Former General Department of Prisons director Kuy Bunsorn has found himself out of a job after a royal decree issued on Thursday handed his position to Chan Kimseng.

Kimseng, who began his career in the 1990s as part of the National Police in Stung Treng province, has been deputy director of the Interior Ministry’s General Department of Identification for the last two years.

He ascribed Bunsorn’s departure to ill health. “He has health problems. We know he had a traffic accident on National Road 8 last year,” he said.

The prisons department has come under fire in recent months, with NGOs decrying overcrowding and senior prison officials announcing in February that guards were discovered to be using drugs on the job.

Large-scale drug trafficking rings have also been discovered to be coordinated by inmates doing time.

Am Sam Ath, a technical coordinator for rights group Licadho, said yesterday that his organisation hoped the situation will improve under new leadership.

Bunsorn, who is yet to receive another posting, was unreachable for comment yesterday.