The dilapidated Phsar Kandal market, only a few blocks south of Phnom Penh’s Phsar Chas, now houses about 800 stalls. It is held up by cracked columns and covered by a leaking roof that many fear is on the verge of collapse.

“I don’t support dismantling the whole market, but we want the roof of the market repaired. However, we are afraid that those of us who have stores will lose them or have our stores reduced in size after the construction,” a vendor who asked to remain anonymous said.

Another vendor, 53-year-old Taing Kim Eng, said that feelings of unrest on the part of vendors came from a lack of information.

“The market committee and the district and city authorities have never given us information [on the development] or let us discuss it,” Ms. Kim Eng said.

She then expressed concern that if vendors did not agree on the development plans, a fire could break out in the market...

Mean Chanyada, a spokesman for the Phnom Penh municipality, confirmed that City Hall had plans to rebuild the market but said feasibility studies were still underway.
...“Engineers, architects and our experts are studying options for the building.”
... He said that feasibility studies were still in the early stages and that he did not know how extreme the renovations would be or whether they would involve adding extra stories.

Cosmetics seller Soam Pisey, 38, however, said almost no one was aware of the plans until hearing about them on television and radio broadcasts.
“We denied that we knew about the renovation of the market,” she said. “We did not get any information from the market committee…. They did not tell or ask us.”

frank lee bent wrote:Looks a real fire hazard to me.
would not be at all surprised to see it burn.

She then expressed concern that if vendors did not agree on the development plans, a fire could break out in the market.

“Please help us because I am afraid that there will be a fire like at Kratie market. There is always a fire before the construction. We are afraid of the fire,” she said, referring to a fire that broke out at Kratie province’s Chhlong market last week that destroyed 35 stalls. The official cause of the fire was electrical malfunction.