SPEECH OF HIS EXCELLENCY SOK AN
SENIOR MINISTER IN CHARGE OF THE OFFICE
OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS AND CHAIRMAN
OF THE COUNCIL FOR THE DEMOBILIZATION OF ARMED
THE DISTRIBUTION OF SECOND ROUND OF FOOD SUPPLY TO
THE DEMOBILIZED SOLDIERS UNDER THE 2001 FIRST FULL-SCALE
DEMOBILIZATION AND REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
TAKEO, JUNE 16,2002
- H.E. Senior Minister Tea Banh, Co-Minister of National Defence
- H.E. Gotaro Ogawa, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Japan
- H.E. Bonaventure Mbida-Essama, Chief of World Bank Cambodia Resident Office and Chairman of Donor Working Group on Demobilization
- Distinguished national and international Guests
- Dear Veterans
Today, I am greatly honored to attend this official ceremony launching the second round of food distribution to the 15,000 military personnel who were discharged last year under the first full-scale Cambodia Veteran Assistance Program. I am of the view that today's food hand-over is so important in the sense that one part of the long awaited reintegration assistance package can finally begin to deliver so that the demobilized soldiers can meet their daily needs while waiting for the main reintegration package. More importantly, it is also a clear reflection of a full sense of responsibility vis-a-vis the objective that we all agreed to assist the veterans and their families to have a stable livelihood after demobilization, as well as the firm determination of the Royal Government of Cambodia and Donor Community, specially the Royal Government of Japan which financed this food supply representing here by H.E. Ambassador Gotaro Ogawa to fulfill what we have promised the soldiers before the discharge.
On behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia and in the name of H.E. Senior Minister Tea Banh, Co-Minister of National Defence, I wish to express once again our most profound gratitude to the Government of Japan for her timely, precious and humanitarian assistance to the demobilization project in general and to our veterans in particular. I wish also to sincerely thank all distinguished national and international guests for your presence here today which not only reflect your active and ongoing interests and support to this very complicated and sensitive military reform project, but also it constitutes a great encouragement to the already discharged 15,000 soldiers of whom 432 are sitting in front of all us here today who had made great sacrifices for the sake of peace, security, stability, national unity and reconciliation as well as national defense and development. Furthermore, my high appreciation and sincere thank also goes to the UN World Food Program representing here by its Country Director, Mrs. Hansen Rebecca for the excellent cooperation so far with the General Secretariat of the Council for the Demobilization of Armed Forces and its great and very efficient performance to make this food distribution happens only within a very short period of time.
And to our first full-scale demobilized soldiers, I wish to convey the best regards and wishes from the leaders of the Royal Government of Cambodia, specially from Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen and all leaders of the Ministry National Defense and the High Command of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, and to reassure all of you that we have never forgotten your difficulties and hardships in making your new life as civilians since your departure from the army. On the contrary, as Chairman of CDAF, not only I have always followed with keen interests the General Secretariat work on reintegration, particularly on the procurement and delivery of the four options of reintegration assistance package which constitute the most important social and economic means to help all of you to earn your daily life as well as facilitate your living conditions, but also I have given my firm and incessant instructions to the General Secretariat to keep working very closely with the Donor Working Group on Demobilization specially with its Chairman, H.E. Bonaventure Mbida-Essama, to consider the delivery of this reintegration assistance package as the first priority work.
In this sense, while sharing with your difficulties pending the delivery of main reintegration assistance package, I do highly appreciate the patience and discipline of our demobilized soldiers proven so far and kindly request all of you to continue to be patient since as mentioned in the report presented earlier by H.E. Svay Sitha, Under Secretary of State of the Office of the Council of Ministers and General Secretariat of the Council for the Demobilization of Armed Forces that it is better that we receive it late better than never because normally, it takes a little bit time for any procurement and delivery of goods financed by the donors since the Government has to fully abide by their policies, procedures and guidelines.
Furthermore, I also request and encourage our veterans to closely and actively cooperate with the Executive Secretariat of Provincial and Municipal Veteran Committees in order to maximize your benefits from the different existing services available at the Governmental, non-governmental or private institutions, specially on skill training, medical support, employment ete…
In the same vein, on behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia and on my own behalf, particularly in the names of all 15,000 demobilized soldiers and their families, I once again solicit the deep understanding and kindly request our partners, specially the World Bank to consider the provision of this reintegration assistance package as one of the most important and indispensable factors that not only contribute to build up a stable livelihood for the veterans and their families that is to say to alleviate their poverty which is part and parcel of our respect for human rights, specially the rights to have a decent life, but also it enable us to move forward to achieve what we all agreed to do in order to adjust our country to its new situation.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Veterans,
On this solemn occasion, I wish to reaffirm that the Royal Government of Cambodia, particularly the Ministry of National Defense and the High Command of RCAF is still intent to begin the second round of demobilization of another 15,000 soldiers by late of this year provided that we could deliver the reintegration package to the already discharged 15,000 soldiers because on the one hand, military reform depends very much on this reduction-in-force, and on the other hand, since late 1998 up to now, Cambodia and its people are at full peace, renewed stability and security, the Royal Government of Cambodia is firmly embarking upon the road of strengthening the rule of law, the institutional framework and an environment propitious to a sustainable development, social justice and poverty reduction.
It goes without saying that the remarkable progress and great achievements obtained so far by the Royal Government of Cambodia headed by Samdech Hun Sen during its second term on all domains of society as well as on State Reform work could not dissociate from our joint efforts coupled with the active and invaluable support and assistance extended on the part of the international community. I am confident that through our firm determination to continue to reform and develop the country and strong with the continuous implementation of good partnership with our development partners, our overaching objective to reduce poverty, sustain development, enhance social justice, and to build a society free from violence will be achieved.
In conclusion, may I once again express my deepest gratitude to the Royal Government of Japan for this humanitarian assistance to our veterans and on behalf of the Presidium and all distinguished national and international guests may I now declare the official launch of the second round of food distribution to the 15,000 military personnel discharged last year.
Thank you for your kind attention.