Minister of the Royal Palace Kong Sam Ol (left) presents donations from King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk to Phnom Penh municipal governor Khuong Sreng. PHNOM PENH MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION
The Monarchy and members of the country's business community have poured in financial assistance, food and other supplies to people affected by the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.
On April 26, King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk donated 105 tonnes of rice, 4,300 boxes of noodles, 4,300 boxes of canned fish, 650 cases of drinking water, and 12,000 face masks to the Phnom Penh Municipal Hall to relieve the people in red zones.
The King and Queen Mother on 26 April also donated 30 tonnes of rice, 1,000 boxes of noodles, 1,000 boxes of canned fish and 300 boxes of drinking water to Kandal Provincial Hall to give to people in red zones in adjacent Takmao town in Kandal province.
Kith Meng, chairman and CEO of The Royal Group of Companies Ltd, his wife Mao Chamnan and family have donated $50,000 for emergency aid to the people living in the capital’s lockdown-restricted areas.
The Royal Group said in an April 28 statement: “In the past two weeks the Kingdom has seen its first lockdown in order to contain the spread of the virus.
“Since the numbers are rising, lockdown is imperative in order protect our citizen’s health. While doing so, we anticipate that these changes will interrupt the livelihoods of many.”
Meng called for solidarity and a spirited societal commitment to weather the Covid-19 storm.
“This is our time to stand together and empower our community spirit to help each other. With patience and faith, we will survive this battle,” he said in the statement.
The statement added that “national solidarity is all about standing by each other during tough times as affirmed by” Prime Minister Hun Sen.
AEON Group on April 8 donated $10,000 to Prime Minister Hun Sen to prevent the spread of Covid-19, while ABA Bank on April 22 donated $1 million to support the government in curbing the spread of the virus.
“Being an active member of the Cambodian business community, we at ABA Bank support the government’s efforts to protect the wellbeing of Cambodians, especially during the Covid outbreak,” ABA Bank CEO Askhat Azhikhanov said in a press release.
“We are honoured to make this contribution to empower the ongoing fight against the spread of the disease and will continue helping communities in the future,” Askhat said.
