Phnom Penh, December 11 (IANS). Cambodia banned energy drinks in schools on Tuesday. The reason for this is said to be the increasing cases of diabetes among the youth.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Hang Chuon Naron said the move was taken to prevent the risk of non-communicable diseases, especially diabetes, caused by sugar and energy drink consumption.
“The consumption, distribution, sale and advertisement of all types of energy drinks in and around schools is completely banned,” Xinhua news agency quoted a government-issued directive as saying.
He said that this ban would have been implemented on all public and private schools as well as technical education institutions across the country.
Naron asked all schools to remind students about the negative effects of energy drinks when they gather to salute the national flag.
He also directed the schools that if any school violates the ban, energy drinks should be confiscated from the vendors in and around the school and the rent contracts of their stalls should be cancelled.
The ban came hours after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said there had been a rise in diabetes cases in the country. He advised the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports to take steps to prevent this disease among students.
“Some children drink up to three cans of sugar or energy drinks a day,” he said during the groundbreaking ceremony for the University of Health Sciences Hospital in Phnom Penh.
According to Health Minister Chhang Ra, diabetes is a leading cause of mortality in Cambodia.
He said that earlier infectious diseases were the main cause of deaths in the country, but now non-communicable diseases are causing more than half of the deaths.
The minister said the four main types of non-communicable diseases are heart disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases.
–IANS
SHK/KR
