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I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the university for continuously providing scholarships to Samdech Techo and Samdech Kitti Pritbandit, enabling the children of our citizens to have the opportunity to continue their studies. Today, some of them have also participated in receiving their graduation degrees.
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(1) Investment in the Education and Health Sectors Focuses on the Health and Capacity of the People
At this point, I would like to emphasize that investment in the education and health sectors is the highest priority of the Royal Government—collectively referred to as the social sector—which generally focuses on the health and capacity of our people.
Last June, I previously clarified a report published based on a misunderstanding, which claimed that the Royal Government had cut over 100 million US dollars from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health to compensate for increased spending on the defense sector. That publication was not made with ill intent, but merely stemmed from a misunderstanding of the figures.
I have already clarified that the figures for each ministry require negotiation before being packaged into the budget law to be passed by the National Assembly. Back in June, the Ministry of Economy and Finance issued a circular regarding preliminary figures—stating what amount each ministry should have based on necessary current expenditures—in order to negotiate with each respective ministry.
(2) For 2027, the education sector budget has a total volume of 1.1 billion US dollars, an increase of 4.7% or nearly 50 million US dollars
During negotiations, each ministry indicates its necessary current expenditures, but also outlines what other important investments are needed for the new year and how much they will cost. That is how the negotiations take place. The negotiations have already proceeded, concluded in September, been packaged, and submitted to me. I have given preliminary approval, though it must still go through the legislative procedures in the National Assembly.
However, I simply wish to inform the media outlets that previously published misunderstood figures, clarifying that for 2027, the budget law for the education sector compared to 2026 has increased by 4.7%. This represents a growth of over 210,000 million riels (equivalent to nearly 50 million US dollars), bringing the total volume for the education sector to 1.1 billion US dollars per year. Therefore, there is no decrease—it has increased. These are the actual, finalized figures from the negotiations. For those who were concerned that the education sector budget would be cut to increase defense spending, that is definitely not the case.
(3) For 2027, the health sector budget increases by approximately 10 million US dollars, bringing the total volume to 680 million US dollars
Our defense sector has increased, particularly with the implementation of the conscription law, but our budget is fully sufficient to cope without needing to make cuts from the education and health sectors. Even if cuts were necessary, the education and health sectors would be the absolute last to be cut. These sectors are extremely important. (I wish to clarify that this would only apply under any circumstance where cuts were forced.) However, I want to confirm that no such cuts are taking place.
As for the health sector, it also increases, though at a slightly lower rate than education—an increase of 42,000 million riels, or about 10 million US dollars. In total, the new year budget is approximately 2,800,000 million riels, which simply put, amounts to over 680 million US dollars for the health sector. This does not yet account for the additional mechanisms and priority measures we need to implement further to strengthen grassroots healthcare. Previously, we have allocated special budgets on top of the national budget to strengthen health centers and district referral hospitals.
(4) For 2027, the education sector budget increases by 4.7%, the health sector budget increases by 1.5%, and there are several social intervention expenditures
I would like to clarify to all citizens, venerable monks of all orders, as well as the media, regarding the misunderstanding back in June over the preliminary figures which appeared to show a decrease. In reality, there is no decrease; for 2027, the budget for the education sector increases by 4.7% and the health sector increases by 1.5%. These are the actual figures, and there is no need to worry about these two sectors.
In particular, within the social sector, we must also incur additional expenditures for interventions supporting citizens—especially through policies helping people in times of hardship, through the Equity Fund, healthcare interventions, and the rollout of several targeted intervention policies.
(5) Nearly USD 1 billion provide as cash assistance expenditures for 4.6 million citizens across 4 phases over 4 months
The other day, we calculated that the amount reached nearly 1 billion US dollars, which includes fuel subsidies and other cash assistance expenditures provided to 4.6 million of our citizens. We intervened by providing cash assistance across 4 phases over 4 months. Another measure is the expansion of healthcare support for poor citizens and vulnerable families, which has also increased. To put it precisely, government assistance in the social sector—including health and education—has increased … Even though we face economic difficulties and challenges, particularly from external wars and inflation driven by rising fuel prices resulting from the war in the Middle East, we continue to place a high priority on caring for and assisting our people.
[The prepared text]
In this context, Cambodian higher education institutions must also continue to modernize their curricula and teaching methods to ensure that graduates possess the competitiveness required in the national, regional, and international labor markets. Furthermore, in this digital era, the world is entering the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is transforming how humanity works, learns, and lives.
