Address at the Inauguration Ceremony of the National Road 63 from Tbaeng Meanchey to the Base of Preah Vihear Mountain and Road No. 210 from the intersection with the National Road No. 62 to Sroyang Koh Keh

Preah Vihear Province, December 13, 2011

Your Venerable Monks,
Your Excellency Pan Guanxue,
China’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia,
Excellencies, Ambassadors, Ladies and Gentlemen,
National and International Guest,
Beloved Compatriots!

Today, It is my pleasure to be here with H.E. Pan Guanxue, China’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia in the official inauguration ceremony of the National Road 63 and Road No. 210. This event is an opportunity to meet each other again following the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the second Chroy Changva Bridge on November 02, 2011. Taking this opportunity, I would like to request H.E. Pan Guanxue to forward the deepest attitude from the Royal Government and People of Cambodia to the Government and People of the People's Republic of China for their important contribution to lessening hardship and alleviating poverty in Cambodia, by providing enormous grants and loans timely with no intricate condition for the restoration and development of physical infrastructure to help promote economic growth.

China is our important partner while we badly need to reconstruct socio-economic infrastructure, namely water, electricity, road and human resource development. The assistance ranges from scholarships and trainings for Cambodian Governmental officials conducted in China to construction and restoration of irrigation systems and hydropower plants and the development of interwoven roads and bridges that link Phnom Penh to rural areas in particular to Cambodia’s border, with the total road length of 1, 500 kilometers long and five long bridges, namely Sekong, Prek Kdam, Prek Tamak, Second Chroy Changva and Takmao Bridges.

In addition, China has also provided humanitarian assistance to Cambodia. During the recent flood disaster, China provided USD 7 million worth of emergency relief assistance. Cambodian people are indebted to China, a very close and good friend who stands ready when Cambodia needs its support, for this charitable deed. Taking this opportunity, I would also like to convey my deep gratitude to all charitable individuals and friend countries for providing humanitarian aid to Cambodia to help flood victims and restoration and development after the flood.

The Royal Government always considers roads-bridges as blood veins and driving forces for promoting sustained economic growth by working hard to realize numerous achievements nationwide. We have built infrastructure in southeastern, northeastern, southwestern and northwestern, which is a potential area for Eco-tourism and agriculture and yet remain low development. We are likely to pay high attention to the development of infrastructure in the area nearby Phnom Penh and countryside, but limited attention to the development of rural area, especially to Preah Vihear Teample and Cambodia-Thai border area. In this regard, I am of the view that we should not only develop nearby area, and forget countryside, meaning that we should develop all area in order to provide the best option for the use of infrastructure in transport and tourism.

Indeed, economic infrastructure, of which roads-bridges around Preah Vihear Temple is new alternative of our people and another catalyst for promoting economic growth in remote areas and Cambodia-Thai border. According to report of H.E Tram Iv Tek, Minister of Ministry of Public Work and Transport, National Road No.62, which was just finished construction and is now officially inaugurated, has a length of 110.10 km long, a slightly different from the opening of the construction for the road with the length of 116.3 km, of which road to Preah Vihear Temple with a length of 6.2 km being also constructed about 50% of total length. It is noticeable that we have made slow progress in construction of the road section of 6.2 km long due to border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand in early 2011, causing by the invasion of Thai armed forces during the leadership of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Taking this opportunity, I would like to share my regret and express sincere admiration, gratitude and appreciation to hardwork of armed forces and people living along Cambodia-Thai border, in particular soldiers fighting against the invasion of Thai armed force within 20 km around Preah Vihear Temple. I think that the National Road No. 62 and the road section to Preah Vihear Temple is strategic road, which is served as the defense of our country and economic and social sector. This road is linked the potential tourism and culture side in Preah Vihear province and that in Siem Reap and facilitate transportation of the people from the northern border, central low land and northeast plateau to the southeast plateau and is also linked to coastal area and Cambodia’s deep sea port. This road linkage is part of an internal integration and regional integration with other countries in the region because it stretch along the East-West Corridor of the Great Mekong Sub-Region and will become a good road network after the road no. 214 is completely constructed from Preah Vihear Province through Chhep to Steung Treng Provice and bridge crossing Mekong River in Steung Treng, the project already proposed by the Ministry of Public Work and Transport on August 20, 2011.   

