RCAF plates on vehicles parked outside Phnom Penh's Sorya Shopping centre on Sunday. (Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN)Monday, 04 May 2009
Written by Sam Rith
The Phnom Penh Post
"Officials have to respect the law, but in Cambodia it is very hard to have officials respect the law" - Son ChhayHun Sen says cars with unauthorised police and military number plates could become property of the government.
PRIME Minister Hun Sen warned last week against the use of police and military licence plates by civilians and low-ranking officers, saying the government would seize vehicles bearing unauthorised plates as part of a crackdown set to go into effect this month.
"Officials who put RCAF and police plates on their personal cars have to take them off immediately," he said during the inauguration of a granary at the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port.
"Otherwise, the vehicles will become the property of the state."
National Police Chief Neth Savoeun wrote a letter to officers in February instructing them to begin enforcing in May a law already on the books that outlaws the unauthorised use of police and military registration plates.
Article 91 of the Land Traffic Law, which went into effect in March 2007, gave the drivers of private vehicles bearing police and military plates one year to switch to private plates, meaning drivers who continue to drive with unauthorised plates have been flouting the law since March 2008. Under the law, violators face two to five years in prison and a fine of between 4 million riels and 10 million riels (US$970-$2,424). The law does not stipulate that violators can lose ownership of their vehicles.
Enforcement disconnect
Phnom Penh Traffic Police Chief Tin Prasoeur said he viewed Hun Sen's remarks as a "notice that we have to start implementing" the law.
"We immediately started implementing it after the prime minister's speech," he said, although he said this "implementation" involved only the recording of registration plate numbers that appeared to be in violation of the law.
"We just take the plate numbers down. We do not fine them," he said.
"[right now] we just take the plate numbers down. we do not fine them."El Narin, deputy traffic police chief, said he believed Hun Sen's remarks would prompt violators to make the switch to private plates.
He said officers were in the process of trying to educate violators about the law and that they would begin assuming possession of their cars "later on".
Hun Sen said the drivers of cars bearing police and military plates are more prone to drive recklessly, a point echoed by opposition Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Son Chhay, who said such drivers "do not respect traffic lights".
"Officials have to respect the law, but in Cambodia it is very hard to have officials respect the law," Son Chhay said.
He added that he believed the ministries of defence and interior had done little to curtail the use of unauthorised plates.
Touch Chankosal, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, also called on the ministries of defence and interior, which issue the plates, to focus on the problem.
15 comments:
This is a good news for public safety.
The benefit of it is the other people to follow the rule of law and respect the law.
In USA, I can only see the car or vehicles bare the the USgov plates FBI or else only present when their is duty called. You can't just drive this car for personal use or family use.
It should be used when there is a duty call. But in Cambodia I saw them every where. And this is how it is became not so important. When I saw it I've thought they on a mission but when I looked all they have was their families and kids in the vehicle. They really abused the privilege.
Must remove them all!!!
No just in the US. Other countries like Singapore or all in Europe they did not use that kind of authority plates for personal purposes.
No it's not good news! It would be good news if owner of the unauthorized license plates take the Black & White photo @ Toul Sleng; and then send them to Choeung Ek to the mass graves and smashed them at the neck area.
If Hun Sen relatives, skip Tuol Sleng, and GO Straight to Choeung Ek!
Sok An is the first one to go to Choeung Ek.
Sok An is the most corrupted MP in Cambodia.
i know, this problem seem rampant or get out of hand in cambodia. glad to see the officials are beginning to do something to curve it. too much abuses by everyone; i think it's in the society, not just a few officials. khmer people must demand reform and justice for all, and the prime minister is the person to lead and to start this campaign to clean up cambodia, literally speaking. reforms, reforms, reforms...!!!!!!!! god bless cambodia.
sometimes i think people in cambodia are doing this because they can get away with it. if cambodia adopt a strict law for this, then people from all walks of life will think twice before doing something like this again; but it will take a while to clean up, too, slowly but surely; this way it will give people a chance to adjust to new rules, regulations, policies, laws, code of ethics, etc... god bless cambodia and all our beautiful khmer people and citizens.
people have to remember that "two wrongs don't make it right"; we must break the cycle of corruption, violence, bad governance, etc... everything has gotten to start somewhere, somehow! everyone can help to make a real difference for our society, etc... please be brave to stand up for your rights, freedom and our country. god bless cambodia.
Cambodia must rise up and match through the street of Phnom Penh to let the disqualify person remove from office. We need people power!!
We can't do it. If we match they will scare. We must call for A million man match!!!
KhmerPP,
the quote above is true from local observation. this is why everyone must strive to demand for gov't reforms. this is why we want to see reforms in cambodia so something like this will become history or belong in the history textbook only. god bless cambodia.
The question that all of us would like to raise is that why some of people like to put the RCAF and police plates on their cars? What is the benefit or usefulness from those plates? I guest there are great benefit for the car owner.
With the RCAF or police plate on your car, you can hit any poor khmer just for fun, you can drive and shoot people from your car, you can drive in an opposite direction of traffic. And these is perfectly legal when you're rich and powerful. Your license plate shows that and that's the real benefit. Even a blind man can see that.
In Cambodia, there are a lot of laws but only the poors have to obey it. The rich and the powerful are above the laws and they don't need to follow it.
If a rich and powerful person drives and hit a poor person, the poor person will go to jail. The poor person will also have to pay to or be sued by the rich & powerful person for damages to his car. The poor person's family may be in danger too for disrespecting the rich man's car by allowing the rich man's car to hit him (eventhough there's no way he can escape from it). This is how communism was born.
Luxury Vehicles with Military Plate no., non-stop driving at carrifour no-respect to traffic laws, with lights at day time, imply the wealthy resources of our military forces to make Thais surrender soon.
Excellency Bandit, Oknha Achar Knoy Phd. /non-primary schooling Phd.
Hun sen!do what you just said, seize those vehicles whose still using RCAF and unauthorised plates. we all wait and see.
It's not uncommon to see those pompous chumps on hummers or Lexuses with RCAF and Police plates still roam around PP. I highly doubt if Hun Xen's bark can scare those bozos.
i think people do that because they can, the other thing is because they like to show other their power or important status. i'm telling you, it's all in the culture of impunity, power-greedy or power abuse mentality of some individuals because it's not all that do this kind of thing, it was some individuals who think they are above the law and do whatever they can to show people their power. i'm telling you, there are still a lot of work for cambodia to reform. i think this kind of power or status show had a history that went back even before the KR time in cambodia. that's why only the rule of law will make them all think twice about their own action. and if we failed to see that, then, like they say, it is guilty by association by all who fails to do nothing about it. perhaps it's too is in the culture of corruption, nepotism, favoritism, fraternization, bribery and all the evil forces the wise had given names to out there. this is nothing new, my dear. cambodia needs lots and lots of changes before this kind of mentality reformed. i say cambodia must promote the rule of law as it is the only way people can get justice in cambodia. god bless cambodia.
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