(Video) Selected Comments of Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, at the official inauguration of the national road 71C [Unofficial Translations]

CMF: 12/04/2025

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(1) with people’s support, strive to serve and to build more achievements

We will see to adding traffic lights, more solar lightings and also figuring out more traffic signs as well […] The Ministry of Public Works, the provinces, and the Public Works provincial offices will provide (lighting) to help avoid (traffic accidents), but road users must not drive too fast, obey traffic laws, especially do not drive while drunk […] The groundbreaking ceremony to launch the construction of this road held in 2021, in the 6th legislative term of the Ryal Government, led by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, who is currently the President of the Senate […] and today, on behalf of the 7th legislative term Royal Government, I am presiding over the inauguration ceremony […]

(Let me take this auspicious occasion to reassure you that) as long as the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) still has the support of the people to give the opportunity to lead (the country), we will strive to serve and to build more achievements for the people everywhere, including in Stung Trang (of Kompong Cham) and Kroach Chhmar (o Tbong Khmum) districts […] (With this national road 71C and the Cambodian-Chinese Friendship Bridge between Stung Trang and Kroach Chhmar districts) the people are traveling to and from easier, and more independently. Previously, crossing from Kroach Chhmar to Stung Trang or vice versa had to take a ferry boat […]

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(2) The Cambodia-China relationship has not changed based on the past 67-year foundation

In recent months, foreign media/analysts, the Cambodian ones included, based on data from which side, I cannot tell, have been assessing the Cambodia-China relations, since the new Cambodian government came to power, have declined […] But in reality, in the past 17 months, I have attended the inauguration of major achievements, including Siem Reap Airport, the (Phnom Penh) ring road No. 3, which we named after HE the President (of China) – the Xi Jinping Boulevard – to show the ever growing strength (in relations between the two countries) and in recognition of HE the President’s participation in helping the Cambodian economy […] The inauguration of the road here is also a symbol of good relations (between the two countries) […] while it is worth noting the fact that in 2024, China ranked first in investment in Cambodia […]

The (Cambodia-China) relationship has not changed. Cambodia strengthens its relations with all countries, including the Cambodia-China relationship, based on the foundation we have had for the past 67 years […] In the near future, HE the President of China will pay a state visit to Cambodia. That is a further confirmation that the relationship between Cambodia and China continues to be strong on the path of mutual assistance, respect for each other’s sovereignty, respect for each other’s rights, without interfering in each other’s internal affairs […] And the today’s inauguration event is a testimony to the continued strengthening of Cambodia-China relations, especially China’s support for building additional infrastructure in Cambodia […]

(3) Inaugurating achievement after achievements – effective counterargument to “doing nothing” claims

What those analysts talked about the Cambodia-China relation is no different from what they say about the government not doing anything […] I don’t need to (keep) providing counterarguments. What I am doing instead is going about inaugurating achievement after achievements. If nothing had been done, how could we have this national road 71C inaugurated? If nothing had been done, there would be no (plans) to prepare additional infrastructures, put in additional roads, additional lights for the people of Stung Trang and the people of Kroach Chhmar […]

How many people traveled on Road 71C this morning? This road is not a road we have on paper, but a road on the ground. This is an achievement that the people have truly seen and benefitted from […] We are inaugurating it today, not just on a billboard, but an actual achievement that the people of Kampong Cham’s Stung Trang and Tbong Khmum’s Kroach Chhmar have used […] And on the lighter side of it, the announcement that there will be three tons of (sun-dried) clams (for participants in the forthcoming Khmer New Year festival in Kampong Cham) is not fake. (The provincial governor) has reassured me […]

(4) Taking stock of the year of the Dragon to work harder in the year of the Snake

Let me thank (the provincial authorities of) Tbong Khmum and Kampong Cham for putting in efforts to organize (activities for the Sangkranta event). All 25 capitals/provinces competed with each other in making a nice presentation, whether it is a small or large province, in public places, and also getting ready for folk games, etc., […] all this to show the achievements they have scored. We all showed tangible positive results to the people, whether it was a little or a lot. It is to show that we did work hard (to realize these achievements) […]

