Regional updates archive

18 October 2019 Mayen Jaymalin MANILA, Philippines – Despite a legal setback, the Department of Health (DOH) will continue to campaign and raise public awareness

15 October 2019 Macon Ramos-Araneta Amid rising concerns in many countries about the health risks of electronic cigarettes and vapes, Senator Pia Cayetano reiterated that

14 October 2019 Ma. Teresa Montemayor MANILA — The Sin Tax Coalition, a group of health advocates, on Monday called on President Rodrigo Duterte to certify

4 October 2019 Phan Anh People found smoking at 30 Hanoi landmarks will be fined on the spot starting this month, a city official said.

28 September 2019 Ian McIntyre GEORGE TOWN: Batu Ferringhi, which spans 7km, will be gazetted as Penang’s first no-smoking tourism zone by next month. State health

25 September 2019 Kyaw Ko Ko Bagan  authorities have prohibited smoking in eight more areas of the ancient capital, bringing to 56 the number of

13 September 2019 Gayatri Suroyo and Maikel Jefriando; Additional reporting by Fanny Potkin; Editing by Susan Fenton JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia will raise the minimum

10 September 2019 Nuria Ling SINGAPORE — A 35-year-old man who illegally sold 200 sets of electronic cigarettes online was sentenced to a fine of

3 September 2019 Lisa Du, Bruce Einhorn Juul Labs Inc., the e-cigarette pioneer grappling with negative publicity and government crackdowns in the U.S., is setting

1 September 2019 More than 100,000 people die each year from cancer in Việt Nam, and medical experts believe the fatality rate will rise because

2 September 2019 Ma. Teresa Montemayor MANILA — Health groups on Monday said there is no scientific evidence to support claims that e-cigarettes and heated tobacco

31 August 2019 Thailand becomes first country in Asia to enforce standardised packaging to deter smoking All cigarettes sold in Thailand will come in standardised,

28 August 2019 Post Reporter E-cigarettes will encourage former smokers to return to their habit and play a part in “recruiting” new smokers, according to

28 August 2019 Vincent Cabreza BAGUIO CITY – Anti-smoking crusaders want to raise cigarette prices by 1,000 percent and capitalize on President Duterte’s campaign against

29 August 2019 Air pollution in Jakarta not only occurs outdoors but also indoors, as tobacco smoking is still widespread within smoke-free area in shopping

20 August 2019 Mara Cepeda The new sin tax bill is the first measure to have successfully hurdled the House in the 18th Congress MANILA,

11 August 2019 Zaldy Comanda  BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Benjamin Magalong assured his full support to the city’s smoke-free campaign and to the enforcers implementing the

10 August 2019 MANILA – Shortly after a new law imposing higher excise taxes on tobacco products has been enacted, the Department of Finance is

2 August 2019 Olivia Miwil  KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government has extended the grace period for a state-wide smoking ban at all eateries to Dec

29 July 2019 Chino S. Leyco The newly signed law imposing higher taxes on cigarettes and a new tax on e-cigarettes as well as other

28 July 2019 Allison Jackson Electronic cigarettes are “undoubtedly harmful” and should be regulated, the WHO said Friday as it warned against the use of

26 August 2019 Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo I AM responding to the article, “Illegal cigarette trade ‘beyond crisis point’, says Japan Tobacco International Bhd (JTI) Malaysia”

21 August 2019 Mongkol Bangprara Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has vowed to retain Thailand’s ban on e-cigarettes, insisting the new government will not yield to

1 August 2019 Richa Noriega The Department of Finance is proposing to raise taxes on electronic cigarettes and vapes to impose restriction for smokers on

1 August 2019 R. Sekaran GEORGE TOWN: Vape products in all shapes and sizes have been flooding the market, including those targeting schoolchildren. Besides vape

30 July 2019 E. Ulysses Dorotheo, MD, FPAO I am writing in relation to the article, “Makers of e-cigarettes have 3 months to get FDA

15 July 2019 Nadhira Nuraini Afifa Many of us still mourn the death of the much-loved disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, affectionately known as Pak Topo,

3 July 2019 Voun Dara From this month, joint working groups formed by the Ministry of Economy and Finance will act against those involved in

3 July 2019 CNN Philippines Staff Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 3) — The Department of Health has banned the use of electronic cigarettes in public,

1 July 2019 SINGAPORE (ANN): Tobacco products sold in Singapore must have standardised packaging and enlarged graphic health warnings from July 1 2020, the Ministry

27 June 2019 From 2001 to 2016, cigarette and tobacco consumption among the youths under 15 has increased around threefold, said Union Minister for Health

25 June 2019 Antara & Nur Yasmin Jakarta. Indonesia’s antidrug agency has come out against vaping, noting that the popular replacement for arguably more harmful conventional cigarettes was prone

24 June 2019 Business Mirror Editorial Cigarette packs contain warnings about the health hazards of smoking. And with so few public places where people are

24 June 2019 BANGKOK (THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) – People in Thailand will no longer be allowed to smoke at home if their habit has

18 June 2019  Telly Nathalia Jakarta. The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, or Seatca, on Monday called on members of the Association of Southeast Asian

21 June 2019 Online Reporters A law prohibiting smoking at home will come into effect on Aug 20 in a bid to reduce deaths caused

21 June 2019 Songpol Kaopatumtip A new law which will be enforced on August 20, 2019 will target family members who smoke at home, the

17 June 2019 Editorial Board Treading softly and ever so cautiously is the hallmark of our policy on tobacco, the livelihood for millions of farmers

17 June 2019 Ivany Atina Arbi The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) has applauded Indonesia for its move to block online cigarette advertising, as

7 June 2019 Xiaoxia YANGON, June 7 (Xinhua) — Myanmar is deliberating to designate the country’s Bagan-Nyaung U archaeological zone as smoke-free areas, according to

14 June 2019 Gemma Holliani Cahya The internet is a free space no more for tobacco companies seeking to market their products after the Communications

13 June 2019 Translator: Ricky Mohammad Nugraha Editor: Mahinda Arkyasa TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) Cchairman Tulus Abadi said that internet cigarette advertisements that encourage people to smoke ‘deserve’ to

14 June 2019 REUTERS A man smokes cigarette as he attends morning prayers to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the holy fasting month

10 June 2019 Perla Lena ILOILO CITY — The World Health Organization (WHO) has named Iloilo City as among the recipients of the 2019 World No

5 June 2019 Jovic Yee MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III warned the public on Wednesday against the use of electronic cigarettes, stressing

5 June 2019 DJ Yap, Julie M. Aurelio, Marlon Ramos  MANILA, Philippines — The bill raising the excise on tobacco products is only waiting for President Rodrigo

30 May 2019 Myanmar manufactures 10 billion cigarettes every year, and the government should increase cigarette tax as the tax revenue is the lowest among

29 May 2019 Supoj Wancharoen Victory Momument is one of the six no-smoking zones in the capital establised by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. (Photo by

2 June 2019 Chito Chavez The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has reiterated that “under no circumstances should there be any designated

31 May 2019 Istu Septania and Sebastian Partogi Once smokers understand why they need to quit, they can discover how to let go of cigarettes.