Excerpts of Off-the-Cuff Speech at the 22nd National Culture Day, the Closing of Sixth Youth Arts Festival, and the 3rd Gathering of Artists​ [Unofficial Translation]

Speech

[…] (The Ministry) must find it out. Even if the (Cambodian) persons who led the Royal Ballet team is a royal families member himself, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts must invite and give him/her instruction on such devastating action. Cambodian arts belongs to the Cambodian nation, not an exclusive property of anyone royal members. Even HM the King, he never considers them his own exclusively […]

[…] Firstly, please work together to keep value of national culture and arts by maintaining the different forms of arts that we have. I continue to say that there could be no cultural aggression from outside but only voluntary acceptance […]

[…] Secondly, may I ask artists not to insult each other online/Facebook? It is quite inappropriate. As artists, you are public figures taking your appearance on TV and among thousands of public where you performed. What would it do to your reputation when you insult one another on Facebook? […] either in associations or as individuals, artists must refrain from such rhetoric or insults […] you are pursuing roles of social educators but you seemed to do things that disrepute yourselves […]

Samdech Techo Hun Sen, 22nd National Culture Day, 3 March 2020

Excerpts of Off-the-Cuff Speech at the Graduation and Diploma Presenting Ceremony of the Asia-Europe University [Unofficial Translation]

Speech

[…] The US-ASEAN summit scheduled to take place on March 14. However, in light of Covid-19 outbreak, President Donald Trump is required to postpone […] I supported his decision […] the President as well as we, leaders in ASEAN, are focusing efforts to keep the disease situation under control […]

[…] I have come to a point that in the time to come I will hold those who spread fake news – for instance that someone fell dead because of Covid-19, responsible as terrorists […] (One may ask that) those rogues (have done so) what would they get in return from spreading fake news […] but causing fear for people and their own families […]

[…] the National Council for Women appealed to women not to wear shorts […] I have said that those who do business online should not go live in inappropriate dressings […] some said we violated human rights […] have they looked up laws regarding human trafficking and protection of custom and tradition? […]

Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Diploma Presenting Ceremony of the Asia-Europe University, 2 March 2020

Press Briefing on Novel Coronavirus related Pneumonia in Cambodia [Unofficial Translation]

Speech

[…] Let me take this opportune moment to appeal on a number of points as followed:
• […] firstly, do not overreact the truth because it would waste your time in fulfilling your works. We could evade any infectious viruses by exercising hygiene and sanitation in our way of living, eating, traveling and working, etc. […],
• […] secondly, we must provide people with true information […] let me affirm once again that the credible source of information must be the Ministry of Health, which is the leading institution in charge of providing information on this matter. It is not the quick reaction unit (of the Council of Ministers) or the Ministry of Information, or other institutions […],
• […] thirdly, state institutions, private companies, factories, enterprises, markets, Buddhist pagodas, mosques, and churches, etc. must continue their normal functioning […],
• […] fourthly, schools must focus attention in providing confidence for pupils. Parents and/or supervisors continue to send their children to schools. Schools of every levels must make sure they are on strict hygiene and sanitation […],
• […] fifthly, (people) must have their masks on wherever necessary […],
• […] sixthly, masks sellers should not take this chance to increase prices […] I am calling on factories to produce masks and sell to the state or to help people in need (of masks) […],
• […] seventhly, must ensure normal functioning without discrimination against tourists and/or transportation services of every kinds – air and water that are in direct connections with the airport, hotel and other transportation sector […],
• […] eighthly, Cambodian diplomats, consular officers, and students who are working and/or studying in China, those in Wuhan also included, must continue to stay there and join with the people of China to fight the disease […] as is said in our ancestors’ slogan “a friend in deed is a friend in need” […],
• There have been some requests and one of them has been for Cambodia to shut out flights from China to Cambodia. That was a measure requested to kill national economy and to place Cambodia-China relations in dismay […] actually, there is no need to even do so, China has already declared closing flights from their end already – not only from Wuhan to outside destinations but also in China […], and
• […] the second request has been to evacuate Cambodian students studying in China to Cambodia […] I said “no.” Should we do that, it is nothing different from sharing only happy time with them and leaving them in bad time […] there is no need to evacuate Cambodian students, diplomats, and/or consular officers (in China) to Cambodia […]
Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Press Conference on the new coronavirus Situation in Cambodia, 30 Januray 2020