Phnom Penh: Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Hun Manet said national defence was a continuing, long-term mission for as long as the country retained its sovereignty and needed to protect territorial integrity, security and social order.
He made the remarks while presiding over the inauguration of a three-storey building and other facilities and the presentation of basic-level teaching diplomas and bachelor’s degrees in education specialising in physical education to trainees and students of the National Institute of Physical Education and Sport in Phnom Penh on the morning of June 3, 2026.
Hun Manet stressed that strong nation-building and national defence depended on capable human resources. Investment in education, health and human development was therefore a fundamental basis for strengthening national capacity; the country could not rely solely on professional armed forces or conscript forces.
He added that low educational levels and continuing health difficulties among the population would also create challenges for national development and defence. For that reason, he said, the government attached great importance to health investment from pregnancy through childbirth and the first two years of a child’s life.
Hun Manet said the government had implemented cash support programmes for pregnant women and mothers after childbirth, including members of the public, civil servants and women held in prison, because children were valuable human resources for the country’s future.
He also urged people not to view national defence simply as budget spending on the Defence Ministry, since investment in education and health was itself an important part of strengthening defence capacity and sustainable national development. By: Pai Sokhim
