Cambodian motorbike protectionism

The [motorcycle taxi] drivers want a blanket ban on motorbike rentals for foreign tourists.

“We don’t want [tourists] to rent motorbikes, because foreign tourists don’t know Khmer habits when driving; they don’t comply with the law, and some drive by keeping on the left side, so that causes traffic accidents,” Heng Sam Om said.

The story is hereWill Koenig writes to me:

As someone who lived and worked in Cambodia for years, I find this hilarious. Traffic laws in Cambodia are rarely enforced, and “motordopes,” or motorcycle taxi drivers, are stereotyped as the worst drivers — including driving on the wrong side of the road. But they have formed a union and want to protect their market.

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