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Authorities in Cambodia and Laos have reported an uptick in traffic-related deaths throughout this week’s New Years festivities, a interval that usually sees a rise in visitors fatalities.
Officers in each international locations have pointed to a rise in drunk driving throughout the vacation season, which falls on April 13-16 this yr, as the first trigger.
In Cambodia, a minimum of 21 individuals died in visitors accidents throughout the first two days of the Khmer New Yr’s celebrations. A minimum of 58 different individuals have been injured.
Final yr’s New Yr weekend celebrations in Cambodia noticed a minimum of 18 traffic-related fatalities.
Bo Pov, the pinnacle of a Phnom Penh-based humanitarian group, attributes the uptick in deaths to the federal government’s failure to teach individuals in visitors legal guidelines. He additionally mentioned that native police don’t adequately implement legal guidelines in opposition to driving underneath the affect.
“The federal government’s failure to stop visitors accidents has brought on harmless individuals to die,” he informed RFA.
Authorities in Laos equally reported that a minimum of 13 individuals have been killed and 253 others have been injured in visitors accidents throughout the 2024 New Yr weekend.
A rescue employee in Vientiane informed RFA that volunteer rescue groups have to face by 24 hours a day throughout the New Years vacation because of the excessive variety of visitors accidents.
“We shouldn’t have any free time [during the weekend] as we’re receiving calls all night time and all day,” he mentioned.
A resident in Vientiane informed RFA that it’s common for individuals to drive dwelling after attending New Yr’s events and consuming alcohol. He additionally identified that motorcyclists are at an elevated danger, and that most of the deadly accidents he has seen have been between vehicles and bikes.
Colonel Khamsone Sidavong, deputy normal director of the Site visitors Police Division underneath the Ministry of Public Safety, informed native media that authorities expect a rise in fatalities in comparison with final yr.
“Usually, New Yr’s celebrations final solely three days,” he defined. “This yr the celebration interval will final 4 days, so there can be extra events and due to this fact extra accidents.”
In 2023, 25 individuals have been killed and 611 others have been injured throughout the three-day vacation interval in Laos. The visitors police division reported that a lot of the visitors accidents befell between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., which is when most individuals are returning dwelling from New Yr’s events.
Translated by Phouvong and Sum Sok Ry. Edited by Claire McCrea and Malcolm Foster.
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