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(6) Education cultivates students’ abilities to think, analyze, practice, and solve problems, both individually and in teams
Education cannot focus solely on receiving a diploma. Education must focus fundamentally on nurturing students to have the capacity to think, analyze, practice, and solve problems individually and collectively, focusing on both the outcomes and the methods used to achieve those outcomes. No educational or training system remains static. There is no country in the world that does not conduct research and further innovate in education.
The ultimate goal is a desired indicator, but equally important are the methods used to achieve that result, because the methodology is a critical factor. You cannot simply register, do nothing, stay at home, and wait four years to be handed a degree. There are many such things out there—so-called online degrees where some people don’t even have to study and still get a diploma. They exist even in America and elsewhere.
Therefore, do you want just a single piece of paper (a diploma), or do you want the competence ingrained within yourself to go out and make a living? The education and training of every school must instill the work ethic and attitude required to fulfill tasks. (Do not think that) if we want things easy, we can just do nothing and wait for the upcoming age of AI. That makes it even more critical, because precisely because AI is getting smarter, it does not mean we can just do nothing.
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(7) AI should be used as an aid for thinking and establishing principles to achieve desired outcomes
At this point, paying attention to education is crucial. Schools, professors, and students all have choices. However, I urge that we ensure these choices do not lead us down a path of relying entirely on AI and technology. Use AI. In the future, whatever comes out that is even more advanced than AI, use it. But there must be clear boundaries.
Do not depend on it. Use it to assist us in thinking, making decisions, establishing principles, and helping accomplish tasks to achieve the outcomes we want after we have done our own thinking. Do not ask AI for everything without reading books, or conducting proper research. Do not get used to writing a thesis that requires one, two, or three months of hard work, only to wait until the very last day—just one night before—to ask AI and print it out […]
(8) When people rely too much on AI, they lose trust in themselves even for the simplest tasks
Choices exist, but schools must ensure that training does not encourage this kind of reliance. If that happens, humans will stop becoming smart. Before long, people won’t know how to do anything. I watched a funny video on Facebook. Two people went into a store to buy something. One person went in to buy a can of soft drink, but the two of them stood there staring at each other. Before saying a single word, one asked AI: “How should we start speaking?” AI told them what to say. Then the seller asked: “If they reply like that, how should we respond?” They asked AI again. All day long, they just kept asking AI.
This means that eventually, when people rely too much on AI, even the simplest tasks require external help. They stop thinking, stop trusting themselves, and lose their capacity. They even become afraid of speaking incorrectly, feeling they must rely on AI and believing that AI is never wrong. We could reach that point if we use it too much and constantly depend on it.
Training is the same. Before wanting to do something, professors must innovate and conduct research. But if that research relies entirely on machines, it is equivalent to hiring an assistant or having someone else write it for you. It is essentially the same thing—only now, instead of relying on another person, we rely on a machine to think and write for us. Let me clarify: AI is smart. AI is definitely smart.
(9) AI is not human; it relies on data, if the data is inaccurate, the results are inaccurate
Sometimes I use it too. In the past, I used to write speeches at 11 or 12 at night. Sometimes I would call my assistant to check for missing data. Now, you just ask AI, and it comes out immediately. It only has general data. For example, if we ask AI what National Road 55 used to be called, or whether Road 55 was a former battlefield, the results come out with everything. We already know, but we just want to verify. It appears instantly, without needing to back-and-forth asking around. We know the answer is correct, but it is not guaranteed because AI is not human. Therefore, it depends on the data existing within technology. If the data is inaccurate, the information it retrieves for us will also be inaccurate.
What is most concerning is not just relying on AI for writing, but that over time, it will make decisions for us. This is the danger. No matter how clever a machine is, it is not human. Human decision-making relies on many factors, such as cultural context, emotional factors, sentiments, and circumstances. If humans start using—and relying on—AI to make decisions for them, that is the end.
(10) If AI is used to research and prepare lessons, teachers must study, research, and master the material thoroughly
The same goes for professors. First, if we rely on AI to write our research and draw upon international studies, when we compile them into teaching materials, we must still incorporate our own experiences and elements that reflect our national identity (Khmer characteristics) … Sometimes when you pull information out, it sounds wonderful, but it loses certain crucial elements.
