Sen Sok district authorities and officials of the Phnom Penh Municipal Department of Public Works and Transport shut down more than 40 car repair garages on Monday for operating without a licence. The 40 are almost half of the 110 garages located in the district, a hub for repairing, processing and assembling all types of vehicles. All 110 garages in the area were inspected. Deputy department director Bopha Phany said on Monday the garages were shut down after repeated warning. “We have been educating and contacting them consistently, but the business owners have not heeded our warning. I leave it to the Phnom Penh Municipal Administration whether to send the case to court or not,” she said. Phany said there are a total of 971 garages in Phnom Penh with 390 locations operating without permission. Sen Sok district governor Mov Manit declined to comment on the case. District deputy governor Sak Chankanharith said the closures serve as a warning to other garage owners who operate without a licence. He said if any business owner wants to reopen they must apply to the public works department properly. Before allowing the business to reopen, officials will inspect the actual location and activities to avoid further violations of the law. “If they do not follow the instructions we need to close their business. And if they wants to reopen, they have to fill out a new form, otherwise, their business will be closed forever,” he said. In December, public works minister Sun Chanthol said the Phnom Penh municipal and provincial authorities should close garages for not having proper technical standards and legal permission by the end of this year.