Residents of Phnom Penh's Tuol Kork district watched Monday as local police confiscated a political party's sign. Next to the sign was an overflowing shipping container of trash. That pile of trash, the residents said, should have received more priority.
Instead, the Human Rights Party was not allowed to hang its party sign, an act the group called illegal.
Party signs are a common form of party propaganda ahead of elections.
After about a dozen police put a large party sign in the back of a truck and carried it away, neighbors at the site told VOA Khmer the signs were not hurting anyone, but the reeking pile of garbage needed more attention.
"The removal is not a good sign for the political party, or for a democratic country," said 70-year-old resident Men Sean. "And the way the authorities act will affect the voters' feelings."
