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Unofficial Translation
Selected
Comments at the Gathering of Port Workers at the Sihanoukville
30 April 2009
It is indeed my pleasure and
honor to come back to meet you all once again in the Autonomous Port of
Sihanoukville after we met last year on May 1, which was at the end of the third
legislature of the National Assembly … Today our meeting is taking place at the
time that I am the Prime Minister of Cambodia in the fourth legislature of the
National Assembly after the general elections in July 2008.
… On behalf of Samdech Chea
Sim and Samdech Heng Sarin and leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), I
would like to convey our sincere thanks to workers as well as their families for
voting for CPP, which once again brings me here on the 123rd anniversary of the International Labor Day …
How come I did not choose to
come here on May 1, which is tomorrow? Tomorrow will be the first day of
sub-national council electoral campaigns - that is why I have to come here one
day before. I would first of all like to express my sincere thanks and
appreciation for the governing council of the Port as well as General Directors
and workers for the efforts they made in the past aimed at making the Port an
important entrance and exit point of trades in and out …
Achievements have been
illustrated in the report by HE Tram Iv Toek, Minister of Transports and Public
Works by which there is a clear contrast of increased volume of trades in and
out through this Port … I have been here to put into use many facilities from
stage 1 and stage 2 and I also came last year to put into official use the
building through which we operate one window service and this year I am here for
the last part of development plan with the loans we asked from the Government of
Japan …
Today we use the loan of
about US$ 24 million to equip the Port with lifting machines that will improve
its loading and discharging capabilities and eight container carrier trucks …
and I would say as I see they could use in transporting artilleries as well …
As it is now difficult to
find ZIL 131, maybe to my mind, if there is a need, we can use these container
carriers to load and transport our 130 and 152 mm artilleries. It can be used
for as platform trucks in transporting tanks also …
That is if we have to go to
war, but now they are being used for civilian purposes. We do not have a war to
fight anymore and we do not go to war with anyone but our military officials
have raised this issue as their concerns. One official raised this idea of using
container carrier trucks to do the job and it is a good idea …
Now let’s get back to
automation of a computerized control system which is known to be risk management
area as well as the whole Port operation … We have spent 24 million dollars and
the money is the loan from Japan …
Let me now say a few things
in relations to the project of developing the Port … In between 1994 and 1995,
if we were a bit slow the Port would have changed hands because of what is
termed “investment” … But I have been firm on this that I do not let it out and
I hinted that if you want to find financial help from Japan for developing the
Port, it has to be kept free of private hands …
There had indeed been
requests from everywhere for the Port development and everyone seems to have
promised a budget of billions of US dollars and I just thought to myself if they
have that much why do they want an old Port and not to build a new one. The
Japanese money actually came to Phnom Penh already, but because there was
private hands in the Port, the money had actually been transferred to the
Vientiane airport development project …
After 20 years, Japan has
come back and offered as loan again … We may ask why Japan did not give us loan
earlier than that so that we can have this port developed … The story has been
that Cambodian previous regimes owed Japan money and I can’t tell which regimes
were there, … In 1992, Cambodian assistance has been recorded to be high but the
country benefits nothing because those money pledges were for paying back
Cambodian debts to IMF, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, etc.
As a member of the Supreme
National Council (SNC) of Cambodia and Prime Minister of the State of Cambodia,
I could see it most of the debt were recorded in the regime of Lon Nol …
Officials suggested selling a plot of land to me so as to pay back the
Cambodian debt to ADB, but I refused … Now the land has gone up sky high by an
18 floor building …
ADB allowed us to get loan
because we had been forced to borrow money from a private bank to pay back its
debt in advance – both in principal and in interest …
As in the case of Japan, why
we could not get loan from 1994 and 1995? It was because Japan demands that we
have to pay Japan back the money we owed in both principal and interest
including fine. Japan provided Cambodia with goods and Cambodia had to market
the goods to get the money pay for Japanese debt but the money has been used to
help Cambodia … I would say an arrow that kills three birds …
It was 20 years after the
liberation and six years after the Paris Peace Agreement that Cambodia was
allowed the Japanese loan access …
Japan has loaned us Yen 4,142
millions or about 38 million US dollars for the first stage of Port development
– the container port, to be specific, which cost about Yen 3,916 million …
For the second stage, we had
a second batch of loan of about Yen 4,313 million or about 39 million US dollars
from Japan which was signed on December 26, 2004 to extend further the container
port and also to equip the Port with necessary machines for loading and
discharging services … which we put into use officially today …
At the time that we meet here
today to put into use this sophisticated equipments I would like to express on
behalf of the Royal Government and people of Cambodia, through the Ambassador of
Japan, our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Government and people of
Japan. More financial commitment on March 20, 2006, a sum of Yen 318 millions or
about three million US dollars has been invested in studying an engineering plan
for special economic development zone …
As of this year, we have
signed another agreement on March 31, 2008 on a sum of Yen 3,651 million or
about 36 million US dollars at the lowest interest rate of 0.01% per annum and
we would be glad if Japan could loan us more of the kind.