Second, the professor themselves will not truly understand. It is not that they don’t understand the words—they read it and comprehend it—but let us not forget that as a professor or teacher, you need to know 110 so that the students learn 90 or 100. What does knowing 110 mean? We write lesson notes on paper, but we must be prepared to answer students’ questions. If we conduct our own research, before discovering findings and writing subsequent points, we know the underlying reasons why. But if you take AI-generated content to teach and a student asks a question, it is unclear where that point came from because AI is the one that synthesized it all.
Thus, capacity and quality are lost. Research does not mean that whatever we write on a single page of notes is all we know. We do extensive research just to produce that single page. Conversely, if we are not the ones researching and AI does all the research for us, we end up just memorizing a single page to teach the same way. That is what is dangerous.
(11) Education and training must utilize technology, but must not rely on it entirely
I used to work as an external assistant teacher. Preparing lessons and such is not particularly difficult, but what matters is when students ask questions. Some students research even more than we do. When it comes to hard sciences, it is one thing; but when it comes to social sciences, a teacher must be very clear. For master’s programs and similar levels, some students are officials or have extensive working experience. You must be careful because you might not be able to answer if they combine their studies with practical experience… Therefore, training and education must involve the use of technology, but we must not depend on it. The conduct, principles, and internal regulations of a training institution must ensure that this task is fulfilled. Know how to use it, but do not rely on it.
There must be methods for penalizing and rewarding—such as imposing penalties for copying and pasting from AI. Right now, there are many problems in the United States where students no longer take notes. When I was studying, I suffered the most because our language is difficult. Going to class for one hour meant spending another three hours afterward. I would record audio… Back then, there was no digital convenience like today; we recorded audio normally because our language comprehension couldn’t keep up with the teacher. So coming out, I would sit in the car, press play three or four times, and transcribe the teacher’s explanations. By doing this, we grasped the material.
(12) Internal regulations should be established to orient students to use technology and AI with clear boundaries
Nowadays, in some places people don’t even listen; they just drop a recording device and it automatically transcribes everything into text—what they call Google Recorder or similar tools. If it’s English, it records memos directly. Because of this, people just leave the device running and don’t pay attention during class, busy looking at other things instead. If you have two phones, you just set one to record. When I used to record, I had to sit down and listen back to write things down, meaning I listened to the teacher twice. But nowadays, people don’t even do that; they just record and might even lose the file.
Therefore, please ensure that internal regulations are set up to orient students, encouraging them to use technology and AI while establishing clear boundaries during exams and tests. Schools already have plans in place: first, how to teach; second, how to test to ensure we know the extent of students’ understanding. So, at every step, please organize it this way.
Otherwise, we might think we are proficient, but end up hollow on the inside. It may look plausible on the surface, but in the end, people won’t know how to write at all. When faced with a problem, you cannot just pull out your phone and ask AI how to solve it. If you are driving and a bridge collapses, or your car runs out of gas, are you going to ask AI what to do? AI will tell you to go find a gas station. Don’t wait until you run out of gas to ask AI; in your mind, you should think: if it’s running low, fill it up before it runs out.
(13) Humans possess feelings and emotions, and can evaluate situations; we must rely on ourselves to anticipate and prevent problems
I say that humans have feelings and emotions, and can make proper evaluations—do not rely solely on external things. We must rely on ourselves, think things through, anticipate problems, and prevent them. AI cannot tell you that; only we can see the situation and evaluate how to handle it.
This relates to training, education, and trust in AI—which will only get smarter moving forward. The other day, people talked about what comes next: AGI (Artificial General Intelligence), which is even smarter than current AI. It is moving extremely fast. Even the global community struggles because AI is moving too fast, creating additional problems.
The other day, OpenAI tested hacking into networks of major institutions and large banks overseas, and managed to get in. Consequently, the world started to wonder: we haven’t even built defensive systems yet, and AI is already launching attacks? If command systems fall into the hands of malicious actors, it would be total devastation. Years ago in the global market, a young person in the Philippines hacked eBay. Just shutting down the market for a day or two cost billions.
(14) The possibility of machines dominating humans in the future depends on how much humans rely on them
If a system shutdown were to occur, it would cause immense chaos because everything relies on electronic systems. What is most dangerous is that even nuclear weapon command systems and similar critical infrastructure use these systems. If things go wrong, AI could hack them—just like in the movies. Sometimes we think screenwriters are just imagining things, but 20 or 30 years later, we see those movies become reality, much like Star Wars. Today, certain equipment like flying drones matches what people imagined in movies 30 years ago.
