It was almost eleven at night, when the streets had quieted down, when a Ford Raptor with military plates came roaring down Russian Federation Boulevard. As it passed through Teuk Thla commune in Sen Sok district, the driver suddenly lost control, slamming into two cars and a motorbike. Total chaos followed, and the injured riders, who were in bad shape, were rushed straight to the hospital.
Behind the wheel was none other is than Ith Savorng, the deputy commander of the Kampong Thom provincial military police. Local media reported that when traffic police arrived, they gave the deputy commander a breathalyzer test right on the spot—and his blood alcohol reading came in at a staggering 0.60 milligrams per liter. Traffic police then hauled him straight to the Phnom Penh Municipal Police Inspectorate for questioning.
By the following afternoon, the case was still being sorted out. A senior traffic police officer revealed that the at-fault party and the victims' families were sitting down at the police station to negotiate compensation. But even if they manage to settle privately, the legal process isn't going away, and the case file is still heading straight to court. Meanwhile, the National Gendarmerie spokesperson weighed in, saying the Kampong Thom provincial military police commander has already summoned the deputy commander for questioning, and on top of facing court, internal military disciplinary action is guaranteed. Out here, whether you are an official or an ordinary citizen, if you get behind the wheel drunk, you are going to face the full force of the traffic police and military discipline—and no one can save you.
