PHNOM PENH (AFP) - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun
Sen on Tuesday 2 March warned women to beware of dubious standards
in the country's booming cosmetic surgery industry, in which
doctors often practise without licences.
Despite a sluggish economy in Cambodia from the global financial
crisis, health experts say the business of cosmetic surgery,
including nose jobs and breast enlargements, has doubled or even
tripled in recent years.
However Hun Sen said health officials needed to more stringently
monitor lax standards in the industry and urged women to be careful
or they might "go into a coffin" rather than obtain beauty.
"The
problem is whether or not (we) understand clearly the materials or
chemical substances that are used for beauty surgery," Hun Sen
said, citing the recent case of a Cambodian woman who died after
receiving an injection.
Many
Cambodian women are aiming for the what they perceive as the more
delicate looks of popular Korean and Chinese film stars.
But
even as operations become popular among the emerging middle class,
Cambodia remains a country where laws are loosely enforced and many
people calling themselves doctors have little training.
Although cosmetic surgeons are required to register with the health
ministry and have proper qualifications, officials say many operate
freely and illegally without licences.
Hun
Sen went on to urge Cambodian women to embrace their natural
beauty.
"I
would like to appeal to all women -- not only single women, but
also married women -- that it is good to keep natural beauty," Hun
Sen said.