Tobacco.org

Illicit Trade In Tobacco Products 

The Republic of Palau enforces the Smuggling Act (RPPL 6-20) to ensure that tobacco and other products are not brought into Palau illegally. According to Landis Rechelluul, Customs Investigator, Support Services Unit of Palau Customs, there have been several cases of individuals that have been sentence for smuggling tobacco.

Visitors and business people entering Palau through air travel are screened, and there have been cases of tobacco hidden inside luggage, bundled in clothing, or even placed inside mattresses. In one such case, the business person was sentenced to pay a $1,200 fine and was deported from Palau for five years.

In addition, longline fishing boats often return with cases of tobacco.

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Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance --- Pacific Island United States Territories, 2007 

Results: Across the five Pacific Island territories, the leading causes of mortality among all ages include unintentional injuries, including motor-vehicle crashes; cancer; cardiovascular diseases; stroke; and diabetes. Results from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) indicated that high school students in the Pacific Island territories engaged in behaviors that increased their risk for mortality or morbidity from these causes. . . .

Tobacco Use

Lifetime Cigarette Use

Across surveys, the overall percentage of students who had ever tried cigarette smoking (even one or two puffs) (i.e., lifetime cigarette use) ranged from 56.8% to 78.1% (median: 69.7%). Prevalence among female students ranged from 53.1% to 78.7% (median: 67.6%), and prevalence among male students ranged from 57.1% to 77.6% (median: 71.6%) (Table 13).

Lifetime Daily Cigarette Use

Across surveys, the overall percentage of students who had ever smoked at least one cigarette every day for 30 days (i.e., lifetime daily cigarette use) ranged from 13.6% to 17.6% (median: 16.6%). Prevalence among female students ranged from 12.6% to 16.2% (median: 13.1%), and prevalence among male students ranged from 14.2% to 22.3% (median: 17.8%) (Table 13).

Current Cigarette Use

Across surveys, the overall percentage of students who had smoked cigarettes on at least 1 day during the 30 days before the survey (i.e., current cigarette use) ranged from 23.1% to 37.6% (median: 31.1%). Prevalence among female students ranged from 20.4% to 31.1% (median: 25.4%), and prevalence among male students ranged from 22.9% to 44.4% (median: 31.2%) (Table 14).

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MOH not be obligated to approve importation of tobacco 

BUREAU of Public Health Director Dr. Stevenson Kuartei said the Minister of Health should not be obligated by law to approve any license for the import, sale or distribution of any tobacco product.

"The stand from the Ministry of Health is crystal clear that there should be NO tobacco use in Palau. It is our assigned role to protect health," Kuartei wrote in one of his comments regarding the pending bill creating the Tobacco Control Act of 2007,

Kuartei thanked Delegate Kalistus Ngirturong, chair of the house committee on health, for his interest in trying to get the bill passed.

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• Philip Morris willing to work with Palau on tobacco regulations 

Philip Morris Limited said it supports strong and effective regulation of tobacco products in relation to the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

The company said the FCTC provides them an opportunity to work constructively with the government of Palau as regulations are developed.

"We would be happy to meet and further discuss the proposed approach to common health warnings and issues raised in this letter, or any other tobacco-related matters," said Pongsathorn Ansusinha, Philip Morris Manager Government Relations, in a letter to Senator Santy Asanuma.

Ansusinha was in Palau on November 2007 to discuss these issues.

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Sin taxes to help fund SARS work 

The cash-strapped government here has reinstated sin taxes on alcohol and tobacco to help fund SARS infrastructure improvements.

Palau closed its borders to Taiwan in mid-May through June because of fears that the infrastructure of this developing nation would be unable to deal with an outbreak.

Some island governments, though, have turned down sin taxes as new revenue sources because of the belief that new taxes would stunt business and yield less tax revenue.

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