Southeast Asian smokers face a cloud of new antismoking measures
5 January 2019 MASAYUKI YUDA, CLIFF VENZON and JUSTINA LEE, Nikkei staff writers Asian Nikkei Governments hike tobacco taxes to mitigate health threats and fund
Malaysia gets tough on smokers
5 January 2019 Jason Thomas The ASEAN Post Malaysia has become the latest ASEAN member state to establish more smoke-free zones; rolling out a divisive
Malaysia: RM500 fine for first-time no-smoking offenders
4 January 2019 The Star CAMERON HIGHLANDS (Bernama): A RM500 fine will be imposed on first-time offenders who flout the no-smoking rule at food premises.
Philippines: Health advocates’ New Year wish: Higher tobacco tax
1 January 2019 Marlon Ramos Inquirer For the past 16 years, Emer Rojas, an engineer, has been the local poster boy of the ill effects
Philippines: Cigarette price at P20 per stick can stop youth from smoking
12 December 2018 Ma. Teresa Montemayor Philippines News Agency MANILA — Studies show that smoking or tobacco use remains to be the biggest preventable cause of
Philippines: Boxing icon Pacquiao is determined to push bill doubling tobacco tax rate
11 December 2018 EDD K. USMAN Scitech and Digital APPARENTLY, Senate Bill 1599 is not moving as its author wants. But the author, world boxing
Philippines: Tobacco tax hike to help fund health care law: Sen. Ejercito
29 November 2018 ABS-CNB MANILA — Higher excise taxes on tobacco products will help fund the Universal Health Care Law, a senator who sought to
Indonesia: Regional meeting seeks to promote smoke-free tourism
21 November 2018 Jakarta Post The sixth regional meeting of Smoke-Free Cities in the Asia-Pacific region was held in Hoi An, Vietnam, on Nov. 20
ASEAN cities seek to promote smoke-free tourism environments
20 November 2018 Vietnam Plus Quang Nam (VNA) – The Smoke-free Cities ASEAN Network (SCAN) convened the 6th regional meeting in Hoi An city, the central
Malaysia: Penang gains international recognition for its smoke-free campaign
20 November 2018 Opalyn Mok Malay Mail GEORGE TOWN, Nov 20 — The Penang government has been recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and
Vietnam: Hoi An works toward becoming smoke-free city
20 November 2018 Ha Linh The Saigon Times DANANG – Millions of leaflets with the slogan, “Say no to tobacco,” in three languages—Vietnamese, English and
Cambodia: Siem Reap City administration workplace now smoke-free
6 November 2018: Mayor So Platong of Siem Reap City declared the administration workplace and its compound smoke-free. SEATCA’s Smoke-free Program Manager, Dr. Domilyn Villarreiz graced
Myanmar: Shan caves awarded as smoke-free heritage site
26 November 2018 Aung Phay Kyi Soe MyanmarTimes The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance has honoured Pindaya Caves in Shan State with an award for promoting
Thailand: Thailand First Asian Nation to Join Global Efforts to Control Tobacco
20 November 2018 Wendell C Balderas Inter Press Service BANGKOK, Thailand, Nov 20 2018 (IPS) – Thailand is set to become the first Asian country to
Malaysia: CAP scoffs at ‘excuses’ of trade groups for protesting smoking ban
22 November 2018 Predeep Nambiar Free Malaysia Today GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) today lauded the government’s move to ban cigarette smoking
Hoi An Declaration on Smoke-free Tourism
View PDF 640KB We, the delegates to the 6th Regional Meeting of Smoke-free Cities in the Asia Pacific Region from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,
Philippines: 64% of Filipinos will support candidates who push for higher tobacco taxes – Pulse Asia
5 November 2018: By Sofia Tomacruz Source: Rappler Pulse Asia research director Ana Tabunda says majority of Filipinos are supportive of increases in tobacco taxes
Philippines: DoH backs higher tobacco tax to fund universal health care
5 November 2018: By Charmaine A. Tadalan Source: BusinessWorld THE Department of Health (DoH) on Monday said it is seeking higher tobacco taxes to increase funding
Philippines: DOH calls for parental guidance over vaping
3 November 2018: Source: Sun Star THE Department of Health (DOH) said Saturday that it will still have to rely on parental guidance in policing
After 3 deferments, ILO finally decides on tobacco industry-funded projects
9 November 2018: By Jenny Lei Ravelo Source: Devex MANILA — The International Labour Organization will no longer rely on tobacco-industry funding for its projects to end child
Singapore defies Big Tobacco bullying and adopts plain packaging
2 November 2018: Source: The Nation The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) applauds Singapore’s plan to introduce plain packaging with enlarged graphic health warnings
Singapore: Singapore to introduce plain packaging, larger graphic warnings for all tobacco products
31 October 2018: Source: Channel News Asia SINGAPORE: All tobacco products in Singapore may soon be required to be sold in plain packaging with graphic
Philippines: Tourists to sign oath before entering reopened Philippine island
30 October 2018: By Caroline McGuire Source: News.com.au BOATLOADS of tourists have finally started returning to an island paradise locked up for six months. Officials
Philippines: Fortune Tobacco-Lucio Tan ‘wag pagkatiwalaan sa Boracay cleanup drive
29 October 2018: By Tina Medoza Source: Abante SUPORTADO ng isang tobacco advocacy group ang smoking ban sa beachfront at mga pampublikong lugar sa Boracay.
