Cambodia: 35 Ex-Soldier Families Receive New Homes and Land as Gift from Prime Minister and Wife

In Cambodia's Kampong Thom province, 35 families of ex-soldiers who lacked housing or land received new homes and plots as a gift from Prime Minister Hun Manet and his wife. This initiative is part of a broader program to support veterans, with similar aid provided in the past. On July 18, 2026, Governor of Kampong Thom Province, Nuon Pharath, who also chairs the provincial chapter of the Cambodian Veterans Association, presided over a lottery ceremony to distribute land and new homes to 35 ex-soldier families. These provisions are a donation from Prime Minister Hun Manet, First Vice President of the Cambodian Veterans Association, and his wife, Dr. Pich Chanmony. The aid was channeled through HE Senior Minister Kun Kim, Vice President and Secretary-General of the association. The event took place at the Morodok Techo Dithiptey Tlok Pring Veteran Development Center in Kraya village, Santeuk district. The beneficiaries were identified as ex-soldiers without land, without homes, living in substandard housing, or residing on public land. Brigadier General Som Sun, Director of the Secretariat of the Cambodian Veterans Association in Kampong Thom, provided an update on the management of veterans in the province, numbering 6,741, and the preparation of social land concessions. He further stated that in the past, under the initiatives of former Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen and Prime Minister Samdech Mahabovor Thipadei Hun Manet, 547 housing units had already been constructed for needy ex-soldiers in Kampong Thom province. These included 306 units built across various locations in the province, 141 units from the first social land concession lottery in 2021 (with each family receiving 1.5 hectares), 65 units from the second lottery in 2024 (each family receiving one hectare), and the current 35 units, which provide residential land of 1,250 square meters per family. Governor Nuon Pharath expressed his deepest gratitude to Samdech Techo Hun Sen, President of the Cambodian Veterans Association, and Samdech Mahabovor Thipadei Hun Manet, the Prime Minister, and Dr. Pich Chanmony, for their unwavering attention to the well-being and living conditions of ex-soldiers who sacrificed their lives for peace and the nation. He also commended Brigadier General Som Sun for his diligent efforts in serving the ex-soldier families throughout Kampong Thom and instructed the provincial administration to collaborate with the provincial chapter of the Cambodian Veterans Association to foster friendly relations with the newly settled families. The Governor advised all ex-soldier families to maintain good health while living at the Morodok Techo Dithiptey Tlok Pring Veteran Development Center. He urged them to engage in farming and animal husbandry to improve their livelihoods. It is noteworthy that the 35 needy ex-soldier families participating in the lottery will each receive a plot of land measuring 25 meters in width by 50 meters in depth, a new house, and a toilet. They also received food and essential supplies as generous donations from Prime Minister Hun Manet and his wife. Source: CPP Cambodia