On 4-5 June 2006, Khmer Newspapers, Reaksmey Kampuchea, published letter of Phnom Penh resident entitled “Municipal Traffic Police extorted passengers”. Letter’s owner described a series of activity happening from the starting point to ending point. He said that he parked his car on the roadside at around 2:00pm on May 31 2006 near a garden in front of National Treasure shortly after traffic policemen’s car arrived. They told the car’s owner that you were fined because you parked on the prohibited area. And Policemen continued that you were fined $10 (40,000 Riel). Letter’s owner wrote that he did not see the prohibited sign installed near parking car. At the time, car’s owner had strong argument with policemen. And policement threatened to drag his car to police station. Car’s owner thought that it was useless to spend time to fight with police and then he made dicision to give $10 to policemen. Later, Policemen allowed her go away.
Most of people from provinces and rural areas were extorted by traffic police in city. That is the police’s professional to threaten money. When people from provinces did not clearly the traffic signs, So they always drove on the prohibited traffic signs. At that time, it is good apportunity for police to pocket money. But police dare not to fine young boys or the rich or power’s sons or daughters, who drove high-speed mortocycles or morden cars. Even though, they drove through the prohibited signs, policemen just only stand and see them.
After I read the story described above, it reminded me of a fine from police last 2 years. At around 6, I left my workplace along Sihanouk Boulevard, when I arrived an intersection of traffic lights. By the time, traffic light is ample light, I did not stop my mortocyle. After I crossed the road, police stopped me. And he told me that I violated traffic lights. And then he fined me. I told them I had no money. Instantly, he threatened to take my mortocycle to police station like letter’s owner above. I spent about nearly 5 minutes near police. And then I gave him 1000 riel because I thought that it was getting dark. After paying him, he allowed me to go. In the fact that, I met many cases with traffic police.
Whether all activities of traffic police happening is good and bad habit. We should let these acts to occure continuously in the society??
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June 31, 2006? That’s in a few weeks, no? And doesn’t June only have 30 days? hehehe…
I understand what you’re saying. I’ve been ticketed a few times for no apparent reason. One time I received a ticket for having blue lights on my car. The officer told me to take it off so I did. Then I asked if the blue lights at the back of the car were okay. He said they were fine.
Weeks later, I was pulled over again for having blue lights at the back. I took them to court because the previous officer said it was okay. But they didn’t give me much of a chance to fight the ticket. I ended up having to pay $120 for having blue lights.
Things like this are just ways the government takes money from its people. Sometimes the government of Canada takes money from its hard working citizen to pay for the politicians who does absolutely nothing all day. And if they can’t put tax on the item, they make it illegal to possess.