Phnom Penh (FN), Feb. 20 – Speaking at the closing of Interior Ministry’s 2019 annual meeting on Thursday, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said that Cambodia has done a huge humanitarian work by allowing Westerdam to dock safely after the giant cruise was rejected by several ports.
“Covid-19 issue has not ended; now passengers of Westerdam are on their flights back home as told by minister in charge of civil aviation. We have done a great deal of humanitarian work so far. Health Minister Mam Bunheng confirmed that all the tested passengers and the crew of Westerdam were found negative of Covid-19,” the premier addressed.
Prime Minister Hun Sen allowed the Westerdam cruise, which has 1,455 passengers and 802 crew on board, to dock in Cambodia’s Sihanoukville port after she was refused entries by Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Guam, South Korea, and the Philippines with a fear of Covid-19.
On 14 February at the Sihanoukville port, Strongman Hun Sen visited Sihanoukville to greet the passengers of Westerdam cruise personally; shook their hands; and presented bouquets of roses to them.
“People talk of fear of Covid-19, but for me, I think different. When asked if Cambodia would allow the cruise to dock if the passengers were infected Coronavirus. The answer would be I allow the ship to dock as soon as possible, as we cannot leave the patients to die in the sea,” Prime Minister Hun Sen sent a message to the world.
“Coping with the virus is the global responsibility and that it is Cambodia's responsibility on behalf of member of the international community,” he said, adding that, “how could we talk about respecting human rights if the right to living is not even respected.”
“Cambodia prioritises respecting human rights; first and foremost, we must respect the rights to living of more than 2,200 people with 41 nationalities on the cruise,” he continued.
Cambodia’s right decision to allow the docking of Westerdam has been applauded by World Health Organisation, the World Tourism Organisation, The World’s Most Beautiful Bay as well as from President of the United States Donald Trump.
=FRESH NEWS
