Phnom penh: Some 720,105 Cambodian people from various backgrounds have contributed a total of US$26,967,609 million to the Border Infrastructure Development Fund, reflecting their collective commitment to the protection and development of their homeland. The figures were shared by Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet in a message on his social media networks this evening, after the fundraising campaign was wrapped up on Oct. 31.

According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the voluntary contributions will be used to build border ring roads, said the Premier, adding that to ensure proper and transparent budget management, an ad-hoc working group headed by H.E. Gen. Kim Bunthan, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister and Deputy Chief of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet, has been formed. The Premier also expressed his pride and gratitude to Their Majesty the King and Queen-Mother, dignitaries, Buddhist monks, civil servants, armed forces, teachers, students, workers, employees, vendors, farmers, and the
general public both inside and outside the country for their overwhelming support to the foundation in a spirit of great Khmer national solidarity.

According to Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, on Nov. 1, 2024, the newly established ad-hoc Working Group will hold a press conference to present a detailed plan for the use of the Border Infrastructure Development Fund’s budget. The Border Infrastructure Development Fund, initiated on Aug. 22, 2024, by Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet, is part of the government’s broader plan to complete 1,300 kilometres of border infrastructure over the next decade. The Royal Government has committed over US$200 million to the project, with plans to finish the remaining 50 percent of border infrastructure within ten years.