SIHANOUKVILLE: Prime Minister Hun Sen expressed his intention to organize the SEA Games as a national festival, urging all media to work together to promote all SEA Games events to citizens and foreigners alike.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Sihanoukville Port Container Terminal on the morning of May 1, Prime Minister Hun Sen blamed the Ministry of Information and National Television for failing to broadcast the games: a mistake that needs to be corrected.

"I need this event to be a national celebration of the pride of the Cambodian people," he said.

Speaking at a meeting with Cambodian SEA Games athletes at the Peace Palace that same day, he urged all TV broadcasters to help promote the SEA Games sports to all citizens.

"To all TV directors: help broadcast. We have one live [broadcasting] center. Please connect to it. If one channel broadcasts ping pong, another can broadcast volleyball, and another can broadcast a different sport. We will have to wait and see because we have a lot of Khmer channels,” he said.

Following the instructions of the Prime Minister, the Minister of Information issued a letter that evening to all TV station owners stating that the Ministry had set up two broadcast centers: one located at the Morodok Techo National Stadium for distribution to seven television stations: TVK, BTV, PNN, CBS (MyTv, CBC, CNC); and the other located at the Ministry of Information intended for broadcasting to all other TV stations.

On May 2, the SEA Games torch arrived in Banteay Meanchey province and moved on to the Kampong Chhnang, Pursat and Battambang provinces. Wherever the Sea Games torch goes, large celebrations and fanfare follow. The torch will return to Phnom Penh for the opening ceremony of the games on May 5.