Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith will be summoned by the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Commission to explain the intensity of alcohol advertising on TV and radio.

Commission chairman Chheang Vun said he decided to query the minister over the issue after being bombarded by alcohol ads while watching TV.

“I sat in front of the box for 10 minutes and not less than eight minutes was about alcohol,” said Vun, at a monthly press conference at the NA yesterday. “This is serious. I know [alcohol ads] support the media’s income, but we should think more about their consequences, such as deaths from drink driving.”

Alcohol is indeed a factor in Cambodia’s disastrous road toll. According to World Health Organization statistics, 16 percent of road traffic deaths involved alcohol.

Kanharith said he welcomed a chance to address the issue, and pointed to restrictions on such ads between the hours of 6pm and 8pm.

A total ban during those hours is slated to take effect in January.