Used shoes have become such a popular item in local markets that smugglers are increasingly sneaking them into Cambodia.
Customs and Camcontrol officials last weekend confiscated 11 tons of used shoes at the Sihanoukville port—the first such catch since the importation of second-hand shoes was banned in April.
Khin Ly, chief of the customs bureau in Sihanoukville, said the shoes were hidden inside two containers that were supposed to contain second-hand clothing, which is legal. Authorities have written a report to government officials, who will decide whether to make any arrests.
Used shoes came under fire last March, when 30 tons of them were discovered dumped in a Phnom Penh pond. Prime Minister Hun Sen, vowing Cambodia will not become “a dumping ground for foreign waste,” later banned their importation.
Since then, scarcity has driven the price up enough that the shoes have become worth smuggling. Used shoes are popular in Southeast Asia because they are often cheaper and the quality is better than new shoes.
Tourists in Thailand, for example, are warned to secure their shoes against thieves when visiting temples.
Police say smuggling has become easier since a change in inspection procedures over the past few months. Previously, goods shipped into Sihanoukville were examined at the port by customs and Camcontrol officials and local police.
But, in an attempt to reduce corruption, some shipments are now given a cursory check—or no check at all—at Sihanoukville before being trucked to a “dry port” near Pochentong Airport, where they are more closely examined.
Sihanoukville police, who did not want to be identified, said the new system allows smugglers to drop off illegal goods at many points along the road.
Khin Ly says that theory is nonsense. “We do not collude among the people at the port,” he said. ”We have one committee, comprised of customs, Camcontrol and police officials, for inspecting the goods in containers.”
Kath Sareth, chief of the checkpoint at the Sihanoukville port, says officials are doing their best, but “sometimes, bad businessmen hide illegal [items] in their goods.”
The police claim that many more tons of used shoes are coming through the port unimpeded. “The ban is totally ineffective,” a police official said. “People need money, so they dare to do it.”
Pen Siman, national director of the customs department, says that is not true. “Today, you see no shoes for sale along the streets, while before many shoes were sold there.”
Used-shoe sellers, however, said they haven’t had much trouble obtaining shoes to sell.
Ros Vantha, a businessman in Poipet, said he has managed without much difficulty to buy between 10 tons and 20 tons of used shoes since the ban.
He said he has started buying some shoes from Thailand since the ban, but he prefers to buy them from Phnom Penh, because they are cheaper. They are shipped in every day, he said.
