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Unofficial Translation
Selected Comments Visiting Ta
Ken Koh Sla Military Handicap Development Project
08 March 2010
My wife and I are so happy to
have come on the 99th anniversary of the International Women Day to visit the Military Handicap
Development Zone (MHDZ) after they have moved from the center at Kien Svay. Last
year I came on April 4 which was my official birthday but because the schedule
for April this year has been too tight I have decided that my visit this year
should take place at this time. In fact moving the schedule a bit earlier is so
practical indeed as it gives me time to help solve the needs here as I learned
that there have been things that need to be addressed urgently.
I would like to take this
opportune moment to express my sincere thanks to HE Kit Peng Long for the report
he made just now in relation to progress made by our soldiers. I am sure I agree
with what has been said and accept that they are on the right path and will
produce a long-term effect too. Back at Kien Svay centre, I have come to a big
question as to how our handicapped soldiers could deal with their family issues
depending solely on their supplied regime. They have many children and they have
had nothing to give out to them when they are growing adult. It was with this
thought that I have initiated to set up this region of military handicap
development, where each family of handicapped soldier would receive a house and
a 1.5 hectare of homestead.
As is said in his report, Gen.
Kit Peng Long clarifies that in 23 months, which is still a short time for our
heavily handicapped soldiers, progress has been visible, though some may depend
on personal effort and handicap condition as well. We have given out a priority
for those heavily handicapped soldiers to live close to hospital and for those
who have minor handicap condition have to get their chance by ballots. I am so
glad to hear that some of the produces do not have to travel to the market but
traders have come in and bought them from here. I also thank those merchants for
coming to fetch these produces to the market.
It is also a good thing to see
that the Administration for Forest and Fisheries have made great efforts in
providing trees and fish breeding techniques to our handicapped soldiers’
families. We have a major problem here for water as this is a place not for rice
cultivation but for legume and fruit tree cultivation.
I would take a moment to talk
about the case of soldier Chan Aun. It was about 12 years now that the fake Chan
Aun died and the real one survives. Because of difficult life the real Chan Aun
decided to sell his regime logbook to someone but the fake one died not long ago
and now the real Chan Aun has taken back his logbook to claim his regime at the
Ministry of Social and Veteran Affairs. I met Chan Aun at one of my visits to
Sihanoukville province.
Having learned that I ordered
for the reinstatement of his regime with the Ministry of Social and Veteran
Affairs and Chan Aun has then been admitted into this program and sent to living
here. I am sure there are more cases like that of Chan Aun and I would urge
those who have bought regime logbooks from the handicapped soldiers to return
them so they could make use of them to claim for their regimes.
As you see that these are
issues that have been left from the war in 1970s as if it were not for that war,
there would not be such social problems to be resolved today. That is why I have
mentioned and I will go on mentioning that peace in this country is so precious
that no war would allow happening again at all cost.
Here is a handicap soldier
development zone whereby all handicapped soldiers are being mobilized by the
Ministry of National Defense. We also have more of these at Kulen mountain range
in Siemriep province, where each project consists also land concession for
handicapped and deceased soldiers’ families.
Getting a project of this sort
done is costly and would require a lot of thoughtful management and resources so
as to achieve utmost aim that each family would have a better and appropriate
living condition and will be able to pass some of their properties on their
children.
Now that I have ordered the
agro-machinery team of my bodyguard unit, which used to help till the land here,
to go help at new villages created at Preah Vihear province. I have decided to
provide two major tractors of John Deer type for the Brigade 31, which is to
eventually take the unit’s place in helping our people here.
I would also ask Gen. Kit Peng
Long to go contact with the company that produces sugar to figure out if our
people here could opt for growing sugarcanes to supply to the factory. Oknha Ly
Yong Phat has got a project to start a sugar factory in Kompong Speu and I think
if we could get our people to start growing them prior to the factory’s
operation, it would be an ideal situation.
I learned also that the factory
has had contacts with those sugarcane farmers in Koh Kong’s Sre Ambel, Kompot
and the Sihanoukville provinces as well.
I think they should start doing
it right away as rain will be coming soon. As far as the need for water is
concerned, I think it is rather a major issue here because with or without rain,
we have to have water. I have a memory that in 1994-95, we had a severe drought
whereby it was hard to find water even for animals in some provinces. It seemed
that advance rain does not seem to come any time now so I would urge well
drilling team to come back again and check to see why there are no water
available for some wells. It would be a good think to see if the drilling did
not reach to the water deposit underground.
Our solders at Koh Wai have had
so much difficulty with regard to water availability. No one would say that we
could drill a well at Koh Wai at all and what they did was to gather rainwater
and store it in tanks for use in the dry season. However, upon my wife visit,
she initiated for well drilling and it has up to now proved that there is
continuing water availability from wells.
As for this place, for
immediate need, as we also have here a hospital, school and pagoda, I would
order for increasing hour in pumping water to meet their demands. I have also a
suggestion here that more water supplying systems need to be in place and also
reservation systems. I would suggest the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy
to take care of supplying systems, and as for the tank and reservation systems I
would urge the engineering team of the Ministry of National Defense to look into
it.
Taking this opportune moment I
would like to make some comments on what has been said by the Secretary General
of ASEAN concerning Cambodia’s exercise of live ammunition firing. Cambodia
never conducted any acts of instigation on any country but why has this General
Secretary of ASEAN been so irritated about?
The Prime Minister and Deputy
Prime Minister of Thailand did not react to this but why the General Secretary
of ASEAN did and expressed a feeling that the region is not secure because
Cambodia test fires its BM 21 rockets. Last year Thai conducted military
exercise and its rockets landed on to Cambodian territory more than one time.
Though they sent me a letter requesting my forgiveness for that incident I
brought to their attention and warned them not to have further wrong-target
firing into Cambodian territory anymore. What if Cambodia neglected and fired on
accidental targets in Thai territory?
Why else the ASEAN Secretary
General, who formerly was also Foreign Minister of Thailand, bothers about
Cambodian test-firing its rockets and deemed it as an act to destabilize the
region, while some countries are in the state of infighting and even some street
bomb explosions. Have not they a cause of concern for that matter? I do not have
intention to bring issue on anyone but I could not let such a remark goes
unverified ...
HE Hor Nam Hong, Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has had
a letter written and sent already but as a head of Government of one of the
ASEAN member nations, I would add that for making such a comment, he is not fit
for the job that requires the person to be neutral ...◉
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