VENDORS from Phnom Penh’s PC Market who have protested since December against a rise in annual stall rental fees on Friday softened their demands at a meeting with municipal officials in an attempt to reach a resolution with the market’s owner.

Vendor representatives from Meanchey district’s PC Market asked municipals officials to relay demands to the market owner for two-year contract terms – down from a request last week for five-year contracts – and a 12 percent limit on rent increases at the time of contract renewal, up from a previous demand of 10 percent.

Vendor representative Pov Sokhom said on Friday that the market owner had agreed to a 12 percent limit for some stalls.

“I told the meeting that the market owner cannot do that because I am the vendors’ representative who comes to negotiate for all,” he said.

Pov Vanny, another vendor representative, said that the market owner had informed vendors that their stalls would close on February 6 if they did not renew their contracts.

Heng Vuthy, manager of PC Market, could not be reached for comment yesterday.