The heads of the Interior Ministry’s new anti-gambling and private security departments will be senior police officials Seang San and Lim Sokha Reaksmey, a sub-decree obtained yesterday states.

Dated December 23, the decree says San, the present head of the internal security department, will now head anti-gambling, and Sokha Reaksmey, the current deputy head of the central judicial department, will head the private security management department.

It adds that Sam Vanvireak, present head of the heritage protection department, will replace San as head of internal security. Ly Lay, deputy head of the anti-human trafficking and juvenile protection unit, will now head the heritage protection department, it says.

The sub-decree is signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen and says the appointments are effective immediately. One of the officials, Sokha Reaksmey, said yesterday his new department had already been created and was under the supervision of his old department.

“Our department has been created . . . and is under the central judicial department of the National Police Commissariat,” Sokha Reaksmey said by telephone. “I have the sub-decree that promoted me, but there has not yet been an official announcement.”

He said his new department had previously been a bureau inside the department of anti-terrorism.

Sokha Reaksmey declined to answer questions about why the two new departments were created, and referred questions to Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak, who could not be reached yesterday.