PHNOM PENH: At a meeting with the Council of Ministers on Friday morning, 31 March, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that foreigners will also be able to attend the SEA Games for free.

The Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith quoted the Prime Minister from his official account, saying: "Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that both Cambodians and foreigners have the right to watch the SEA Games for free. Participating sports federations will also gain entry free of charge. ”

Mr. Khieu went on to say that although admission to the SEA Games will be free, they will still need to distribute tickets to account for attendance numbers.

The Prime Minister also confirmed that foreign broadcast fees will be reduced or free as it is important to see Cambodia broadcast abroad. The Minister of Information added that the Prime Minister decreed that no fees will be charged to foreign TV stations that broadcast the SEA Games.

This all follows a voice message issued by the Prime Minister on the evening of 30 March in which he emphasized that the government has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars towards the event, and that it would be unreasonable to expect a reimbursement from ticket sales.