) the three leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party are also on the trees.
This has clearly illustrated neutral political atmosphere in Cambodia, indeed, during the election campaign among all political parties. In many instances, on one tree there has been more than one campaign pictures and policy slogans of more than one parties. Even in front of my compound, almost every evening, those of opposition parties came turning and shouting on loud speakers slogans like “let’s change the autocratic regime.” This is how far the freedom of expression in Cambodia has gone to.
Maybe I should have your attention on estimation of number of participants (to a particular campaign program). Let’s take a report of a media about this issue. It was reported that so and so party has got 10,000 supporters to rally in a campaign. I called to HE Kep Chuktema to find out if that was true. The Phnom Penh City mayor said there were 78 Korean trucks. I asked my assistants to multiply them with 20 people per truck. The total figure could not reach the stated number. If it were to include like 500 motorbikes, which each would carry two persons, the most they could make out of it would be 1,000. Together, they may come up with 5,000 supporters. The figure of 10,000 was in fact a cheating number.
On the contrary, when a party has really got 10,000 supporters, it was reported by the media only about 3,000. You may know that the number of trucks to carry supporters has been 600 already. We should also distinguish the two different facts. This is a good example for the military too. When we had border tension, I did not have to ask for exact figure but the number of trucks. The best they could fit in a truck would be a platoon not a company. It would even be better to know the brand of the truck. So the media people also have this to learn and not to just accept any given estimates.
This issue is indeed a fact that brings a repercussion on freedom of expression. While they blew up the number of participants (during the electoral campaign, now after the elections) they are complaining about lack of freedom of expression and not so widely organized campaign, etc. Have not they thought that this kind of remarks and complaints would adversely rebound?
Despite all these, I would express my thanks to all contested parties – whether it was the Party, the Party’s Heads and/or activists – in the communal councilors campaign and elections for their participations with political maturity. Even more so, there had not been armed violence of any form between one political party to another. In the 1998 elections, some of you might still remember, supporters of the Funcinpec Party and the Party of HE Ung Huot threw drinking water bottles at each other. However, that kind of action has disappeared gradually. I thank traders of all alcohol stores for not selling them – in response to my appeal – for a while so as to curb and prevent violent incidents. I also thank those of you who did not take alcohol too.
I am taking this opportunity to express my sincere thanks and appreciations to members and supporters of the Cambodian People’s Party for the utmost patience they have taken while other political parties had been doing all insultings. There was a case that the opposition party insulted the Cambodian People’s Party candidates as “the Commune Head with a Money Face.” It was a good thing that our candidates and supporters did not, though they could, respond to them with terms like “the Party Head with a Thief Face.” Our supporters have applied an old Cambodian slogan “Being silent is better than talkative, Eating green banana is better than leaving the mouth empty.”
While thanking those who have exercised utmost patience, I would conclude that patience is indeed the recipe for our victory. By saying so, on behalf of the Royal Government – which party wins or loses and gets what number of votes/ballots – is not a matter of concern to us, but what matters is the elections are conducted in a free, fair, transparent and non-violent manner.
Please Stop Scolding/Insulting
One may ask since this task was fulfilled and the Party got the victory, it (the Cambodian People’s Party) would be joyful, would it not? I am assuring you that we are happy. As a political party no one would like it to lose the elections. On behalf of Samdech Chea Sim, Samdech Heng Samrin and other leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party, and also those of the commune councilors elect on the CPP tickets, I am offering grateful and deepest thanks to the voters and urging the commune councilors elect to respond to the people’s trust by performing faithfully effective duty and good actions, taking people’s needs into immediate consideration.
While the anti-graft unit is active in raising awareness concerning the issue of corruption, I am urging that the elected commune councilors must perform good actions in all issues relating to our people’s livelihood. We must do our best to respond to the people’s trust by serving and not bossing them around. For services such as issuing a national identity certificastion and other forms of certification, I would advise that it would not only be processed for free immediately but also delivered to the request party at their doors too. Well, let’s wait till NEC annouces the official results on June 24. I would be away on June 16 for the G 20 meeting and return on June 21. HE Sar Kheng would be acting Prime Minister.
Now that the elections season is over, I wish that everyone appreciates the peace moment. Please stop scolding and/or insulting. While (the ruling/winning Party is) keeping silent, the opposition seems to increase their voices, but when we respond, they quickly complain of a threat. Yesterday I checked my email and learnt that a self-exiled person stated that “s/he does not have the necessity to talk with Hun Sen, because he is just a puppet.” S/he even claimed that such a talk must be carried out with Vietnam who can order the Hun Sen’s Government. I wish s/he keeping a record of what s/he has been saying.
I would encourge her/him to go talk to Vietnam or even anyone who would have the influential power over Vietnam too. This has reminded me of what Khieu Samphan had said when I started the political negotiation with Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk. He said the same thing: “one must not negotiate with the Phnom Penh puppet but with Hanoi.” I just wish them to bear in mind what they have said. I thank her/him a lot as I would not be bothered by a prisoner. I just remind her/him if sooner or later s/he writes a letter to me or sends someone on their behalf to reconcile with me, I would just respond that “as a puppet, what rights would I have?”
By the way, I would clarify one point that those with rights to control Hun Sen is the majority of
the Cambodian people only. I will have to abide by their decision should they vote not for the Cambodian People’s Party. This means – I reiterate – the ones whom I respect and afraid of is the majority of the Cambodian people, plus three more: my father, my wife and my grandchildren.
More Votes for CPP
While continuing to insult us, they also seek to unite the opposition for what they say “winning over the dictators.” I wish to send a message to the second biggest elected Party (in the Communal Councilors elections) in order to be equal with the Cambodian People’s Party, not to win yet, it has to look for 2.4 million votes. As for the third elected Party, it would need to find three million votes more in order to be a match and not yet to win the Cambodian People’s Party. If the two Parties were to combine together, they would need to find nearly two million votes too.
However, they should be aware that while they make a move, they should not expect we do not.
The Cambodian People’s Party has got some 3.63 million votes while the second and third Parties got (in round figure) 1.22 million votes or 20.83% and 570,000 votes or 9.79% respectively. Adding the two together would not come to fifty percent of the votes for the Cambodian People’s Party yet. All opposition Parties together also could not challenge the Cambodian People’s Party support.
The Cambodian People’s Party has got more votes and it is not a simple matter. In the recent Communal Councilors elections, it has got 61.93% of the votes compared to 60.82% in the 2007 Communal Councilors elections. With this increase of support the Cambodian People’s Party has got about 200 extra seats in the whole country. Let me share with you a development. As far as we know someone in one party has likened another opposition party to that pissed by the dog and told everyone that “in some constitutencies, losing to the Cambodian People’s Party caused a normal pain, but losing to the party pissed by the dog is a suicidal shame.”
They even doubted the Cambodian People’s Party has worked out so that the “dog-pissed Party” could win as it did not even have its observers (in the voting stations). Let me clarify if the Cambodian People’s Party could by any chance do so, it would do for itself and not for other parties. Those partties pointed fingers at each other and claimed themselves to be the runner-up opposition. They have slandered each other with all sorts of derogative terms. I am of the opinion that we have had enough of that now. They may stop please.
Today I have the necessity to respond and make some clarifications to what had been said and misinterpreted (by the opposition while I was keeping silent for the elections). They now should learn that the “power change” threat against the Cambodian People’s Party that they have campaigned for does not come yet. Let’s leave the official results to the NEC but I am sure all political parties know how to add numbers up. The difference between that of the ruling party and the opposition, together even, is by million votes./.
