Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to the article titled, "Govt rails against drawn-out chitchat" (July 17, 2009). The article reported that the Ministry of Information had released a statement "urging media outlets to stop running advertisements that encourage customers to talk on the phone for long periods of time". The statement mentioned that such advertisements convince students to diverge from our good Khmer traditions and morals.

As Cambodia is a country of free markets, companies need to advertise their business, including the price of phone calls.

I do not think this affects Khmer traditions and morals. In any case, it is not the government's responsibility to watch out for the students. Their parents have to be responsible for educating them.

In my opinion, the government should ban talking on the phone while driving, because sometimes we read in the newspapers that drivers had accidents that resulted in injuries or death because they were talking on the phone. And sometimes we see drivers lose control when they drive and talk on the phone at the same time, thereby disturbing other drivers on the road.

Tong Soprach

Phnom Penh

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The views expressed above are solely the author's and do not reflect any positions taken by The Phnom Penh Post.