Tobacco.org

• Myanmar Media Stress Control Of Tobacco Consumption 

Myanmar official media Monday warned of the danger of tobacco, calling on the people to actively participate in the control of tobacco consumption, reports Xinhua news agency quoting a local daily.

According to the New Light of Myanmar, Health Minister Dr Kyww Myint stressed the need to organize the citizens to know the danger of tobacco and to join in tobacco consumption control.

He made these remarks in the wake of the warning by the World Health Organization (WHO) that consumption of tobacco and tobacco products killed over five million people yearly and the use of tobacco remained the main factor of causing diseases in the year 2020.

The WHO has designated the motto "Tobacco Health Warning" for this year with a view to enabling the people to understand the danger of tobacco by printing the health warning on packages of tobacco.

According to the paper, Myanmar marked the World No Tobacco Day- 2009 in Nay Pyi Taw ceremonially on Sunday.

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• Myanmar seeks zero-duty access for tobacco products  

Myanmar is asking the Philippines for zero duty access for the exports of tobacco and cigarette products. Similar requests were also filed by Myanmar to Thailand and Malaysia.

The Tariff Commission will conduct a public hearing today on the Myanmar request along with the review of the expiring zero duty rates on imported cement and wheat.

At present, Tariff Commission official said that tobacco and cigarette products are included under the ASEAN Integration System of Preferences and as such ASEAN slapped tobacco with three percent tariff and cigarette at five percent.

The AISP is a scheme where ASEAN 6 gives unilateral import duty exemption to products of export interests to the CLMV ( Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam ).

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China's responsible image shown in anti-drug cooperation  

This year is the 100th anniversary of the 1909 anti-opium conference, which was the first attempt to render drugs illegal. An international conference on the anti-opium trade was held in Shanghai a full century ago. Recently, the Chinese government carried out solemn activities in this east China metropolis with the participation of senior representatives from 17 countries, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN International Drug Control to mark the centenary of the landmark Anti-opium Conference. . . .

Meanwhile, the Chinese government has offered 500 million US dollars to tobacco farmers on substitutions crops in Northern Myanmar and Laos or as aid grants or technical support, and it had provided Myanmar with 20,000 tons of rice between 2006 and 2008 as an emergency aid to ensure that the tobacco farmers would not return to planting poppy due to their hard life; China has also provided Laos with a total sum of 50 million US dollars in grant aid for setting up a detoxication or rehabilitation center. Thanks to joint efforts of the international community, the situation has turned apparently much better in the "Golden Triangle" region, and the poppy acreage had been reduced to 29,000 hectares in 2007 from 158,000 hectares in 1998.

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• Myanmar reiterates ban on cigarette, liquor advertisements 

Myanmar has reiterated ban on advertisements of cigarette and liquor, warning that such advertisement billboards erected in the Yangon municipal area, will be removed if found, the local Myanmar Newsweek reported Wednesday.

Quoting Yangon Mayor Brigadier-General Aung Thein Lin, the report said the ban aims at preventing immature youths from being absorbed in smoking and drinking, and from leading a wrong path of life.

Myanmar has prohibited smoking in university campuses in the country since December 2006 in an effort to create tobacco-smoke-free environment for the health of the university students. . . .

Meanwhile, the Myanmar health authorities have stressed the need to expand the country's anti-tobacco campaign to rural areas where smokers, especially women, are high in number. . . .

Myanmar has been committed to controlling tobacco consumption by ratifying the International Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It became a signatory to the convention in September 2003and was the 11th out of 192 countries to ratify the convention.

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Former Notorious Druglord Khun Sa Dies 

One-time drug warlord Khun Sa, variously described as among the world's most wanted men and as a great liberation fighter, has died, an associate and a Myanmar official said Tuesday. He was 74.

Khuensai Jaiyen, a former secretary of Khun Sa who works with ethnic Shan minority guerrilla groups, said that his former boss died in the Myanmar capital of Yangon on Friday, according to his relatives.

The cause of death was not immediately known, but Khun Sa had long suffered from diabetes, partial paralysis and high blood pressure. . . .

But he was driven out in 1982 and lodged himself in Ho Mong, an idyllic valley near the Thai frontier inside Myanmar, also known as Burma.

There, the chain-smoking warlord entertained visitors with Taiwanese pop songs, grew orchids and strawberries, and directed a flow of heroin to addicts around the world.

