Can't Give Up Smoking

Hun Sen Admits He Can't Give Up Smoking

Cambodia's most famous smoker admitted Wednesday that he has failed once again to quit tobacco. Prime Minister Hun Sen made the announcement in a speech at the Ministry of Commerce's annual meeting. He quipped that if some one asked him which foreign wines taste the best, he would be no expert. "But I can tell you which cigarette tastes good," he joked. "I cannot reform, please forgive me, World Health Organization: I have failed again, I could only quit for a short while." Yel Daravuth, who heads the World Health Organization's tobacco-free initiative in Cambodia, said he could not comment on the prime minister's health But he said the latest survey, in 2004, indicates that 54 percent of adult Cambodian men smoke, the highest rate in the region. "We are very concerned," he said. (Yun Samean)

Cambodia Daily, Feb. 09, 2006