PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed his happiness of seeing millions of people traveling for Khmer New Year this year: a major shift from last year when the threat of Covid-19 kept many at home.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the maternity ward of the National Children's Hospital on the morning of 20 April 2023, the Prime Minister expressed his concerns in 2022 for allowing limited celebrations to occur, fearing the spread of Covid-19. He then said how happy he was to see that Khmer New Year celebrations in 2023 were popular and did not lead to a Covid-19 outbreak.

This year’s Khmer New Year was held from 14 to 16 April with about 13 million people recorded traveling for the holiday. No new Covid cases were reported in its wake.