RCAF plates still widely used, despite ban
When the 2007 Traffic Law was passed, it required that the myriad private vehicles on the road bearing Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) number plates be removed and switched with civilian plates within one year. But more than six years after this deadline, the sight of luxury SUVs displaying the distinctive red-and-blue plates is as familiar as ever. Dozens of RCAF-licensed cars in various makes and sizes were seen this week cruising Phnom Penh’s streets or parked near shops and restaurants, although by law these cars should only be used for official military business and must be painted army green, bearing the logo of commanding headquarters. … Last month, a Chinese man driving a luxury SUV with RCAF plates drunkenly smashed into a Cintri garbage truck at 3 a.m., causing horrific injuries to a 19-year-old trash collector. Officials at the Ministry of Defense, National Police and the traffic police department repeatedly declined to reveal whom the vehicle belonged to or why a Chinese national was driving it. … Preap Kol, head of Transparency International Cambodia, said banning the personal use of RCAF number plates was useless unless the regulations were enforced. …
Hul Reaksmey and Simon Henderson
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/rcaf-plates-still-widely-used-despite-ban-58449/
