SEATCA Press Release

Philippines/Bangkok, 24 January 2020: The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) welcomes new taxes on electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) signed into law by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on 22 January 2020 to protect the health of all Filipinos especially the youth and the poor. “E-cigarettes and heated tobacco products are harmful, promote …

Tax increases on e-cigs and heated tobacco products to prevent youth uptake Read More »

Siem Reap, Cambodia, 28 November 2019: Around 200 smoke-free leaders and representatives from cities all over Asia Pacific are gathered in the home of Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site to discuss steps to promote and strengthen smoke-free tourism in different cities and heritage sites.  Organized by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) …

Asia Pacific meeting advances smoke-free tourism and heritage protection Read More »

Bangkok/Manila, 23 October 2019: Big Tobacco apparently has no intention to reduce sales of cigarettes while aggressively promoting supposedly smoke-free alternative products. According to a new report Big Tobacco’s smoke-free deception: Tobacco trademarks in ASEAN countries uncover the truth, tobacco companies registered more intellectual property (IP) for cigarette brands than for brands of Electronic Nicotine …

New study exposes duplicity of tobacco companies’ unbelievable smoke-free claim Read More »

Bangkok, 17 October 2019: Pervasive tobacco industry actions interfering in government policies that protect public health remain a major obstacle to full implementation of effective tobacco control measures in the ASEAN region.  Countries are moving at a glacial pace in preventing and countering tobacco industry interference as required under Article 5.3 of the WHO Framework …

ASEAN report underlines tobacco industry interference in public health policy in the region Read More »

This briefing paper provides evidence-based guidance for policy development regarding electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS, such as e-cigarettes that heat a nicotine-containing e-liquid or e-juice without tobacco) and heated tobacco products (HTPs, which contain tobacco). It is particularly relevant in the light of at least 215 severe respiratory illnesses and two vaping-related deaths recently reported …

Cigarette smoking kills; vaping e-cigarettes kills, too Read More »

Bangkok, 29 August 2019: Noting that tobacco companies have started complying with Thailand’s Standardized Packaging Regulation two weeks ahead of the required deadline, the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) commends Thailand being the first country in the ASEAN Region and Asia at large to usher in standardized tobacco packaging. Starting 10 September 2019 with …

All cigarettes in Thailand will be sold in dull packaging starting 10 Sept 2019 Read More »

Manila/Bangkok, 26 July 2019: The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) warmly welcomes Republic Act (RA) 11346 or the Tobacco Tax Law 2019, which will protect Filipinos from tobacco health harms and help fund implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act signed into law earlier this year. RA 11346 was signed into law by …

New tobacco tax increases will protect and promote health of all Filipinos Read More »

Philip Morris International (PMI) and the PMI-funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) have hijacked public health’s smoke-free terminology to detract from the global tobacco control treaty, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). PMI claims it wants a smoke-free future, but it’s one built on smokers shifting to heated tobacco products (HTP) and …

International public health community supports SEATCA’s Smoke-Free Index and urges rejection of PMI-funded Foundation for a Smoke-Free World (FSFW) Read More »

Bangkok, 5 July 2019: The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) warmly welcomes the Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) announcement of the implementation date for standardized tobacco packaging in Singapore, making it the second Asian country to implement this important tobacco control measure. Following parliamentary approval in February 2019, this gazettement of Tobacco (Control of …

Standardized packaging to deglamorize tobacco packs in Singapore by July 2020 Read More »