BANGKOK, 27 May 2026. As World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) 2026 is observed by the global community, the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) and its public health partners, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Philippines, ASH Thailand, Cambodia Movement for Health (CMH), HealthBridge Vietnam, HealthJustice Philippines, Indonesian Health Policy Forum (RUKKI), and People’s Health Foundation (PHF) in Myanmar, are launching a united regional front to call for a coordinated endgame approach to all nicotine products, including cigarettes, e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products, and nicotine pouches.
Aligning with the World Health Organization’s WNTD theme, “Unmasking the appeal – countering nicotine and tobacco addiction,” advocates across Southeast Asia said that the tobacco industry is increasingly relying on digital marketing and its fake “harm reduction” narratives to rebrand addiction for the new generation.
“Harm reduction is about keeping people safe and not replacing one harm with another harm,” says Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director of SEATCA. “If tobacco companies genuinely wanted a ‘smoke-free future,’ they would have stopped making and selling cigarettes yesterday. Instead, we are seeing the industry co-opting public health language to market its newer toxic and addictive products as ‘solutions’ to the cigarette problem that it continues to sustain. This duplicity must end. All tobacco products should be phased out as soon as possible.”
While eight ASEAN member states, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam, maintain bans on the sale and import of electronic smoking devices, governments face a relentless wave of industry interference and digital marketing of these products. Advocates emphasize that achieving a truly protected ASEAN requires closing cross-border policy loopholes and eliminating online retail availability and marketing.
The alliance calls on all governments to more fully protect the region, especially its young people, by transitioning toward a definitive endgame policy for all commercial nicotine products.
“History has shown us that legality does not equal safety,” said Dr U Than Sein of PHF, a recipient of the 2026 World No Tobacco Day Award. “Many products once widely used, like lead and ivory, are now banned because of their harm. The same principle should apply to commercial nicotine products.”
The rapid proliferation of tobacco and nicotine products has triggered a severe youth addiction crisis across the ASEAN region. Disguised as sleek consumer-lifestyle tech and fueled by aggressive, 24/7 digital marketing, these products are explicitly engineered to hook a new generation. By introducing thousands of youth-appealing dessert and fruit flavors, the industry is creating deep physical dependence under the fraudulent guise of “harm reduction,” threatening to reverse decades of hard-won tobacco control victories in Southeast Asia.
“We cannot allow regulatory policy to fall into a permanent, reactionary game of catch-up with the industry,” warned Mouhamad Bigwanto, Executive Director of RUKKI. “Tobacco companies are already introducing synthetic variants like 6-methyl nicotine and labeling them ‘nicotine-free’ simply to evade existing laws. Our statutory laws must be updated immediately to capture and prohibit these substances before they ever hit the shelves. It is time to stop playing defense against an industry that views our youth merely as replacement consumers.”
As the regional campaign intensifies, civil society organizations are urging ASEAN leaders to look beyond basic containment and actively map out a comprehensive endgame strategy. This long-term legislative framework aims to phase out conventional tobacco products entirely while maintaining strict prohibitions on emerging products, legally establishing a future truly free from nicotine addiction.
“Partial restrictions are no longer enough to counter a predatory industry that continuously shifts its tactics,” said Dr. Mom Kong, Executive Director of CMH. “Protecting future generations requires bold, structural end-game strategies. By maintaining absolute bans on electronic smoking devices and systematically phasing out cigarettes, ASEAN can serve as a global blueprint for public health. We must dismantle the commercial tobacco ecosystem completely, ensuring our children inherit a world free from the cycle of corporate-sponsored addiction.”
Contact Information:
Ms. Cyresse Ann Achilleos, Media and Communications Officer, SEATCA
Email: cyresse@seatca.org
Mobile: +63 975 701 7130
About SEATCA
SEATCA is a multi-sectoral non-governmental alliance promoting health and saving lives by assisting ASEAN countries to accelerate and effectively implement the tobacco control measures contained in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). SEATCA is an accredited ASEAN entity and an official Observer to the WHO FCTC Conference of Parties. WHO bestowed on SEATCA the World No Tobacco Day Award in 2004 and the WHO Director-General’s Special Recognition Award in 2014. www.seatca.org