Senate president Hun Sen addressing the Sept 29 extraordinary meeting of the Cambodian Veterans and Retirees Association. - SHS
PHNOM PENH: Hundreds of new homes will be constructed for veterans and retirees starting from this year, with Senate president Hun Sen, who serves as president of the Cambodian Veterans and Retirees Association, and his wife, committing to building at least 500 houses by 2030.
He shared his plans as he addressed an extraordinary general assembly of the association on the morning of Sept 29, noting that if feasible, the project may be extended beyond 2030, the end of his current term as Senate president.
Several other ministers and businesspeople have volunteered to build additional houses for veterans starting this year until the end of the current term.
He explained that the project aims to ensure that all citizens remember and honour the invaluable sacrifices of the veterans who dedicated their lives and shed blood to protect the homeland.
“The spirits of our ancestors and all patriots will remain a guiding light and a symbol of sacrifice for future generations, to continue their heroism in serving the supreme interests of our beloved Cambodian homeland forever,” he said.
“We think of the veterans, but we must not forget the retirees either. I propose organising them under the same association,” he added.
Cambodia previously provided economic land concessions for companies to cultivate industrial crops, but this policy was halted in 2012, prohibiting new licenses due to some companies violating usage conditions or failing to use the land as agreed. Others were reported to be involved in human rights abuses.
According to Hun Sen, some of the reclaimed concession lands have been set aside for distribution to veterans and retirees. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
