PHNOM PENH, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- An international animal-rights organization has urged Prime Minister Hun Sen to prevent the U.S.-based fast-food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) from opening in Cambodia, claiming that it threatens Cambodian culture, people's health and leads to animal abuse, local media said Wednesday.
In a letter to Hun Sen dated Tuesday, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said tourists do not come to Cambodia to eat at international fast-food chains, the Cambodia Daily newspaper said.
Such outlets "erode culture, as they make one country resemble every other country," PETA Asia-Pacific Director Jason Baker wrote in the letter.
The intensive farming required to supply KFC outlets would also increase the risks of food-born diseases caused by salmonella and E coli and the likelihood of a bird-flu epidemic, Baker wrote.
"We hope you will act to protect Cambodia's health and culture by refusing to allow KFC and the abusive farming practices it perpetuates from entering the country," he wrote.
Cambodian Information Minister and government spokesman Khieu Kanharith confirmed that the Ministry of Commerce had granted KFC authorization to operate in the country, the newspaper said.
KFC will open outlets in Cambodia's three major tourist centers: Phnom Penh, Siem Reap town and Sihanoukville, Khieu Kanharith said.
