Regional Updates

(Phnom Penh – August 31, 2009)A Government official last weekend said that the headway of sub-decree on health warnings, which will be signed by the Premier later this year after the second review, is a big step forward to the implementation of WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) although without picture warnings.    “It

   BANGKOK – Thailand’s reputation as a Southeast Asian country with strong anti-smoking laws faces a direct challenge from the tobacco multinational companies that are due to gather in the Thai capital in November for a major industry congress and exhibition.   The organizers of the cigarette promotion gathering, TABINFO Asia 2009, are not leaving

 SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Philip Morris International will increase the capacity of its Subic Bay tobacco storage facility by 4 times, making it the largest such warehouse in Southeast Asia. Initially envisioned to store 6,100 metric tons of tobacco products,the facility will soon be able to keep and preserve 24,000MTs of imported tobacco leaves, a company

Once again the policy debates in the Executive and Legislative departments of government about the taxation of the so-called “sin products” like tobacco and alcohol are heating up. The Department of Finance has been advocating a single tax for all these products with the objective of significantly raising revenues by as much as R20 billion.

 Smoke Free Vientiane Capital On August 28 2009, hundreds of people gathered at That Luang esplanade to join the official ceremony to announce Vientiane, the capital of Lao PDR, as a Smoke Free city.   The ceremony began with opening speeches from  the Vice provincial governor of Vientiane Capital as well as  representatives of ADRA Laos, WHO

Kuala Lumpur – If healthcare providers and non-governmental organisations have their way, all public places would be 100 percentsmoke-free.Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control chairperson K Koris Atan said the government should remove all current exemptions to achieve this.“Political will and economic issues come into play as well. This is why cooperation from other sectors is

Airline passengers to be fined more for smoking Airline passengers will be fined up to VND5 million (US$292) for smoking onboard, according to the latest draft decree announced by the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam. If passed, the new legislation would reflect a fine increase of five times the current figure. At present, passengers are

Spending almost all day sitting on his motorcycle Iwan, 30, an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver at Slipi intersection, West Jakarta, thinks nothing is more relaxing than drinking a glass of hot, black coffee and smoking a pack of cigarettes amid the scorching heat and choking haze from passing vehicles. Working from 6 a.m. to 5

SMUGGLERS are adapting their methods to elude the border authorities. From hiding contraband in broken-down buses being towed across the Causeway to concealing cigarette cartons within concrete slabs, smugglers these days are a different breed from those of old who simply stowed the stash in makeshift vehicle compartments, for example. The observation on their modus

Since its establishment in 2001, the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation has done an extraordinary job of discouraging smoking in the Kingdom. Warning labels featuring graphic images of the possible consequences of smoking have been placed on cigarette packages. Though Canada lays claim to being the first country in the world to adopt such