Armed police forces stand guard at a checkpoint during a night operation to enforce traffic law in Phnom Penh. Police
Phnom Penh municipal governor Khuong Sreng held the first meeting of the year with heads of armed forces in the capital to review and repair the deficiencies related to gun control, drug crimes, social order disruptions due to alcohol consumption and traffic law enforcement.
Municipal hall spokesman Met Meas Pheakdey told The Post on January 11 that the meeting reviewed what had been accomplished in 2020 and discussed what remains to be done this year. Sreng encouraged the armed forces to keep up their good work and fix any shortcomings.
He said that last year, the armed forces did not relax in their efforts to combat crimes related to drugs, guns, traffic and troublemakers despite the Covid-19 pandemic, but there were still things to target for improvement this year.
“Now, on social media, we can see people post content about social problems such as illegal gambling, cockfighting, online gambling and so on. All of these are what we regard as our deficiencies or social order disruptions that we have to wipe out,” Pheakdey said.
Cambodian Institute for Democracy president Pa Chanroeun said the concerns of Phnom Penh residents include illegal gun use, drug crimes, and social order disruption due largely to alcohol consumption. Residents are particularly concerned after the recent few shootings in Phnom Penh.
Alcohol consumption can cause traffic accidents and those who consume alcoholic drinks create excessive noise when singing karaoke in public. These problems are happening not only in the capital, but also in rural areas, Chanroeun said.
“Therefore, the authorities must continue to enforce the laws on gun control, drug prohibition, drunken behavior and noise disturbances. They should also reduce the number of advertisements for alcoholic drinks that use free gifts to attract consumers,” he said.
In their anti-gun and anti-drugs operations along the roads at night, armed forces should follow standard practices and avoid frightening or alarming innocent people Chanroeun added.
“Along with law enforcement, I also call on the authorities to increase their efforts to raise awareness with the public about moral issues and [encourage them to] be good citizens,” he said.
