A screenshot of a video advertisement for coffee that was deemed defamatory and banned earlier this week. Youtube

Crackdown on coffee ad a first step, says ministry

A Ministry of Commerce official yesterday said this week’s action against Sin Veng Yu Coffee Co was part of a move towards more stringent enforcement of existing laws and predicted more action would be taken against “excessive exaggeration, manipulation and deceitful enticement in commercials”.

The Ministry of Information on Monday ordered all radio stations, television channels, newspapers and magazines to temporarily halt dissemination of the coffee company’s commercial spot for violating statues prohibiting deceitful, misleading or false advertising.

Officials are currently monitoring and evaluating other potential violators as part of a strengthening of the Law on the Management of Quality and Safety of Products and Services, Commerce Ministry spokeswoman Soeng Sophary said yesterday.

Enforcement has admittedly been lax, she said, but a push for stricter regulatory action has been on since Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak took his post in March. “The lenient law enforcement [regarding] improper commercial behaviours [will] be vanishing,” she said.

Actions against violators could include shutting down their businesses, depending on the gravity and impact of their actions, Sophary said.

Nguon Meng Tech, director general of the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, said he welcomed the stringent actions. “I think it should be good,” he said. “To me, if any company violates [the law], it should be corrected.”