Authorities take down an alcohol advertising billboard in Takeo province's Tram Kak district on July 15. FB
Owners of restaurants and cafes and distributors of beer and liquor in Kratie province have been ordered to remove alcohol advertising from their premises within 15 days to maintain order and help reduce alcohol consumption.
The provincial administration has instructed city and district administrations throughout the province to notify business owners to remove the ads, however, it said any licensed advertising may remain until their permits expire, according to provincial administration director Men Vanna.
“For owners who do not have permission, we inform them first before removal, but for those who have permission, we wait until it expires and then we remove it. We do not allow them to renew the licence,” he said.
He noted that those who had applied through legal procedures in the past to install the advertising had paid taxes according to the size of the billboards.
Vanna said that Kratie, Chhlong and Sambor districts issued notices to business owners from July 16-17.
The Kratie city administration noted the installation of billboards advertising beer and alcohol along public roads and sidewalks, which they said undermined the aesthetics of public spaces.
“This is to maintain good order and contribute to reducing alcohol consumption, violence and the dangers caused by alcohol, especially to promote the prestige, dignity and beauty of the town,” the announcement read.
It stated if business owners and liquor distributors refuse to comply with the notice after the deadline, administrative actions will be taken to dismantle the billboards without any responsibility for damage or loss. It added that any other costs will be the responsibility of the business owner or company.
Mom Kong, executive director of the Cambodia Movement for Health (CMH), noted that the removal of beer billboards is a positive initiative.
The measure reduces the attractiveness of alcohol consumption among young people and children, which has a significant impact on society as a whole, he said.
He added that alcohol ads are also present on radio, television, at concerts and on social media.
“For better results, I think the prohibition on advertising should be comprehensive, including on banners, radio and television,” he said, adding that banning the advertisements would help reduce alcohol-related traffic accidents and support young people, who are the human capital for nation-building, in becoming healthier and more intellectually capable.
Kratie is the second province after Takeo to remove these advertisements from public places. Additionally, Battambang is launching a pilot project to prohibit the sale of alcohol and cigarettes to students or individuals under the age of 18 in Battambang town and Bavel district.
The initiative will make it the first province to enforce such a restriction.
The pilot project, initiated by Great Peace Cambodia with support from the Battambang provincial Department of Education, Youth and Sport, is being implemented in five secondary schools in the two districts. Shops near these schools have volunteered not to sell alcohol and cigarettes to students or youth under the age of 18.
“Young people drink beer because they perceive drinking as normal during both celebratory and sombre occasions,” the provincial administration stated.
Additionally, factors such as open drinking in front of children, using children to buy alcohol and the widespread promotion of beer contribute to the problem, especially since Cambodia does not yet have an age limit for alcohol consumption.
The administration warned that drinking alcohol at a young age can cause irreversible liver, brain and nerve damage.
