Cambodia suspends fines on road traffic violators amidst rising fuel prices

2026-03-27 - 05:30

PHNOM PENH, March 26 (Xinhua) — Cambodia on Thursday temporarily suspended fines on road traffic violators amidst rising fuel prices caused by the ongoing Middle East conflict, said a Ministry of Interior spokesperson. “The move is not to put further pressure on drivers who have been facing the significant rise in fuel prices,” Touch Sokhak told Xinhua. However, traffic police will still be deployed to roads to educate drivers on traffic laws and to facilitate traffic, especially during rush hours. And they will still conduct alcohol tests on drivers and inspect weapons or explosives as usual at nighttime. The Ministry of Commerce said in an announcement that a liter of regular gasoline will cost 5,450 riels (about 1.35 U.S. dollars) from Thursday until the next notice, slightly up 0.92 percent from 5,400 riels in the past seven days. Diesel will go for 7,100 riels per liter, up 5.97 percent from 6,700 riels, the announcement added. Also on Thursday, the price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) costs 3,200 riels per liter. Since the onset of the Middle East conflict, the prices of regular gasoline, diesel and LPG in Cambodia rose by 41.5 percent, 84 percent and 60 percent, respectively, according to the Ministry of Commerce. Since last week, the Cambodian government has reduced import duties and taxes on gasoline and diesel products, aiming at mitigating the impact of rising international oil prices and relieving consumers’ burden. The Southeast Asian country entirely relies on imported petroleum and diesel, as its seabed’s oil reserves have not been exploited yet.