Phnom Penh (FN), May. 18 – Cambodian Senate President, Samdech Techo Hun Sen attended a luncheon hosted by Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia Ueno Atsushi on Saturday (May 18) at the ambassador’s residence.

To begin with, after warmly welcoming Samdech Techo Hun Sen and the leadership of the Senate, the Japanese Ambassador stated that he and his delegations were very pleased that Samdech Techo had accepted his invitation and attended the luncheon at his residence today.

According to his research, Samdech Techo visited the Embassy of Japan in 2004 during the term of Ambassador Fumioki. The Japanese Embassy was built in 2002 when there were not many buildings around. However, now there are the Cambodian People's Party headquarters, the magnificent building of the Ministry of Interior, and other structures around the embassy, showcasing the great development of Phnom Penh.

Every morning, he walks with his wife in the embassy compound and sees photos of the three important figures (Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, and Samdech Heng Samrin). Yesterday morning, he heard the sound of the election campaign, which made him aware of Cambodia's internal political activities.

He praised the organisation of elections in Cambodia, whether general or local, which are held every five years. Japan has supported Cambodia in holding elections since 1993, contributing to strengthening democracy in Cambodia.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen took over as President of the Cambodian Senate last month. The ambassador noted that Samdech Techo has been very busy in the field of international relations. Samdech Techo met with Myanmar military chief General Min Aung Hlaing, received the King of Brunei, and yesterday hosted a delegation from the French Senate. At the same time, he observed that the prime minister and the president of the National Assembly were also very active and busy.

Peace and stability are very important in light of the current world situation, including the war between Russia and Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, the problems in Myanmar, and the issues in Slovakia.

Due to this kingdom’s stability, Japanese companies have invested heavily in Cambodia. He thanked Samdech Techo Hun Sen for meeting with the Toyota representative after the inauguration of the Toyota car assembly plant in Cambodia.

Cambodia is progressing faster than Japan in the digital sector. The ambassador was very surprised to see the widespread use of QR codes for payment in Cambodia.

Cambodia has achieved a lot in the digital field. The use of digital technology in the socio-economic environment is very important, and the digital strategy is also enshrined in the government's pentagonal strategy. Japan's assistance in this area is significant.

Japan's new approach to providing aid involves recipients and donors meeting before making a decision. Japan supports Cambodia in establishing the national data centre.

Japan will contribute to the training of Cambodian human resources in the digital sector. Cambodian youth work hard to learn English and are technologically advanced.

In November 2024, Cambodia will host the Siem Reap-Angkor Summit on a Mine-free World. Within this framework, Cambodia and Japan will also cooperate in demining training.

For his part, Samdech Techo Hun Sen noted that he had come to the Japanese Embassy to sign a letter of condolence after the 2011 earthquake in Japan.

Cambodia has been holding regular elections and supporting political parties since 1993, without postponing either national or subnational elections.

Samdech Techo Hun Sen recalled that in 1998, Japan and the European Union supported the holding of elections in Cambodia, one year after the July 1997 clashes in Phnom Penh. The 1998 election was dubbed the "Wonder of the Mekong" by Stephen J. Solarz.

The election of senators has been held since the second mandate, as the first mandate was by nomination, followed by subsequent sub-national elections, including the election of commune councils, district councils, and provincial councils.

Samdech Techo expressed his gratitude for Japan's assistance to Cambodia at all stages of the democratic process. He urged the ambassador to recognize that as extremist movements diminish in the region, the democratic situation will improve, including in Cambodia.

As the older generation of extremist fades, the younger generation will improve the democratic process. In a democracy, there should be no extremist movements. Even in France, there are concerns about Le Pen's extremist movement. Elections are for the safety of the people, not for war, as extremist movements can lead to conflict.

Countries are developed, but for Cambodia, we have to progress rapidly while developed countries are already advancing. In the new government, there are young people with high capabilities to accelerate the digital sector. Crises have always provided opportunities; COVID19 propelled Cambodia forward by five years digitally.

When schools closed due to COVID19, we had to use digital platforms to continue teaching activities. In the past, we have used information technology to reform governance and taxation.

For instance, we paid salaries through the bank as a measure to accelerate processes and combat corruption, eliminating 20,000 ghost officials from the civil service list. In taxation, we have encouraged online and bank tax payments.

Samdech Techo thanked Japan for its assistance and encouraged further cooperation in the digital field. He mentioned that Cambodia can serve as an example in the digital sector.

Both sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues, such as the situation in Myanmar, the Middle East conflict, the Ukraine-Russia war, and the impact of artificial intelligence on the world economy.

Samdech Techo remarked that war equipment, including bullets, guns, and airplanes, has driven technological growth. If the world shifts from using technology for war to using it for economic development, global progress will be significantly enhanced.

At the end, the ambassador thanked Samdech Techo for the honour of visiting his residence, including the two vice presidents, the secretary general, and the director general of Samdech Techo's Cabinet.

Samdech Techo thanked the Japanese ambassador for inviting him and his delegations from the Senate for lunch this afternoon.
=FRESH NEWS