Philippines: Civil society groups urge smoking ban in beaches
28 October 2018: By Ma. Teresa Montemayor Source: Philippines News Agency MANILA — As Boracay reopens for tourism, civil society groups have called on the government
Malaysia: Cigarette prices going up
16 October 2018: By Fatimah Zainal Source: Star Online KUALA LUMPUR: Cigarette prices are set to go up at the end of this month or within
Malaysia: Ministry: Eateries nationwide to be smoke-free from next year
12 October 2018: By Lo Tern Chern Source: Star SUNGAI PETANI: Smoking in all restaurants, coffee shops and hawker centres nationwide will be banned starting
Experience heritage and culture: World Heritage Site Ha Long Bay in Viet Nam has gone smoke-free!
World Health Organization (WHO) Wester Pacific
Social Watch youth, community leaders turn over 200,000 signatures to JV for UHC, tobacco tax hike
28 September 2018: By BusinessMirror SOME 250 students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) and Social Watch Philippines (SWP) Youth recently turned over to
90 percent of Vietnamese want tobacco tax raised: survey
27 September 2018: By Dat Nguyen Source: VN Express International Most Vietnamese want the tax on tobacco raised as a means to reduce smoking, a survey
Myanmar: Smoke-free Universities workshop held in Myanmar
Last 20 September, the Ministry of Health and Sports (MOHS) in close collaboration with the People’s Health Foundation (PHF) with support from SEATCA organised a workshop
Resolutions of the 12th APACT Conference
Bali, Indonesia; 12-15 Sept 2018 Conference theme: “Tobacco Control for Sustainable Development Goals: Ensuring A Healthy Generation” We, the participants of 12th Asia Pacific Conference
Philippines: E-cigarettes not scientifically proven safe: ASEAN alliance
9 September 2018: By Ma. Teresa Montemayor Source: Philippines News Agency An alliance promoting tobacco control said the use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is not
Malaysia: Health Ministry wants to make open-air eateries smoke-free
6 September 2018: By: Mei Mei Chu Source: Star Online PETALING JAYA: Bad news for smokers and good news for non-smokers – lighting up at
Philippines: Smoke-Free Task Force nabs 1,504 smokers in Munti
4 September 2018: By: Manila Standard A friendly reminder to residents and visitors in Muntinlupa City: Smoking in public areas is penalized.As of August, the
Myanmar: Relevant ministries to launch educative campaign to control smoking, chewing betel quid among youths
3 September 2018: By: Ei Thinzar Kyaw The Ministry of Health and Sports and the Ministry of Education will work together to launch a special
Thailand: Tobacco’s murder streak continues
3 September 2018: By: Sheith Khidhir Three years ago, Thailand’s National Statistical Office revealed that the number of Thais above the age of 15 who
Philippines: No more smoking, drinking at Boracay white beach
28 August 2018: By: Faye Orellana Department of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said smoking and drinking in public places would be banned in Boracay. “Definitely no
SEATCA welcomes new executive director
31 August 2018: The SEATCA board and team are happy to announce that effective 1 August 2018, Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, SEATCA’s FCTC Program Director, assumed
Philippines: DOH supports proposed tobacco tax hike
15 August 2018: The Department of Health (DOH) is supporting the proposed increase in tobacco tax as it will help fund the Universal Health Care
Here Are The Leaders Of STOP: Bloomberg’s $20 Million Tobacco Watchdog
14 August 2018: STOP has just started and aims to bring new meaning to the phrase “asking for a light,” when it comes to smoking.
Thailand: Unenforced beach-smoking ban a failure in Pattaya
11 August 2018: The much-ballyhooed ban on smoking on Pattaya’s beaches has failed due, as so often is the case, to lack of enforcement. Like
Philippines: Puff chronicles: How Northern Mindanao smoke (3rd part)
22 July 2018: Regional perspective: Youth and smoking The Department of Health (DOH) in Northern Mindanao has based its regional statistics on health and smoking
Philippines: Puff chronicles: How Northern Mindanao smoke (2nd part)
21 July 2018: PNP-Northern Mindanao: ‘No apprehension records’ Prior to the Executive Order (EO) 26, which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in 2017, there
Philippines: Puff chronicles: How Northern Mindanao smoke
20 July 2018: ON MAY 16, 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Executive Order (EO) 26 that sought the nationwide ban on smoking in public
Philippines: Baguio’s anti-smoking task force to help BPO workers quit vice
17 July 2018: BAGUIO CITY — The City of Pines’ anti-smoking task force might come up with a program aimed at helping employees of Business Process
Philippines: Bishop calls court decision on smoking ban disgusting
15 July 2018: BALANGA City, Bataan: Bishop Ruperto Santos of the Diocese of Balanga on Saturday described a court decision on this city’s No Smoking ordinance
Philippines: Bataan city sued over antismoking laws
13 July 2018: CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (Seatca) has assailed the Philippine Tobacco Institute (PTI) for suing the
Indonesia: Controlling tobacco: Case of children’s human rights
11 July 2018: Indonesia currently holds the world’s highest growing rate of new, young smokers. If its commitments to curb cigarette consumption remains low, in
Indonesia: Govt ‘wasted budget’ on WTO tobacco packaging dispute, says YLKI
5 July 2018: An illustration shows plain cigarette packs, (Bloomberg/File photo) The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) has criticized the government for “wasting the state