June 5, 2009

An official decree that would make graphic pictorial warnings mandatory on all cigarette packages is awaiting approval from the Ministry of Health

Graphic health warnings about the health risks associated with smoking will soon be obligatory on every cigarette pack sold in Cambodia to ensure that the kingdom meets its obligations under a World Health Organization treaty, reports The Phom Penh Post quoting government officials and local NGOs said.

Lim Thai Pheang, director of the National Centre for Health Promotion at the Ministry of Health, said an official decree was ready to be implemented, but needed to be officially approved by the minister of health.

According to a 2004 tobacco survey by the National Institute of Statistics at the Ministry of Planning, 54 percent of Cambodian men age 20 and older smoke, compared with 6 percent of women age 20 and over.

Source: Tobacco Reporter