Land-title issuance, waste disposal, local drug problems and youth gangs, along with requests for roads and bridges, clean-water and electricity systems, canal rehabilitation, higher water-retention embankments and an annual 10–20 percent increase in commune and sangkat funds, are among the challenges facing communes and sangkats in Preah Sihanouk.
These issues were raised with the senators for Region 7 and the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Administration at a meeting with commune and sangkat councils, clerks and administrative police post chiefs on the morning of February 11. The meeting was led by Mong Reththy, head of the Region 7 senators' group, and Preah Sihanouk Governor Mang Sineth, with senior Senate officials and other dignitaries attending.
The Region 7 senators' group led by Mong Reththy and the provincial administration represented by Mang Sineth had coordinated and resolved some of these complex issues. Others remained unresolved and needed further study. The governor asked for understanding and patience, explaining that some matters could not be settled immediately because they required time and compliance with legal procedures. He stressed that the provincial administration would not abandon any commune or sangkat's challenges and would strive to resolve them to the best of its ability so that every locality could develop and prosper, while also requiring public participation.
Mong Reththy recognised the efforts of Preah Sihanouk's leaders and authorities, praised the results achieved in serving local residents and thanked the provincial authorities at all levels.
Text: Nget Pisant; Photos: Teav Vichat
