• Society

Curb Excessive Drinks Ads at Events: Ministry

• By Teng Yalirozy
• March 5, 2024 8:10 PM

PHNOM PENH – The Information Ministry has ordered an end to excessive alcohol advertisements in entertainment events, telling masters of ceremonies not to show drinking activities on any form of media.

Information Minister Neth Pheaktra met alcohol and advertisement companies and TV station owners on March 4 to discuss how they can portray alcohol ethically and without showing excessive drinking images at events.

Alcohol consumption and advertisement have become a greater concern and angered the public following a series of fatal traffic accidents and advertisements of people drinking on television to win prizes.

Neth Pheaktra said public figures on the stage must stop calling people up to drink alcohol and the masters of ceremonies must not show any activities involving opening beer cans and drinking beer on television or any social media.

There must be “Don’t drive while drunk” or “Drink responsibly” and educational messages on all alcohol advertisements on TV, online media outlets, banner posters, LED screens and billboards, he said.

“Controlling alcohol advertising is to help society, companies and Cambodians who use products,” he said. “It’s to reduce risks and increase social harmony.”

A joint technical working group will be established between public and private institutions for solutions to address technical management in commercial and advertisement production. It is to ensure ethical and legal compliance, he said.

The representatives of the advertising and alcohol companies and TV stations pledged to follow the guidelines.

Social analysts also called for the curbing of alcohol advertising and reducing harm by enforcing alcohol control laws and an advertising code of conduct.

In 2015, the Health Ministry initiated a drafted law to control alcohol use. The 11-chapter, 39-article document aims to effectively regulate alcohol sales and use, backed by stricter penalties.

Nine years have passed, and the law is still a draft. Beer and liquor are widely advertised on billboards, on social media and on television. People of all ages have easy access to alcohol and some drink, chasing the rewards in the cans.

Alcohol consumption is one of the world’s leading risk factors for illness, disability and death, especially for non-communicable diseases— which accounted for 52 percent of deaths in Cambodia in 2014.