A letter of from National Assembly President Prince Norodom Ranariddh has delayed the relocation of vendors in the Kompong Thom town market.
Thursday was the announced deadline for closing old market and the moving of the vendors to the new Stung Sen market, where stalls cost as much as $7,000, more than many vendors said they could afford.
But after receiving the letter from the prince along with a visit from lawmakers led by Sam Rainsy party member Cheam Channy, Kompong Thom province Governor Nou Phoeung let the vendors voluntarily move for now, and wait until he hears from Prime Minister Hun Sen before deciding how much the vendors will have to pay.
More than 160 of the vendors demonstrated outside the National Assembly on Monday to protest the higher stall fees in the new market. A total of 374 vendors are affected, according to vendor spokesman Phat Phanith.
