Police reform commission lauded
MINISTER of Interior Sar Kheng has issued instructions to the newly formed National Police reform commission to train officers in professionalism, integrity and other pertinent skills as he pushes to further reduce crime with the construction of more police stations.
At a ceremony to hand over new vehicles to municipal and provincial police on February 16, Sar Kheng said the current reforms are intended to affect social justice.
“We have been reforming, and there is no end to the process. The scope of reforms includes addressing the ranks of officials, the structure of the organisation and training for officers, including on the subject of ethics,” he said.
Sar Kheng also reiterated a call for police officials to avoid serious misconduct, citing the example of Kamrieng district police chief Kim Ponlork in Battambang province who has been stripped of his rank and expelled from the National Police in connection with the release of a broker who allegedly smuggled workers into Thailand.
“The police chief violated his professional duties, ignoring hierarchy and reporting procedures to make a wrongful decision by himself. This is a learning experience for all police, and an ethical dilemma on which everyone may reflect,” he said.
Sar Kheng emphasised that recruits joining the police force must be qualified and disciplined in accordance with the department’s reformed policies. For example, police must keep their hair short and not let their bellies grow.
In particular, an officer 1.65m in height should maintain a weight below 70kg in accordance with departmental regulations or face a penalty
on evaluations which could lead to withholding promotions.
“Police officials must have discipline, not like normal people. We are police, which is different from being civilians, as we have guns while civilians do not. We are authorised to handle guns for carrying out operations to crack down on crime,” he said.
Sar Kheng also instructed provincial police chiefs to devote more resources towards enhancement of police facilities, including the construction of more stations and local administrative posts to more effectively stop crime and control security and public order in their jurisdictions.
“If the police force is strong, the country will be secure. If not, then the whole country will be vulnerable. Therefore, we need to think about how to equip police chiefs and stations
with the materials, training, methods, incentives and penalties that will make the effective,” he said.
On the topic of the ceremony, Sar Kheng called on the municipal and provincial police chiefs receiving new vehicles to use them for the purpose of fulfilling their duties. They are meant to serve the public rather than personal interest and must not be used for illicit purposes like transporting goods to avoid taxes.
Kandal provincial police chief Chhoeun Sochet said the new cars would be used in a targeted and effective manner for the public interest. He said Sar Kheng delivered four cars to the Kandal provincial police which will be used in the four districts of Ang Snuol, Mok Kampoul, Sa’ang and Lvea Em.
“We will use these cars to protect
and serve public security as actual needs arise. They will be used in each of the four districts,” he said.
Sochet added that he would seek to improve the efficiency of police officials serving the public in accordance with the seven points of the government’s recently revised safe village-commune-district policy.
Sar Kheng urged sub-national administrations to work directly with the public to provide better services and make services easier for people in each locality to access.
“The safe village-commune-district policy is meant to provide good public services – services which are necessary, such as all people having ID cards so that they can register for elections or school admissions, receive a passport or form associations like NGOs,” he said.
THE Ministry of Labour and VocationalTraining has announced cooperation with three companies to provide nearly 400 job opportunities for the country’s youth, organised into a monthly job interview programme set to begin on February 17.
A post on the ministry’s Facebook page named the participating firms as Manulife Insurance Company, Vital Company and ABA Bank.
According to the ministry, the programme is part of a government initiative to establish forums for providing opportunities to the general public. Youth seeking employment or internships and others looking to change jobs can access opportunities and save time by utilising the resource centre.
“Students and job seekers should prepare a CV to submit and select a position for which to apply and interview in person with the company on the designated day from 8am to 5pm at the Phnom Penh Job Centre located at the ministry,” it wrote.
Chhom Sokhoeun, a Job Centre official facilitating the event, said the monthly job interviews could contribute significantly to meeting the recruitment needs of employers now and in the future, connecting them face to face with active job seekers.
“For those who want to find a job or want to change their work, just bring your CV and prepare properly for a personal interview with representatives of the big companies on the day of the programme,” he said.
Sokhoeun noted that the programme was being organised in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines to ensure the safety and confidence of recruiters and job seekers.
Centre for Alliance of Labour and Human Rights (CENTRAL) executive director Moeun Tola applauded the recruitment of such a large number of people, adding that the labour ministry was fulfilling its obligations to the public by creating access to employment opportunities and spreading related information.
Tola was sceptical, however, whether the interviews would really translate into new jobs because it seemed that recently many citizens, including those working in the banking sector, were already facing unemployment.
“I cannot be sure whether such a large recruitment will actually happen or not until there is research to clearly track results. What I do know is that there have been complaints from workers in the microfinance industry because some institutions are looking to lay off employees, not recruit,” he said.
Tola remained hopeful that the announcement would lead to real job opportunities and choices for the public, especially young people looking for work in the context of the economic crisis wrought during the Covid-19 pandemic.
THE long-discussed regional-level airport in Mondulkiri province may break ground as soon as next year, according to State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) spokesman Sin Chansereyvutha.
Chansereyvutha told The Post that the airport in Mondulkiri will be built on a 300ha site with a capital investment of about $80 million.
And Mondulkiri provincial governor Svay Sam Eang previously told The Post that provincial authorities are demarcating a 600ha plot for the new airport some 22km south of Sen Monorom town in O’Raing district’s Sen Monorom commune.
Prime Minister Hun Sen on February 10 signed a resolution establishing an inter-ministerial committee to oversee the project, as an initial feasibility study conducted by SSCA nears completion.
The committee has been commissioned to spearhead talks on a framework agreement with Powerchina International Group Ltd (PIG) to implement the project and associated infrastructure works, according to the resolution.
It is also tasked with leading, assessing, evaluating and providing recommendations for studies concerning the project, as well as helming and negotiating public-private partnership agreements until final formal agreements are signed.
Chansereyvutha said the initial feasibility study would be completed by the end of the month and submitted to the government for approval. “We are currently carrying out the technicalities for the development of the new airport.”
After the study, SSCA and PIG will hammer out the terms of the concession agreement, he said, adding that it would
likely take almost a year before the airport breaks ground.
In a December 31 letter, the Council of Ministers said the government had decided in principle to allow PIG to study and develop a proposal to build the project, adding that the Chinese company would have to foot the bill for the project’s initial feasibility study.
The letter was signed by the council’s permanent secretary of state Hing Thoraksy and addressed to the ministers of Economy and Finance; and Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, the SSCA and Mondulkiri provincial governor.
Cambodia currently operates three international airports – Phnom Penh International Airport, Siem Reap International Airport and Sihanouk International Airports, which are owned by Cambodia Airports, a subsidiary of France’s VINCI Airports.
The Kingdom is also in the process of building two new international airports.
The new Siem Reap international airport is being built by Angkor International Airport Investment (Cambodia) Co Ltd (AIAI) with capital investment of nearly $900 million and is scheduled to be completed next year.
Phase I of a 4F class airport that occupies 2,600ha in Kandal province’s Kandal Stung district (and slightly protruding into Takeo province’s northernmost Bati district) is scheduled to be completed by 2023 and will cost an estimated $1.5 billion to build.
The project will serve Phnom Penh and is developed by Cambodia Airport Investment Co Ltd, a joint venture 90 per cent owned by Overseas Cambodian Investment Corp Ltd (OCIC), one of the Kingdom’s largest real estate developers, and 10 per cent by SSCA.