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Cambodia and Lao PDR Honor Former ADB Staff

By The Cambodia Resident Mission

HONORED Noritada Morita (above center) receives Cambodia’s medal of Sahakmetrei from Finance Minister and ADB Governor for Cambodia Keat Chhon; Preben Nielsen (below left) and H.E. Bouathong Vonglokham (right) during the Labor Medal award ceremony in the Lao PDR.

The Government of Cambodia awarded the medal of Sahakmetrei on 17 June to Noritada Morita, former ADB Director, Programs West Department, for his crucial role in rehabilitating and reconstructing Cambodia, and his involvement in ADB’s reentry into Cambodia in 1992.

The Government also appointed Mr. Morita as Honorary Senior Advisor to the Supreme National Economic Council, the country’s think-tank. Mr. Morita, 65, an ADB veteran of 23 years, began his ties with Cambodia ahead of the Paris Peace Agreement in October 1991 and has continued his involvement in the country even after his retirement in 1997.

One of the important initiatives he took in the early 1990s was helping set up the Greater Mekong Subregion Economic Cooperation Program.

Finance Minister and ADB Governor for Cambodia Keat Chhon presented the award at a ceremony in Phnom Penh.

By Tsukasa Maekawa (tmaekawa@adb.org)
Senior External Relations Officer

A former ADB manager was awarded the prestigious Labor Medal by the Government of Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) in early 2002.

Preben Nielsen, Senior Advisor to ADB, was presented with the award by Bouathong Vonglokham, Minister of Communication, Transport, Post, and Construction, for his contribution to the development of the Lao PDR, especially in key sections of the national road network.

ADB President Tadao Chino said, “The award is a recognition of Mr. Nielsen’s invaluable and long service to the country. It’s also symbolic of ADB’s contribution to the country’s development and the strong partnership between ADB and the Government.”

Mr. Nielsen, who recently retired from ADB after nearly 20 years of service, worked on projects in the Lao PDR, mostly in the road sector, but also in water supply and urban development. The last project on which he worked involved developing a major road link connecting the PRC with Thailand through the Lao PDR as part of ADB’s Greater Mekong Subregion Program.

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