Real number of CPP supporters is 30%: Kem Sokha

Kem Sokha (Photo: Tin Zakariya, RFA)

06 May 2012
By Tin Zakariya
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soch

Kem Sokha’s claim came in response to Hun Xen’s boating on 05 May, saying that his supporters number more than 60%.

Kem Sokha said on 06 May that the true number of CPP supporters is around 30% only, not even close to the 60% boasted by Hun Xen.

Kem Sokha made this claim during the meeting with about 500 commune councilors at the HRP headquarters in Phnom Penh on 06 May.

Kem Sokha advanced several reasons as to why the CPP has about 20 to 30% supporters: it is because the CPP uses funds to buy Cambodian people, it also threatens the people by claiming that, should another party wins the election, war will be waged. Furthermore, the majority of members of the National Election Committee (NEC) are CPP members, also the CPP has the exclusively use of state media to its advantage, etc…

ពិបាកថា ដែរ

(Photo: DAP-news)

07 May 2012
Originally posted at: http://khmersme.wordpress.com/2012/05/07/%E1%9E%96%E1%9E%B7%E1%9E%94%E1%9E%B6%E1%9E%80%E1%9E%90%E1%9E%B6-%E1%9E%8A%E1%9F%82%E1%9E%9A/

ដូច្នេះ ចំពោះការ លើកឡើង របស់សម្តេច យើងពិបាកថា ណាស់ថា បើគ្មានការ ទិញទឹកចិត្ត ឬគំរាម កំហែងទេ វាពិតជា នៅតែមាន អ្នកគាំទ្រច្រើន ដដែល ឬយ៉ាងណា? ព្រោះមនុស្ស ក្នុង បក្ស ប្រជាជន សព្វថ្ងៃ ក៏មានអ្នក មិនសប្បាយចិត្ត ចំពោះការ ដឹកនាំរបស់ សម្តេច ជាពិសេស បក្សពួក គូកន អាម៉ីអាថោង របស់សម្តេច ដែរ។

កាលពីម្សិលមិញ សម្តេចតេជោហ៊ុន សែន នាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តី បានមានប្រសាសន៍ថា ប្រសិនបើ អ្នកគាំទ្រសម្តេច ធ្លាក់ចុះមកត្រឹមក្រោម៦០ភាគរយ សម្តេច នឹងលាលែង និង ចុះចេញពីតំណែងភ្លាម មិនចាំបាច់ឲ្យគេដេញ ឬនិយាយច្រំដែលៗទេ។

ប្រសាសន៍របស់សម្តេចនាពេលនេះ ពិតជាធ្វើឲ្យយើង(ខ្មែរស្មេរ)ចាប់អារម្មណ៍គួរសមដែរ ព្រោះវាមិនមែន ជាការលើកឡើងលើកទីមួយរបស់សម្តេចទេ និង ក៏ជាទម្លាប់របស់សម្តេច ក្នុងការស្ទង់ ចង់ដឹងមតិអ្នកគាំទ្រ និង អ្នកប្រឆាំងសម្តេចដែរ។លោកហូ ជីមិញ ធ្លាប់ប្រើ មធ្យោបាយនេះ កាលពីលោកនៅមានជីវិត គឺបើកកាសែតប្រឆាំងខ្លួនឯងមួយស្ថាប័ន។

ប្រសាសន៍របស់សម្តេច ក៏ធ្វើឲ្យយើងពិបាកធ្វើការវិនិច្ឆ័យថា ត្រឹមត្រូវ ឬមិនត្រឹមត្រូវដែរ ព្រោះ គ្មានរបាយការណ៍ ការស៊ើបអង្កេត ឬសម្រង់មតិឯករាជ្យណា ដែលអាចបញ្ជាក់ឲ្យយើងទទួលយកបាន។

A successful post-conflict country that still relies "heavily" on International handouts?

(Photo: Reuters)

Cambodia Considered A Successful Post-conflict Country - PM

PHNOM PENH, Sept 4 (Bernama) -- Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen said Saturday that his country is considered as a "successful post-conflict country", reports China's Xinhua news agency.

Giving speech at the forum on 2010 Asialink Conversations- Cambodia, Hun Sen said that Cambodia can be considered as a successful post-conflict country, as the reforms and economic growth plus other development schemes and plans are on right track.

He said, after the post conflict that only ended in late 1990s, and with the support from development partners and the private sector, Cambodia has made giant strides in development in the last decade.

With the return of full peace in 1998, a sense of confidence and pride pervades the country, a feeling that bodes well for birth prospects for economic growth and job creation and a concrete vision of a promising future.

