Cellcard advert questioned

4 March 2014
The Phnom Penh Post
Civil society / Communications / Communications infrastructure / Communications policy and administration / Economy and commerce / Gender / Infrastructure / Social development / Telephone / Television
Cambodian Centre for Human Rights / Cambodian Television Network / CCHR / Cellcard / CTN / Kith Meng / MobiTel / Phibious / Royal Group / Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Project

The Cambodian Centre for Human Rights (CCHR) is calling out telecommunications firm Mobitel over a TV ad that shows a young Cambodian man who is shocked and dismayed when he meets, on a blind date, what appears to be a transgender woman. Lasting about 60 seconds, the commercial for Mobitel’s Cellcard network went up on the company’s Facebook page in late January and has aired regularly for weeks on the Cambodian Television Network (CTN). … After seeing the commercial, Nuon Sidara, project coordinator for the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights’ Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Project, sent a letter to Kith Meng, the CEO of Mobitel’s parent company, Royal Group, which also owns CTN. The letter requested that the company “reconsider the content” and not make links between “disappointing results” and transgender people. In an email yesterday, Sidara said that the commercial, despite targeting Cambodia’s youth, did not reflect the younger generation’s values regarding same-sex issues and transgender rights. …

 Eddie Morton
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/cellcard-advert-questioned