Senate President Meets Khmer Artists Association’s Board of Directors

President of the Senate, Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, received a courtesy call by the board of directors of the Khmer Artists Association, at the 7 January Palace in Phnom Penh this morning. In the meeting, Oknha Mrs. Mao Chamnan, the newly elected President of the Khmer Artists Association, briefed Samdech Techo Hun Sen on the association's background and key activities, and recalled the support and assistance from Samdech Techo and his spouse to the association. Samdech Techo Hun Sen congratulated Oknha Mrs. Mao Chamnan on her election as President of the Khmer Artists Association, believing that in this new mandate, the association can overcome the difficulties that have arisen in the past through restructuring its management and strengthening the morale of artists. The senate president also recalled the phase of arts revival after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime on Jan. 7, 1979 and the gathering of human capital, especially after Cambodia achieved complete peace thanks to the Win-Win policy in 1998. 'Since then, our country turned to a new stage, i.e. the stage of conservation and development. We preserving the existing things while striving to innovate,' he said. Samdech Techo Hun Sen also touched on intellectual property, which is difficult to protect due to the rapid evolution of technology, and on artificial intelligence (AI), which will more and more replace humans in their work. Besides, the former Prime Minister gave some recommendation to the Khmer Artists Association as well as the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts in order to maintain the value of all artists and ensure new generations of artists. Samdech Techo Hun Sen called on the local media to form a production team to promote the association's activities, through websites, YouTube, TikTok and so on. At the same time, Samdech Techo decided to support the Khmer Artists Association with US$100,000 per year for five years, from 2024 onwards. Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse