A letter obtained by Khmer Times on August 31 tells of the Prime Minister approving the creation of two new provinces. One is to carve out of Kandal province and the other will be made from a portion of Mondulkiri’s Koh Nhek district and Rattanakiri’s Lumphat district.

This will increase the number of provinces in the Kingdom to 26.

Interior Minister Sar Kheng had requested said a government measure to improve the effectiveness of administration, security, public order, local development, and public services.

He will assign technical officers to cooperate with relevant partners to conduct a study on the proposed areas and confer with Hun Sen thereafter.

Mr Keng says he wants the preliminaries to be completed by January 2019 “… in order to ensure a [sufficient] period of time for the government to adjust the number of seats in capital, city, provincial, municipal, district, and khan councils for the upcoming election of the third mandate in May 2019.

”