Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced that the government will not increase the salaries for civil servants and armed forces next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I would like to apologise to the civil servants and armed forces in advance. Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth planned to increase the salary, but I told him that because of economic uncertainty, pay rise will be delayed for 2021,” Mr Hun Sen said today at the inauguration of Prince Manor Resort in Kandal province’s Kien Svay district today.

He said that the bonus for Khmer New Year and Pchum Ben festival will still be provided.

In 2019, there were 218,482 civil servants throughout the country.