So, the idea that machines might control humans in the future could actually happen. What does it depend on? It depends on humans—specifically, how much humans rely on machines. If our educational systems start training people from a young age to depend on machines, then we will have a problem. If machines evolve faster than our ability to counter their attacks… Currently, global leaders are debating how dangerous it is that AI moves so fast while our defense systems cannot keep up, and asking what we should do. Everyone cries out that we cannot turn back the clock; rice has already become cooked rice, and we cannot simply tell companies to stop investing in AI or pass laws banning it. That is impossible.
(15) There is no policy to ban AI, but we must ensure its use is guided by ethics, responsibility, and clear boundaries
We see some protests happening, but they are not protests against technology or business; rather, they are protests by environmental groups because AI consumes a vast amount of water and other resources, competing with human needs. That is what those protests are about. In sectors like business, education, health, and national defense, there are concerns, but no one can stop it. Trying to stop it won’t work either. If we were to pass laws now, the technology already exists, so it would only restrict those who follow the law, while terrorist groups, criminals, and online syndicates outside the law would still use it.
This is why I say we must keep pace. The Royal Government of Cambodia has no policy to ban the use of AI; otherwise, we would fall behind. At the same time, while safety and security are technical matters, the most important thing is ensuring that AI is used with ethics and responsibility, and above all, establishing clear technological boundaries so that our human resources do not become entirely dependent on external technology to the point of losing self-reliance. That leads to being “hollow on the inside”—where people stop putting in diligent effort because they rely on AI to fix everything for them.
Be careful, because eventually people might forget how to do even small tasks… For example, entering a store and not knowing what to say, so they have to ask AI: “What is the polite phrase to say when walking into a store for the first time?” And if the customer replies “Hello,” how should we respond appropriately? This is about daily interactions, but it also applies to professional work. For instance, an administrative officer tasked with drafting a document might eventually forget how to do it. They won’t even need to study anymore; they will just ask AI to type everything for them.
(16) People view machines and AI as more powerful than fortune-tellers because they believe it is science
So, one day, if AI stops working and the internet goes down, they won’t know how to do anything at all. They won’t understand local contexts, and a slight misphrasing could cause offense. Using the same words with just a single wrong term can be dangerous. Just yesterday, I saw a post about the US President signing something with a company CEO, and a single word was misspelled …
Do not assume that in the future, relying on AI will make things more accurate and that humans can stop paying attention. That is not the case. Humans must always double-check, because if people stop checking and assume that whatever AI writes is automatically correct, they lose vigilance—and that is the problem. It means we rely entirely on the machine, treating it like a foolproof fortune-teller. AI is even more powerful than a fortune-teller because people think it is science.
Conversely, even in religious teachings, it is the same. Nowadays, there is so much AI that when watching videos, you can no longer tell who is AI and who is human. Even the recent news about catching a crocodile in Banteay Meanchey—if they hadn’t explicitly reported that the story was true, we wouldn’t even know. A crocodile escaped from Thailand, and we saw footage of someone casting a net to catch a crocodile inside a residential community (borey) because the flooded area allowed the crocodile to flow down through a stream. We don’t even know if events like that are true or not anymore.
Nowadays, in Facebook film and advertising videos, people no longer do live acting. They just rent a person’s face. You do whatever else is needed; they just want your face. In the past, actors were hired. In America, China, and elsewhere, an actor might be hired for 20,000 per episode. Now they say no—they just want your face rights for 5,000. So they rent just the face to use as AI, while they handle the script creation and production entirely on their own.
(17) Treat AI as a tool to help overcome impasses and verify information; while thinking and management must remain human responsibilities
Venerable monks, have you seen AI-produced films on Facebook? There are many educational videos and more, but at the slightest thing, people assume it is AI. Over time, this creates another issue I mentioned: ambiguity between what is real and what is fake. Thus, the boundary between truth and fakes becomes increasingly blurred, requiring inner personal values to navigate.
No matter what, do not let humans rely on machines to create everything. People talk about generating fake content that is not the product of genuine hard work and effort. Therefore, in learning and education, I would like to ask the students here: how many of you use AI to write your thesis? And you don’t even admit it when you do. How many of you ask AI to find information? Have you ever used AI to search for information? Is it only the teachers?