I would be waiting to see,
and I have talked to the Japanese Ambassador already, two things – firstly,
timing of commencing the construction of the Special Economic Zone, because it
has been signed into agreement since 2006 but has not yet started … I am so shy
of talking about SEZ as it is too special to get off ground …
If we compare it with the
project 1 and 2 in Steong Hav and Prey Nub, which used no state fund, but they
have them done, except this one … That is why I said I will keep my eyes and
ears on the timing of commencement of the development site … The second thing I
am waiting to see is which one would attract the most investment … Let me remind
you that the loan has to be paid back in principal and interest and fine would
be applied if we fail to pay them back …
… I would warn the Port about
the situation that it may have to operate the Port just to keep the Special
Economic Zone going because we now have to start paying interest already and
three million US dollars is the cost for mapping up the area. My objective is
for the Port to operate for own development and not for the SEZ and also for the
two to operate in complement to one another …
Because we have the Port
right here, SEZ would benefit from that but if it has taken so long, perhaps
other companies have already tapped the benefit elsewhere …
We may have to depend on the
Japanese investments more than anyone else here but because the Japanese have
gone mostly to Thailand with their investments, it maybe possible that we may
leave the area for football.
This is the only place that
we have to borrow money to develop SEZ but it has gone nowhere. Do not take me
wrong that I criticize the Government of Japan but as a loan taker I wish to be
clear - why so much time has been prolonged? We all want transparency and if we
are afraid we would keep this situation going. I will not leave it at that
because this is the Cambodian money and Cambodia has the duty to pay them back
to the Japanese people. Please move thing fast and do not pay too much time on
consultancy …
Despite the above
developments, I think we need to do more in consideration of need for
efficiently serving water transportation and in competing with service provided
by other Ports in the region ... We say the Port is the only deep sea access in
the country but it is so shallow if we compare to others …
Some ships have to discharge
goods to smaller ones to go to the Cambodian sea Port at Sihanoukville ... What
remains to be a major concern for us is to allow big ships traveling directly to
our Ports without having to waste time loading and/or discharging goods because
of inaccessibility for shallow sea lane ...
We need capital to exhume
sand from the sea bed to deepen the shipping lane and there are more than one
way to skin the cat for example we have own capital, or from development
partners and/or private investment partners … They may get permission to dredge
sand to make the lane deeper and for doing that they may get something in
return, etc. What I want to say is how to strengthen Cambodian economic
development within the country not just our wish to compete with regional
countries …
HE Tram Iv Toek has mentioned
in his report already that all stakeholders in the Port need to be working
together in unity – custom officers, police, military police, and the two armed
forces will have to join forces in combating tax evasion while getting them to
pay and making sound evaluation of real tax value …
I would warn the fact that
there was this case of fixing a value 70% out of 100 so that they can share
among themselves the rest. We must guarantee a smooth operation of the Port …
HE Cham Prasidh should also
look into the fact that many requests for developing golf courses but it seems
that not many have actually implemented them ...
I would like you to check
which company does not implement the project, we should take back what has been
offered, and we keep the deposit fund too … because we have provided them with
like a one or two-year validity already …
The ANCO clean water has come
now in the city and it could provide up to 12,000 cubic meters of clean water
per day and only 6000 cubic meters are consumed currently per day … The
left-over half should be running down to other areas like the Port so a running
water system should be laid down to cater water to every sectors … the Koh Puoh
is also in need of clean water because no permission is granted for the Koh Puoh
investors to drill for water …
Because today is the 123rd anniversary of the International Labor Day, in Phnom Penh there are 112
factories and enterprises that organize banquets for workers. I wish our workers
make further efforts to overcome difficulties in time of world economic crisis
and continue to collaborate within the labor law where understanding between
workers/employers and employers/factories owners is needed because the two sides
are partners that need each other in order to make progress …
The same is true for the
Autonomous Sea Port of Sihanoukville where if the Port makes more money, workers
will enjoy the benefit as well ...
Workers and factories owners
are partners in their developments … In Lenin’s New Economic Policy he said
workers will have difficulties if the capitalists are not making any progress. I
would analyze his statement that if the capitalists do not invest in factories,
workers would not be able to find jobs or careers …
In the cause of coming
electoral campaign which starts tomorrow, I would urge our armed forces to do a
good job serving the National Election Committee at all levels while
guaranteeing a free, fair and just environment for the sub-national election to
take place free from violence. Before and after the election date, we have to
provide safety in the whole country especially all CPP committees’ members must
exercise patience and whatever is beyond authority’s jurisdiction, please leave
it for the judicial system and refrain from going into conflict. This is my
appeal after which I will be silent …
I also would like to appeal
to all who use vehicles of all types to increase watchfulness in operating their
means of transports because accidents caused by traffic are grisly and higher
death rate everyday …
We all have to respect
traffic rules and no matter who you are you have to abide by law … It is now
also time that we have to take actions against those vehicles with military or
police number licenses … they should replace them or they will get fined and
their vehicles would be confiscated for state property …
I also urge those driving
important persons’ vehicles to drive within permitted speed … and siren car
should have certain rule to follow because the sound at a certain level would be
disturbing patients in hospital or elderly who has insomnia …/.
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