PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen urged the public to show up and support players in the upcoming ASEAN Para Games, which begin on June 3.

Speaking at a ribbon cutting ceremony for a bridge in Russey Keo this morning, the PM praised Cambodia’s warm welcome to SEA Games athletes last month. He wants the Para Games athletes’ welcome to be even better. He urged people to continue their enthusiastic support for the talented disabled athletes, both national and international, who grace Cambodia with their presence.

"We support our disabled people. We encourage persons with disabilities within our ASEAN framework," he said. He said that support for athletes with disabilities in ASEAN member countries has boosted ASEAN integration as part of promoting cultural exchanges between nations.

Cambodia, who has a high percentage of persons with disabilities due to landmine explosions, is committed to improving disabled rights and accessibility, having signed the UN’s “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), International Human Rights Standards and National Norms Protecting Persons with Disabilities” in 2012.