Unofficial Translation

Selected Comments at the Graduation at the Human Resources University

24 February 09

… It is indeed a great pleasure for my wife and I to take part in the graduation of 2,358 students, and this is also our presence here for the seventh time … It is good time for us to meet when you all finishes another stage in your life … By saying so I mean that graduation today should not be your last attempt on study … I am sure you will find way to go on with your study … If we were to leave study or stay idle, time and new knowledge will go by or we could say that we are running in opposite direction …

This school has made a great development from a small apartment. With HE Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng as honorary President, the HRI has now become HRU and is well known for its rate of finding jobs for students after graduation … But now everywhere there is this problem of financial crisis which is bringing about economic downturn … Many companies in the world have practiced this policy of laying off workers or slashed down jobs and some had gone bankrupt for good … Millions have gone jobless the world over … I would urge those who have jobs in hands to do their best … I would also remind you of any strikes or discontent expression should be held according to law as it could cause complete loss of jobs and trade unions could not do anything to change the situation at all …

Protest for a proper solution must be recognized but those aimed for power building for leaders of trade unions should be carefully and lawfully balanced … I would therefore appeal to unionists to be considerate in their actions and have more affection on workers as using them as springboard to expanding bargaining power with companies, especially when there is no mistake in point, would make the situation for the workers tangibly vulnerable … Some countries like the United States and European Union before ordered clothing from Cambodia to sell to workers in their countries but because workers no longer have jobs those orders are also slashed …

But one thing I am sure that no matter how hard the situation is Cambodia will not go back to the time when we had nothing to eat or the situation between 1970 and 1975 where war ravaged the country and between 1975 and 1979 when we all had hard time like in Pol Pot regime at all. Secondly we are sure to take serious precaution on food security as without it the country would go into chaos … we can go without fuel or luxurious cars but not rice … Job creations in our country has had impact from this crisis as some countries that planned to throw investment in Cambodia in 2009 has decided to withhold for the sake of redirecting the capital for saving domestic economy from crisis … There is a need in this case to create jobs locally so as to help assuage poverty among our people …

I would take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to every graduates for making their sacrifices and efforts to attain this far reaching achievements in developing themselves … I also take this achievement to be contributions and favors done by your parents who have sacrificed their times, resources and efforts for your gains today … I would urge you with what I used to ask from previous graduations here and elsewhere in the country that you have made them happy by trying to be obedient and keeping yourself away from social ills like drugs and gangsters, etc.

Yesterday I received a report that the conflict in the Extraordinary Chamber in the Court of Cambodia has come to an end … I do not care … There is a verdict from the court in 1979 but they did not accept it while continuing to recognize the Khmer Rouge at the United Nations and now they wanted to go through the court case again but to have been brawled in millions of financial issue …

To be correct, I have done my jobs already – Firstly, I have led and cooperated in toppling Pol Pot regime, and Secondly, I have done the job of preventing the return of Pol Pot regime … at the time when they protected Pol Pot, and when I was Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1979,1981 and 1985, my request to meet only a head of department of some countries, they did not respond positively at all … but they went to meet the Khmer Rouge leaders…

Thirdly, with support of the people and armed forces as well as unity among leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party, I have led the implementation of the win-win policy which has unified the country whereas the Khmer Rouge political and military organization have returned to the fold of the nation and they all – Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and other dignitaries – came to my house. This shows to the whole world that nowhere in this world has the conflict been resolved this way … Because we are a small country so what we have achieved could not be seen important but in some countries only verbally repeating “change” a Noble Prize could be in waiting … Some people who in the past have supported the Khmer Rouge could not by any standard judged to be human right champions … I think it is their unpaid duty to seek forgiveness from the Cambodian people for their kowtow to the Khmer Rouge …

Fourthly, I have led the negotiation with the United Nations to coordinate with then General Secretary of the United Nations Kofi Anan on points that were in contradiction … I suggested to Kofi Anan various possibilities — whether to have the United  Nations involved in the Court process with the Cambodian Judges and prosecutors, or the United Nations would provide only expertise and involve only in drafting laws … While the third option was the United Nations stays away …

Fifthly, when there is indictment from the court I have  ensured that it is fulfilled by getting those culprits before court. When you have a fight in the court it is your problem and we cannot accept to be irresponsible or will lacking … They never even once beg us for an excuse when they did things wrong on us – both some foreigners and Cambodians alike … How could some of them compare themselves as God or Buddha …Having said so it seems that without Hun Sen is kind of hard too … Take for example it would be uncomfortable if I was absent in the ASEAN summit but I also have planned to meet with Prime Minister Abhisit Vijajiva at Hua Hin on bilateral issues —not only to talk about border as it is not the only issue between Cambodia and Thailand but more like economics, trade, investment, tourisms, etc…/.

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