Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday that all advertisements for wine, spirits and beer will be permitted as long as they include messages warning against drinking and driving. This announcement comes just two weeks after the Phnom Penh Municipality imposed a ban on the production and display of all outdoor wine and spirits advertisements in an effort to stem drunk driving in the city, to be implemented by the end of 2011. However, Mr Hun Sen said that alcohol advertisements must simply and a warning. "You can't get drunk just by watching television commercials or seeing billboards, "said Mr Hun Sen during the ground breaking of a Chinese-funded bridge in Phnom Penh."Now, I've asked for a compromise that all billboards [with] alcohol and beer advertisements must put the sign that says 'Drive without drinking alcohol' or…'If drunk, do not drive.'" He also said to Phnom Penh governor kep Chuktema, who was sitting next to him, that alcohol companies should model the warnings after those on cigarette packages. "I seek a middle way to reduce traffic accidents," said Mr Hun Sen, adding that his order should be implemented nationwide. Borom Chea, brand manager of Cambodia Beer, which launched on Tuesday, said the company would follow the order. A warning not to imbibe before driving is common for alcohol advertisements in other countries, he said, but it is completely new to Cambodia. Sann Socheata, road safety program manager of the NGO handicap International, welcomed Mr Hun Sen's order, and said she expected that the warning messages would help reduce traffic accidents caused by drunk drivers. She added, however, that reducing drunk driving depends on the proper implementation of the law.
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