Panel to draft acid law by end of month

Mom Kunthear and Brooke Lewis

Phnom Penh Post

MEMBERS of a government committee charged with drafting a law to curb acid crimes said Monday that they expect to complete the task by the end of the month.

The committee was formed in February after a spate of attacks that began late last year, and committee members originally said they expected a draft law to be completed shortly after Khmer New Year.

Ouk Kimlek, undersecretary of state at the Interior Ministry and the deputy director of the committee, said Monday that he expected – but could not guarantee – that the committee would complete the draft law and submit it to the Council of Ministers for approval by the end of June.

“We are not 100 percent sure that the draft law will reach the Council of Ministers [by the end of the month], but we hope it will because we will try our best to complete it on time,” he said.

Ouk Kimlek said the original deadline for completion of the draft law had not been met because committee members were “busy with other work”.
“It is not so difficult for us to complete it, but we have many tasks to do besides this law,” he said.

Teng Savong, secretary of state at the Interior Ministry and the director of the committee, said a meeting had been held to discuss the draft law on Friday, but declined to elaborate on specific points raised.

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