PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Manet has urged veterans’ associations across Asean to place veterans’ quality of life and wellbeing at the centre of regional cooperation, describing care for veterans and retirees as a “moral obligation and an expression of national gratitude”.
He made the appeal while opening the 25th General Assembly of the Veterans Confederation of Asean Countries (Veconac) at the Peace Palace on Oct 5.
Manet also serves as first vice-president of the Cambodian Veterans and Retirees Association.
The prime minister noted that recognising veterans’ contributions, caring for them and improving their livelihoods were more than humanitarian responsibilities.
They were obligations owed by younger generations to those who had served before them.
Among six recommendations presented to the assembly, he stressed the need to make veterans’ welfare a priority for cooperation among member associations.
“We must place the improvement of veterans’ quality of life and wellbeing at the core of our cooperation,” he said.
Manet said Veconac had a role in improving living standards, wellbeing and social protection for veterans and people with war-related disabilities, while also contributing to regional peace, stability and sustainable development.
He urged Asean veterans’ associations to strengthen solidarity, friendship and cooperation, and to uphold peace as the foundation for the region’s development and prosperity.
Alongside welfare, Manet called for greater recognition of veterans as peace educators and as a bridge connecting the past, present and future.
Their wartime experiences, he said, offered valuable historical lessons for younger generations.
“No one understands the value of peace better than veterans. Veterans are the most effective advocates for peace,” he said.
He described veterans in Cambodia and across Asean as defenders of independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and the right of each country to choose a development path suited to its historical and cultural circumstances.
In Cambodia, Manet linked the contributions of veterans and retirees to the implementation of former prime minister and current Senate president Hun Sen’s win-win policy, which he credited with bringing full peace and national reunification.
He described veterans and retirees as the policy’s “direct implementers”, saying their willingness to embrace reconciliation and its win-win spirit had played an important role in reunifying the country.
Manet said the slogan “Thank You, Peace” encouraged Cambodians to appreciate, understand and help protect peace. It also expressed gratitude to veterans and retirees who had contributed to building it.
Turning to regional and global challenges, he said increasingly complex geopolitics, economic uncertainty and growing non-traditional security threats underscored the importance of cooperation.
Cambodia, he said, remained committed to an independent foreign policy based on international law, multilateralism and the peaceful resolution of disputes through dialogue.
He also recommended that Veconac become more active, resilient and responsive to the region’s changing circumstances, while preserving its “family spirit” as a force for unity within the Asean community.
Manet said veterans’ contributions should be remembered with gratitude and their experiences of war used to teach peace, with solidarity among veterans helping build a stable Asean community offering lasting friendship, wellbeing and prosperity for future generations. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