That is why teaching must involve searching for information, not having AI write things for you. But testing out information searches is fine. I haven’t used it much myself, but using Gemini and ChatGPT, I find them quite decent. They have good qualities. However, as I said, it is simply a tool to help us overcome occasional impasses and verify certain points. But thinking, reasoning, and management must remain our own responsibility. Use AI as our assistant; do not rely on AI as our master whom we depend on for everything—where we just give a prompt and let it write the whole thing for us. This is what I wish to emphasize regarding education and training.
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These few key points are what I have raised as a summary. They are things that AI or machines cannot do; it must be teachers and humans who accomplish them. We must continue and pay close attention to these matters. When students go out and encounter similar problems, they will have the experience and the foundation to solve them.
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Learn all times, learn everywhere, learn through all means, and learn from everyone—including oneself. This is achieved through self-evaluation and grasping additional points to supplement one’s own knowledge.
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(18) Using technology without virtue and morality for personal gain causes a loss of code and conscience
As I mentioned just a moment ago, we see that in the present era, only a small number of people use technology without ethics and responsibility, causing a lot of trouble. Just the day before yesterday, I received a message. That message was clearly from a hacker or a scammer. For example, hackers or scammers who attack and use technology—not necessarily AI, but even just Telegram—know how to hack and steal someone’s Telegram account, and then use that stolen account to scam and harm others.
This is what I mean when using technology without internal virtue and morality for personal gain strips away one’s code of conduct. Using technology in this way turns people into stones, or what we call “ice people” devoid of emotion. When we face someone directly to scam them, seeing their face makes us feel pity, and we can witness their actual situation. But technology makes us blind to people.
I once had IT experts show me our regular internet, known as the World Wide Web. They also have another side called the Dark Web. The Dark Web is used by hackers and traders who steal things. On that platform, they sell strings of credit card numbers, charging fees through crypto or other methods. The Dark Web has existed for a long time—even before AI, and even before crypto. I saw it when I was in the United States back in 2000. People were already stealing credit card numbers and selling them there. Consequently, some people suddenly found thousands of dollars missing from their accounts without even knowing it. Some of the perpetrators acting as hackers were young kids, only 13 or 14 years old. They would steal from people and feel no burden or headache whatsoever because they never even saw their victims’ faces—they only saw numbers on a screen.
(19) Technology can strip away feelings and emotions, turning humans into machines
It is the same with scams. The miserable victims who get swindled never even see the faces of the scammers. Some people act as contacts who lure others in through romance scams, tricking them into investing money, so those few might see a real person, but the others behind the scenes never do. This strips away human emotion. People stop thinking about morality, stop caring about the boundaries between good and evil, and only think about how technology makes it easy to make money and profit. That is where the boundary is crossed. Technology turns people into machines by stripping away feelings and emotions—such as when making decisions to launch attacks.
In the military, previously there weren’t small drones like there are today. Even with today’s small drones, it’s the same. In the past, drone operators in America hundreds of kilometers away could drop bombs here and there. People would ask: what is the difference between dropping a bomb from a room 5,000 kilometers away onto a location that kills 300 or 400 civilians, versus being there in person? Someone who is there in person is likely to be much more careful and considerate than a machine operator. The operator only knows: fly there, drop the payload, and whatever else happens is none of my business; I just know the target was hit. But someone on the ground might assess the situation differently—realizing they cannot strike because there are children present, or because the location is a school or something else. That is the difference.
(20) Internal values stem from upbringing at home and school regarding culture, morality, and behavior; machines strip away emotion and evaluation
We see on the internet that when people capture prisoners of war—whether Ukrainians capturing Russians or Russians capturing Ukrainians—most of the time, when a weapon is pointed at them, the prisoner lives as long as they drop their weapon. But for suicide drone operators watching through a screen, even if the enemy raises their hands in surrender, the drone still crashes into them and obliterates them—there is no taking prisoners alive.
Right now, they don’t have a choice. If it were a human soldier, they could hold someone at gunpoint and bring them in, meaning that enemy combatant is removed from the battlefield and stops shooting. But a drone has no choice. If it lets them live, that person might come back to shoot again, so they must be destroyed. That is the difference. Over time, people stop thinking.
