Prime Minister Hun Sen has approved the establishment of a special task force to address the concerns of civil society groups, according to an announcement published on the Interior Ministry’s website on Monday.

The group comprises eight members tasked with arranging regular meetings with them.

The directive said the taskforce shall collect information, study the requests and concerns of NGOs and forward those to the government and related institutions for a solution.

The group is also responsible for ensuring the NGOs comply with the Law on Associations and Non-Governmental Organisations and disseminate other NGO-related regulations.

Dy The Hoya, a project officer for labour rights group Central, said civil society groups have contributed significantly to social development in the Kingdom over the past 20 years.

He urged the government to give NGOs more freedom to perform their activities.

“Now we feel so restricted. If they [the government] give us more room to perform our roles, it would make a difference,” he said.