For a more attractive city: No more clotheslines

Street scene in Phnom Penh (Photo: Alain Ney, Cambodge Soir Hebdo)

07 April 2009
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Tola Ek
Click here to read the article in French

Kep Chuktema, the Phnom Penh city governor, launched an appeal to residents of the capital to not disfigure the sidewalks and building façades by drying clothes and other clotheslines. Legal measures will be taken later.
In a communiqué addressed to the public on Monday 06 April, Kep Chuktema explained that hanging clothes to dry along sidewalks and house balconies must end. City residents living along major streets are mainly targeted by this communiqué.

According to Kep Chuktema, Phnom Penh is a political, economic, touristic and diplomatic center. The city received various awards, such as the one given out by London to city leaders, by Melbourne for the environmental policy, and the city also received the honor to participate in an expo in China titled: “Phnom Penh, a comfortable city in Cambodia.”

According to Kep chuktema, “the Phnom Penh municipality will take legal measures against residents who do not obey this order.”

However, this habit is well ingrained among numerous residents. The lack of education, as well as the poverty suffered by numerous families, will probably hamper this desire to embellish the city.