REPORT OF H.E. SVAY SITHA
UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE OF THE OFFICE OF
THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS AND GENERAL SECRETARY OF
THE COUNCIL FOR TI-IE DEMOBILIZATION OF ARMED FORCES AT
THE CEREMONY LAUNCHING THE SECOND ROUND OF FOOD
DISTRIBUTION UNDER THE REINTEGRATION ASSISTANCE
PACKAGE TO THE FIRST FULL-SCALE DEMOBILIZED SOLDIERS
TAKEO, JUNE 16,2002
- Respected H.E. Senior Minister Tea Banh and H.R.H. Prince Sisowath Sirirath, Co-Ministers of National Defense
- Respected H.E. Gotaro Ogawa Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Japan
- Respected H.E. Bonaventure Mbida-Essarna, Chief of World Bank Cambodia Resident Office and Chairman of Donor Working Group
- Distinguished national and international Guests
- Dear Veterans
It is indeed a great honor for me as Head of General Secretariat of the Council for the Demobilization of Armed Forces (CDAF) to express on its behalf my warmest welcome to all distinguished national and international guests to this solemn and very important ceremony to hand-over the second round of food supply which is part and parcel of a long awaited reintegration assistance packages to the 1,5000 veterans who were discharged some six months ago, of whom 432 veterans are settling in this province of Takeo. Your noble presence here today is a concrete expression of your deep sympathy and unforgettable gratitude vis-a-vis our former combatants which on their behalf, may I express my most sincere appreciation and profound thanks.
Allow me to present to the honorable national and international guests my brief report on CDAF General Secretariat plan for the distribution of this second round of food supply financed by the Government of Japan and contracted out to the World Food Program as well as our work since the successful completion of first full-scale military demobilization last year with special focus on the preparation and implementation of reintegration assistance packages.
1. I wish to report to our distinguished national and international guests as well as all veterans discharged last year that the distribution of this second round of food supply officially begins from today and will complete on 14107/02. Three CDAF General Secretariat teams have been formed with each one led by a Deputy Secretary General to go to the 24 provinces and municipalities in order to organize and coordinate with the PVCIES and the UNWFP for this food distribution.
With this plan in view, allow me to take this opportunity to appeal to all veterans settling in different provinces and municipalities to show up at the food distribution centers according to the timetable to be announced by each PVC/ES.
2. May I be permitted to inform all of you that only one week after the completion of military, demobilization by late last year, the CDAF General Secretariat in close cooperation with the World Bank Office in Phnom Penh, specially with the Chairman of Donor Working Group on Demobilization begins to work along the following immediate objectives:
i. to complete the Pilot reintegration work;
ii. to complete the requirements for the DCA Effectiveness;
iii. to prepare the procurement and delivery of reintegration assistance packages for the already discharged 15,000 soldiers;
iv. to strengthen the capacity of PVCIES to assist the veterans; and
v. to lay the groundwork for the demobilization of second group of 15,000 soldiers by late of this current year.
First on the completion of Pilot Reintegration Assistance Package: So far through our cooperation with the SEILA Program, we are able to procure and deliver the draft animals so long awaited by the veterans in the four pilot provinces and we will finish this cow distribution by late next month since every technical work has been well proceeding so far.
I am of the view that it is very important to raise this matter on this occasion in order to solicit the deep understanding of the 15,000 demobilized soldiers to remain stable and to reassure all of you that it is better that we receive it late than never because normally it takes a little bit time for any procurement and delivery of goods financed by the donors, since the Royal Government of Cambodia has to fully abide by their policies, procedures and guidelines on procurement, particularly for this project of special and sensitive nature. Practically speaking, although it takes time to deliver the reintegration assistance packages to the pilot veterans, but at the end the Government and Donor Community have always kept their words and still fully met their promises.
Second on the completion of requirements for the DCA of World Bank: Up to now, I wish to report that all points required by the World Bank for its DCA have already been fulfilled by the Royal Government of Cambodia which will allow all of us to move forward so that we could catch up with what we missed to do and planned to achieve in the future.
Third on the preparation of procurement and delivery of reintegration assistance packages to the already discharged 15,000 soldiers: Based on lessons and experiences learnt from the Pilot Project, the Technical Specifications and Procurement Bidding Document have been prepared in full consultation with the World Bank and in line with its Procurement Procedures and Guidelines. We have officially sent it to World Bank since the 29 April, 2002 for its formal non-objection and I have the honor to inform the members of Presidium as well as the 15,000 veterans that the day before yesterday, the World Bank has already provided its non-objection on the start of procurement of reintegration assistance packages to the first full-scale demobilized soldiers. Therefore, the CDAF General Secretariat will move without delay to the next step of beginning the procurement and delivery of this important assistance package.
In the same vein, permit me to reiterate on behalf of the Council for the Demobilization of Armed Forces and in my own name to our 15,000 demobilized and their families our firm reassurance that since the first day of your departure from the Royal Cambodian Armed forces, not for a single minute we have forgotten your difficulties and your strong hope to receive this assistance package.
Fourth on the capacity building of the Executive Secretariat of Provincial and Municipal Veteran Committees: With a view to create the favorable conditions for the veterans to have a stable livelihood, the CDAF General Secretariat has been actively working to assist the Executive Secretariat of the 23 Provincial and Municipal Veteran Committees to make sure that they could effectively and efficiently perform their job as mandated in the Government Sub-Decree to help the veterans and their family members, especially their indispensable coordination and cooperation with all existing services either governmental and non-governmental institutions.
So far a two-way-street approach has been carried out to strengthen the ES capacity. Firstly, the training sessions were consecutively held at the Office of the Council of Ministers for the Chiefs and members of all ES both on reintegration technicalities as well as on financial and accounting specialty. Secondly, the CDAF General Secretariat's leaders and members have already visited a number of provinces and will continue to do so by using the opportunity to distribute this second round food supply to veterans to strengthen the ES capacity, particularly to help coordinate with the existing services in those provinces and municipalities in order to provide them with medical support, vocational training, rural credit, employment, referral, counseling etc...
At this point, I have the honor to inform the distinguished members of presidium and all national and international guests that very recently a JICA fact- finding mission has just ended its study in Cambodia with special focus on Takeo and Kampong Speu. As it turned out, JICA would provide a technical assistance to the CDAF General Secretariat in order to help further strengthen the GS capacity on reintegration work to assist the veterans and their families.
Finally on the preparation of discharge of second group of 15,000 soldiers: Due to some unexpectedly technical problems, specially the late procurement and delivery of reintegration assistance packages to the already demobilized 1 5,000 soldiers, we could not yet proceed as planned to begin the registration of the next 15,000 would be demobilized soldiers which is an essential ingredient for the detailed discharge planning. However, from the professional point of view, I think that time is not yet running out and is still on our side if we could move and work faster.
May I take this opportunity to solicit the deep understanding from the Ministry of National Defense and the RCAF High Command, specially from H.E. Tea Banh, H.R.H. Prince Sisowath Sirirath, H.E. Pol Saroeun, H.E. Chay Saing Yun and commanders of all concerned units for this unwanted and unpredictable change of timetable earlier set to begin the registration from the 10 April 2002 onwards. Given the current developmental situation, I remain firmly optimistic that we would be able to successfully and timely fulfill the target set by the Royal Government of Cambodia.
Finally, while reiterating my most profound gratitude to all distinguished national and international guests for your presence here today to officially launch this second round of food distribution to 15,000 veterans discharged last year, may I be permitted to wish all of you as well as the veterans, the Five Buddhist Blessings.
Thank you very much for your kind attention to my report.