PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen, the President of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), has called on the Muslim community in Cambodia to continue maintaining peace with the Royal Government in order to allow for the further development and strengthening of the economy.

Speaking at a Wednesday morning, 26 April 2023, meeting with the Islamic Movement Committee of the CPP (comprising of 3,540 members), the President of the CPP, Prime Minister Hun Sen, thanked the Muslim community in Cambodia for contributing to national development and for voting for the CPP by an overwhelming majority.

"This upcoming election for the Cambodian People's Party will contribute to maintaining the peace and tranquility of our entire nation," he said.

The Chairman of the CPP's Islamic Movement Committee, Senior Minister Othsman Hassan, noted that the CPP's Islamic division was first formed in 1998 to rally the support of Muslims in Cambodia.

He stated that the Islamic Movement Committee has consistently implemented the recommendations made by President Hun Sen, and as a result, Cambodian Muslims have overwhelmingly voted for the CPP in all election mandates, including at the level of the Commune/Sangkat Council and in the General Elections for the National Assembly.

Prime Minister Hun Sen recently joined the National Ramadan Iftar Dinner of 2023 in March, the first to be held since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, where he noted that the Royal Government’s success in controlling the pandemic allowed for more than 6,000 people to gather together again to celebrate this religious event.

He added that religious harmony in Cambodia has allowed the country to avoid religious conflicts, helping the country move forward in its rapid development. The Prime Minister further emphasized that religion and ethnicity are not obstacles to Cambodia's national and social development