Tobacco.org

• Cigarettes accessible to underage smokers 

The three schoolgirls are just a small part of the growing number of youths addicted to cigarettes.

The 2006 World Health Organization's Global Tobacco Youth Survey showed 68.1 percent of junior high school students in Jakarta could easily buy cigarettes without being asked to prove they were older than 17.

It also showed by the age of 13 to 15, at least 37.3 percent of children had tried smoking.

Seto Mulyadi of the National Commission for Children said these children were also known as premature smokers.

He said students were prone to start smoking because of the strong advertising campaigns conducted by cigarette companies.

He also said public service announcements had gradually lost their grip in sculpturing youth behavior today.

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Old habits die hard as Indonesians keep smoking 

With more people living healthier lifestyles, you might think quitting smoking is going to be the next big thing. Unfortunately, it's not.

"Smoking is still a trend today," said Widjajanti, the secretary-general of Lembaga Menangani Masalah Merokok (LM3), a non-profit organization striving for a smoke-free society.

"What's horrible is 80 percent of junior high and high school students have tried smoking or are regular smokers," she said.

If the trend continues, about 1 billion people will have died from smoking by 2010, she said.

The organization reported at least 59 percent of men and 3.7 percent of women in Indonesia are smokers, while some 215 billion cigarettes are smoked in the country last year.

Widjajanti has provided counseling for four years to smokers who want to kick the habit.

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• Indonesian sports addicted to tobacco sponsors 

Indonesian sports associations are trying to wean themselves off sponsorships from tobacco companies, as the government looks to follow the example of other Asian nations who have banned the practice.

"I agree that ideally, tobacco companies should not sponsor any sporting events. But we can't ban their sponsorship now because we don't have other potential sources of funds," State Minister of Youth and Sports Affairs Adhyaksa Dault told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He said current restrictions for tobacco advertising on broadcasting hours and for junior sports events may be extended to a directive ban in the next five years.

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UPDATE 1-Indonesia's Gudang Garam Q4 net profit doubles 

Indonesian tobacco firm PT Gudang Garam Tbk's GGRM.JK fourth quarter net profit more than doubled from a year ago thanks to lower operating expenses and interest charges.

But the results of the country's largest tobacco company, best known for its traditional clove cigarettes, were below analysts' expectations because of strong competition from rivals and the impact of tougher government regulations and tariff pressure.

Some analysts say Gudang Garam's products are mainly targeted at the lower income group, which is more sensitive to price fluctuations and broader economic condition, compared to rival Sampoerna which targets the largely higher income group.

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• Govt told to butt out tobacco ads 

The National Commission for Child Protection lashed out at the government on Wednesday for "lacking the political will" to protect children from tobacco, and announced a plan to request a judicial review of the 2003 regulation on cigarette control.

Commission secretary general Aris Merdeka Sirait said the government regulation was abusing children's rights by allowing cigarette advertising that encouraged them to smoke.

He also criticized the regulation that did not specify any sanctions for violators.

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EDITORIAL: Tougher regulations on tobacco 

Increasingly heavy burdens inflicted on Indonesians by tobacco-related diseases and deaths have made it imperative for the government to ratify the World Health Organization's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) that severely restricts cigarette marketing and advertising.

It is saddening to report that Indonesia and North Korea are the only countries in Asia that have yet to sign the WHO anti-tobacco pact.

It is no wonder the country has remained a haven for cigarette companies

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• Indonesia has not taken basic steps to control tobacco industry 

Indonesia is lagging behind neighboring countries in implementing tobacco control policies and is the only Southeast Asian country that has not ratified the global tobacco control treaty, the World Health Organization's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). In a recent Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) meeting in Bangkok, SEATCA policy development adviser Mary Assunta talked with The Jakarta Post's Desy Nurhayati on the issue. Below is an excerpt of the interview.

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Study urges higher tobacco taxes to help economy, public health 

JAKARTA-Raising taxes on tobacco products in Indonesia may lead to lower cigarette consumption, fuller employment, higher economic output, and increases in government revenue, according to a study released Wednesday.

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• Study urges higher tobacco taxes to help economy, public health : Health 

Raising taxes on tobacco products in Indonesia may lead to lower cigarette consumption, fuller employment, higher economic output, and increases in government revenue, according to a study released Wednesday. The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance commissioned the study, conducted by Abdillah Ahsan, and Nurhadi Wiyono of the School of Economics at the state-run University of Indonesia, showed that tobacco tax increases of 30 to 100 per cent in Indonesia would raise cigarette prices by 7 to 26 per cent and thereby reduce cigarette consumption by 2.6 to almost 9 per cent.

