On the afternoon of January 23, 2026, Preah Sihanouk's religious-affairs department held a ceremony at Otres pagoda in Sihanoukville to disseminate the declaration of the 33rd national congress of monastic officials. Participants included Cults and Religion Ministry Secretary of State Say Amnan, deputy governor Nay Kong, provincial monastic leaders, abbots, monastic officials and representatives of departments and units.
Nay Kong said province-wide dissemination was important for reviewing, discussing and presenting new approaches to develop Buddhism and spread its foundations of morality, concentration, wisdom and meditation. These would educate people to distinguish good from bad and merit from fault and promote world peace. He also discussed strengthening monastic leadership structures, pagoda management, Buddhist education and dissemination of Dhamma and Vinaya, alongside continued participation in the government's Pentagonal Strategy to maintain stability and peace, reduce social and domestic violence and poverty, and make villages, communes and sangkats safe.
Say Amnan said dissemination of the 33rd congress declaration would strengthen structures and the leadership of monastic officials, pagoda management, Buddhist education and Dhamma and Vinaya teaching. He referred to continuing the government's Rectangular Strategy Phase One to support stability, peace and poverty reduction.
The secretary of state praised provincial leaders, the religious-affairs department, the heads of both provincial monastic orders, monastic officials at provincial, city and district levels, abbots, pagoda committees and all Buddhists for working together to sustain Buddhism in step with national social development.
He said this solidarity enabled monks, achar, pagoda committees and male and female lay devotees to devote their physical and spiritual efforts to the Triple Gem, teach Buddhists to do good and study Dhamma and Vinaya, including Buddhist subjects such as Pali. This also contributed to developing human resources in Buddhism.
Provincial religious-affairs director Kang Dinat gave a brief report on Buddhist work and achievements in cooperation with the provincial monastic administration. He said that after liberation on January 7, 1979, Buddhism nationwide restarted from zero and regained full freedom of religious practice.
Buddhism in Preah Sihanouk had developed similarly to other provinces. The province now had 40 pagodas, including two of the Dhammayuttika order, with 915 monks in total, three hermitages and four Vipassana centres: Wat Indannana, Sihanoukville, Kiri Nagavon and Kampong Seila district.
By: Pai Sokhim.
