Poipet town authorities on Wednesday warned of action against streetside vendors who continued to sell liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and bottles of petrol refills in downtown areas despite being told to stop their business by the end of the year.

Poipet town deputy governor Keo Dara Raksmey told The Post that to prevent possible fires and threats to public safety, Poipet authorities issued a notice requiring all such street vendors in downtown areas to vacate immediately.

Dara Raksmey said: “The authorities will take measures to remove their businesses under the law, without being responsible for any damage to materials and properties.”

He said the street fuel vendors run their businesses without a permit from relevant authorities.

Em Socheat, 31, a petrol refill vendor in Poipet town’s Paliley I village, Poipet commune, in Banteay Meanchey province, told The Post on Wednesday that due to the increase in population and investors in Poipet, her livelihood had grown substantially.

Socheat, who recently took a $5,000 loan to expand her business, said the recent notice from authorities to stop their businesses would be difficult for her as she has no land in the outskirts of town and no money to rent a place either.

Ry Nan, 43, also a petrol refill vendor in Poipet commune said: “The authorities told us to stop selling fuel in bottles, but I replied that if I don’t sell, how else can I survive?

“The authorities asked us to relocate to National Road 58 which is a remote area and has no residents. They said that if we don’t close shop by the end of the year, they will seize all materials and arrest us if we protest.”

Nan recalled a traffic accident on National Road 5 on October 14, which hit a petrol depot in the commune and caused a fire, killing one person and injuring two others.

“We have never caused a fire. But the authorities raised the traffic accident last month as a valid reason to stop our businesses. This is very unjust,” he said.