• Society

Female Tuktuk Driver Hopes to Take PM on a City Tour

• By Isa Rohany
• and Te Chhaysinh
• June 13, 2023 9:45 AM

SIEM REAP – A female driver of a Cambodian traditional tuk-tuk hopes to take Prime Minister Hun Sen on a Siem Reap tour, along with the other member of her association, to show him the city and its nearby centuries-old temples.

Kim Sokleang, president of the Siem Reap Tourist Remorque Driver Association, said her association wants to give back to the government after it successfully handled the COVID-19 pandemic and ensured a speedy economic recovery and a rapid return of local and international tourists in Siem Reap.

“I have always wished that the provincial governor and Prime Minister Hun Sen could tour Siem Reap in one of our tuk-tuks,” she said.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Tourism, a total of 1,291,539 international tourists came to Cambodia in the first three months of 2023, which represents a 125 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

While she has no idea how to approach or meet Hun Sen, she bets on sharing her idea with the media, hoping the news will one day reach his ears.

“I am 100 percent confident that he will come to ride my tuk-tuk soon,” said Sokleang.

Being a single mother, she became a tuk-tuk driver in 2013 in Phnom Penh and moved to the country’s tourist capital Siem Reap two years later.

She thought it was the best option she had, as it would allow her to make a living, while still being able to take her children to school. Additionally, she knew that she would be in touch with foreign travelers, from whom she could pick up some useful language skills.

Over the years, Sokleang has gathered a great amount of support from happy tourists from a wide range of countries, who wished to show their admiration for being a courageous woman.

As of June 2023, fifteen female drivers and forty male drivers are part of the Siem Reap Tourist Remorque Driver Association.