"Since then, the Cambodian economy has undergone a dramatic and rapid transformation. Economic growth during 1999-2003 averaged 8. 8 percent, and although official development assistance(ODA) continued to finance growth, foreign direct investment (FDI) particularly investments in garment and tourism, was key to promoting growth," he said.

Hun Sen said that with the implementation during the last 5 years of the public financial management reform program, government revenue more than doubled from 2,220 billion riels (US$553 million) in 2004 to 4,928 billion riels (US$1.2 billion) in 2009.

In 2009, the gross domestic product experienced a positive growth, though very small, as agriculture and services sector maintained robust growth, he added.

On the per capita income, Hun Sen said since 1993, Cambodia's gross domestic product (GDP) increased fourfold from US$2.4 billion in 1993 to US$10.3 billion in 2008, and during this period, per capita income has more than tripled from US$229 to US$739.

The prime minister also expressed his optimism over the Asia's growth despite global economic recovery remains fragile.

"Although the global recovery remains fragile, we can see the positive signs of the recovery of the world economy," he said.

"We expect growth in Asia excluding Japan in 2010 to be around 7 percent."

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: The Tallest Building

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Cambodia's corruptor-in-chief vows to fight corruption: Can he send himslef to jail?

Hun Sen speaks during a graduation ceremony Thursday at the National Institute of Education. (Photo by: Uy Nousereimony)

PM vows to fight corruption

Friday, 04 June 2010
Cheang Sokha
The Phnom Penh Post

GOVERNMENT officials caught engaging in corrupt practices will be swiftly prosecuted under the Kingdom’s new Anticorruption Law, Prime Minister Hun Sen vowed Thursday.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for students from the Royal School of Administration, the premier urged officials to stamp out corruption in all its forms, and called institutional graft “a dangerous disease”.

“I am optimistic that we still have the capacity to fight against this dangerous disease,” Hun Sen said. “Corruption will damage our institutions.”

But the premier also defended the Kingdom’s police, military and government institutions, saying that most officials do not engage in corruption.

“People who commit corruption, they do it secretly. But be aware that other people working with you will find some way to know about it,” he said.

Cambodia is regarded as one of the most corrupt nations in the region, according to Transparency International, which ranked the Kingdom 158th out of 180 countries in its 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Observers have questioned whether the Anticorruption Law, passed earlier this year, will give officials enough tools to effectively and thoroughly combat graft.

Yong Kim Eng, president of the People’s Centre for Development and Peace, said he is concerned the new law lacks safeguards to protect whistle-blowers. Particularly troubling, he said, is an article outlining punishments of up to six months in jail or 10 million riels (US$2,386) in fines for complaints that lead to “useless inquiry”.

“This makes it a problem for the public to report about corrupt people,” Yong Kim Eng said.

It also remains to be seen whether the new Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) will be able to ensure witness confidentiality, he said, or whether the unit will be sufficiently independent – both politically and financially, since it falls under the auspices of the Council of Ministers – to carry out investigations.

After the law was passed in March, ACU officials acknowledged that extensive training would be required for those tasked with fighting graft.

Deputy Director Chhay Savuth said Thursday that the body was still in the process of “forming an internal structure”.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY IRWIN LOY

Sacrava's Political Cartoon: Hun Xen's Index

Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Business Side of Hun Sen Stability

"I, me and myself"?

Alternatives Watch – 10v09
Op-Ed by Ung Bun Ang

So, according to prime minister Hun Sen, as long as he remains at the top job there will be political stability in Cambodia. He makes this claim at the recent Second Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Siem Reap. And Hun Sen is probably right about the stability, considering the fact that oppositions are weak, disorganised, and unable to mount any credible challenges to him.

However, if it is true that the motive behind the claim is to impress new Japanese foreign minister Katsuya Okada for substantial Japanese investments in Cambodia, Hun Sen may be disappointed. His kind of stability that depends on him being there can, of course, attract certain businessmen who are seeking a quick profit with opportunities to move their capital in and out at short notice. It is a business operation that most suits fly-by-night or vulture companies that know who to bribe.

But serious foreign investors – the ones whom Council for Development of Cambodia secretary-general Sok Chenda says want to grow with the host country – may not share Hun Sen’s enthusiasm for his brand of stability the way he hopes they will. To them, the prime minister’s claim rings an alarm bell flagging a huge country risk, instead of a welcoming sign, when political stability of a country depends on an individual rather than institutions. They know there is a limit to how long a person can live, or can perform at optimum; only a strong institution can offer a lasting political stability that is conducive to long term business prosperity.

