Prime Minister Hun Sen said the government will cooperate with development partners to accelerate the construction of an expressway from Phnom Penh to Bavet town in Svay Rieng province.

He made the remarks at an October 28 Cabinet meeting.

“We will cooperate with development partners to accelerate the construction of the expressway from Phnom Penh to Bavet town, Svay Rieng province,” he said.

At the meeting, Hun Sen also said the government would continue to encourage the private sector to invest more in rice production in Cambodia to achieve its vision of exporting 1 million tonnes of rice, in line its policies on boosting rice production and rice exports.

He urged local authorities to pay close attention to strengthening their role, especially when providing people with direct, improved, public services.

“The administrations of Phnom Penh, provinces, towns, and districts have to strengthen the roles of commune council heads, commune clerks, village chiefs, commune police chiefs and commune health centre heads. They are important officials in communes and must provide people with direct public services,” Hun Sen said.

The prime minster took a strong stance against a certain extremist groups and traitors who had made offensive comments to the nation’s King. He said that the comments constituted a serious offence under Article 7 of the Constitution.

Article 7 of the Constitution stipulates that the King shall be inviolable.