National Election Committee trucks carrying election materials were unable to reach three communes in Preah Vihear province because of flooded roads, while workers in other areas have had to use elephants and other models of transportation to deliver election items.
The NEC is hurrying to transport materials to rural areas because voter registration for the country’s first commune elections, scheduled for February, begins Saturday.
“In some areas, we could not use cars to transport, we are using cow carts, boats and elephants,” Prum Nhean Vichet, an NEC member, said Thursday.
Keo Lundi, an NEC member in charge of logistics, said he has asked for a helicopter to transport materials to several areas in Preah Vihear as soon as possible. Delivery to the provinces began July 15 and is expected to be finished Monday.
“We need to pay for a private helicopter, but we don’t have money to rent one,” Keo Lundi said. “I will send this matter to the NEC to work it out.”
In addition to the obstacles in transporting materials, the NEC hasn’t receive six voting materials, including voter registration books, camera film and receipts, which haven’t arrived in Cambodia.
Prum Nhean Vichet said 80 percent of the materials, which include cameras, paper, batteries and copy machines, has been delivered to the provinces.
Another NEC official, who asked to remain anonymous, said one NEC truck was stopped in Phnom Penh by Chamkarmon district police officials, who detained the vehicle and accused the driver of getting into an accident.
“Our driver said he did not see any accident and [the police] also threatened our driver,” the NEC official said. “Until today, the truck has not been allowed to leave, so we had to move the material on to another truck. We would like the government to facilitate with local authorities to not block NEC work.”
