Tabacco : Thailand bucking the trend

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Thailand bucking the trend
Lindsay Murdoch
August 26, 2012


Thailand has some of the toughest smoking laws in south-east Asia.

A BOY casually approaches an office worker smoking outside a Bangkok building. "Can I get a light?'' he asks. The smoker appears surprised that a child would be smoking. "If you smoke you die faster … don't you want to live and play?" he berates him. Millions of Thais have watched this scene on an anti-smoking advertisement that went viral on the internet, sending a message to Thailand's 13 million smokers.

The scene continues with the boy handing the smoker a brochure. It reads: "You worry about me. But why not about yourself?"

In 1991, 60 per cent of men in Thailand were smokers. Since then, the country has introduced some of south-east Asia's toughest smoking laws, with significant success. They include tax increases on cigarettes, advertising bans, clean air laws and health warnings.

Thailand bans smoking in all airconditioned buildings, fines non-compliant smokers, mandates that cigarette packs carry graphic pictures and warnings and bans tobacco companies from advertising on local radio and television, in newspapers and magazines, on billboards, in shops and on the internet.

The government, which estimates more than 48,000 Thais die from smoking-related illnesses each year, announced it is strengthening the punishment for violation of smoking laws to include the revocation of business licences and even heavier fines.

Thailand has had some success, but still has a way to go. The World Health Organisation says in 2011, 45.6 per cent of adult Thai men still smoke, and just over 3 per cent of women.

The lowest smoking rate in south-east Asia is in Singapore, where 25.2 per cent of men and 4.2 per cent of women smoke, according to the World Health Organisation.

But only tentative efforts to reduce smoking have been made in other south-east Asia countries.

In East Timor, tobacco companies sponsor youth street soccer tournaments while smoke fills restaurants and hotel lobbies.

In the Philippines, where the smoking rate is 47.6 per cent for men and 9 per cent for women, the President, Benigno Aquino, is moving to introduce a new "sin tax" on alcohol and cigarettes, which have prompted fierce opposition from tobacco companies, led by Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp.

"What is important is that our legislators are (also) open to hearing the side of stakeholders like the farmers, the workers, the consumers and small manufacturers," Chris Nelson, the company's president told reporters recently.

Bungon Rittiphakdee, director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance, said the world's toughest labelling laws, set to take effect in Australia, prepares the path for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to stand up to tobacco companies.

smh.com.au

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Published on 21 Jun 2012 by TheINFOTHAI
Unified directory of Phuket - Thai Health Promotion Foundation- Smoking Kid
Created by Ogilvy Thailand



youtube.com

[Satonic]

Good (Now that I don't smoke )

[benbaaa]

I see Thailand is also bucking a trend on spelling.

[BobR]

Published on 21 Jun 2012 by TheINFOTHAI
Unified directory of Phuket - Thai Health Promotion Foundation- Smoking Kid
Created by Ogilvy Thailand



youtube.com

That ad is absolutely brilliant. Not just another boring anti smoking spot of which there are millions.

[English Noodles]

Pleased I don't smoke anymore, smoking must be one of the most pointless and stupidest things that one can do to oneself.

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Thailand sees 1,000 new juvenile smokers daily

BANGKOK, Jan 10 – Fifty per cent of Thai men at the age of being fathers are smokers, while new juvenile smoking is reported at 1,000 persons a day, according to Thailand’s tobacco control expert.

Dr Prakit Vathesatogkit, secretary general of Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Thailand, called on parents and educators to fight against smoking among juveniles given the latest figure of 400,000 smokers aged 15-18.

His plea marks National Children’s Day on Saturday and annual Teachers’ Day next Wednesday.

With the rapid increase of new smokers, the country’s total number of 12 million smokers in the last two decades has not dropped despite successive anti-smoking campaigns, he said.

Most paternal smokers are between 25 and 44 years old, Dr Prakit said, adding that 8.8 per cent of Thailand's teachers are also listed among the country's smokers.

He said parents’ and teachers’ attitudes towards smoking have greatly impacted youths’ smoking or non-smoking behaviour.

A youth’s chance of turning to cigarettes reduces sevenfold if his parents are strongly against smoking, he said, adding that teachers are no less influential to children than parents.

Declaring school premises as non-smoking lessens the chance of juveniles practising the smoking habit during and after classes, he said.

pattayamail.com

[chassamui]

clean air laws

Where? When? Can't see for the smoke.

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Cigarette warning labels to get even bigger
February 1, 2013

Thailand will have the biggest warning labels on cigarette packs in the world.

The size of the warnings, which are dominated by graphic photos showing the consequences of smoking, will be expanded to cover 85 per cent of the pack, up from the current 55 per cent, Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong said Friday.

He told reporters after a meeting with national tobacco control board that they agreed to issue a ministerial declaration that would increase the size of the picture warnings from 55 per cent to 85 per cent of the packs as they believed that this would help reduce tobacco consumption.

nationmultimedia.com

[DrAndy]

Since then, the country has introduced some of south-east Asia's toughest smoking laws, with significant success.

yes, but laxly enforced

I only know of one bar that is strict about assholes who don't have the politeness to go outside, and that is because the lady owner recently died of lung cancer (she used to smoke like a trooper)

most bars seem to turn a blind eye to selfish bastards that just ignore any signs, and even get given an ashtray