Prime Minister Hun Manet met with representatives of beer and billboard advertising companies to discuss the code of conduct for appropriate advertising of alcohol on billboards to ensure social order and public welfare, and to reduce the impact on the economy, culture and tradition, while promoting fair competition.

The meeting on the afternoon of December 16, 2024 was attended by several ministers, provincial governors, representatives of beer and advertising companies, including Vattanac Beer and Cambodia Beer. However, the full details of the discussion were not revealed. 

On October 23, 2024, the Ministry of Information implemented procedures and measures stipulated in the regulations to respond to “unethical and excessive beer advertising” which had a negative effect on social welfare.

Tep Asnarith, spokesperson for the Ministry of Information, said a meeting was previously held to strengthen measures to organize and control advertisements of alcoholic products.

The tasks were within the priority work framework of the inter-ministerial working group for the management of alcohol product advertising, where the Cambodian Alcohol and Drug Control Commission (CAC) was the general staff of the government with the Information Ministry helping the group.

Asnarith stated that the inter-ministerial working group put forward 17 specific principles for the alcohol industry, advertising agencies and stakeholders to implement. These included the establishment of rules and principles to limit the content and time of advertising of products that may affect viewers, prohibition of excessive advertising, and that it must not target minors.

The effectiveness of the implementation depends on the participation of relevant actors in ensuring compliance with the Code of Conduct for Advertising, Commercial Communication and Competition. It should be done honestly and with responsibility to protect consumer rights, and strengthen industry ethics and social responsibility.

“I call on the alcohol industry and relevant partners to continue its commitment to prevent and to end irresponsible alcohol industry marketing. I also call on companies, operators, traders, and relevant parties to ensure the effective implementation of the Prakas, circulars, and guidelines that have been issued in the past,” Asnarith said. 

Chap Vanny, a spokesperson for Kandal province, said no recommendations were made after a meeting between Hun Manet and the beer and advertising companies. However, the Kandal provincial administration recently removed beer signs in some areas of the province because they did not have proper registration to advertise.

“In the past, we have taken action on illegal advertising signboards, not just alcohol. But most of the advertising signs are about alcohol products,” Vanny said. 

He said beer signages, some of which blocked the road or were old, were removed because they caused traffic accidents and damaged the beauty of public roads. The removal also led to a drop in beer advertising, he said but did not disclose the data on tax collection from these advertisements.

Yong Kim Eng, President of the People’s Centre for Development and Peace (PDP), emphasized that to effectively reduce the harmful effects of alcohol, three key measures must be prioritized: banning alcohol advertising, increasing alcohol taxes, and accelerating the implementation of the law on the control of alcoholic products.

For the government to make effective decisions, they must prioritize public health. However, if the government pays too much attention to the alcoholic beverage industry, it could undermine efforts to reduce the harmful impact of alcohol.

He added that specific measures must be implemented. “For example, we’ve seen cases where big rewards have led to unintended consequences—some even mockingly say they don’t need to do anything to receive the reward. This mindset is problematic and dangerous for society, especially if people start placing their hopes on incentives,” he said.

He also added that Cambodia is a Buddhist country. So, “we need to pay attention to alcohol consumption. We shouldn’t allow a country where most citizens follow Buddhism but face serious problems with alcoholism,” he said.

Ky Sereyvath, an economics researcher at Royal Academy of Cambodia, stated that Cambodia has regulations on the purchase of alcohol and cigarettes but these rules are not yet effectively enforced.

He stated that if advertisements on billboards are prohibited, the same restrictions should apply to digital platforms.

“Nowadays, advertising on TikTok has surpassed billboards. I often see people on TikTok, doing short videos, drinking beer alone and saying ‘cheers’ to the screen. While it may seem like a funny video, it prominently features the beer brand, and a lot of people are seeing it,” he said.

He urged the government to implement specific measures. If no existing rules are in place, they should create regulations to stop alcohol advertising, prohibit the sale of beer to those under 18, limit the sale quantity, and restrict the hours when alcohol can be sold.

Government spokesperson Pen Bona declined to respond to questions posed via Telegram, saying that there are three ministries in charge of beer advertising, which are the Ministry of Information, Ministry of Commerce, and Ministry of Health.

“Please ask the spokespersons of those ministries, especially the Information Ministry,” Bona said. 

Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Sok Sopheak declined to respond to CamboJA News’ questions, suggesting that the CCF be contacted for more information. Similarly, Or Vandine, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, declined to comment as she was in the meeting.

According to the World Health Organization, alcohol consumption was responsible for approximately 2.6 million deaths worldwide in 2019. Among these, 1.6 million deaths were attributed to noncommunicable diseases, 700,000 to injuries, and 300,000 to communicable diseases.

Data analysis from the Cambodia demographic and health survey 2021-2022 highlights a significant association between alcohol consumption and the occurrence of domestic partner violence. Specifically, it notes that high levels of alcohol consumption are linked to increased risks of violence.

“About 49.5% of women aged 15 to 49 often experienced violence when their partners got drunk,” it stated.

According to the United Nations in Cambodia, traffic is one of the leading causes of deaths and injuries in Cambodia while human error contributed to 98% of crashes.

It also stated that in 2019, Cambodia saw almost 13,700 injuries and more than 2,000 deaths due to traffic accidents with an average of 5.4 people dying daily. This makes road traffic accidents one of the leading causes of deaths and injuries in the Kingdom.

According to a Facebook post by Interior Minister Sar Sokha on January 23, this year, over 1,500 people lost their lives in traffic accidents in 2023. Driving under the influence of alcohol was identified as a contributing factor.

The report on the number of traffic accidents was presented at a meeting to announce the composition of the second subcommittee and summarize the outcome for the first half of 2024 of the second subcommittee of the National Road Traffic Safety Committee. 

​​By mid-2024, there had been 1,534 traffic accidents nationwide, leading to 793 deaths and 2,116 injuries, 1,234 of which were serious. National Police Deputy Commissioner Major General Chev Hak said three percent of these traffic accidents were caused by motorists driving under the influence of alcohol.

In a recent study by Astute Analytica, the value of Cambodia’s beer market was projected to reach $2.23 billion by 2032 from $1.06 billion in 2023, with a compound annual growth rate of 9.03% between 2024 and 2032.

CamboJA News did not receive any reply from Vattanac Brewery and Chip Mong Group via email.