Banteay Meanchey Authorities Strengthen Construction Law and Site Safety

Authorities in Banteay Meanchey province, Cambodia, have launched a campaign to strengthen the enforcement of construction law, aiming to enhance public order, safety, and quality in line with technical standards. The initiative targets all stakeholders and construction workers to ensure strict adherence to regulations. A significant dissemination meeting was held on July 29, 2026, at the meeting hall of the Preah Net Preah District Hall. This event was jointly organized by the provincial Department of Land Management, Urban Planning, Construction, and Cadastral and the Preah Net Preah District Administration. The meeting was attended by Mr. Oun Vinnara, Deputy Director of the Department (representing Mr. Meas Dara, Director of the Department of Land Management, Urban Planning, Construction, and Cadastral), and Mr. Heun Virak, Governor of the Preah Net Preah District Administration. A total of 87 participants, including 7 women, were present. Attendees included members of the district council, district administrative officials, the head of the One-Stop Service Center, commune chiefs and councilors, village chiefs, real estate developers, construction companies, individuals studying blueprints, and construction workers. The meeting focused on understanding key laws and regulations, including: the procedures for issuing construction permits; the clear division of responsibilities for governors of capitals, provinces, districts, and communes in issuing permits to facilitate faster and more accurate service delivery to citizens; circulars on building setbacks; the determination of safety distances between buildings or public land to avoid impacting neighbors and ensure urban planning standards; the registration and issuance of business operation certificates for construction teams; the requirement for all construction teams to have proper permits to elevate the profession and ensure technical responsibility; and construction site safety, including accident prevention and protection of the surrounding environment. Mr. Oun Vinnara emphasized that the organization of this dissemination meeting is not intended to create complex barriers to construction, but rather serves as a crucial step to maintain public order, establish orderly cities and districts according to law, prevent illegal construction, protect property and lives, and ensure that each construction project has a robust structure, free from the risk of collapse or other accidents. He also highlighted the goal of protecting health and improving the quality of life for building owners, users, and the general public. The provincial authorities appealed to construction companies, developers, and all construction teams to cooperate and strictly adhere to the existing legal procedures before commencing any construction work, in order to collectively build a safe and sustainably developing society. By: Chun Sarath © National news agency of Cambodia 2018