(Video) Selected Comments of Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, at the official inauguration of the “Moradoc Techo” flyover [Unofficial Translation]

CMF: 07/04/2025

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(1) To make thousands of steps forward, one has to start from the first step

The special feature of this bridge is that it is built by the Cambodian engineers […] The company’s vision is no different from that of (the Royal Government of) Cambodia. What we want to do is for the Cambodians to be gradually capable of building and developing the country, organizing all stages, including planning, leading, supervising and carrying out various tasks, especially related to advanced infrastructure, such as flyovers, multi-story buildings, and large airports, which we, through training and implementation, will eventually reach (the use) resources in our country […] To achieve human resource development and sustainable development of the country means building our capacity, not relying on others to breath […]

The Council of Ministers’ Peace Palace is a large national building, built by the Cambodians, designed by the Cambodians. I always tell guests and senior leaders proudly that this building has two special features – firstly, it is named the Peace Palace to represent what the Cambodians greatly value of all – peace; and secondly, it is the first major achievement of our nation that was built 100% by the Cambodian people […] In order to make hundreds of thousands of steps forward, one has to start from the first step. So, experiencing and learning such ability of build high-level infrastructure from outside expertise, we are moving towards building achievements one by one (by the Cambodian experts) […]

(2) More people in Phnom Penh and Kandal province, further infrastructure expected

We will continue to build (more infrastructures) because there are going to be more people. I do not limit the people in Phnom Penh to have one child per family […] Not only in Phnom Penh but also in Kandal province, there have been an increasing population. It is expected that Kandal province will increase (in population) even more when the new airport is ready because there would be more special economic zones, industrial zones, and cultural zones. More people, in this case, would come and work in (Kandal province) […] If the population increases, we have no prohibition against people becoming richer. This means that there is no goal or plan in place to prevent people from buying cars and/or motorbikes.

They have the budget so they do with what they are pleased […] As our living conditions change, our people become more capable, their living conditions improve, so they can buy (more) that they need. We do not forbid them from doing so. We have only one option, which is to face the problem, and to give the solution to the problem is to work hard to expand the road, to find ways to build additional infrastructure (and to build) single-story and double-story overpasses, underground roads, and bridges over water. Now we are studying the possibility of having more underwater roads across the river in the future […]

(3) No plan to limit means of transportation for growing population

Should we build a bridge before the vicinity areas mushroom or after, or should we wait for the location to develop to start building bridge? […] We are taking action […] in plan, we have 1. the Cambodia-Korea Friendship Bridge which will span from the old market (of Phnom Penh on the western riverbank) to Arey Kasatra (on the eastern riverbank). We also plan to build a few more bridges. The bridge at Dey Ed is further down the Mekong. There will be more bridges in between as there is going to be only one bridge that connect the Phnom Penh city on that side to Arey Kasatra and more people will start moving to live there […] since the economy in that area is going to grow […]

We will continue to travel (ahead on the path of infrastructural development) so as to easily respond to the growing demand of the growing population, cars, motorcycles and transportation means of Phnom Penh and Kandal Province […] Cambodia does not have a plan to limit the number of means of transportation, but instead for people to buy more cars to help solve the (transportation) need. Once they are better off, they have the materials to simplify their daily lives, travel daily, and reduce their transportation time. We encourage people to (do it) […]

(4) The success of public transportation is its coverage and avoiding congestion

We are developing public infrastructure, while preparing public transportation. We are preparing more buses, internal transportation systems, studying as many the train system as possible, especially in the city. In the new city areas, we are preparing traffic systems […] The Ministry of Transports and Public works has led meetings with the private sector, studying the connectivity from Arey Kasatra to the capital of Phnom Penh […] I support the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, and the Public Works and Transports, and the Phnom Penh City Administration in thinking about this […]

Our roads cannot be expanded any further […] The traffic flow arrangement is a consideration especially in the old city. Think about Phnom Penh […] The success of public transportation is a consideration, first of all, its coverage […] If the bus service covers almost anywhere the person wants to go, s/he would use (the public transportation) and […] secondly, avoiding congestion. If we take a bus, even with a reasonable price, but only if it is fast. If the bus is crowded and caught in congestion, it would be faster to take a motorbike taxi […] So, in the new city, please think about public transportation lanes […]

(5) Think not of only salaries, but quality of time with family, and comfort of citizens

