His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia this morning presided over the National Arbour Day at the Sambuor Meas Forest Promotion and Rehabilitation Station in Sambuor Meas village, Snoeng commune, Banan district, Battambang province.
Samdech Vibol Sena Pheakdei Say Chhum, President of the Senate; Samdech Akka Moha Ponhea Chakrei Heng Samrin, President of the National Assembly; Samdech Krolahom Sar Kheng, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior also attended this annual event.
In his royal speech, His Majesty the King expressed his heartfelt appreciation for Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, for his wise and skillful leadership which has successfully dealt with the spread of COVID-19 within Cambodia. "Building on this success, all social activities have been revived and all sectors have been recovering. For instance, today, we have resumed the celebration of the Tree Planting Day after it was skipped for two years," he added.
All of these achievements have provided Cambodian people with opportunities to live with happiness, security and good public order and these also gained international recognition, the monarch said.
Every year, the Royal Government of Cambodia has observed the National Arbour Day at all capital and provinces across the country.
"Our Cambodian people truly understand that forests are great natural resources for the life of human beings and animals on our planet," His Majesty the King underlined. “I would like this tree planting day to be embedded in the hearts of all our compatriots and become a tradition of solidarity in which together we plant all trees, preserve, protect and develop our precious forest-wildlife resources for their everlasting existence. Forestation is a green investment in nature which provides numerous benefits for all beings on our planet.”
The first National Arbour Day was held in 1952 to reflect the efforts of Cambodian leaders to prevent the loss of forests, and promote accountability to safeguard the motherland and natural resources for future generations.
In 2019, His Majesty the King marked the event at Sre Treng village in Sambor district’s Kbal Damrei commune, Kratie province, where 13,135 rare and luxurious wood saplings – including Korkoh, Angkanh, Thnong, Kranhuong and Korki – were planted on 10ha of land on the occasion.
Source: Agency Kampuchea Press