The celebration of the Khmer New Year does not mean, like some said, that people (enjoy themselves) and do not think about the nation. Instead, we did work hard. Celebrating national traditional festivals also means we are taking into account of fostering culture, religion, and traditional values. We have worked hard throughout 2024, the year of the dragon. Now we are taking a break to celebrate what we have scored. After that, we will continue to work hard for another year, the year of the Snake, so that by the time the month of Aprim next year comes, we will sum up and celebrate another year going by […]

(5) Looking for ways to quickly and effectively protect national interests in global economic uncertainty

Where have the achievements of the nation come from in the last year. They come from the achievements scored by each ministry/institution, each province, and each commune/district/village. Each village/district achievements are born from each community and/or each person. So, for the nation to grow faster and stronger, each person must strive to strengthen themselves, improve their living standards, and strengthen and build positive results for themselves and their families […] all of which sum up to be the results of provinces, villages, communes, districts, and nation […]

We are to celebrate the Khmer New Year on April 14, 15, and 16, during which we will be summing up the one-year successes. The government will continue to strive to serve and help the people as much as possible, by being responsible and cooperating with every country to strengthen the economy and the people’s living standards from year to year to become more prosperous. The global economic situation has not been easy. It is in chaos […] The government, despites all that, is looking for ways to solve problems quickly and effectively to protect the interests of the nation […]

(6) “People first” approach to share benefit of development

The state, (in this global political and economic developments), is trying to make people wealthier, where money goes into people’s pockets. The fact we build this road is for the people of Kroach Chhmar of Tbong Khmum, and the people of Stung Trang of Kompong Cham, (to have access to outside markets), to improve their economic situation, and to be able to transport more […] and in the hope to create more economic activities. We have built more schools so that the people of Stung Trang and Kroach Chhmar have wider access to education. All of this is to share economic benefits with the people […]

The 7th legislative term government’s political platform, which continues what had been laid down by the 6th legislative term government, has set firstly people’s health and education (as the key objectives) […] The state see itself as a tool – in cooperation wth friendly counties – to work on policies and to promote investment in all sectors – health, education – to open doors for people to have opportunities to work, study, and promote benefits for people across the country.

This is what the Royal Government led by the Cambodian People’s Party (has thought, done, and) spread benefits to the people […] As long as the people continue to give trust and support, the Cambodian People’s Party will strive to serve them according to the formula of “sharing development by putting the people first or as its first priority. We make policies to provide benefits to the people. (Though) it may not be perfect or not enough, now, we continue to take more and more steps […]

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(7) The wider and modern the roads are, the higher the economic growth will be

In going forward, for 2026 and 2027, we will study prioritized potential areas to connect arterial roads […] We have roads at the local level, sub-national, and those that are called rural development roads […] For the national level, where there are important economic poles, we will follow the connectivity approach by firstly examining the roads built from the former times, making them better, repairing or expanding them; and secondly, expanding and building more road lines […] In 2026, we plan to complete (the construction of) the Prek Prasop/Kratie bridge […] to facilitate travel between Kratie and Kampong Thom […]

We also plan to build the national road 60B from Kratie to Kampong Thmar/Kampong Thom province […] We are studying more connecting roads from Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri down to Kratie […] This is a long-term plan […] The saying that where there is a road there will be hope is true – as Ambassador Wang Wenbin just said, “when the road is built, the economy is born by itself” […] Once the roads are there, people move in to settle. The wider, better, modern, the roads are, the higher the economic growth will be […]

(6) Infrastructure development brings the northeast provinces closer to other parts of the country

The more people in each locality prosper and the more benefits they get, it is the more the nation benefits […] We are negotiating to build an expressway from Phnom Penh to Bavet. In a later date, we will build (expressway) from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, and to Poipet, in addition to national road 6, […] The expressway (between Phnom Penh and Preah Sihanoukville) had recorded in 2024 more than five million cars passing through […]

I have approved the arrangement and adjustment of investments of more than 6,000 hectares – that a company in Stung Treng could not afford – to let another company invest in agriculture […] and the other day, I have issued a political guideline to promote the development of the provinces in the northeast – Kratie, Stung Treng, Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri – to speed up and encourage investment. Many investors say these provinces are too far away. Now that we are investing in more road infrastructure, the region will be closer (to the center). Then, those provinces will be closer to other parts of the country […]./.