I encourage all capitals/provinces and cities to prepare public (entertainment) places […] In Phnom Penh, I have ordered to set aside about 70 hectares in the Kob Srov area to make a public park for those living in Phnom Penh […] let us create a public place for people in the province, and to attract people from outside the province as well as abroad. Now, you may want to go and see the Phnom Penh’s “walk street”, not only the Cambodians, but also the foreigners are dancing happily. I have said many times that the domestic tourists are leading foreign tourists […]

The lives of our citizens, across all capitals and provinces, (are having) less time for family, for personal time, and that is the chain of production. Nowhere in this world that while development is in fast track and citizens is walking slowly […] even in America, the trend is the same […] This is thinking about the welfare and thinking about the health and well-being of our citizens. We do not think only about salaries, but we think about the quality of time with family, the comfort of citizens. Preparing for the development of the country is not easy and we are not doing only one or two things. What we need to do many things all together, both for the present not only to respond to what had already happened, but also to the future – we need to be proactive […]

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(6) Though in a low earthquake risk, we need to ensure construction quality

Our country has a low earthquake risk […] However, what happened recently in Myanmar and/or Bangkok/Thailand are a sign that needs to be considered. Construction planning, especially high-rise construction, needs to consider a certain level of construction quality, and especially since the beginning of my term, I have given the principle to the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction to inspection the old buildings in Phnom Penh […] I appeal to builders and construction companies not to think only about profit and albeit reducing the quality of construction […] Even if you have to compete to make money, you must not neglect your responsibility. Please think of those who would be living in this house as your brothers, who have wives, children, and mothers […]

Please strictly implement (the construction norms) to prevent harm to the lives of our citizens. I understand that you are making money, but do not profit from things that put people’s lives at risk, especially in construction, residential buildings […] I ask you to consider the following two points – firstly, technical standards, and secondly, the construction quality. I am appealing especially to real estate companies, whether it is a small satellite city owner, a builder who builds houses for others, however, a builder is not so much a problem because the owner would come to oversee them. To build hundreds or thousands of houses and/or apartments in the satellite city should be thoroughly checked […]

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(7) Elections ensures sustainable peace, and moving forward without turning to division of national unity

According to the National Election Committee’s (NEC) calendar, the official 2024 voter list will be posted on the NEC mobile app website starting from April 20. The review of voter lists at the communes/sangkats will begin from May 1 to 26 – after the Khmer New Year. I am appealing to every eligible Cambodian citizen to please go and check the list and register to vote on time […] in order to participate in exercising the rights of our citizens […] Only elections based on democratic principles in accordance with the Constitution are the correct (way of power transferring), as it can ensure sustainability and peace in the country, so that we can move forward together and not return to the division of national unity […]

(8) Cambodian response is to conduct negotiation for a win-win solution for all

I would like to take this opportunity to open a small bracket to talk about […] what had happened on April 2 (in the US), which was the morning of April 3 in Cambodia […] The US administration of Donald Trump imposed tariffs on imported goods from more than 180 countries because they think that these countries have exploited the US for decades […] Seeing how many analysts, some with no hair, some with long hair […] think that they were stronger than the government (in every issues, I have had to step out and explain something to the people regarding this matter) […]

The US administration of Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Cambodia […] (understandably aimed at) drawing to a negotiation in the future. I would not describe the extent of the US administration’s measures and principles, but I know that what the President did was to seek benefit for his nation and people […] I am no different from him […] As the head of (the Cambodian) government, I must take measures to protect and preserve the interests of the (Cambodian) nation and people. Therefore, our response has been to take measures for the negotiations to find a win-win solution for all, to protect the interests of Cambodia and the Cambodian people. And, he (the US President) also protects the interests of the US […]

(9) “He has never been a Prime Minister for even a second in his life. Therefore, he doesn’t know how a Prime Minister works”

The government’s way of responding is (not aptly counter attacking). We do it in a proactive way […] Ms. Mu Sochua came out and said “Mr. Hun Manet must lead the negotiations himself, and not to set up this or that committee. He must do it himself”. Mr. Sam Rainsy said that “Hun Manet must lead the negotiations himself, and must manage to lower the tariffs of 97% imposed on American products”. I don’t blame him, because he has never been a Prime Minister for even a second in his life. Therefore, he doesn’t know how a Prime Minister works […] He orders that the Prime Minister must do this and that […]

