Kampot's director of public transportation, Lim Sambo, will be transferred to an administrative position in Phnom Penh, according to an order signed by Transportation Minister Sun Chanthol on Thursday.

The letter said that Sambo would be reassigned to the ministry’s general department of administration and finance, while Chinh Kuong, deputy director of public transportation in Pursat, would take on Sambo’s Kampot remit.

While ministry spokesman Vasim Sorya yesterday acknowledged there had been complaints about Kuong’s performance – as well as rumours of corruption circulating in local media – he said it was too early to jump to conclusions. “This is the ministry’s internal reform, and removing [staff] is a normal thing.”

But Nguon Saroeun, a Kampot town commune chief, said complaints about the state of the province’s roads and streets were widespread.

“We have seen many people complaining about the road, because there are always holes and broken areas. We do not know where the money goes,” Saroeun said.

Sambo could not be reached for comment.