PHNOM PENH: Cambodia continues to maintain its position as the country with the most public holidays and festivals in the world. On January 1, 2024, the government declared December 29 as “Peace Day in Cambodia,” affording workers another day off in December. Henceforth, the day will commemorate the end of Cambodia’s civil war through former Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Win-Win Policy and the subsequent construction of the Victory Monument in Phnom Penh.

The Cambodian government marks December 29, 1998, as the day that peace was finally achieved in Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge was effectively dissolved when former PM Hun Sen guaranteed life, career and property to Khmer Rouge defectors, many of whom became government officials.

December 29 will now be a day to remember and thank patriotic heroes who fought in both the “diplomatic battlefields” and the actual battlefields. The government hopes the day will be a reminder of the nation’s destruction and misery, which are the consequences of war and national division. The government wants to inspire all generations of Cambodians to hate war and value peace. It hopes that by promoting a culture of peace in Cambodia, citizens will see absolute peace as the most valuable foundation for sustainable and prosperous nation building.