Crews yesterday began dismantling the last two giant-sized billboards on Phnom Penh’s Chroy Changva peninsula one day after a brief rainstorm toppled three of the 50-by-15-meter signs, though a municipal official said they would be replaced by smaller billboards.
Deputy municipal Cabinet chief On Neang said that the advertising company Moon Media would hire a Japanese engineering firm to erect new signs, but he did not know when that would happen. The municipality did not order the removal of the remaining signs, he added.
“They just decided themselves to remove the billboards temporarily in order to provide safety for the villagers,” he said. “The municipality ordered me to warn all billboard companies to take care about their billboards to guarantee safety for villagers.” If an accident happens, the company will be responsible for damages, he added.
On Tuesday, gusty winds sent three signs to the ground. One of them, advertising Hennessy liquor, fell on a woman and her daughter, who were both injured. One of the signs partially collapsed in mid-April, sparking fears among local residents that the billboards would be unsafe during the rainy season.
San Kean, owner of Moon Media, declined to comment yesterday.
Pich Saroeun, Chroy Changva commune chief, said company officials visited the area yesterday, meeting with residents, but compensation had not been paid yet.
Simon Perkins, CEO of Hello Axiata phone network, which leased one of the fallen signs, said his company’s trust in Moon Media’s safety practices had been “misplaced,” and expressed relief that no one died in the incident.
“I will be asking some very rude questions of the advertising agency that is using these billboards,” he said, adding that his marketing department is already in discussions with Moon about the incident, as well as another smaller billboard that Hello leases from Moon.
“I don’t have any issues with large billboards, but I expect they are safe and properly managed and properly maintained,” he said.
(Additional reporting by Tim Sturrock)