With his previous statement that without him there will be war, prime minister Hun Sen effectively makes those investors cringe. The Japanese government has been supportive of Cambodia from day one since the peace settlement; it funds, in one form or another, about fifty percent of the Cambodian national budget every year. But in contrast, Japanese businessmen generally have not been further away from what salesman par excellent Sok Chenda claims to be a unique money-making opportunity in Cambodia. There is a reason for them to stay away in droves.

If Hun Sen were to attract long term investors whom Sok Chenda cherishes, he would have to start working on building a strong government institution for Cambodia – the one that does not depend on him, and will last long after he is gone. He would need to believe that, no matter how comfortably he can walk all over his political opponents, he will neither last nor live forever. Like others, he is mortal and vulnerable to unpredictable future. He may be in charge,but not everything under the sun is under his control. Some X factor could abruptly put him out of commission, which will drown everything that depends on him.

With a strong institution, besides securing those beneficial foreign investments, Cambodia would not be thrown into chaos every time there is a leader changeover. The people would likely be spared from sufferings in between regimes they have frequently experienced since the heyday of Angkor.

Ung Bun Ang

Quotable Quote:

“A week is a long time in politics.” - Attributed to: Harold Wilson (1916–1995), British prime minister. First said in 1965 or 1966, and repeated on several occasions.

Hun Xen guarantees political stability … as long as he remains the prime minister

Hun Xen's kabuki dance to attract Japanese investors?

04 October 2009
By Pen Bona
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

PM Hun Xen claimed to guarantee Cambodia’s political stability, as long as he remains the prime minister. Hun Xen’s claim was made during a meeting of the foreign ministers from the Mekong region which also included the Japanese FM. Hun Xen’s guarantee was made to increase the confidence of foreign investors, in particular the Japanese investors. However the opposition does not agree with Hun Xen’s claim.

In his effort to increase foreign investors’ confidence in Cambodia, PM Hun Xen made the guarantee claim for political stability in Cambodia and that no problem will occur as long as he remains the prime minister.

The Cambodian leader, who is currently in his 24th year in power, indicated that he will remain the candidate for the premiership in 2013 and his premiership candidacy will be based on his guarantee for true political stability in Cambodia.

It is not a coincidence that Hun Xen made this claim during the 2nd Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministers meeting held in Siem Reap this weekend, it was because Japan’s Foreign minister, Katsuya Okada, was also present there.

Hun Xen’s statement was aimed at increasing the confidence of foreign investors, in particular Japanese investors who are still hesitating to put down major investments in Cambodia. In general, Japanese investors are more cautious about the corruption atmosphere that taints their investments and they are also concerned about political instability.

However, Yim Sovann, SRP spokesman, claimed today that Hun Xen is not the only one who can guarantee political stability in Cambodia, he said the SRP can also guarantee political stability if it wins the election. According to Yim Sovann, the human psyche changes from one period to another according to how the political situation the country is in. The opposition party spokesman claimed also that the change of political leaders will not only push people to bring in new ideas, but it could also bring in new developments as well. Nevertheless, up to now, the CPP still has the advantage over its political rivals. This advantage led Hun Xen to strongly believe that he will win the 2013 election again.

Hun Sen warned that he’ll have Thai airplanes trespassing into Cambodian airspace shot down

01 July 2009
Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Prime minister Hun Sen issued a warning to neighboring Thailand, which is currently embroiled in a border dispute with Cambodia, that it should be careful with its planes so that they never fly into Cambodian airspace otherwise danger awaits them because Cambodian soldiers cannot hold back.

Hun Sen made this declaration during a ceremony to distribute diploma for 975 students from the Norton University on 30 June 2009.

Hun Sen also talked about the explosion incident which took place in the evening of 28 June and which was caused by the inattention of two soldiers who lit up their matches to look at the gas tank of their truck and caused a fire which led to the explosion of 29 BM-21 rockets loaded on the same truck. The explosion injured 2 persons, and Hun Sen said that Cambodia had these ammunitions since long ago, and they are not new. Each of the rockets costs $3,000 and Cambodia does not want to boast that these are merely medium-size ammunitions, [in fact Cambodia] has even larger size [ammunitions] than these and the exploded ammunitions make up only about 1% [of the total].

