Manet: Day of Peace is for all who treasure peace, future

PRIME Minister Hun Manet has reiterated that the December 29 “Peace Day in Cambodia”, which was designated a public holiday last week, is for all Cambodian people who love peace, not just for the Hun family. His comments were in response to unnamed critics who, he said, had claimed the new holiday was intended solely to celebrate his family line.

Speaking at the inauguration of the “Samdech Techo Koh Yor Bridge” in Koh Kong province’s Mondul Seima district on January 8, Manet explained that after he had signed a sub-decree to designate December 29 as Peace Day in Cambodia, some critics had labelled it “Peace Day for the Hun family”.

“I don’t reject your claim because the Hun Family loves peace. But I want to make it clear that the holiday is for all Cambodian people who love peace and hate war, and the Hun family is among them,” he said.

“Peace Day is not exclusively for the Hun family, it’s for all of the people who benefit from it. Peace is for all of us, now and in the future,” he added.

The premier explained that he designated December 29 as public holiday to commemorate and be grateful for the Kingdom’s hard-won peace, joking that those who are not happy with the occasion are welcome to continue working if they wish to.

Manet reiterated the historical significance of the date, noting that he regards it as the foundation for the country’s development. He likened it to Independence Day, November 9, 1953, which he described as a pillar of independence and democracy that all Cambodians must remember.

Soeun Sam, a political analyst at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, noted that as prime minister, Manet has the jurisdiction to set the date as a public holiday.

“Setting Peace Day as a public holiday is important. It will remind people of the value of peace, especially while many countries are experiencing war, like the one between Russia and Ukraine, the Myanmar conflict, the Israel-Hamas fighting, and geopolitical tensions,” he said, adding that declaring it a public holiday does not mean the government will force people to rest from work.

OnJanuary1,Manetannounced Peace Day in Cambodia as a public holiday, in remembrance of national reconciliation with the eventual end of fighting between the remaining Khmer Rouge soldiers and government forces on December 29, 1998, through former Prime Minister Hun Sen’s win-win policy.

At the time, he noted that the people of all generations must remember the tragedy, devastation, national division, and suffering that Cambodia had been through.