Samdech, Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Leaders of (All State) Institutions, Provincial Governors, Municipals, Civil Servants and Armed Forces
Although today I was a little hoarse after the evening workout, I needed to speak to the armed forces, civil servants at all levels, and to inform you of the vaccination process underway across the country. As for the armed forces, especially the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF), the vaccination process led and commanded by Samdech Pichey Sena Tea Banh. As a result, so far, almost 100% of the troops have gotten their first dose of vaccination, and about 70% to 80% have already gotten their second dose of vaccination. Some of our police forces jabbed by the army (medical trams) and some by civilian (medical teams). Recently, we have been vaccinating civil servants at the national as well as sub-national levels. In this vaccination campaign, we noticed two types of people. The first type of people wanted to have the jabs as soon as possible, with the fear of not getting the vaccines. This is an encouragement. I have received information regarding the desire for vaccinations from civil servants as well as our armed forces. There is, however, also the emergence of a second type of officials who avoid vaccination.
I would like to emphasize that although the vaccine is on a voluntary basis, in the future it is clear that the vaccine will become mandatory, especially in this first step, among armed forces and civil servants. I would not want to reach a difficult stage to think of how to save. I would like to confirm to civil servants who do not want to get the vaccination that when all institutions get to 70% or more of the vaccination non-vaccinated officials may not be able to come to work. Please sleep at home. Along with this, if they are in high-ranking class to attend meetings, the head of the institutions should not invite or allow them to attend the meetings. The reason is (if to get) just vaccination to protect their own lives and join the fight against Covid-19, they could not do, the person needs not continue to be a soldier, a police or a civil servant to do anything else.
I would like to alert you so as not to be late. Vaccines are not a marketable product in pharmacies. Unlike medicines that are sold in pharmacies. Now the government is paying attention to vaccinating civil servants and the armed forces. There is still vaccine and please come and get it. If you do not come voluntarily, in the time to come, Excellency, Lok Chumteav will not have the opportunity to attend the meeting and will not have the opportunity to enter the Ministry because those in the Ministry are afraid of infection from Excellency, Lok Chumteav, the officials who did not get the vaccination. I would ask the Minister and the management to review the movement of officials under their authority. The army is the same. However, after Samdech Pichey Sena Tea Banh, directly supervised, (the army) injected in general (but) there were some exceptions for medical reasons prohibited in the vaccine regulations. In general, the army got the jabs thanks to the strong leadership of Samdech Pichey Sena Tea Banh.
There is one ministry, the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, of HE Chea Sophara, the Deputy Prime Minister, who vaccinated more people than expected because (they decided to provide vaccination to) contracted officials, gardeners, sanitation workers, etc. This is a great thing and I admire that. HE Chea Sophara is concerned that the vaccination (at the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction) is way over the planned number. I have said to him that this is a good gesture (that) gardeners, cleaners at the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (allowed) the jabs. I would like to ask the ministries, institutions, ministers to summarize the number and percentage of officials who have already had the vaccination, and how many are left not vaccinated yet … Those who have not been vaccinated should not come to the ministry as they can bring disease … let them back after they got their jabs.
We need to send vaccines to other places, especially to the people in Phnom Penh and Kandal as a priority to ensure immunity as I issued the order in the evening. Provincial authorities, especially provincial governors and district governors, must check on subordinates, all departments around the provinces must check which officials have been vaccinated and which have not been vaccinated to avoid evasion (from vaccination). Doing so, they would not only destroy their lives, but also contributed to the destruction of the lives of others in the institution where they work in case of intentional avoidance of vaccination […]
Even newly recruited civil servants and/or contracted staffs must meet vaccination criterion before allowing into the framework or entrance exam. Otherwise, the immunity, which requires inoculation around 10 to 13 million people, would not be accomplishing because some people would not accept it. We agreed to keep him/her at home. Let them leave their jobs and recruit new officials to replace them. This is a public health issue. We have to think of the common national interest of public health. The case of exception would be when a doctor states that the individual cannot get the vaccination. We also needed to avoid collusion between doctors and non-vaccinated people. Therefore, provincial officials need to have certification issued by the provincial health department to be sure that there is no such collusion. In Phnom Penh, too, specific locations such as the Phnom Penh Municipal Health Department should issue certification for civil servants at the national level, including the legislature, the executive, and other constitutional bodies, such as the Constitutional Council and the National Elections Committee, the Anti-Corruption Unit, the Audit and the Ministry of the Royal Palace […]
We will continue to think in the future, if possible, in addition to what is provided by the health department in the field of vaccination, we may have a label to identify persons who have been vaccinated in each workplace issued by the Ministry own self. The label confirms vaccinated persons from non-vaccinated ones. The point I want to make is not to discriminate between vaccinators and those who have not been vaccinated, but what I do mean is we all join together to prevent Covid-19 and not to leave anyone in harm’s way without us warning them. We do not need to discriminate against each other, but we have our discrimination to Covid-19. Therefore, unvaccinated individuals are more susceptible to Covid-19 […]
Therefore, I would like to call on and make it clear that those who intend to avoid vaccination are more likely to lose their jobs in the armed forces, in the civil service, at the national and sub-national levels. Vaccination campaign is underway. It is not yet too late. Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen, civil servants and the armed forces who have not been vaccinated, please seek vaccination to protect your life and protect your work as well.
I would like to reiterate that this is not an incitement of discrimination for vaccination, but a warning to protect oneself from Covid-19 for both the individual and the units/institutions where they are working. Clearly, that evasion will avoid the Ministry forever. The vaccination-avoided persons cannot enter the Ministry. The ministers must be accountable before the Prime Minister and report to the Ministry of Public Works. The Ministry of Public Works must compile the number of officials who have already had vaccinated and submit it to the Prime Minister for the sake of information management for the census, update and seek vaccines for future vaccinations. Thank you and hope that Samdech, Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen, officials, soldiers, as well as all civil servants join together to receive the vaccines. Vaccines are not poisons. It is part of self-defense and the collective defense of our institution and society, and ultimately it will protect our cooking pots. Thank you./.
