The Ministry of Public Works and Transport called on the directors of public works in Phnom Penh and the provinces to crack down on fraudulent truck-weighing checkpoints around the country.

The announcement follows an incident at a legitimate weigh station in Tbong Khmum province where authorities chased after and shot at a truck which had run through the checkpoint, fearing it to be a fake.

In a letter sent on March 27, local directors were urged to improve how heavy vehicles are monitored, as well as report illegal scales and driver harassment to the correct authorities. Direct legal action is outside the ministry’s purview, it noted.

Ministry spokesman Peng Sovicheanou said a decision had been made to suspend all mobile scales, but couldn’t confirm when and where this would happen, or how many there are in the country.

“We’ve observed that [illegal mobile scales] exist in some areas and that is why we have to reorganise our team,” he said.

Deputy provincial police for Tbong Khmum, Eang Phearak said the incident last week is still under investigation.

“Illegal mobile scales are hard to control,” he said.