Phnom Penh: The Ministry of Public Works has told all ministries, state institutions, administrations, capitals, provinces, municipalities and districts to prepare May salaries for their officials before the end of April 2022. The announcement by the Ministry of Public Works comes after Prime Minister Hun Sen issued an order on the morning of 20 April.

In the announcement dated April 20th, just hours after the order from the Prime Minister Hun Sen, the Minister of Public Works informed all ministries, national and sub-national institutions to prepare to pay the first salary for the May 2022 before the end of April and the second time in the third week of May 2022 to its civil servants.

For the payment of salary in June 2022, follow the procedures set by law.

The early payment of salaries for civil servants came after Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday ordered the Ministry of Economy to look into the possibility, as he felt that civil servants had spent too much on Khmer New Year's Eve which just passed last week.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said "I would like to remind the Ministry of Economy and Finance that it may be necessary to open the salary for civil servants of the Armed Forces a little earlier, Because why? Because the salary before the New Year, they had spent it all. So, open the salary a little earlier, it’s okay.”

After suspending the Khmer New Year twice in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 crisis, the Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to re-celebrate the traditional Khmer New Year in 2022, with about 5.1 million people visiting, according to the Minister of Tourism said that the cost per family when traveling in the new year is not less than $500.