He is very good at ordering around and very good at taking advantage of the suffering of the people. Even when our people died in Thailand due to the earthquake building collapse, they didn’t leave the matter unprovoked […] When my grandfather passed away and was grieving, Mr. Sam Rainsy and his spokesperson didn’t waste time in exploiting, attacking, accusing, and cursing […] When my aunt passed away, they fabricated stories about her […] Even his children agreed with me that it was a time when the families mourned, a time when we have to exercise virtue as Cambodians […] I have told every Cambodians that, “Don’t learn to look down on others. If you think you learned things, you’d better think that others also learned it. Not everyone knows everything” […]

(10) Addressing trade imbalances, setting tariff reduction and willing to further negotiate

The US seemed to have said (according to their calculations) that Cambodia imposed 97% tariffs on US goods. This is not the tariff rate on all US goods entering Cambodia (which we required them to pay) 97%. This is called the trade deficit rate, which means that we export more to the US than the US imports from Cambodia. They take the difference and divide it by the amount we import from the US. It turns out that this figure is a trade imbalance. It is not the tariff rate that Cambodia imposed on the US goods. This is called the trade deficit rate […]

Secondly, how much tariff does Cambodia impose on US imported goods? In 2004, the Royal Government joined the World Trade Organization (WTO). So, we have been determined since then that all goods, no matter from the US or from any country, have a tariff rate not exceeding 35% […] Our tariffs on the US are on more than 1,868 tariff lines […] which include thousands of products […] Of these, we have 211 tariff lines where US goods enter duty-free, take for instance, mobile phones are imported from the US with zero tariff […]

Thirdly, we negotiated and showed our initial willingness […] Seeing Vietnam dropping (its tariff) to zero, some asked why Cambodia only dropped the rate from 35% to 5%. In negotiation, one has to show what s/he is ready to do to show their willingness to continue negotiating. For the first step, I dropped (the tariff of) 19 products categories […] namely 19 tariff lines – which means about 85 products imported from the United States […]

Regarding this issue, we have had the Ministry of Commerce, the National Bank, and the Policy Committee study this issue about two months ago, since the United States imposed sanctions on Canada […] When we planned the scenario and prepared a response plan, the matter has not yet come out in the open. This means that we do not know whether the United States will impose everything like it did or only impose it on big countries with large trade deficits. If it does, how? Will it impose on how many types of goods or will it impose everything? Once the announcement came out, we immediately met. We had to review our scenario plan […] By the way, Cambodia has had a deputy prime minister and a minister standing by to lead this negotiation because it is important to give high value to negotiations for the national interest […]

(11) Burdening them, raising problems, and never finding solutions to help

(The opposition politicians) came out shouting and frightening that (two million) workers (may lose their jobs) […] Helping citizens who are under pressure that may affect their jobs is the duty of the Royal Government, but every sectors, including citizens, have the duty and the right to help them too, in whatever ability they have, and/or according to the methods they can […] Has Mr. Sam Rainsy, Mrs. Mu Sochua – who boast every day that they have members of the US Congress with them, whom they could meet at any time they wish to – talked to them or called them, or written a letter to them to ask them to consider helping the citizens? S/he does not. They only burden them, raise problems, and do not find solutions to help. If they say they love them, it is alright, but their methods do not help anything, except to continue to humiliate. They could make time to meet with members of the US Congress, the US Department of State, asking them to consider withdrawing GSP, putting pressure and affecting jobs, but when it comes to sanctions issue, they did not ask for an appointment to meet or write a letter to the US Congress or the US Department of State, as Cambodians […]

(12) The CPP-led royal government strives to protect decades achievements

The Cambodian People’s Party has been almost unique in its efforts to build the industrial sector, creating more than one million jobs, and increasing salaries for the people. There is no reason why the royal government led by the Cambodian People’s Party does not strive to protect the achievements that it has worked hard to achieve for decades. It is not a productive way to shout and analyze on Facebook every day to illustrate that one is in love with the nation and people. I am sure citizens and even their supporters may consider this. Do not look at what people say, but at the actual actions […]

Please end the extremist politicians’ style. Please modernize your mindset too. The younger generation politicians who have a tendency to oppose (the Royal Government), have made times to sit and talk, and times when they work together. It is not that you have to scold loudly to be called opposing. The main thing is to lead the opposing mindset depending on the party leader, because everyone has fans, everyone has their idols, especially the youth […] Let me give you an advice. As an elder, you should set a good example for the next generation. You should also consider the interests of the people, and you should know when to oppose and when not to do it […]./.