Hun Sen added that he frankly told Thailand’s defense minister and its deputy-PM during their meeting with him last weekend that [Thailand] should be careful with its planes trespassing into Cambodian airspace. Hun Sen added that earlier, Cambodia destroyed 270 shoulder-launched missiles, but Cambodia has replaced them with even more modern ones and he cannot order those who have their fingers on the trigger. Therefore, Thailand should be careful and look at its maps properly and not fly into someone else’s airspace. Hun Sen said: “I am telling you frankly that even if each missile costs $200,000, I will still buy them.” Hun Sen added: “I am concerned that they fly into [our airspace] when they are transporting Thai leaders in them, because we do not have planes to fly back and forth, only Thailand flies airplanes and they circle them around, what if those who are below can not hold back.”

Hun Sen said that he frankly told Thailand that the number of Cambodian soldiers along the border will remain the same, and there is no troops pullout as long as the 30 [Thai soldiers] are not being pulled out, their bones will be [buried] there.”

Regarding his private meeting with Suthep Thaugsuban, Thailand’s deputy-PM, on 27 June at his residence in Takhmao, Hun Sen said: “Samlor Kor-ko (mixed vegetable soup allegedly cooked by his wife) was very good” because, like what Hun Sen said before, there were no discussions about Preah Vihear temple.

Hun Sen added that, nevertheless, in this issue, he is not boasting to Thailand. Thailand has more modern weapons than Cambodia, and it has more troops than Cambodia: Thailand had 300,000 troops, and Cambodia has only 100,000 soldiers. However, in the national defense, Cambodia will be pleased to oblige Thailand to the end. Hun Sen added that: “We don’t want war with neighboring countries, but it is an automatic right to defend when it comes to one’s border.”

Hun Sen also criticized [Singapore] Channel News Asia which falsely reported that he discussed Preah Vihear issue with Thailand’s ministers. In reality, whatever Hun Sen said, that’s how it was, and there was no need to talk about Preah Vihear issue. We have several issues to discuss with each other, including the overlapped maritime sea area between the two countries in order to bring in joint development, and also the border problems between the two countries where tension and confrontations must be lowered.”

To conclude, Hun Sen claimed: “I will not lose a single minute to tell the Thai counterpart to pull their troop out of Cambodia. It is a fact that I have to tell them, if I forget this point, it means that I am forgetting my own nation.” Hun Sen added that this is the actual problem, but the results will have to wait for the upcoming negotiations.

Cambodia-Thailand talks on border issue "fruitful": Cambodian PM

PHNOM PENH, June 30 -- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that the talks he had made with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan on Saturday were "fruitful and honest."

He said the meeting, which was held in a private and close-door form.

Elaborating the content of the talks, Hun Sen said the Thai delegation, upon his prior warning, did not raise Preah Vihear issue, but many other topics such as those related to joint development projects between the two nations.

Attributing to the points, he said, "We talked about developments of overlapping maritime areas that aimed at exploiting oil and gas, among others development projects."

The premier, however, said he did reiterate how to ease border tension in general and to avoid further armed clashes and urged Thailand to withdraw their troops from the area near Preah Vihear Temple.

He said Cambodian troops will never withdraw unless 30 Thai troops deployed near Preah Vihear temple first withdraw.

Also, during the talks, Hun Sen said he had warned Thai side not to fly their military aircraft over Cambodian territory, saying his armed forces have been newly equipped with modern ground-to-air missiles.

Hun Sen, however, said his statement meant nothing to show off his country's armament or any will to have warfare, but they were stocked and would be used only for self-defense purposes.

Cambodia and Thailand have had border dispute after Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple was listed as World Heritage site in July last year.

It will take 30,000 to 50,000 Thai troops to fight 10,000 battle-scarred Cambodian soldiers: Hun Sen boasts

If Thailand wants to attack Preah Vihear, it must send in 50,000 troops

Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Hun Sen issued a warning to the daring Thai troops stationed along the border near Preah Vihear temple. He said that if Thai soldiers want to fight to take back Preah Vihear temple, Thai army must prepare to bring in at least 30,000 to 50,000 of its soldiers. Hun Sen made this declaration at the National Education Institute in the morning of Tuesday 30 June 2009. Hun Sen claimed that he told Suthep Thaugsuban, Thailand’s deputy-PM, and Prawit Wongsuwan, Thailand’s defense minister, during their private visit with him last Saturday, that if Thailand wants to fight to take back Preah Vihear temple, Thailand will need at least 30,000 to 50,000 troops to fight against 10,000 battle-scarred Cambodian soldiers. Hun Sen added that Thailand counts a population of 70 million and an army of more than 300,000 men, whereas Cambodia counts a population of 14 million and an army of about 100,000 men. Therefore, if Thailand wants to attack Cambodian troops, they have to bring in a force of 30,000 to 50,000 soldiers to fight the 10,000-strong Cambodian troops.

