30 October 2025, Bangkok — The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) harshly criticized the tobacco industry for continuing to delay the implementation of the standardized tobacco packaging in Lao PDR.
The Ministry of Health regulation, approved on 13 May 2024, was due to take effect after 180 days. Despite the compliance deadline being pushed from 5 December 2024 to 15 August 2025, the industry still refused to comply on time, dragging its feet for over nine months past the original legal deadline. 
Some, not all, cigarette packs in Lao PDR feature standardized packaging with pictorial health warnings covering 75% of the pack.
Recent field inspections in Lao PDR show that cigarette packs of only one imported brand comply with the standardized packaging and new pictorial health warnings covering 75% of the pack. Local manufacturers and other importers continue to ignore the law – clear defiance that underscores the industry’s power to undermine the country’s public health policies.
While ordinary citizens are expected to follow the law, the tobacco industry acts as if it is above it by defying regulations, dictating its own timelines, and bullying the government.
“The delay in enforcing the standardized packaging law is a clear sign that the tobacco industry is calling the shots instead of following the law,” said Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo, Executive Director of SEATCA. “This blatant disregard for public health underscores the urgent need for stronger enforcement and protection against industry interference.”
Lao PDR is the fourth country in Asia, after Thailand, Singapore, and Myanmar, to implement standardized tobacco packaging, a proven global best practice aligned with Articles 11 and 13 of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) to reduce tobacco use and save lives. Lao PDR now joins 26 countries worldwide that have adopted this life-saving measure.
“The delay in compliance is a stark reminder that tobacco control measures must be implemented and enforced according to public health priorities, not on the terms of an industry that profits from addiction,” added Dr. Dorotheo.
SEATCA calls on the Lao PDR government to intensify monitoring efforts, impose penalties on non-compliant tobacco companies, and ensure swift and full enforcement of the standardized packaging law. Strict implementation of this measure will protect citizens, especially young people from the harms of tobacco use and pave the way toward a healthier, tobacco-free future.
Contact Information:
Ms. Cyresse Ann Achilleos, Media and Communications Officer, SEATCA
Email: cyresse@seatca.org
Mobile: +63 975 701 7130
About SEATCA
SEATCA is a multi-sectoral non-governmental alliance promoting health and saving lives by assisting ASEAN countries to accelerate and effectively implement the tobacco control measures contained in the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). SEATCA is an accredited ASEAN entity and an official Observer to the WHO FCTC Conference of Parties. WHO bestowed on SEATCA the World No Tobacco Day Award in 2004 and the WHO Director-General’s Special Recognition Award in 2014.