Phnom Penh: Despite the pandemic, Phnom Penh Municipal Police are accelerating the processing of Cambodian National ID cards so that people can register to vote in next year’s commune elections, as well as the general election in 2023. On Tuesday afternoon it was the turn of residents of Sangkat Boeung Tumpun I in Meanchey, aged 15 years and above.

The campaign has been put into high gear by National Police Deputy Commissioner, Lt. Gen. Thet after a meeting earlier this month.

Phnom Penh’s Deputy Commissioner for Identification Planning, Lt. Gen. Horm Vantha, says that the provision of identification services to Cambodians in Phnom Penh is a specialized police service. He says police are taking care to provide people with their new ID cards in strict observance of Ministry of Health guidelines to ensure no transmission of Covid-19, especially in light of the delta variant, the number of cases of which has climbed above 600 in the capital.

According to the Deputy Commissioner, in the past month alone, Cambodian National Identity Cards have been issued to 1,758 people. A total of 25,566 applications have been received for 2021. To date, 21,657 cards have been processed, equivalent to 85% of the target.