Hun Xen demands the condemnation of Khmer Republicans for starting the war

Hun Sen said that during the uprising movement, nobody was more important than him. He was the commander of an army battalion.

Sek Sam Iet: A former general and governor of Battambang province under Lon Nol's regime. He was a consumate corrupt official under Lon Nol's Khmer Republic regime. Currently, a senator of Hun Xen's CPP regime, he is one of the Khmer Republicans condemned by Hun Xen, now what will the CPP do to CPP Senator Sek Sam Iet?

22 June 2009
Rasmei Kampuchea
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media

Prime minister Hun Sen asked why there are so many veterans in Cambodia? “We must not forget those who initiated the 18 March 1970 coup d’état, we must not forget to condemn them, if there was no coup d’état to topple Samdach Preah Norodom Sihanouk, the legal State leader, there wouldn’t be any war and there wouldn’t be the genocidal (KR) regime either. We must condemn the [Khmer] Republicans because, if there were no 18 March 1970, there wouldn’t be such tragedy in our Cambodia either,” Hun Sen said.

Hun Sen made these comments during the second anniversary of the Veteran Day to be held on 21 June 2009. Hun Sen’s comments were made on 20 June 2009 at the Chaktokmouk conference center, an event that was attended by 800 veterans.

Hun Sen added: “It is fortunate that in our country, there is no grudge held, all sides can live with each other.”

Hun Sen also reminisced about the formation of the national movement to liberate people from the genocidal Pol Pot regime [in which Hun Sen was a commander], and this movement started on 21 June 1977, i.e. 30 years ago, Hun Sen fled to Vietnam with a group of armed men, leaving behind his lovely wife. Hun Sen reminisced about some facts on the travel to Vietnam, such as his imprisonment in Vietnam.

Hun Sen added that in the uprising movement, nobody was more important than him. He was the commander of an army battalion. It was not until 02 December 1978 that the National United Salvation Front was formed with the joining of 5 parties: the eastern region led by Chea Xim and Heng Xamrin, the northeastern region led Bou Thang, Seuy Keo, and the southwestern region led by Say Puthang and Tea Banh (Koh Kong), as well as the troops under Hun Sen’s command.

Hun Sen also raised about the sufferings and the tragedy created by the KR on him and his family, and he said that if he were to make to wrong decision, he wouldn’t be alive right now. He said that his correct decision was when (1) his firstborn son was dropped from the hands of a KR delivery nurse, the child bled through his mouth and died on the spot. When he asked to take his son to bury and he wanted to take care of his wife, the KR commander did not allow him, this made Hun Sen very angry and he wanted to pull his gun to kill the KR commander, but he stopped himself on time (it should be noted that when he was recounting this story, Hun Sen choked and the participants were saddened by the bitter past under the genocidal regime which lasted 3 years, 8 months and 20 days). (2) His second decision was made when Hun Sen wanted to free his friends who were called in by Angkar (the party) for re-education, during that time, re-education meant being killed.

Hun Sen said that he is very fortunate with the people in the liberation of the country, the construction of the country, the prevention of the return of the Pol Pot regime, and also for bringing leaders in the Pol Pot regime to face justice. “Therefore, whatever the mean, whatever the price, we should not lose peace which we earn with great difficulties. We have many veterans because our country fought wars, therefore, we must prevent the return of the genocidal regime, and prevent those who want to start the war to come back. We must condemn the [Khmer] Republicans because if there were no 18 March 1970, there wouldn’t be tragedy in Cambodia either,” Hun Sen claimed.

Hun Sen added that he recognized he is hot-headed, but that he never made any wrong political decision yet, and this also included his decision to order the army on 15 July 2008 [date of Thai troops invasion of Cambodia in Preah Vihear], if he made a wrong decision, war will start all over again, this is not a small affair.

Hun Sen also criticized a small group of people who consider themselves as democrats or father of democracy, because they never made any decision regarding the policy of the country of yet. He said that even decisions within their small party were not done properly, and this led their members to almost all leave the party. He said that they should not demand to topple others, and they shouldn’t consider others as communist. Just using the word communist alone shows that they are not democrats anymore.

Hun Sen’s critics will be sent to “100th level of hell” … Since when does a communist believe in heaven and hell?

