SEATCA

Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance

Regional Updates

Cambodia’s Smoking Ban Ends at the Restaurant Door

4 August 2026 By Chhuon Kongieng – Cambodianess PHNOM PENH — Cambodia’s smoke-free laws are widely enforced in restaurants, cafés and other formal venues, but smokers continue to light up freely on streets and in traditional markets, exposing the public to secondhand smoke in spaces largely untouched by current regulations. Business owners say they do

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Cigarettes consume trillions of dong from the health insurance fund and claim over 100,000 lives in Vietnam every year

31 July 2026 By Vietnam.vn Each year, tobacco not only claims over 100,000 lives but also costs Vietnam approximately 108.7 trillion VND in medical expenses and economic losses. Notably, the health insurance fund alone spends trillions of VND on treating tobacco-related diseases, placing significant pressure on the national social security system and healthcare resources. The

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The Provincial People’s Committee issued a plan to implement the project of converting and replacing tobacco plants with suitable crops and livestock

4 August 2026 By Bao Cao Bang The Provincial People’s Committee issued Plan No. 2748/KH-UBND on July 30, 2026 to implement the Project to research and support the conversion and replacement of tobacco plants with suitable crops and livestock for farmers growing tobacco until 2030, oriented to 2035. The plan aims to gradually transform the

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Higher taxes eyed on beverages, e-cigarettes, plastics to offset P67-B losses from tax relief

4 August 2026 By Vivienne Gulla – ABS-CBN News MANILA — The House Committee on Ways and Means on Tuesday began tackling the proposal to increase the tax-exempt annual income ceiling from the current P250,000. During a briefing before the House panel, the Department of Finance (DOF) pushed for a tax reform package, dubbed ProGRESS,

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Ministry proposes to legislate ban on e‑cigarettes, heated tobacco

According to the amended law drafting committee, the current Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms does not contain specific definitions for e‑cigarettes and heated tobacco products, nor does it prohibit these two product groups. 22 July 2026 By Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — Delegates agreed that amendments were needed to fully institutionalise

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Minister of Health: E-cigarettes are as dangerous as conventional cigarettes

22 July 2026 By Hana Dewi Kinarina Kaban, Editor: Debby H. Mano – Antara Jakarta (ANTARA) – Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin emphasized that e-cigarettes are not a safer alternative than conventional cigarettes because they have the potential to increase the risk of non-communicable diseases as well as open a gap for narcotics abuse,

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Opinion: National Children’s Day Momentum to End the Child Smoking Paradox

22 July 2026 By Lisda Sundari – Bisnis Style Bisnis.com, JAKARTA – National Children’s Day (HAN) should not only be an annual celebration, but also a momentum to measure the extent to which the state fulfills its obligations to protect children. In the Convention on the Rights of the Child that has been ratified by

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Disease Control Department seeks views on indoor smoking zones at international airports

17 July 2026 By The Nation Thailand’s Disease Control Department has opened a public hearing on whether international airports should be allowed to set up smoking zones inside passenger terminals. The Department of Disease Control under the Public Health Ministry has begun a public consultation through the central legal platform to assess whether international airports

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