Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet instructed Phnom Penh and provincial administrations and relevant security forces to continue firmly preventing and addressing youth violence, without easing their efforts to protect local security and public order.
He gave the instruction on the morning of Sunday, April 26, 2026, at a gathering with leaders of professional organisations marking the 140th anniversary of International Labour Day on May 1. He said some youths involved in disturbances were children of village chiefs or other officeholders who relied on family connections. He asked for parental responsibility to be considered: parents could provide guarantees and education after a first offence, while repeated misconduct might require consideration of responsibility linked to their official posts. Citing a village chief’s child repeatedly assaulting others despite warnings, he urged young people to rely on themselves and good conduct rather than their parents or parental influence.
Hun Manet also asked Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Koeut Rith, National Police Commissioner-General Sar Thet and Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Vong Pisen to study a legal and management framework linking education with engineering support needed by the front line. He explicitly said the youths need not be sent to the front line or carry firearms. Instead, he suggested work under special supervision, including precasting concrete, making trench components and other engineering support; the news report also mentioned repairs and other required services. He called for the scope to be studied first, in accordance with the law and with human-rights concerns considered, to educate the youths and help them understand the difficult tasks borne by soldiers of their generation. These were directions he asked the authorities to study.
By ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត
File image of a speaking engagement.
