Ratanakiri: Senate President Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen on Wednesday continued his nationwide outreach mission by meeting with 785 provincial, municipal, district, commune, and Sangkat council members, as well as leaders of government departments and institutions in Ratanakiri province.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, this was Hun Sen's 18th mission in the 21st province under a nationwide initiative aimed at strengthening accountability between the Senate and local elected representatives. H.E. Chea Thyrith, Spokesperson of Senate, said that Hun Sen expressed his pleasure and praised local authorities and civil servants for their contributions to the province's development.
H.E. Chea Thyrith noted that Cambodia's northeastern region is expected to become the country's fourth economic pole, with development driven by agro-industry and mineral resources. Hun Sen highlighted that this vision would contribute to sustaining economic growth and support Cambodia's goal of becoming a high-income country by 2050.
The Senate President called on civil servants, particularly commune and Sangkat council members, to continue serving the public with greater responsibility by providing faster, more efficient, and more responsive public services. He also voiced support for strengthening tax and customs revenue collection while enforcing stricter measures against tax evasion and businesses that fail to meet their tax obligations to increase national revenue.
On security, Hun Sen urged authorities at all levels to maintain national stability and public order by continuing to implement the Safe Village-Commune Policy, including stronger action against robbery, drug trafficking, and cybercrime. He instructed local authorities to pay greater attention to veterans, retirees, families of fallen soldiers, and disabled veterans through regular visits and support programs, while encouraging efforts to ensure that their children have access to higher education.
Addressing land issues, Hun Sen called for land disputes to be resolved promptly and fairly, with priority given to out-of-court settlements conducted impartially. He further urged authorities to strengthen the protection of natural resources and intensify efforts to combat environmental crimes. Stressing the importance of good governance, he reminded officials that they are public servants rather than masters of the people and urged them to remain attentive to citizens' concerns.
Hun Sen also encouraged Ratanakiri authorities to deepen cross-border cooperation with neighboring Laos and Vietnam to preserve peace and stability along the borders while promoting greater trade and economic cooperation among the three countries.
Ratanakiri Provincial Governor, H.E. Nhem Sam Oeun, stated that the province covers an area of 10,782 square kilometers and is located about 588 kilometers from Phnom Penh. It consists of one municipality, eight districts, 46 communes, four Sangkats, and 243 villages. The province shares borders with Stung Treng province to the west, Mondulkiri province to the south, Laos' Attapeu province to the north, and Vietnam's Gia Lai and Quang Ngai provinces to the east. Ratanakiri is also home to the O'Yadav International Border Checkpoint.
The Governor highlighted the province's steady development under successive Royal Government administrations. Ratanakiri currently has nine large-scale factories, including five rubber processing plants, two banana processing factories, one rubber and fruit processing plant, and one cassava processing factory. The province also hosts two gold mining companies, ten dimension stone quarry operators, three construction stone companies, and eight sand mining businesses.