By Kay Kimsong
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
The National Assembly on Wednesday passed a comprehensive law to regulate motor vehicle traffic, imposing hefty penalties for both extortion by traffic police and drunk driving as well as requiring special seats for children riding in cars.
After four days of debate, the 12-chapter and 95-article draft passed the Assembly by a vote of 67 of the 77 lawmakers present.
"This law aims to reduce traffic accidents and is not only to be obeyed by police or the army. The law will apply to all people and authorities," National Assembly President Heng Samrin said.
The Transport and Justice ministries carefully drafted the law, which is to come into effect in six months. Transport Minister Sun Chanthol told the Assembly.
"I think an average of three people dying in Cambodia every day is a lot," Sun Chanthol said of traffic deaths.
"It's no small amount but people seem to pay less attention than they would if an airliner crash killed 100 every month."
The new law will replace the current hodgepodge of regulations known as Law 68, which dates back to the late 1980s, according to Tin Prasouer, municipal traffic police chief in Phnom Penh.
Traffic accidents killed 920 people and wounded 6,000 others in the first 11 months of this year, Sun Chanthol said, adding that such accidents annually cost the Cambodian economy $120 million, or some 3 percent of GDP.
While 10 percent of accidents were attributed to either poor road conditions or vehicle maintenance, 90 percent were due to the failure to follow rules, he added.
The new law imposes a one-month license suspension on drivers who fail to observe posted signs and signals and bans both motorbike and car drivers from talking on mobile phones while in traffic.
Kim Ly, an 11-year veteran of the Phnom Penh municipal traffic police, said the contents of the legislation would have little effect on motorists' behavior.
"Whatever the law states, people will continue to break the law," he said, standing at the corner of Street 63 and Sihanouk Boulevard.
"If they see me standing and watching them, they don't break the rules. If we are not in position, they try to break the rules," he said.
The law will require children under 10 years of age to wear seatbelts and bans them from riding in the front seats of vehicles.
Drivers found to have more than 0.8 grams of alcohol in a liter of blood could face between six days and six months in jail and fines of between $6 and $246.
The law will also impose fines of $488 to $1,463 on traffic police who extort money from motorists or damage their property during traffic stops.
SRP leader Sam Rainsy said he welcomed the new law.
"I raised my hand because I think this law is much bettor than having no law," he said, adding that the fines presented for traffic police may be too heavy.
But SRP lawmaker Keo Remy said he had voted against the law because it imposed heavy fines on underpaid police officers while other corrupt officials enriched themselves to a far greater degree.
"Look at the customs officials who gain millions of dollars through corruption but pay only administrative fines," he said.
"This law takes a lot of money from poor traffic police." he said.
After four days of debate, the 12-chapter and 95-article draft passed the Assembly by a vote of 67 of the 77 lawmakers present.
"This law aims to reduce traffic accidents and is not only to be obeyed by police or the army. The law will apply to all people and authorities," National Assembly President Heng Samrin said.
The Transport and Justice ministries carefully drafted the law, which is to come into effect in six months. Transport Minister Sun Chanthol told the Assembly.
"I think an average of three people dying in Cambodia every day is a lot," Sun Chanthol said of traffic deaths.
"It's no small amount but people seem to pay less attention than they would if an airliner crash killed 100 every month."
The new law will replace the current hodgepodge of regulations known as Law 68, which dates back to the late 1980s, according to Tin Prasouer, municipal traffic police chief in Phnom Penh.
Traffic accidents killed 920 people and wounded 6,000 others in the first 11 months of this year, Sun Chanthol said, adding that such accidents annually cost the Cambodian economy $120 million, or some 3 percent of GDP.
While 10 percent of accidents were attributed to either poor road conditions or vehicle maintenance, 90 percent were due to the failure to follow rules, he added.
The new law imposes a one-month license suspension on drivers who fail to observe posted signs and signals and bans both motorbike and car drivers from talking on mobile phones while in traffic.
