Gasoline price in Pailin is at a record high, a liter of gasoline costs 8,000 riel (approximately $2 dollars), a local official said Wednesday.
A villager, who speaks on condition of anonymity, says that a number of gas stations in the region is experiencing oil shortage, leaving some car owners to limit their driving to long distant places.
Local authorities say that the high petroleum price is due to the closing of illegal gasoline smuggling along the borders of Cambodia and Thailand.
Recently, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that he will allow private companies to import gasoline from Thailand, Laos and Vietnam in order to cut down its prices and contain smuggling.
Major of Pailin Eang Vuth tells VOA Khmer that Cambodian authorities are currently holding talks with prospective oil merchants and vendors.