A 2008 Lexus belonging to one of the young hoodlums overturned in the street of Phnom Penh on 30 October 2007 due to street drag racing (Photo: Sralanh Khmer)Sunday, 11 November 2007
By Guy De Launey
BBC News, Phnom Penh
Cambodia's prime minister has promised to resign if he cannot stop the children of the rich from misbehaving.
Hun Sen says he is tired of young men causing chaos on the streets of the capital, Phnom Penh, by racing their expensive cars and motorbikes.
He has ordered the police to detain parents if they come to collect their errant sons from custody.
If they are government or military officials they will be sacked. If not, Hun Sen says he will quit himself.
It is not just that Phnom Penh's traffic is getting worse. The quality of it is changing too.
Just a few years ago the streets were dominated by old Toyota Camrys and barely-functioning Daelim motorbikes - cast-offs from the United States and South Korea.
Impromptu racetrack
These days you are more likely to be forced into the gutter by a giant Hummer SUV, Mercedes S-Class, or at the very least a high-performance motorbike. And many of the drivers are little more than teenagers.
They are enjoying the benefits of Cambodia's rapid economic growth - thanks to their wealthy parents. But the only thing the rich kids are earning is a reputation for anti-social behaviour.
Come the late afternoon, groups of them turn public roads near the riverside into an impromptu racetrack. There have been a number of serious crashes - and some drivers have threatened local journalists for reporting on their antics.
The tuk-tuk drivers who look for passengers along the racers' route are fed up with the speed merchants.
"They don't drive slowly, they drive very fast. So it's very dangerous. The police are not here... they're never afraid of the police," one driver said.
Prime Minister Hun Sen is not the only one to notice that many of the boy-racers are related to government and military officials.
Hun Sen says he is tired of young men causing chaos on the streets of the capital, Phnom Penh, by racing their expensive cars and motorbikes.
He has ordered the police to detain parents if they come to collect their errant sons from custody.
If they are government or military officials they will be sacked. If not, Hun Sen says he will quit himself.
It is not just that Phnom Penh's traffic is getting worse. The quality of it is changing too.
Just a few years ago the streets were dominated by old Toyota Camrys and barely-functioning Daelim motorbikes - cast-offs from the United States and South Korea.
Impromptu racetrack
These days you are more likely to be forced into the gutter by a giant Hummer SUV, Mercedes S-Class, or at the very least a high-performance motorbike. And many of the drivers are little more than teenagers.
They are enjoying the benefits of Cambodia's rapid economic growth - thanks to their wealthy parents. But the only thing the rich kids are earning is a reputation for anti-social behaviour.
Come the late afternoon, groups of them turn public roads near the riverside into an impromptu racetrack. There have been a number of serious crashes - and some drivers have threatened local journalists for reporting on their antics.
The tuk-tuk drivers who look for passengers along the racers' route are fed up with the speed merchants.
"They don't drive slowly, they drive very fast. So it's very dangerous. The police are not here... they're never afraid of the police," one driver said.
Prime Minister Hun Sen is not the only one to notice that many of the boy-racers are related to government and military officials.
11 comments:
I hope the wealthy parents will cooperate with PM Hun Sen for the good of their children and the future of Cambodia. They should spend more time disciplining their kid and not allowing them to turn evil like westerner kids. The life they (the parent) will saved might just be their own life.
Just like the riel, talk is cheap
Ah tmil cpp just talking never action,you ha noi trained 's supporter motherfucker...
One day son car-racer will collide with his own parents' car, and both will get killed. Then no more car racing in PP. Then Hun Sen does not need to shout and retired.
Hun Sen will stop by force and his dictatorship; or by court?
Ong Hun Sen should see to reduce poverty,ensure good governance, enforce tranparency in all level,empower people with self reliance policy not beggar attitude, legal land distribution,strengthening armed forces and educators and boost social justice.
Leave the car racers and disorderly problem to Ong Gneral Bo doi Nguyen Van Son and Ong bo doi Kap Chut Ma.
3:15, the court can't do anything effective without cannons and ammunition. Try to live in the real world, will ya?
Cambodia is the land of anarchic because of the incompetent government to control it.
Maybe, but it is still a lot better then when the westener trained idiots were running it.
There are no new mass graves here, and we have lot of happy faces.
7:25AM and the rest of CPP supporters:
Only a few of you and yourself have happy faces, idiot. You have a blind eye like your boss. You boss doesn't kill in public like Pol Pot. He killed his opponents secretely.
You're one of Cambodia enemy and one of Hanoi agent. When the time change, you will be one of them to live in exile.
Well then, how many did our boss killed so far and where are the bodies?
As for exile, it won't be all that bad for us because we don't have to go far west. We will be neighbors to keep you in suspense 24/7.
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