The Banteay Meanchey Provincial Administration has warned for the second time that all residents who have carried out construction on National Road 5 between Sisophon and Poipet towns must demolish the structures before the road rehabilitation project reaches them. It noted that compensation has already been planned for more than 1,000 affected families.

Sok Chantha, director of the provincial Department of Public Works and Transport, told The Post on May 9 that the administration had not yet set a timeline for the demolitions. However, the ministry had said the road construction work will begin in the near future.

“We have not set a fixed timeline. The affected people have already thumb-printed their compensation contracts. Some people are delaying or refusing to begin the necessary demolition, despite having already agreed to receive compensation,” he said.

According to the second announcement calling for the removal of billboards, signs, houses and stalls both above and below ground on National Road 5, the provincial administration has found that a large number of people have already complied, but there were some who had not.

According to the announcement, the administration has requested all residents and businesses who have already received compensation to remove structures from the Corridor of Impact (COI), noting that this included advertising and political party signs, electricity poles, telecommunication and fiber optic cables, and water pipes.

“If the public, traders or businesses do not comply with this notice, the provincial administration will not be responsible for any damage or loss of assets,” the administration said.

According to the public works ministry, the upgrade of the 35km stretch of National Road 5 began construction in April with a budget of about $50 million. Funding was provided by a concessional loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).