Danger Madness Mines! - Cartoon by Sacrava (on the web at http://sacrava.blogspot.com)

Monday, February 09, 2009
KI-Media

On Sunday, during a speech given at a pagoda inauguration in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen said that at their death, his critics will be sent to the “100th level of hell,” The Cambodia Daily reported in today’s edition. He also indicated that any exaggeration against him will dissolve “like salt in water” and those who dispensed these exaggerations will “have their mouth sealed shut” in the next lives. Cambodia’s strongman also revealed that he “also used black magic” against those who criticize him, and that those who have been cursed will become sick. Khieu Kanharith, government spokesman, tried to dismiss Hun Sen’s boasting as being a joke, whereas, opposition leader Sam Rainsy said such harangue is not becoming of a leader, and that Hun Sen’s use of the opposition SRP party name was a veiled threat to CPP party insiders so that they “remain local to the strongman.”

Hun Sen: All well's in Cambodia ... as it always is in the CPP's fairyland

PM: Cambodian economy in good shape despite global financial crisis

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian economy is in good shape, though it has been affected by the global financial crisis, Prime Minister Hun Sen told the Third Cambodia Economic Forum hereon Thursday.

"We have succeeded in securing peace, political stability, security and social order, while promoting macro-economic stability and international integration. We have been successful in developing our infrastructures as well as improving governance structure," he said.

The economic growth has been robust, averaging at 9.4 percent during the last decade and 10.2 percent in 2007, he said, adding that this helped reduce poverty by one percent per annum from 47 percent in 1994 to 30 percent in 2007.

"Despite the global economic downturn, the Cambodian economy is estimated to grow by seven percent in 2008 and the government will try to maintain a six percent growth in 2009," he said.

Cambodia's banking system remains strong in general, well capitalized and highly liquid, he said, adding that bank loans and deposits continued to grow in 2008, reflecting public confidence in the banking system.

"Our international reserves position has been favorable and was doubled during the last two and half years, from one billion U.S. dollars years ago to two billion U.S. dollars in 2008," he said.

Meanwhile, the progress in agriculture has been historically impressive and "we managed to increase rice yield up to 2.65 tons per hectare in 2008", from 2.5 tons per hectare in 2005, he said.

"There is still room for yields improvement by making investment in physical infrastructures, especially irrigation system, increasing agriculture productivity, and promoting agricultural diversification," he added.

In addition, the garment sector is now in good standing to compete in the world market, with its improved labor standards, he said.

"By further strengthening this competitiveness together with the government's on-going measures to implement trade facilitation and promote investment, we will be able to further enhance the attractiveness and competitive advantage of Cambodia in term of promoting and diversifying exports," he added.

Also, tourism is a great potential for development and remains generally strong, he said.

Hence the building of more physical infrastructure, improving legal framework and institutions capacity, developing human resources, tourism market diversification as well as the promotion of attractive tourism package based on the need to maintain strong political stability, safety, peace and social order will open more opportunities for this sector, he added.

The Third Cambodia Economic Forum was organized by the Supreme National Economic Council (SNEC) with the assistance of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to focus on competitiveness enhancement and poverty reduction in face of the current global economic crisis.

Can Cambodia spare $150 mln to contribute to the ASEAN funds to prop up regional economy as Hun Sen boasts?

(Photo: AFP)

Hun Sen: Cambodia is preparing funds to prop up regional economy

23 November 2008
By Kesor Raniya
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Prime minister Hun Sen declared that Cambodia will prepare funding to contribute with other 13 Asian countries to prop up the regional economy.

The idea of funding $80 billion to prop up and bring stability to the economy in the region came after a number of major countries, such as the US, are moving towards recession.

The idea was raised during the ASEAN+3 meeting (which includes China, Japan and South Korea) which was held in Beijing last month.

Hun Sen said on 21 November, during the 14th forum for the government and the private sector held in Phnom Penh that, during the 14th ASEAN meeting held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, all ASEAN countries and the other 3 partner countries will discuss about a plan to set up this major funding system.

Hun Sen said: “In the meeting which will take place soon, ASEAN+3 is looking for funds. They will bring up this issue in Chiang Mai to provide $80 billion in which 3 countries (China, Japan and South Korea) will contribute 80%, and the other 10 ASEAN countries will contribute 20%. H.E Keat Chhon had provided the choices, and I gave him my selection: Cambodia plans to contribute between 5 to 10% of its reserve fund ... so that the entire $80 billion can be funded to support this program, because if we rely on the IMF or the World Bank, it may not be sufficient, even relying on the ADB is not enough.”