Just last evening, I saw footage of a soldier on one side—judging by his age, maybe around 70 years old—crawling out of a trench and frantically running to hide under some bushes. The drone watched from above. He thought he would escape. The drone flew right up, and as we watched through the camera feed, it crashed straight into him. You just see the moment of impact. If it were a human, they might choose not to kill him, but instead tie him up and take him as a prisoner of war. But a drone must destroy its target…
As technology becomes more powerful, equipping ourselves with a moral compass and teaching moral values within ourselves becomes even more crucial. I have raised this in various forums: we must educate people so that their self-worth is decided by themselves. Where does inner value come from? It comes from education at home, at school, from culture, morality, and behavior that guides human decision-making.
Should we kill this person, or tell them to drop their weapons, pull them along, and lead them to a place where they can raise their hands to surrender? Those cases do exist. In traditional warfare from the past, we saw people telling enemies to drop their weapons, pulling them out of the water or wherever… following them, holding them at gunpoint, and capturing them. They didn’t just kill them…
Therefore, training must have a code of conduct. Step by step, this is about responsibility. We must use technology with responsibility, and virtue must always be maintained.
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(21) Be a good child, a good friend, and a good citizen with knowledge, competence, morality, and a sense of responsibility toward the nation and humanity
Develop oneself in alignment with societal progress, in accordance with cultural values and morality, and contribute positively. Do not cause trouble. As I mentioned earlier, do not seek personal wealth at the expense of harming others. Do not use Telegram to scam people out of their money just because you know how, especially from afar, victimizing innocent people.
Ultimately, it is about being a good child, a good friend, and a good citizen equipped with knowledge, competence, morality, and a sense of responsibility toward the nation and humanity. To summarize all of this, training and education are about building competence and character […] Competence is having the capability and understanding, while character is the behavioral mindset that forms the value in applying those skills. You must have both.
(22) “It is better to fail in school than to fail in life”
Having competence alone without virtue can lead us to cause trouble, as I mentioned—using those skills to scam people. Conversely, having proper virtue but limited competence also makes it difficult to help oneself. Therefore, having both is crucial. School training and education are not merely about transferring knowledge or handing out degrees; when students hold that diploma and step out, they have gone through something akin to a battlefield.
Tests and various assessments teach them how to research, be patient, persevere through failure, and bounce back. If you fail a test, do not lose heart or give up—come back and try again. Some students find the first year difficult and want to drop out, but teachers call them back and provide extra tutoring. Failing in school is better than failing in life, and learning in school is itself a lesson for life.
(23) October 2026 – The first historic year of implementing the military conscription law
Yesterday, we began accepting applications for military conscription. The implementation of the conscription law, which started yesterday, received nearly 3,000 applications. We are accepting applications until the 10th [of October] as a first test pilot phase. We will accept voluntary applications until the 10th and decide how many to take and what scale to operate on for this year.
Next year, we will review it again. We will have step-by-step intakes, likely on an annual basis. Therefore, the Ministry of Defense will make decisions based on the actual needs of the military. This is the first year—a historic year—for the implementation of the military conscription law. This phase is important. I have given the directive to organize a specific, set number for this test pilot.
(24) The military conscription law is a policy to invest in human resources equipped with competence and character
For the Royal Government, the military conscription law is a policy to invest in building and strengthening human resources—no different from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Cults and Religion in strengthening religious resources, or the Ministry of Health in strengthening medical professionals. Building human resources is vital for both national defense and national society.
We view the military conscription law as having goals similar to a school or university: to build human resources with competence and character. We need both. Health and physical fitness naturally come with entering the military. But more importantly, it is not just about having individuals with big muscles … After entering, they undergo 3 basic months of training, followed by fulfilling a 2-year service obligation.
(25) Fulfilling a 2-year military service provides training in discipline, teamwork, skills, and expertise
During these 2 years, training continues across practical tasks and other duties.
First, training in discipline, responsibility, teamwork to achieve missions, responsibility itself, and leadership. In the military—just as in other sectors, but especially in the armed forces—character is extremely important. Therefore, we consider those who enter military service as an investment by the state in building human resources with correct character. You might have been a young hoodlum fighting in the village before, but in the military, you must follow discipline. There is no wandering around or fighting; you must respect discipline, schedules, and work in teams.
