Hun Sen says cars with unauthorised police and military number plates could become property of the government

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2009050425675/National-news/RCAF-police-plates-targeted.html
RCAF, police plates targeted
Written by Sam Rith
Monday, 04 May 2009

Hun 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.


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[right now] we just take the plate numbers down. we do not fine
them.

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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.
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