Hun Sen said that officials of the ministry of Economy are actively working to complete this funding in time for the Chiang Mai meeting next month.
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KI-Media Note: According to Keat Chhon, Cambodia will contribute about $150 million to the fund.

Prime minister says garment sector will survive market crisis [-Hun Sen should wake up from his dream?]

Friday, 21 November 2008
Written by Nguon Sovan The Phnom Penh Post

Factories should target low-end market, PM says, but figures suggest the industry faces a slowdown as demand for exports shrinks
THE garment sector will not be seriously impacted by the global financial crisis, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Wednesday at a summit of trade leaders from the world's poorest countries held in Siem Reap.

"Expensive clothes are rarely produced in our poor countries, but they are produced in other countries. So we may focus on cheaper garments," Hun Sen said, adding that garments made in Cambodia will continue to sell if they are marketed properly.

"At this point, I think that there has been no serious impact on the garment sector," he added.

The prime minister's comments come despite industry figures that suggest a general sector slowdown and expected lay-offs in coming months.

At least 20,000 workers have been laid off this year, say officials with the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia, adding that 35 factories employing up to 5,000 workers each were facing closure.

GMAC chairman Van Sou Ieng said earlier this week that 30 factories have already been closed this year.

"They closed because there were no purchase orders," he said.

Clothing demand has fallen sharply in the US as economic woes force consumers to cut back on nonessential purchases.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, garment exports plummeted 46 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007, capping off a dismal year.

Export growth for all of 2007 stood at only 2.4 percent, representing US$2.9 billion.

Hun Sen said that Cambodia's export garment market is worth approximately $3.6 billion a year.

According to data from the US Department of Commerce, Cambodia garment exports to the US, the Kingdom's biggest textile market, totalled $1.8 billion in the first nine months of 2008, slightly down from the same period the previous year.

The sector is Cambodia's largest source of export income, providing 80 percent of its foreign exchange and employing more than 300,000 people.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY HOR HAB

Hun Sen boasting ahead of the election

Cambodian PM: CPP boasts strong basis to win election

PHNOM PENH, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The major ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) boasts strong basis to win the next general election in July, said Prime Minister Hun Sen in an exclusive interview with English-Khmer language newspaper the Mekong Times Wednesday.

"CPP began building its support base in 1993 with the winning of 51 seats at the National Assembly (NA), then 64 seats in 1998 and 73 (out of 123) seats in 2003. This basis is the foundation of (CPP's) support when it faces difficulties," he said.

Meanwhile, in the current third mandate government, (Cambodia) achieved double-digit economic growth, poverty has been reduced, and people's living conditions and the physical infrastructure has improved, he said.

These (achievements) will attract people in the upcoming election, said Hun Sen, also vice president of CPP.

The July 27 parliamentary election is to establish the fourth government of the kingdom. Altogether 11 parties have been approved to vie for the 123 seats in NA.

Hun Sen eyes extension of long-running rule in Cambodia with opposition divided

Sunday, June 1, 2008
The Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Although 11 parties are geared to fight it out in Cambodia's upcoming national elections, the contest is all but certain to be a one-horse race.

No one seems to have any doubt that Prime Minister Hun Sen, Asia's longest-serving head of government, will retain his stranglehold over the country's politics. Least of all himself.

"I wish to state it very clearly this way: No one can defeat Hun Sen. Only Hun Sen alone can defeat Hun Sen," he said in a speech earlier this year.

Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party began almost three decades ago as a communist party that headed a single-party state. But as Cambodia changed into a multiparty democracy, so did the party evolve, and proved itself the master of the field.

Today Hun Sen — once a member of the ultra-leftist Khmer Rouge — is crowing that he will bring the country boundless riches thanks to offshore oil discovered by an ultra-capitalist American oil company, Chevron.

In an hour-long speech at a recent development conference, he unequivocally told the audience he'll remain in power long enough to manage the expected windfall from the black gold, sometime in the next decade.

He spoke as if he had already won a new five-year term in office, though balloting won't be held until July 27. More than 8 million out of Cambodia's 14 million people are eligible to vote, according the elections committee.

An oil bonanza would further bolster Hun Sen's already unchallenged stature at the expense of the country's democratic freedoms, analysts say.

Once oil production starts, Hun Sen will find it easier to ignore the pressures to liberalize from foreign aid donors — on which the country is now still heavily reliant — and will instead curb freedom of expression, assembly and the press, said Lao Mong Hay, a senior researcher at the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission.

Elections have become a "veneer of democracy," he said, adding that Hun Sen's expected victory would further empower "the present oligarchy composed of people in power and tycoons."