Moreover, we also built the road no. 210 in order to expand scope of land routes network because the road no. 210 is intersected with the national road no. 62 at Tnal Bek village and connected to the road Kham Somet which is smoothly linked Preah Vihear Temple, a World Heritage Side to Ankor Wat, another a World Heritage Side. The road, which also stretches along the area with good fertilized soil for agriculture, make it easy for the people to transport crops, fruits, vegetables, and paddy-milled rice from Preah Vihear, Kampong Thom and Siem Reap province to markets namely, Poi Pet, Phnom Penh trough the section of the National Road No. 62 and from Tbeng Meanchey to National Road No. 6 in Kampong Thom province. In addition, people also can travel from Phnom Penh to Preah Vihear province within only a day. These reflect that those national roads has been promoting efficiency of activity chain that promoting policy on paddy rice production and export of one million ton of rice per year of the government in order to reduce poverty of the Cambodian people and food shortage of people in the region, and to raise livelihood of Cambodian people dwelling in the border region which was past battle of domestic conflict, and transform them into new face and to have close relation with all people in the country and neighboring countries. 

At the same time, on behalf of the government, I will continue promote active participation of all institutions and all the people nation-wide in order to continue rehabilitation, construction and development of physical infrastructure in all areas to protect and not to leave anyone in any part of the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia isolated and facing hardship. In this sense, I would like to encourage and fully support contraction of more inter-connected roads and bridges, linking the capital, provinces, krongs, districts, and khans in the country, especially areas along the borders, for that we will soon open the construction site of road from Preah Vihea, passing through Chep, connecting to Thalaborivat district in Steung Treng, Province, that enables transportation from Thailand border to Lao and Viatnamese border within nearer distance,  which could imply that our border areas will be region of cooperation and development. 

Indeed, these achievements are outcome of effort made by the government to ensure domestic integration, in addition the government also has been developing economic infrastructure aiming at integration with neighboring countries and the region.

Taking this opportunity, in order to ensure physical infrastructure development, particularly utilization of road No. 2 and national road 210 and to ensure efficiency in socio-economic development and poverty reduction, I would like to provide a number of recommendations as follows:

First. All government members, all levels of local authorities of capital, provinces, all the management and officials of Ministry of Public Works and Transport and Ministry of Economy and Finance to keep working harder according their mandate in order to build, improve, repair and maintain roads and bridges to all corners of the country so that we have quality road connection with neighboring countries and the region.
 
Second. Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Public Works and Transport and relevant ministries must keep paying attention and strictly take measures to prevent setting up illegal checkpionts along national and provincial roads  aiming to reduce anarchic and negative activities on  the roads.  

Third. On the behalf of the government, I would like to appeal to all compatriots to pay attention to two main points (1.) must prevent overload transport that could damage our hard-constructed road immediately and (2.) must strictly obey traffic rules in order to reduce traffic accidents that bring tragedy and burden to society because of loss of lives and disability.  Especially, I would like to request all drivers to drive at set speed i.e. must not exceed 40 kmh in the city and populated area, and must not exceed 90 khm for tourist cars and 60 to 90 khm for big-size car in the city and populated area, and must not forget to fasten seatbelt, and maintain and appropriately equip spare parts. For students who ride motor-bikes must put on helmet 100% at day and night, and must not allow domesticated animals and kids to play along road sides. Moreover, all transporters must abandon culture of exceeding weight limit and overloading passengers and goods which cause traffic accidents and loss of lives, injuries and disability.    

Before ending, once again on behalf of the government and people of Cambodia, I would like to profoundly thank all government and people of all development partner countries, especially Republic of China who provided moral, financial, material and technical support to rehabilitate and develop all sectors. At the same time, I would like to convey admiration to Shanghai Construction Company, the constructor, and Guangzhou Wan’An, the technical supervisor, for making effort to complete construction of the road with quality as planned. Moreover, I would like to express my compliment and encouragement for tiredless efforts of the management, officials and workers of ministry of public works and transport, ministry of economy and finance, local authorities of Preah Viheah province, Kampong Thom province, Siem Reap province and all relevant agencies for making effort to succeed implementing specialized tasks in construction strategic plan that the government laid out, especially the construction of road No. 62 and road No. 210.

At the end, with official inauguration of national road No. 62 from Tbeng Meanchey to heel of Preah Vihea temple, stretching over 110.10 Kilometers, and provincial road No. 210 from cross-road No. 62 to Srayang-Kohkeo, I would like to wish all venerable monks, Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, distinguished national and international guests, compatriots, government officials, teachers, students 4 gems of Buddhist Blessings: Longevity, Nobility, Health and Strength.  

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