Cambodian government discusses new draft law aimed at construction safety

PHNOM PENH ( The Phnom Penh Post/ANN) - Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Chea Sophara met with members of the Supreme Council of Consultation and Recommendations over a draft law aimed at ensuring quality and safety in construction.

Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Chea
Sophara on Thursday met for talks with members of the Supreme Council of
Consultation and Recommendations over a draft law aimed at ensuring
quality and safety in construction.

The discussions, which lasted from 8:30am until 12 noon, were
attended by members of the Supreme Council of Consultation and
Recommendations from 16 political parties.

The proposed draft law aims to ensure quality and safety in
construction; protect the property and welfare of the public and
property owners; safeguard the jobs of construction workers, and be
accountable and effective in doing so.

The draft law, which contains 113 articles and 22 chapters, also
stipulated standards for construction techniques and materials,
procedures for managing the role of officials and audits, as well as the
responsibilities of all relevant professionals and stakeholders.

Articles 92 to 106 specify the penalties for breaking the law –
including warnings, revocation of licenses, seizing of property and
equipment, fines and imprisonment – mostly concerning articles of the
Criminal Code. Offenders face prison sentences of up to 10 years.

Following the meeting, Khmer Rise Party (KRP) president Sok Sovann
Vathana Sabung told The Post that he supported the principles of the
draft law, which would better manage Cambodia’s construction sector.

However, he raised concerns that while the draft law looked good on
paper, concrete examples in the past had shown weaknesses in law
enforcement.

“The ministry issued Letter 067 dated October 4, 2018, about the
formation of a working group to inspect and monitor the quality of
construction in Sihanoukville. But this year, a building collapsed. It
shows that the working group is not active enough.

“More recently we’ve seen the partial collapse of a nine-storey
building, and it was found that it had no construction permits,” Vathana
Sabung said.

He said as a member of the Supreme Council of Consultation and
Recommendations from the KRP, he would wait and see how effective
enforcement was after the law was enacted.

Vathana Sabung said he expected the ministry to accept the various
recommendations provided at the meeting to make the law effective.

Neither Sophara nor his two ministry spokesmen could be reached for comment on Thursday.

Vathana Sabung told The Post that during the meeting, Sophara allegedly denied allegations of inadequate law enforcement.

Government spokesman Phay Siphan said that in general, the KRP
president’s concerns were reasonable, but by making laws, it at least
provided a basis to enforce the law.

“The remit of the Supreme Council of Consultation and Recommendations
is to participate in drafting and reviewing the law before joining
discussions at the Council of Ministers.

“The law will then reach the National Assembly for approval. I don’t know yet what its exact contents will be.

“Whether buildings have collapsed or not is a separate issue. The law
is being drafted to meet the needs of the construction sector in the
future, ensure standards of quality and secure the safety of our
people,” he said.

Source(s)

  • Government discusses new draft law aimed at construction safety

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