Through guile and threat, Hun Sen has run Cambodia since 1985, when he became prime minister of a Vietnamese-installed communist government.

A peasant's son, he has intimidated, outsmarted and co-opted his rivals, including those who have spent decades being versed in Western education and democracy.

For years, Cambodia was wracked by civil war between the government and the Khmer Rouge guerrillas, whose 1975-79 "killing fields" regime left some 1.7 million Cambodians dead.

A U.N.-sponsored peace process led to 1993 elections that Hun Sen's party lost — but he managed to muscle his way into the government anyway as co-prime minister.

Less than four years later, he ousted his coalition partner when their rivalry turned violent and his forces emerged victorious after a few days of bloody fighting in and around the capital. His party easily won elections in 1998 over a divided opposition and hasn't lost a poll since. It now holds 73 of the 123 seats in the lower house of parliament.

Hun Sen has also presided over the fast growth of the economy, which remains small by international standards.

Having run the country for three decades, his party has built a firm grass-roots apparatus and can draw on financial wealth unmatched by its opponents. Supporters include some of the country's wealthiest tycoons, who regularly dole out cash to finance rural projects such as schools and roads, often named after Hun Sen.

The party has just three credible rivals, one named after and led by opposition leader Sam Rainsy.

The two other main parties are lead by Kem Sokha, a former human rights activist, and Prince Norodom Ranariddh, whose former party booted him out for alleged incompetence — in part because of some political shenanigans orchestrated by Hun Sen's side.

But because the three parties lack a united strategy and instead pursue their own separate agendas for votes, they are unlikely to loosen the grip of Hun Sen's party, said Kuol Panha, director of Comfrel, an independent Cambodian election monitoring group.

"The imbalance will weigh heavier toward the ruling party. It can prevail at whim with its great strength due to the divided voices among the non-ruling parties," he said.

He said Cambodia's electoral environment is still far from free and fair, with the ruling party enjoying unfettered access to state resources and the tightly controlled broadcast media.

During the past few months, TV and radio stations have flooded the airwaves with coverage of Hun Sen and party colleagues inaugurating rural roads, schools and Buddhist pagodas — financed by cronies — and welcoming deserters from the Sam Rainsy Party.

Sam Rainsy acknowledges that Hun Sen's advantage of controlling the levers of state power make it "very difficult" for opposition parties.

"There's no strong kid on the block," to challenge Hun Sen's grip, said Chea Vannath, an independent analyst and former director of the Center for Social Development, a nonprofit social study group.

"I'm sure the ruling party will stay in power for quite awhile - with or without the oil money," she said.

Hun Sen: CPP no longer welcomes Funcinpec defectors

Cambodian election: A survey that gives a taste of victory to Hun Sen

29 May 2008
By Duong Sokha
Ka-set
Unofficial translation from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the original article in French
Click here to read the original article in Khmer

On Thursday 29 May, Prime minister Hun Sen broached again on the survey conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI). He revealed that one question asked by the survey was not made publicly available in the official results provided by the IRI on Wednesday 28 May.

Prior to the publication of the survey results, IRI and USAID representatives took the entire results to show Sok An, the vice-prime minister, and in the document presented, the following question was included: “Will you vote for the CPP at the election?”, to which, 55% of the answers said “yes” and 25% said “maybe”, Hun Sen reported with a lot of enthusiasm.

“If we can convince the 25% of undecided, it would be awesome!” Hun Sen burst before detailing that the IRI chose not to display this question “for fear of other political parties.”

Hun Sen now shows a keen interest in surveys, “real tools for democracy” he claimed while adding that their results should not be underestimated. Nevertheless, he asked government officials, high-ranking officials, and CPP members not to abandon their effort before the 27 July election date “because these are just predictions, nothing is certain yet.”

Furthermore, Hun Sen called on Funcinpec candidates not to join the CPP anymore. “If you are defecting (to join the CPP), I would ask you to return back to where you came from!” However, he is mum when it comes to SRP defectors…

Election not even started yet, Hun Sen already called for all parties to accept the election results

Hun Sen calls on all parties to accept the election results

Thursday, May 29, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Prime minister Hun Sen called on all political parties competing in the upcoming 27 July election to recognize the election results. During a speech given the yearly public financial reform meeting on Wednesday, at the government state building in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen asked all parties that will be featured in the 4th legislative mandate election, to be prepared to accept the election results. Hun Sen said: “We are also prepared to win and we are also ready to walk out if we lose. So, we must all respect the election results. And other parties must be prepared to recognize these election results.