PM Hun Sen’s New Year Message

Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, has extended warmest greetings and best wishes to all his beloved compatriots at home and abroad on the occasion of Khmer New Year (Year of Snake).

Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen said, in his New Year message, “I would like to join with all compatriots who are living in the country and overseas in celebrating Khmer Traditional New Year at the same time when the developments in all domains have been progressing in the Kingdom of Cambodia.”

“Like the previous years, the past year, the Year of Dragon, has left behind many achievements made by the Royal Government of Cambodia in implementing the Rectangular Strategy – Phase Two, for Growth, Employment, Equity and Efficiency in Cambodia. These fruitful successes result from the audacious efforts and commitments of the Government leadership at both the national and sub-national levels and all armed forces to overcome all obstacles in protecting peace, safety and public order; in maintaining political stability and in developing the entire nation,” he underlined.

In the Year of Dragon, Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen noted, the Royal Government of Cambodia achieved an economic growth of 7.3 percent, a higher growth among the ten ASEAN member-countries, thanks to the remarkable increases in garment industry and tourism service, therefore maintaining the essential stability of inflation.

The message further reads, “In the past year, the volume of rice production in both the rainy and dry seasons has reached more than 9 million tons of which there was a surplus paddy rice of 4.7 million tons after deduction of the food supply, rice seeds, animal foods and the loss during the harvesting.

“There are 543 garment factories which employ more than 490,000 workers. Foreign tourists visiting the Kingdom of Cambodia amount to more than 3.5 millions, an increase of over 24 percent as compared with that of 2011. A total of 218 new and existing investment projects are operating with the investment capital of nearly US$3 billion and create more than 330,000 jobs for the Cambodian people.

“In the Year of Dragon, the Royal Government of Cambodia built and inaugurated a number of large constructions, including national roads, skyscrapers, sky bridge in Capital City of Phnom Penh, buildings for ministerial and administrative offices, health centers, school buildings, factories, supermarkets and shopping malls, and it also restored the physical infrastructures such as provincial and rural roads, sewage systems and a number of irrigation networks that were damaged by floods in 2011.”

The message highlights the government reform strategies in many areas, especially those relating to aquatic products and land-related policy, in which, during 2012, the Royal Government decided to close down all fishing lots, gave them to the local people for family fishing, and to maintain some of them as aquatic protection zones. The Royal Government took measures to temporarily stop providing the additional economic land concession, and implemented the “Old Policy, New Action” campaign to give land titles to nearly 500,000 families for use as housing and farming which has so far covered some two million hectares. More than 2,000 Samdech Techo heroic young volunteers and nearly 2,000 officials from various government departments have been continuing their active works in 20 targeted provinces across the country which is planned to complete in early 2014.

Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen recalled the deepest condolences over the passing away of Late King-Father Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk, saying that it is the loss of a hero King who was experienced in the national reconciliation, national solidarity and strong national unity, and a loss of a popular architect of national and international peace.
He sincerely praised the heroicness of all armed forces, both the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and the National Police at all levels, for their audacious will and bravery to firmly defend the territorial integrity of Cambodia.

He profoundly thanked all members of legislature and executive, monks, civil society, all citizens and all development partners for their active participation and support in carrying out the political platform and the Government’s Rectangular Strategy – Phase Two to enable Cambodia to well maintain and defend peace, stability, safety and public order, which is an indispensable factor in development of all domains.

Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen also extended, in his message, his New Year greetings and best wishes to His Majesty Norodom Sihamoni, the King of Cambodia, and Queen-Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk.

Sourced: AKP