For 2 years, wherever you are ordered to go, you go. If ordered to advance to the front lines, you advance; if there is a flood and an order comes at midnight to go out and help citizens, you go out to help citizens. There is discipline, responsibility, and teamwork. In the military, there is no such thing as working alone. From day one, you are divided into units of 3, or squads of 9 to 10, working together as a team to accomplish missions. Responsibility is fostered; during these 2 years, some individuals will have the opportunity to serve as squad leaders or take on other responsibilities. That is character.
Second, skills and expertise. In the military, it is not just about shooting a gun, venerable monks. Even in military tactics, there must be strict responsibility. You cannot send 3, 10, or 100 people forward without discipline… There must be clear responsibility, security guard duties, vigilance, and endurance.
The military has many more specialties beyond basic combat tactics. We have communications radio specialties that train personnel in electronics; financial specialties known as combat service support; and technical skills that teach individuals everything from firearms mechanics to advanced electronics. If you are in the air force, you look after aircraft engines and technical maintenance. If you are in artillery, our artillery systems include both manual and computer-operated systems … There are many skills, including languages and computers.
(26) Two years of service is not just about holding a gun, but training in responsibility and discipline
These 2 years represent an investment in building human resources who, upon completion of their service, can voluntarily apply to become professional soldiers, or otherwise return to civilian life. Regardless of the sector they choose to work in afterward, what they learn during these 2 years will be a valuable asset.
Our military is currently undergoing reforms. This training reform is an important part of the military modernization reform. Therefore, we will train a number of personnel within the ranks on the use of drone and AI technologies … I am only mentioning this briefly because we have many specialties. In some areas, they must also be taught basic legal knowledge—for example, if you are assigned to border duties, you must understand border laws …
Our military is reforming … Even provincial forces are being reformed to consolidate … In our training, we want to ensure that these 2 years are not just a place where you train for 3 months and hold a gun without doing anything else, but a place that instills responsibility, daily character, and living and moving according to military discipline. Discipline is what helps accomplish massive tasks. People without discipline can only succeed temporarily. People compare discipline and motivation: motivation can carry you for a short burst, but it can run out if there is no discipline to ensure sustainability.
(27) “Investing in human resources in the military is like planting seeds within the military to bear fruit in society”
A period of 2 years, or 24 months, is not long … We plan to organize additional training within the military so that … when they return to civilian life, they know what other skills or competencies they need. This is similar to what the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Education have previously trained for certain youths. When they come out, if they want to continue at a university, that is their choice. Nothing is wasted.
For Cambodia, we invest in human resources within the military: we plant seeds in the military, but they bear fruit in society. This is what the military conscription law is about. Taking youths for 2 years to temper and discipline them … Even if they already possess certain skills or expertise, whatever those skills may be, they can still reinforce their character, responsibility, and leadership. As a result, they come out even better.
It is the same in any workplace. Regardless of the sector, we want people who have a sense of responsibility and proper training, and character is a crucial factor for success. Out of 10 employees, sometimes they come from the same school and the same graduating class, but not all 10 can become leaders; surely one will emerge to manage the rest. Therefore, employers will choose the person with high responsible character and good working habits—not someone who only knows how to do the bare minimum and needs a stick poked at them just to get moving. Some people show initiative, while others step forward.
(28) “This is an obligation to serve the nation; the nation needs it, and every youth must participate”
We believe that the conscription law and the implementation of military service that we have organized will not only give youth and citizens the opportunity to participate together in serving our nation and motherland, but also provide opportunities for voluntary enrollment under specific conditions.
We cannot take 200,000 people in a single year. There are certain conditions which I will not elaborate on, as the Ministry of Defense has already explained them. Concessionary conditions exist; for instance, members of the clergy can be exempted, but if you, venerable monk, are interested, you can formally unfrock to join. When I served as chairman of the examination committee, every year there would always be monk candidates who asked their chief abbot to unfrock for a single day just to take the exam, and then returned to monkhood afterward. If they passed, they would permanently unfrock; if not, they would continue their monastic life. Careers and knowledge all open doors for participation.
I see a lot of discussion about getting this or that, receiving minor or major allowances … I prefer not to dwell on material benefits. This is a matter of national obligation—why bargain over it? I know living conditions are impacted, but it is an obligation that every youth must participate in. When the nation needs it, we must step up. Let me clarify: the nation is not taking human resources just to freeze them away for 2 years. These 2 years are filled with investment, starting right from financial allowances.
