Welcoming Remarks 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 Forces
at the Official Ceremony Launching the First Full- Scale Demobilization
Program
Kampong Chhnaing, 18 October, 2001
Today, the Kingdom of Cambodia is moving one more step in the continued implementation of the "Win-Win Policy" initiated by Samdech HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia particularly through the concrete and active application of one the three angles of its triangular strategy, that is to say the launch of the full-scale demobilization of 15,000 military personnel which is an important part of the policy to reform the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces.
On behalf of the Council for the Demobilization of Armed Forces, in the names of my colleagues of the CDAF General Secretariat and in my own name, may I be permitted to express my most profound respect and gratitude to Samdech Prime Minister HUN SEN and all distinguished guests who are honoring this very important event of historical significance with your today's highest presence. This not only constitutes an encouragement to the CDAF which has been trusted by the Government to put into practice the military demobilization policy, but also marks a token of our unforgettable gratitude vis-a-vis the soldiers who will be leaving the RCAF under the demobilization program to live in the communities as civilians.
Since the very first day of its foundation, the Council for the Demobilization of Armed Forces has thoroughly carried out its responsibilities culminating in consecutive fruitful outcome which form the basic foundation for the reform of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces. Concretely speaking, in the years 1998 and 1999, the Council had successfully completed one most difficult and complicated work to identify and register all military personnel of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and through this exercise, we were able to validate the credentials of our soldiers and eliminated many irregular cases.
We had also completed the capturing of basic, data of all RCAF military personnel in our Computer system which enables the Ministry of National Defence and the High Command of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces to easily manage their personnel and prepare different planning.
Furthermore, last year we had transferred more than 7,000 spouses of dead soldiers from the Ministry of National Defence to the Ministry of Women and Veterans' Affairs for the latter's ongoing management according to the legislation in force. Last but not least, we had also successfully downsized 1,500 soldiers under the Pilot Demobilization Project and on the basis of lessons and experiences learnt from this operation, we proceed to write the full- scale demobilization program. In the next few minutes, His Excellency SVAY SITHA, Under Secretary of State of the Office of the Council of Ministers and General Secretary of the Council for the Demobilization of Armed Forces will present his report on the details of the full-scale demobilization plan and tasks for the coming years.
This successful and brilliant outcome is possible thanks to the full support and high recommendations regularly provided by Samdech HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia and Chairman of the Supreme Council for State Reform coupled with an excellent and close cooperation extended on the part of the Ministry of National Defence, the RCAF High Command, the RCAF Demobilization Commission, other in-line Ministries and all provincial and municipal authorities.
In the same vein, the most important and indispensable factor determining this success lies in the most efficient implementation of our strong partnership with the donor community, in the first place with H.E. Bonaventure Mbida-Essama, and especially the precious assistance from the World Bank, the Royal Government of Japan, Sweden, Netherlands, United States of America, Canada, Germany, Australia and the World Food Program of the United Nation Organizations. I am proud to bring to your high attention that through this close cooperation and excellent implementation of partnership, particularly strong with the undeviating political determination of the Royal Government with Samdech HUN SEN as Prime Minister in pushing forward this military demobilization, the Royal Government of Cambodia will not only be in a better position to translate its strategy to alleviate the people's poverty into reality, but also it will offer for the first time to the world a military demobilization project which has a clear-cut plan to reduce its force, reflecting both the real situation of its country and the needs of veterans as well as the requirements of the international community, especially the orderly, smooth, efficient, transparent and acc6unaWe implementation of all demobilization activities.
I am optimistic and convinced that strong with the full support and high recommendations regularly provided by Samdech HUN SEN, Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia and Chairman of the Supreme Council for State Reform coupled with the continuous tradition of close cooperation extended on the part of the Ministry of National Defence, the RCAF High Command, the Demobilization Commission of the Ministry of National Defence, the in-line Ministries, Departments and all provincial and municipal authorities as well as the ongoing implementation of our strong partnership with the Donor Sub-Group on Demobilization chaired by H.E. Bonaventure Mbida-Essama, the Council for the Demobilization of Armed Forces will successfully complete its mission to downsize 31,500 military personnel of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces over a period of three years.
In conclusion, allow me to reiterate once again my most profound thanks to Samdech Prime Minister, His Royal Highness, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen for your presence in this solemn ceremony. May I wish all of you the Five Buddhist Blessings.
Thank you for your kind attention