Dozens of villagers from a Phnom Penh outskirts community gathered outside the Interior Ministry on Thursday, following up on a petition they filed last month demanding their village chief’s removal and investigation for ignoring alleged crimes tied to the local online gambling industry.
Residents of Prek Takong village say their chief’s failure to shut down online gambling venues has fueled crime, leading to more thefts and burglaries that have cost people property, money, and other valuables.
CamboJA News could not verify if any suspected scam centers are near the village, as reports of online gambling rings are often linked to Cambodia’s notorious cyber scam industry.
Ouk Nary, 52, a Prek Takong resident, said he was frustrated by village chief Long Heun’s indifference to crimes locals have repeatedly raised. Heun, who was voted in by the village residents, did not respond to repeated calls.
Traditionally, village chiefs in Cambodia oversee local volunteer security forces who serve as de facto police departments.
“If he [Heun] isn’t removed, villagers will keep facing the same problems,” Nary said, adding that he and fellow petitioners remain hopeful the Interior Ministry will intervene, despite having yet to respond to their January petition or meet their demands.
An official from the Interior Ministry is due to meet with the villagers on Monday, according to Nary.
Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak said in a public statement posted on the ministry’s official Facebook, that they cannot directly intervene in the removal of a village chief, as that decision lies with the commune council.
The ministry does not plan to send authorities to review the case with local officials, which follows proper procedures, said Sokhak.
Sokhak clarified that while the village chief has no independent administrative power, they are responsible for coordinating with the commune council. He asserted that failing to suppress crimes in the village is not grounds for removal, as the village head lacks the authority to arrest or take direct action. However, if the village chief is found to be protecting or benefiting from illegal activities, such as gambling, it will be investigated as both an administrative and criminal matter.
Another villager, Prom Kim, told CamboJA News that before petitioning the Interior Ministry, residents had asked the commune to intervene but got no response.
Kim said he was offended by the Interior Ministry’s statement that it cannot directly remove the village chief.
Weighing in on the procedural rules, political commentator Meas Nee said that while the Interior Ministry does not have the jurisdiction to directly remove Heun, officials can send sub-national authorities to promote the procedure with the commune council.
Meanwhile, Prek Takong villagers continue to express frustration over the bureaucratic hurdles to having their concerns addressed.
“Online gambling hasn’t stopped, even after being reported to the commune,” Nary said. “There’s drug trafficking, violence, and residents can’t sleep.”