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Tobacco consignment seized  

Volunteers of the AMADA have an auto-rickshaw smuggling a consignment of banned tobacco products, including khaini and talab, in the early hours of December 1 on NH-39, according to a release.

The statement said the auto, no. MN01/0724 was caught at around 2:30 am on December 1 after AMADA volunteers learnt that such items were being smuggled from Kangpokpi to Imphal at night.

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In Pictures | Day in pictures 

A Buddhist nun in Burma smokes a cigar outside a hotel in the capital, Rangoon.

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World No-Tobacco Day ceremony held in Yangon East District 

Organized by Yangon East District Maternal and Child Welfare Supervisory Committee, a ceremony to mark the World No-Tobacco Day 2006 was held at Yankin Education College in Yankin Township yesterday, with an address by Chairperson of Yangon Division MCWSC Daw Mar Mar Wai.

The prize presentation ceremony followed. Chairperson Daw Mar Mar Wai presented prizes to MCWA members who stood first, second and third positions in the World No-Tobacco Day Quiz.

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Myanmar bans smoking in public places 

Myanmar’s military rulers have banned smoking in public places with stiff penalties coming into effect next year.

The government introduced the law Thursday, banning smoking in all areas of hospitals, schools, universities and airports as well as in cinemas and department stores, state media said Friday. Smoking on public transport and in other public spaces is also banned. The law, which caught smokers by surprise, is the first in Myanmar attempting to deal with the health effects of smoking.

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Killer bans killer: Burma junta bans smoking in public places 

Burma's ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has banned smoking in public places with stiff penalties coming into effect next year, according to the juntaÂ's mouthpieces, the New light of Myanmar and Myanmar Alin newspapers published today.

The new law, which was introduced on Thursday, bans smoking in all areas of hospitals, schools, universities and airports as well as in cinemas and department stores. Smoking on public transport and in other public spaces is also banned.

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• The Control of Smoking and Consumption of Tobacco Product Law 

3. The objectives of this Law are as follows;

(a) to convince the public that health can be adversely affected due to smoking and consumption of tobacco product and to cause refraining from the use of the same;

(b) to protect from the danger which affects public health adversely by creating tobacco smoke-free environment;

(c) to obtain a healthy living style of the public including child and youth by preventing the habit of smoking and consumption of tobacco product;

(d) to uplift the health, economy and social standard of the public through control of smoking and consumption of tobacco product;

(e) to implement measures in conformity with the international convention ratified by Myanmar to control smoking and consumption of tobacco product;

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Yangon Division celebrates World No-Tobacco Day 

Yangon Division Health Committee and Maternal and Child Welfare Supervisory Committee held a ceremony in commemoration of World No-Tobacco Day at the hall of Yankin Education College in Yankin Township here this afternoon.

It was attended by Yangon Division Peace and Development Council Chairman Yangon Command Commander Maj-Gen Myint Swe, Division MCWSC Chairperson Daw Khin Thet Htay and members, members of the Yangon Division PDC, Director Dr San Shwe Win and deputy directors of the Health Department, local authorities, members of district and township MCWSCs and guests.

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Talks given to commemorate World No-Tobacco Day 

Organized by Health Department and Myanmar Medical Association (Central), talks were given in commemoration of the World No-Tobacco Day at the office of MMA this morning with an opening address by MMA (Central) General Secretary Prof U S Kyaw Hla.

On the occasion, Dr Daw Nyo Nyo Kyaing, Deputy Director of Health Department, and Specialist Dr U Ko Ko Maw gave talks on Health Professionals against Tobacco and Oral Health on Tobacco respectively.

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Multisectoral Workshop on National Tobacco Control Legislation held 

Multisectoral Workshop on National Tobacco Control Legislation was opened this morning at Grand Plaza Park Royal Hotel. Minister for Health Dr Kyaw Myint and Resident Representative of WHO Dr Agostino Borra delivered addresses at the opening ceremony of the workshop.

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Tobacco advertisements to be totally banned in Myanmar 

All billboards advertising cigarettes and alcohol will be totally banned in Myanmar from the end of March as a follow-up of the move initiated in 2002, the local Myanmar Times reported in this week's issue.

The country introduced an anti-tobacco plan of action in July 2000. Since then, cigarettes and alcohol advertisements have been banned from television and newspaper. Legislation is also being drafted to further ban such advertisements from other print media and radio, according to the report.

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