TRAFFIC LAWS -- REALLY!

AUGUST 7 - I observed a new pattern in Siem Reap Town. Teams of police constituting check points located throughout Siem Reap Town...main streets and side streets. One morning, I glanced out my 3rd floor guest house window to see our drivers and hotel personnel standing at the street gesturing southward and talking. I looked around and could see a check point less than a block south of the guest house. I got out my camera and started taking pictures...through the glass.

Later I went downstairs...the check point still there...and folks were happy to tell me everything about this new enforcement of traffic law. Cambodia has a new law that all motorbike drivers must wear a helmet. Police are pulling over motorbikes when they don't see or to check if the driver is wearing a helmet, correct rear view mirrors are fixed and the import tax is paid/license plate. When a vehicle is brought into Cambodia, the buyer/owner must pay an import tax...only upon proof of payment can the buyer/owner register the vehicle and get a license plate. Cambodia is cracking down on enforcement of this now.

And for cars, buses and trucks, too. For the import tax and license plate and for wearing seat belts. Although usually police would not pull over a vehicle that had tourists in it. I think because they wisely thought that this kind of delay would be a nuisance for tourists and not be good for tourist business.

To overcome corruption and get good enforcement, police from Phnom Penh are stationed in Siem Reap Town to do enforcement...because they do not have family here and do not know the people, so they have nothing to lose when they enforce the traffic laws.

Several of the tuk tuk/motorbike drivers had appointments in the next several hours to pick up tourists. They did not want to get onto the public road with the police nearby because they did not pay the import tax, did not register the vehicle and did not have license plate.

Mony did not renew his car registration for 2009. I sent him over to the Department of Motor Vehicles to do this. He also did not have his car registered for business use--another fee. Instead his brother-in-law gave him the decal which Mony affixed to his right front windshield.

On the way to afternoon class at Khnar Thmei Village, we got pulled over. Mony could not show the policeman the receipt for purchase of the business use decal, and made excuse that he forgot to put the receipt in his car with other car papers but had it at home. After some negotiations, Mony paid 10500 riel ($2.50US) and the policeman let us go on.

Next day I sent Mony to the Department of Motor Vehicles again to buy his 2009 business use permit...get decal and receipt...put in car. So far after all this...Mony's car is legal now...we don't get stopped.