Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday promised vendors at the Phsar Leu market in Kampong Chhnang province that the state would take over the plaza and abolish rent within the next 10 years.

In the latest example of a seemingly abrupt populist decision announced on Facebook, the premier told the market’s 648 store owners they would be treated to 15 years of rent-free trading when the contract of the private company that now runs the site finishes in 2025.

Speaking yesterday, director of the province’s economic and finance department Ou Chuobkosal said the government would take over the market and occupants would only have to pay monthly tax.

The premier, who today heads to Pursat, was visiting Kampong Chhnang as part of a whistle-stop tour of the country to “solve problems” and meet civil servants and soldiers ahead of next year’s commune elections.

In recent months, the premier has cancelled toll roads, eliminated the need for driver’s licences and scrapped the property inheritance tax, in what many have characterised as political gifts to win voter support.