PM rejects the initiative to ban the import of old cars into Cambodia

The Prime Minister of Cambodia, Dr. Hun Manet, rejected the initiative to ban the import of used cars into Cambodia but also requested that the car system in Cambodia be strengthened.

He said this on the occasion of presiding over the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the twin flyovers at the intersection of Samdech Techo Hun Sen Blvd. and National Road 2 on the border of Phnom Penh and Kandal Province on the morning of June 17, 2024.

He said that until now, in Cambodia, it is not necessary to determine the year of the car for import, but the car’s technical inspection system needs to be strengthened because “every year, the car has to be inspected once a year.”

“Recently, there was also thinking about setting the year for importing cars; I said no need; we need to strengthen the check system, the technical check system, to be strong.,” the premier said.

In the last meeting, Aun Pornmoniroth suggested to me that he was concerned about the environment, so he also thought about proposing that it should be banned to import cars over ten years old by 2024, and by 2030, imports will be restricted to cars no older than five years to guarantee the car is good and does not harm the environment. However, I have decided against this, choosing to focus on strengthening our inspection systems instead.”

He added that some countries have banned the import of used cars to boost the auto industry in the country. In particular, car assembly companies in Cambodia also encourage, but they have the right to compete with importers of used cars.