Follow the law, minister tells construction sector
Soth Koemsoeun | Publication date 14 January 2020 | 22:21 ICT

Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Chea Sophara on Tuesday called on construction contractors and operators to implement the Law on Construction and adhere to the technical standards and regulations set forth by it.

He said this at the opening ceremony of a seminar that aims to educate and train professionals in the construction sector concerning the new law.

The training was meant to inform construction companies to obtain the necessary certificates to conduct business.

Operators without a certificate issued by the ministry will face an inquiry. If any irregularity is found, those involved will be held accountable before the law, said Sophara.

The event was attended by around 4,000 engineers, architects, construction operators and contractors at a hotel in the capital on Tuesday.

“We did not have the law before, but now we do. So believe me, I will implement it without fail. If this law did not exist, I wouldn’t know what to do.

“In the past, we had to beg them to construct buildings according to quality and safety standards but they did not listen to us. Now, I won’t have to beg those operators anymore. We will enforce the law.

“We will conduct an inspection and prepare the documents before sending them to court so the prosecutor can summon those who violate the law,” Sophara stressed.

The Law on Construction, he said, must ensure safety and security for construction workers and the public. The law was also put into place to promote the Kingdom’s real estate sector which, in turn, will boost economic growth.

Chrek Soknim, the president of Cambodian Valuers and Estate Agents Association, said following the past two incidents of building collapses, the ministry had been pushing for better quality and standards of construction work in the Kingdom.

He expressed support for the implementation of the law and the increasing regard for occupational safety at construction sites.

“The new law will add to the duties of operators and contractors who will now carry the task of having to deal with their workers’ accommodation. The law no longer allows workers to reside in construction sites.

“This law affects operators but we are working on resolving the details together,” said Soknim.

Ty Bunny, a member of the Asean Engineering Register, said although the new construction law significantly contributes to the sector, it still needs some revisions and amendments.

“We looked at the articles under this law and found that the provisions still lack some points. Why did they create this law? This law provides a lot of benefits but I don’t know how they would go about implementing it. We’ll have to wait and see,” said Bunny.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... ion-sector

ExPenhMan wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:23 am Just, wow!

“In the past, we had to beg them to construct buildings according to quality and safety standards but they did not listen to us. Now, I won’t have to beg those operators anymore. We will enforce the law.

A great step forward, especially for site workers. Now, all they need to do is to move regulations from paper to enforcement. Ahem.

That will happen, but I think they are still too busy at this moment working on the laws to stop tree felling, sand exports and dredging,,,, and all the others guys are working on the new laws on rubbish collection.

Duncan wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2020 11:23 am

ExPenhMan wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2020 9:23 am Just, wow!

“In the past, we had to beg them to construct buildings according to quality and safety standards but they did not listen to us. Now, I won’t have to beg those operators anymore. We will enforce the law.

A great step forward, especially for site workers. Now, all they need to do is to move regulations from paper to enforcement. Ahem.

That will happen, but I think they are still too busy at this moment working on the laws to stop tree felling, sand exports and dredging,,,, and all the others guys are working on the new laws on rubbish collection.

They've already stopped the army chopping down trees in Preah Vihear. They have to find other ways of making money. Like smuggling meth...

I assume there are laws on the books about cutting trees in National Parks...I hear the term illegal logging often.
Even in a country that calls itself a country based on laws..the USA...it is not what laws you break..it is what laws you get caught breaking.
One of my favorite programs is called ENDEAVER..Inspector Morse's early years. i know it is fiction, but, one episode was about a building where the contractor used a type of sand that was not proper for concrete building construction.
The building collapsed and it reminded me of present day Cambodia. In the story, the building was occupied.
There were inspectors and laws and professional builders and it still was catastrophic.
I keep waiting for a new occupied building to collapse full of tourists and affluent locals.
I have felt for the past 3 years there was so much construction going on in Cambodia that it was impossible to maintain high standards..
The sheer numbers of experienced and well trained workers needed is enormous.
I watch the roads just crumble.
They go to repair a popular road and divert trucks onto a side road and it is destroyed.
The Government is addressing a host of infrastructure issues and boy do they have their hands full.
Garbage..power..water..roads.sewers.storm sewers..rivers..and this building code.
Just to name a few.

January 15, 2020
Cambodia’s construction boom: Playing it too fast and too loose?

How widespread unregulated construction projects are in the Sihanoukville and Kep is a major cause for concern for the entire Kingdom. It indicates that some developers are either willfully ignoring or are highly inexperienced. Dan Davies, Director of Property Management at CBRE Cambodia, says, “Many developers are opportunistic and highly inexperienced as their core business maybe something totally different. But since they have the land and access to finance, [they go ahead with their projects anyway]. Many underestimate the challenge in constructing or managing projects and they often end in disaster”.

This reality is not lost on the government. “Until recently, there have been little to no regulations surrounding the construction sector. However, the Cambodian government has been working in the background by seeking advice and support from international bodies, particularly from the European Chamber of Commerce”, shares Mr. Davies who also serves as a member of EuroCham’s specialist Real Estate Committee.

The Real Estate Committee, sponsored by the European Chamber of Commerce, is a specialised committee created to raise the profile of Cambodia in the EU real estate and construction community through the introduction of European construction best-practices. It has made several recommendations for the past 3 to 5 years to the Royal Government of Cambodia in the form of Construction Codes, Fire Codes, and Environmental Codes.

A long-awaited comprehensive construction law was passed by the Royal Government of Cambodia in October 2019. The new law encompasses technicalities such as quality of materials, design management, dangerous building classifications, to other regulations such as requisites for building demolitions, construction professional licensing, formalisation of the duty and powers of site inspectors, and liabilities of the building’s stakeholders.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50679818/c ... -too-loose

Cambodia's New Construction Law to Ensure Quality and Safety

BR549 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 15, 2020 11:58 am I assume there are laws on the books about cutting trees in National Parks...I hear the term illegal logging often.

There are sufficient laws on the books but they haven't prevented concessions being given to companies within "national parks" who strip out their own plots and then set up camps all around in nearby forests and do the same. I drove for a couple of hours (slowly as the road was shit) through a "wildlife refuge" in the north a few months ago. There was no sign of any plantations, just wooden homesteads with tiny vegetable plots in front. There was no tree almost from horizon to horizon, just burnt out areas with the odd eucalyptus(?) or similar that seems to survive these fires.