Kim Ly, an 11-year veteran of the Phnom Penh municipal traffic police, said the contents of the legislation would have little effect on motorists' behavior.
"Whatever the law states, people will continue to break the law," he said, standing at the corner of Street 63 and Sihanouk Boulevard.
"If they see me standing and watching them, they don't break the rules. If we are not in position, they try to break the rules," he said.
The law will require children under 10 years of age to wear seatbelts and bans them from riding in the front seats of vehicles.
Drivers found to have more than 0.8 grams of alcohol in a liter of blood could face between six days and six months in jail and fines of between $6 and $246.
The law will also impose fines of $488 to $1,463 on traffic police who extort money from motorists or damage their property during traffic stops.
SRP leader Sam Rainsy said he welcomed the new law.
"I raised my hand because I think this law is much bettor than having no law," he said, adding that the fines presented for traffic police may be too heavy.
But SRP lawmaker Keo Remy said he had voted against the law because it imposed heavy fines on underpaid police officers while other corrupt officials enriched themselves to a far greater degree.
"Look at the customs officials who gain millions of dollars through corruption but pay only administrative fines," he said.
"This law takes a lot of money from poor traffic police." he said.
8 comments:
How about fines for driving down the wrong side of the street? Or how about fines for driving a car with curtains covering all the windows? How about a law against driving at night with no lights? How about fines for every driver that runs through a red light? How about fining everything that races through the crosswalks when kids are trying to get across?
Cambodia and the police could make millions enforcing those laws- and the streets would be much much safer.
The law is created for the police to collect money legaly without a penny to the taxation. When trying to pass the law to eliminate coruption, the law is nowhere to be found.
Get real
To whom it may concern
This site has been submitted to Symantec by someone as a sex site. Consequently, those who has Norton's Parental Control running would not be able to browse through it but would see it as being blocked. 'highly likely to a cheap trick by you know who.....(VC - the Vietcong)
Things you can do:
(1) send a request to Symantec to take it off (slow process), or
(2) Configure your parental control - make www.ki-media.blogspot.com as one of your exceptionals.
Best Regards
From the Office of
Samdech Hun Sen
Prime Minister of Cambodia
(Since 1984-Current)
Protecting Khmer Interests through Cyberspace, as you know I can not protect Khmer interests in Cambodia because there are too many Vietcong, I might loss my prime ministership, if you know what I mean?
The law is good if it can be enforced on those krak krak riding Landcruser..... but i doubt....
To 7:21 PM
ahahahhahahahahhahahah!
Whatever man! If AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave fucken care so much why the fuck did he allowed the Vietcong military internet service to do business in Cambodia????
AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave want to protect Khmer interest through Cyberspace?? Protect Cyberspace my ass!
Thank God!! I am not even on the Vietcong Internet Service otherwise The Vietcong would track me down and have a major gun fight in Cambodia!!ahahahahhah
The Vietcong can try to stop the free flow of information and the freedom of expression but it is too late and only a matter of time the Vietcong system of government will overthrow in Cambodia!!!!!
Step by Step Cambodian people will take.....
Yes.. The laws is for the people to pay to corrupt cops, army salary. Leaving more money for ALL of Hun Sen squatting dogs.
Why not have camera at every intersection to capture violators?
Talking is talking but talking without evident is bullshit!!!
Capture the picture and off you go to court!!
When the new traffic laws are passed I would like to know if, when I am driving home in the early evening along Quay Sisowath and am hit by an underage moto rider, doing a one handed wheelie while talking on his mobile phone, with three of his friends hanging on at the back, weeving in and out of traffic at breakneck speed, with wing mirrors tilted inwards so he can check his facial zits, with no lights, no licence, no insurance, no registration, but high on Yaba and who is, all importantly, a member of a(eponymous) 'High Ranking'family - Will I still have to pay all the medical bills, individual compensation, repair the bike etc etc. As the current law stands and applies the answer is YES !
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