Minister of Social Affairs Donates Aid to Family of Girl Killed in Traffic Accident

Phnom Penh, Cambodia – On the afternoon of August 4, 2026, aid from His Excellency Chea Somethy, Minister of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation, and his wife, was delivered to the family of a 13-year-old girl who tragically died in a traffic accident. Mr. Ruon Rithyphong, Director of the Department of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation of Phnom Penh, led officials to visit and present the donations. The incident occurred on the night of August 2, 2026, when the girl was struck and killed by a Mercedes-Benz driven by an intoxicated driver on National Road 21, in front of Lucky Supermarket in Ta Khmau City. Social media reports indicated that the girl's parents, struggling in poverty, were seeking justice for their daughter, calling for legal punishment for the driver and compensation for the family. The family has seven children, including an 8-month-old infant who sustained a head injury. The father suffers from an illness that prevents him from performing heavy labor, making the 13-year-old daughter a crucial provider through scrap collecting. The family was in dire straits, unable to afford funeral expenses, and had appealed to philanthropists for help. The donations from the Minister and his wife included 50kg of rice, two boxes of instant noodles, two bunches of canned fish, two bunches of soy sauce, two bunches of seasoning, one can of cooking oil, one blanket, one mat, one pillow, and one mosquito net, along with 1,000,000 Cambodian Riel (approximately $250 USD). This tragedy highlights the pervasive issue of poverty in Cambodian society and the grave consequences of reckless driving by the affluent.