The Ministry of Interior has establish 37 new villages in 17 communes of five districts and one town in Kratie province. The move is intended to make it easier for local authorities to administer the area as well as develop remote regions.

According to a prakas signed by interior minister Sar Kheng on March 9, the villages were established at the request of the provincial administration.

“The structural organisation and administrative system of establishing new villages, as stipulated in this prakas, must comply with the ministry’s 2006 directive, such as the formalities and procedures for electing and transferring village chiefs and their duties and order of work,” the prakas said.

According to the Ministry of Civil Service, Kratie province has five districts and towns, 47 communes and 258 villages. The villages have more than 80 annexes.

“The village annexes have a total of 22,620 families representing 87,076 people. There are 46,835 people aged 18 and over and 32,638 people are registered to vote,” the ministry said in a Facebook post on March 10.

The decision to formally establish new villages instead of temporary annexes, the ministry said, will not only allow for better management, but will also enable the authorities to develop remote areas. The approximately remaining 80 annexes will be converted into formal villages in the near future.

Provincial governor Va Thorn told The Post on March 10 that the provincial administration has requested that more than 80 new villages be established because those places had many residents. So, the villages need an administration to provide services for residents. So, due to practical reasons, priority villages were selected.

“These new villages have not yet been structured – we have only assigned a deputy village chief or a member to administer them. For example, if a person resides in another village and wants to move to a new village, they can but temporarily at first. When a council is established, it will delegate the right to stay according to the village-commune administrative management. It is up to them to elect permanent residency,” he said.

Transparency International Cambodia executive director Pech Pisey said the establishment of more villages shows more and effective needs for providing services to residents.

“I would like to provide recommendations to relevant ministries and institutions for them to encourage decentralisation and provide authorities sufficient budgets to the sub-national administration so that they serve residents better,” he said.