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Written by DAP NEWS -- Tuesday, 15 September 2009Prime Minister Hun Sen on Mon- day strongly verbal warned overweight transport run by some private firms. He said such vehicles destroyed roads and damaged bridges.The premier also said that road blocks on the streets are not effective, as small payments did nothing to mitigate the expensive damage to roads and bridge infrastructure.“We don’t need to blow the flames and cloud of the fire, but we must distinguish fire,” said Hun Sen during a ceremony to celebrate a new at Prek Kdam, Kandal province.“I warn the public I will close all companies if they continue over weight transport. Scales are not effective at all; they just pay money and are let go,” he said. “One measure to ensure the quality of the bridges and roads is to stop over weight transportation, such as the transport of metal, cement, sand and especially cattle transport.”The premier said that some private company directors attended the Government and private sector forum, and themselves realize the problem but have done nothing. The Prime Minister asked the Transportation and Public Works Minister and Minister for Trade to cooperate to address the issue.The premier noted that recent crackdowns on illegal lotteries, football betting and slot machines had resulted in effective progress.Chea Poch, an opposition Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) lawmaker, also supported the premier’s remarks, but said the problem is that lower officials sometimes ignore the premier’s instructions.“The premier’s sayings are very good and I support them as a benefit, not only to the premier, but also to all Cambodians,” Chea Poch told DAP News Cambodia.“However, do lower officials follow and implement the premier’s saying and warnings? I often see that, in some cases such as deforestation and roadblocks, those officials are still active and do not follow and practice the premier’s sayings.”One expert explained that over weight transportation can seriously damage briges.“Structures bearing weight have two parts; the upper structure and the lower structure. Sometimes, we cannot see damage to the upper structure destroyed, but the lower structure has damage due to overweight transport,” the expert told DAP News Cambodia on Monday.Some roads in Cambodia have rapidly suffered major damage due to over weight transport.