PHNOM PENH: On Thursday, 2 June, a celebration for Queen Elizabeth II's 96th birthday and Platinum Jubilee was held at the Himawari Hotel in Phnom Penh, with the Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Cambodia, Tina Redshaw, and the First Vice President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), Senior Minister Ly Thuch, in attendance, along with many other Ambassadors and distinguished guests.
Speaking at the celebrations, Senior Minister Ly Thuch, representing the Royal Government of Cambodia, relayed his best wishes of good health, longevity and a glorious reign to Her Majesty the Queen, and his heartfelt congratulations to the people of the United Kingdom.
He said, “It is remarkable that The Queen has ruled for longer than any other Monarch in British history, becoming a highly respected and much-loved figure across the globe.”
He added that Queen Elizabeth the second has been a symbol of reform, continuity and tradition of the United Kingdom, and highlighted how she has travelled extensively across the Commonwealth and the world, building up the principles of “friendship, loyalty, and the desire for freedom and peace.”
The Senior Minister also took the opportunity to touch briefly upon the bilateral relations and cooperation between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
He said that he has noted with deep satisfaction that the two Kingdoms, which are among the oldest remaining royalist institutions in the world, have been able to maintain an excellent state of friendship and cooperative close relations in various fields of common interest since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1953, and especially since the establishment of the British Embassy in Phnom Penh in 1991.
He mentioned the Government of the United Kingdom's General Scheme of Preference (GSP) to grow free and fair trade with Cambodia while engaging in Human Rights Dialogue, and the timely donation of AstraZeneca vaccines in the fight against Covid-19, as two examples of support and cooperation from the United Kingdom to Cambodia.
He also noted the substantial bilateral assistance the Government of the United Kingdom has lent to Cambodia. He gave the examples of the prestigious Chevening Program, which has awarded 184 Cambodian students to pursue higher education in the United Kingdom between 1993 and 2020, the British Embassy in Phnom Penh’s active work in advancing and promoting STEM education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and Women Empowerment in Cambodia, and the renewal of support for demining under the United Kingdom's Global Mine Action Program, which has benefited millions of Cambodians by allocating almost US $10 million to release more land for safe agriculture, housing and rural development.
Closing his remarks, the Senior Minister called on everyone to rise, and join him in a toast, on behalf of the Royal Government, to the good health, longevity and glorious reigns of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni, the good health and longevity of Her Majesty Queen-Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk, the happiness and prosperity of the British and Cambodian Peoples, the good friendship and close cooperation between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the United Kingdom, the strong ties between the people of Cambodia and the people of the United Kingdom, and in celebration of Queen Elizabeth II's 96th Birthday and Platinum Jubilee.
In 2022, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will become the first British Monarch in history to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee after 70 years of service. Global celebrations for her Platinum Jubilee began on Thursday, 2 June, and will last for four days until Sunday, 5 June.