(29) “Do not view military service as a burden; instead, see it as an opportunity to serve and defend the nation, and reap the state’s training and investment”
By comparison, this figure of Riel 400,000 [the allowance or scale] is higher than in Vietnam and higher than in several other countries. Allowances are just one part. If compared to the basic salary of our regular military personnel, it is not much different—a private’s basic salary is around 600,000 [riels], which, when combined with functional allowances and other benefits, comes to over 1 million. Thus, youths performing conscription receive this allowance, but they also enjoy other benefits provided free of charge like regular soldiers: housing, food, state-invested training that ordinary civilians could never afford even with money, because national security training is exclusive to those in service […]
No one outside the military can just pay to take courses in military tactics or anti-aircraft artillery. Those opportunities do not exist outside; they are exclusive to the military. There are numerous opportunities and rights that young people can gain. Please do not view it as a burden. Please view it as an opportunity. All youths should see it as an opportunity—first, to fulfill their duty to serve and defend the nation; and second, to reap the results of the state’s training and investment.
(30) Fulfilling military service is an opportunity to receive the returns on investment to build oneself as a step toward success in life
The state invests heavily in the military, no differently than it does in medical education. Medical students study through various levels, but the costs of laboratories and other resources are immense. Similarly, for individual soldiers, the costs encompass more than just food and lodging—they include training costs and specialized enhancements. Just a single parachute jump or a flight aboard an aircraft is calculated by the ton. Helicopters are calculated by the ton, not by the liter like we measure fuel. Naval operations at sea, air operations, drone operations—you cannot simply pay money to learn these things elsewhere. Outside, you might have the money to buy a drone and fly it, but understanding how to analyze imagery and read maps is something no one teaches outside.
It is only available in the military. Those who leave the military with these skills can find employment with many opportunities, because these technical skills overlap significantly between military and civilian sectors. Geographical analysis is used in agriculture, water resources, land management, and even within the private sector. I am simply pointing this out.
I also thank our youths who have volunteered to participate. Voluntary participation comes in two forms: one is volunteering by submitting an application, and the other is what military language calls “volunteering by order” [conscription via lottery if needed]. We have both. First, we prioritize those who submit voluntary applications. If the military’s demand for that year is less than the number of applicants who volunteered, we select from those who volunteered first. The remaining applicants roll over to the next year—it is only a matter of a few months difference since we have annual intakes.
If demand exceeds the number of volunteers, then we look at the rosters and draw lots… Everyone faces challenges and carries their own burdens, but please view this as an opportunity. This is an opportunity to reap the benefits of state investment and build your foundational base as a stepping stone toward success in life. Those receiving graduation degrees today, if they are under 25 years old, are also still welcome.
(31) Pushing oneself beyond the boundaries of comfort will help in the future
Modern soldiers are not soldiers with a rusted gun sitting by a lake to guard it. They are soldiers of technology and training, preparing to strengthen the national defense sector through extensive education and development … Do not forget that what we cannot see is not just about what we study, but also responsibility—having an individual sit entirely by themselves in that spot, standing guard at the edge of a lake, is a huge responsibility because it helps shape us.
Pushing ourselves beyond the boundaries of comfort will help us in the future … I cannot run as fast as I did when I was young anymore, but if faced with such circumstances, I still feel no fear because I have experienced it and walked that path. I used to stand guard there alone for 24 hours. That is not difficult anymore. This means pushing oneself out of comfort.
That is why I mentioned from the beginning: beware that AI helps us create comfort, and instead of pushing ourselves out of comfort, we let ourselves drop back under its shelter. This applies not only to military service, but also to learning and working, because it results in being “hollow on the inside.” It looks good on the surface, but lacks a foundation […]
During a recent debate, someone wrote very well on Facebook. Their reasoning was good, and there were two or three people whose writing style was exceptionally strong. I asked His Excellency Neth Pheaktra to check it out. We had never known who this person was, thinking that if they were so talented, they could come help with our PR. But when His Excellency Neth Pheaktra went to meet them in person, we found out they used AI. They weren’t completely incompetent, but more importantly, when we met them in reality, it differed from the facade, and we decided not to hire them.
It is the same in work—be careful of relying on machines to present work for others to see, because when it comes to actual execution, there is no guarantee they can do it without the machine. They won’t last, because employers will choose those who can genuinely perform […] Today’s remarks won’t be long, because I have another urgent meeting scheduled right after this. I believe all of you have your plans […]./.