Another 300 people came from the provinces to Phnom Penh on Monday to ask King Norodom Sihanouk for food or money.
Chhean Roung, 28, from Kandal province, said the local commune chief had gone from house to house to discover who was hungry and arranged for four trucks to bring them to the city.
Chhean Roung, who paid 3,000 riel for a round-trip passage on one of the trucks, had arrived Monday morning and planned to leave that night. He said he and the others who arrived from Kandal had not received any help and were going back home.
“There is no rice to eat in the village,” said one man. “And if the car does not come tonight, we just have to stay here. We’ll go home empty handed. I just came hoping to get some food, but no help has arrived yet.”
A Royal Palace spokeswoman said Monday that the King wants to help those in dire need, but cannot help all of the poor. A palace committee has been working to identify the most needy.
