Copy Reference Since the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia broke out in China, Chea Munyrith has been paying close attention to the epidemic in various places, especially Wuhan and Cambodia. Chea Munyrith participated in the translation of Xi Jinping: The Governance of China into Cambodian language and serves as director of Planning and Project Department of the Cambodian Civil Society Alliance Forum.
“I am worried about the situation, but at the same time I have been awed by China's response to the outbreak,” declared Munyrith. “China has definitely acted quickly and effectively in the battle against the coronavirus.”
Munyrith was especially impressed by China's speed. On January 23, China launched an all-out fight against the COVID-19 outbreak with a decision to temporarily lock down Wuhan, a city with tens of millions of people, to contain the virus. Numerous Chinese braved the deadly epidemic to maintain their posts and do everything they can to help. The lockdown was the right decision because it has indeed been the best way to protect more people from infection.
“I do not know of any country that could have acted as organized and united as China,” he gasped. “In recent days, communities in Wuhan have launched comprehensive investigations to accelerate testing on suspected cases, and we heard the good news that the first virus strain has already been isolated. This will speed up work on developing a vaccine.” Experts from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported that China's medical treatment now is much improved compared to that during the SARS epidemic, and they are more confident in defeating the COVID-19 pneumonia this time.
“The speed and effectiveness of measures adopted in China gave confidence not only to the Chinese people but also to the world community,” commented Munyrith. From January 24 to February 2, China completed construction of a dedicated hospital in only 10 days. The hospital covers 34,000 square meters and offers more than 1,000 beds for patients infected with the coronavirus. “Only four days later, a second such hospital was completed. That is the speed of China!”
On January 27, one patient in Cambodia was confirmed to be infected with COVID-19, which made some Cambodians nervous. The Ministry of Health of Cambodia implemented quarantine of the patient and tracked down passengers who took the same flight. Thanks to such efforts, the epidemic was effectively contained in Cambodia. According to Chea Munyrith, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen is also very concerned about the coronavirus, overseeing domestic prevention work while encouraging the Cambodian people to support and help China.
“China and Cambodia are one family,” Munyrith declared. “We care about the Chinese people as much as we care about our loved ones.” Munyrith is one of many Cambodian people who have fostered friendship with the Chinese over the past two decades. Since 2019, Chea Munyrith has brought more than 80 Cambodian children with congenital heart diseases (CHD) to Yunnan Province to receive free surgery. Previously, Chinese medical workers carried out meticulous works to find CHD cases in Cambodian children. The patience of Chinese doctors, the near-perfect success rate of the surgery and careful follow-up exams left a deep impression on the Cambodian people. The parents of those small patients were amazed by China's medical technologies and skills and deeply moved by the careful work of Chinese doctors and volunteers.
The Cambodian people greatly support China in the fight against the coronavirus. Chea Munyrith is most moved by the many Cambodian people who want to do something to help the Chinese, especially doctors, even though they don't have much money. Munyrith revealed that to express their gratitude to China and Chinese doctors, 86 Cambodian families with children who received heart surgery in Yunnan bought 5,021 medical masks to donate to Chinese doctors.
Chea Munyrith
Cambodian families helped by the China-Cambodia pediatric heart disease program donate medical masks to China.