In conjunction with the 8th Sea Festival, which will be held from Friday to Sunday, the Kampot provincial administration has issued two notices – the first, temporarily suspending heavy goods vehicles and concrete trucks from entering Kampot town.

The second notice orders the standstill to all activities of rock excavation at construction sites to ensure public order and safety.

The two notices told town and district governors, and business owners that activities of transporting soil for landfill and houses shall be suspended immediately from December 11 until the end of the festival.

Owners of construction sites shall also stop rock blasting activities at their sites from 6am to 6pm during the three-day festival.

To prevent traffic congestion, heavy trucks shall use National Road 4 starting Thursday until Sunday.

Provincial governor Cheav Tay warned: “In case there are any activities that contravene the temporary ban, the authorities will act according to the law. After the said dates, all activities may resume as normal.”

The provincial administration said that Prime Minister Hun Sen will preside over the opening ceremony of the 8th Sea Festival on Saturday at the Kampot Stadium.

“The suspension of activities is being taken to ensure safety and [public] order for people who will be travelling to participate in the festival,” said Tay.

He assured business owners that the suspension is temporary and required to maintain order during the Sea Festival.

“As per the discussions at the inter-ministerial meeting, Minister of Tourism Thong Khon estimated that this year’s Sea Festival will have 500,000 people attending as Kampot is a tourist destination near the capital. And people from various provinces visit Kampot on weekends,” said Tay.

Rights group Adhoc provincial coordinator Yun Phally noted that the provincial administration is prepared and had already set up booths for the festival. Likewise, the authorities and the armed forces are well-prepared to maintain security and public order.

“If the provincial administration opened National Road 4 to heavy trucks, traffic congestion would be avoided. The administration should keep the roads open so trucks could leave at any time.

“This way, business owners will not sustain any negative impact despite the three-day ban,” he said.