"And yet, 100, 50 or 30 per cent tax increases will likely increase government revenue by 82.13, 43.3 and 24 per cent respectively. Indonesia's current tax rate is at 31 per cent," the researchers said in a statement.

The study also suggests that as people consume less cigarettes, they will tend to spend more on essential items for their health and welfare, it said.

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OVER 80 PCT OF RI'S SMOKERS ARE UNDER 19 

More than 80 percent of Indonesian cigarette smokers in 2007 were less than 19 years old, an expert said.

"In accordance with data issued by Indonesia Tobacco Control Network (ITCN), the proportion of young smokers continues to increase, followed by even younger smokers of 5-9 yeas old in which the percentage was up from 0.4 percent in 2001 to 1.8 percent in 2004," Prof Dr Veni Hadju, PhD, dean of the public health school of Hasanuddin University in Makassar said on Monday.

Prof Veni made the remarks on the sidelines of a "Leadership and Management for Tobacco Control" evaluation which was conducted by the Indonesian Tobacco Impact Control Networks here.

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Indonesia has more young smokers 

The number of Indonesia's young smokers continues to increase and more than 80 percent of cigarette smokers in 2007 were less than 19 years old, Antara news agency quoted an expert as saying on Tuesday.

"In accordance with data issued by Indonesia Tobacco Control Network (ITCN), the proportion of young smokers continues to increase, followed by even younger smokers of 5-9 yeas old in which the percentage was up from 0.4 percent in 2001 to 1.8 percent in 2004," Prof. Dr Veni Hadju, dean of the public health school of Hasanuddin University, was quoted by Antara as saying.

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Indonesia has more young smokers  

The number of Indonesia's young smokers continues to increase and more than 80 percent of cigarette smokers in 2007 were less than 19 years old, Antara news agency quoted an expert as saying on Tuesday.

"In accordance with data issued by Indonesia Tobacco Control Network (ITCN), the proportion of young smokers continues to increase, followed by even younger smokers of 5-9 yeas old in which the percentage was up from 0.4 percent in 2001 to 1.8 percent in 2004," Prof. Dr Veni Hadju, dean of the public health school of Hasanuddin University, was quoted by Antara as saying.

Prof Veni made the remarks on the sidelines of a "Leadership and Management for Tobacco Control" evaluation which was conducted by the Indonesian Tobacco Impact Control Networks in Makassar, capital of South Sulawesi province.

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No more cigarette ads, Alliance tells government 

Indonesia has been told to catch up with other Southeast Asian countries and ban cigarette advertising because it encourages younger people to smoke.

Mary Assunta of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) said here Monday the republic had been left behind in its efforts to curb the growth of smokers in the region.

She said Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam had totally banned cigarette advertising, promotion and sponsorship.

Malaysia, the Philippines and Laos had banned all advertising, but Indonesia seemed to be in a status quo with its partial advertising ban, Mary said.

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INTERVIEW - Russian ban may hit India's tobacco exports 

India's tobacco exports in 2008/09 may be hit by Russia's decision to ban imports of some plant products from it, a senior official said on Tuesday.

However, in the year ending March 2008, tobacco exports are seen rising 10 percent to $420 million, from $381.54 million in 2006/07, on robust demand, J Suresh Babu, chairman of the Tobacco Board, told Reuters in an interview.

Russia banned imports of plant products, including tobacco, from India from Jan. 28 after it found the dangerous khapra beetle pest in a shipment of sesame.

Russia, the biggest buyer of Indian tobacco,

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Government Requested to Forbid Cigarette Commercial 

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: General Chairman of National Commission for Child Protection, Seto Mulyadi, called for the government to be courageous to forbid any form of cigarette commercial. This is because the negative effects caused by cigarettes is more than the excise revenue. He also thinks that the corporate social responsibility (CSR) program of cigarette companies is a hidden cigarette campaign.

"What is called selling something doesn't need socialization, moreover through the media. They do free advertising through their CSR programs," said Seto after presenting the results of research on the cigarette commercial effect on cognitive and adolescent behavior aspects at his office yesterday (17/1). The research was conducted by the Public Health Department, Health Study Faculty Muhammadiyah Professor Dr. Hamka University.

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