Smoke Free Declaration of Siem Reap Provincial Hall and the 12 Administration District offices of Siem Reap Province

On October 22, 2009, the Siem Reap Province, home of the World Heritage Angkor Wat site, took a step towards being smoke free when the provincial hall and twelve districts were declared smoke free. This was the third provincial hall in Cambodia that had been declared to be smoke free.

At the Siem Reap Hall a deputy governor, His Excellency Sang Riha, addressed many representatives from districts and other institutions around the provincial stating “from today on, our province becomes a Smoke Free Province.” He also stated that this declaration can be help people’s health especially in the work place mentioning seven important benefits: 1) more production, 2) better work attendance, 3) less work mistakes, 4) less work danger and injury, 5) establish comfort and morality, 6) reduce the smoker rates and 8) promote sanitation and hygiene.

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Cambodia Country Director, Mark Schwisow, applauded the Siem Reap Provincial Hall and Districts in making a wise decision in promoting staff and local citizen’s wellbeing. Staff and citizens receive many benefits from working in or associating with these smoke free workplaces and thus these places become good models to others institutions to follow.

Cambodia ratified the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on November 15, 2005 which includes Smoke-Free Zones according to article #8 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

The Quit Counseling Training and declarations were organized by Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Cambodia’s Cambodian Action for Policy on Smoking and Health funded by Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).