THE Ministry of Information released a statement Thursday urging media outlets to stop running advertisements that encourage customers to talk on the phone for long periods of time.

"The Information Ministry has observed that ... phone companies advise and persuade customers to have long periods of chitchat," read a statement signed by Information Minister Khieu Kanharith.

"Such advertising convinces students to have relationships and do activities that diverge from our good Khmer traditions and morals," it said.

Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers Association, took issue with the statement, saying the advertisements did not contribute to immoral behaviour.

"[The advertisements] do not have any impact besides helping people decide on a phone system," he said.

The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, So Khun, said the Ministry of Information had the right to remove or censor advertisements from the Kingdom's nine mobile operators and three landline phone companies.