SEATCA Press Release

In a recent news article, Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corporation (PMFTC) boasted the successful transition of75,000 Filipino smokers to its flagship heated tobacco product (HTP), IQOS, all the while ignoring that it continues to sell millions of cigarettes and opposes effective tobacco control measures in order to increase its profits. The tobacco industry has a …

Rehashed ‘Safer Tobacco Products’ Gimmick Masquerading as Public Health Benefit Read More »

(Bangkok, 30 June 2023) The ASEAN region is home to 213 million youths, and ASEAN teens are increasingly being targeted  by the tobacco industry as the next  generation of nicotine addicts. In 2019, 14.1% of Filipino adolescents aged 13 to 15 years were already using electronic smoking devices (ESD), alongside 11% of Indonesian youths and …

ASEAN cannot afford a new generation of nicotine addicts Read More »

Asia cannot afford to ignore the devastating impact of tobacco on individuals and societies. Tobacco kills eight million people in the world every year, and in ASEAN, more than half a million people annually. Tobacco is an obstacle to achieving the sustainable development goals of ending poverty, achieving food security, and ensuring good health and …

World No Tobacco Day 2023: Asians need food, not tobacco Read More »

Bangkok, Thailand (1 May 2023) – In celebration of Earth Day (23 April) and the upcoming World No Tobacco Day (31 May), which focuses on the theme, “Food, not tobacco”, the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance reiterates its call for governments to support tobacco farmers to transition to growing food crops for a healthier, more …

To achieve food security, phase out tobacco farming  Read More »

The Prime Minister recently stated plans to impose an excise duty on vape products in Malaysia. Instead of keeping them illegal, taxing e-cigarettes would automatically legalize them for sale as consumer products. Unfortunately, countries that have allowed e-cigarettes are facing a hard time with increasing incidence of children vaping, despite strict enforcement measures.  In the …

Mr Prime Minister, please do not hand the Malaysian youth over to a harmful industry Read More »

13 March 2023 Bangkok, 13 March – Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA), a coalition of organizations behind the global movement to align plastics policies with tobacco control, launched a campaign to urge countries to ban cigarette filters and make tobacco polluters pay for the environmental damage they have caused over many decades. To kick off …

Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance: Making Tobacco Polluters Pay Campaign Launches in The New York Times Read More »

On 6 December 2022, the Philippine Statistics Authority and the Department of Health reported a further decline in smoking prevalence to 18.5% in 2021 from 22.7% in 2015, as part of the latest Global Adult Tobacco Survey results. Based on the most recent available data, smoking prevalence in the Philippines now ranks lower than most …

Tobacco Taxes and Graphic Health Warnings Work: PH Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2021 shows Read More »

Bangkok, 22 December – The tobacco industry conducts its so-called corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities by donating to groups and foundations in different countries. However, this fake “charity” is just a way to divert attention from the diseases and harms caused by its products, buy goodwill and publicity, influence regulatory policy development, and weaken or …

Governments urged to ban manipulative tobacco industry’s CSR activities Read More »

SEATCA is a member of the Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA), a global coalition of public health organizations that recognize the significant intersection of tobacco control and environmental health. STPA will actively participate in the UN plastics treaty negotiations from November 2022 through 2024 and remain active to ensure strong implementation of treaty measures that …

The Stop Tobacco Pollution Alliance (STPA) Read More »

Bangkok, 21 November – In anticipation of the 2023 release of a tobacco industry marketing code to establish a global marketing standard for electronic smoking devices (ESDs), the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) today warned governments not to be deceived.  In its latest report, “Tobacco Industry Duplicity: Recycling an Old Marketing Code,” SEATCA maintains …

Governments should reject voluntary codes from the tobacco industry Read More »