Amid fake Lacoste and Ralph Lauren shirts at Phnom Penh’s Tuol Tumpong Market, a T-shirt depicting the classic European cartoon character Tintin standing in a minefield and surrounded by skulls has raised eyebrows at the Ministry of Tourism.
Under text reading: “Tintin in Cambodia’s forest,” Belgian cartoonist Herge’s three characters Tintin, Captain Haddock and Tintin’s white dog Snowy are shown staring in surprise at a heap of skulls and bones with a mine warning sign hanging in the background.
Tourism Minister Lay Prohas said Tuesday that the T-shirt was misleading and might give tourists the false impression that mines are a safety issue everywhere in Cambodia.
“Mines are no danger for tourists in Cambodia,” he said, adding that there were no mines close to popular tourism sites.
“We [will] send our inspectors to the market to speak to the owners and ask them to kindly and voluntarily remove the T-shirt,” he said.
But Handicap International’s Mine Action and Injury Prevention Coordinator Christian Provoost said the T-shirt could help raise awareness of land mines.
“It is just an individual initiative to sell some T-shirts and it is absolutely harmless. What is dangerous in this country is land mines,” he added
Asked about their impression of the T-shirt, tourists at the market, which is also known as the Russian Market, gave different opinions.
British tourist Sheila Austin said the T-shirt was in bad taste.
“Land mines are so important and to make a joke about it is not acceptable,” she said. “I can imaging men with no imagination buying it.”
But American tourist Julia Cato, 24, said she did not find the T-shirt offensive.
“It is trying to present something very serious in a lighthearted way,” she said. “It is not like they are trying to cover up their history.”