The capital’s Daun Penh District Administration on January 20 briefly detained and reprimanded 13 people after they were caught urinating in parks and on public streets.
In a Facebook post, district governor Sok Penh Vuth said he had assigned security guards to patrol parks and other public places and found the 13 moto-taxi and tuk-tuk drivers who stopped their vehicles and urinated on trees.
“Urinating [improperly] like this cause bad smell and could disrupt public order. Our officers sent them to the district hall and instructed them to clean the spots they urinated on before releasing them,” he said, urging people to urinate properly in public or private bathrooms.
Municipal Department of Environment director Keat Raingsey supported the move, calling on authorities in all districts to follow suit.
“People support [the authorities] in stopping offenders and reprimanding them for their act. The Safe Village-Commune-District policy also mentions public hygiene and clean environment, so local authorities are supposed to take action,” he said.
Daun Penh District Administration director Chap Dina declined to comment.
Phnom Penh resident Sorn Sinith said urinating or defecating in public places causes a bad smell and affects the environment and the capital’s beauty.
He requested the municipal authority to install more public toilets throughout the capital.
“Maybe the perpetrators could not find a toilet and were in a hurry to transport passengers, so they urinated in public places.”
