Tobacco.org

• Philippine health NGO slams tobacco expo; warns more tobacco-related deaths among Asians  

MANILA -- Members of the Philippine health NGO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance Philippines (FCAP) slammed the ongoing conference of the tobacco industry in Bangkok and warned of increase in tobacco-related deaths in Asia as the industry enhances its hold in the Asia Pacific market.

“The tobacco industry is training its guns and armor not for battle but to entice our young children to smoking addiction and lead them to suffer from tobacco-related deaths. Expect the industry to launch more sophisticated marketing and public relation gimmicks to penetrate the Asia Pacific market where governments are starting to implement stricter bans on smoking and tobacco advertising and promotions,” said Dr. Maricar Limpin, FCAP Executive Director. . . .

In the press briefing conducted by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) in Bangkok, FCAP showed to the media Philip Morris Philippines Managing Director Chris Nelson donating check to the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) after the typhoons that have hit the country recently.

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• Roll your own smokes popular but no safer, research finds  

The number of tobacco smokers currently in Thailand has reached 14.3 million, the latest Global Adult Tobacco Survey revealed yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry is considering a proposal to the Finance Ministry to increase the tax level on hand-rolled cigarette products after finding over 7.4 million people smoke this style of cigarette. The remainder smoke manufactured cigarettes.

The Global Adult Tobacco Survey is a national household survey launched in February 2007.

Sixteen countries, home to more than half the world's smokers and bearing the highest tobacco use, were involved in the study: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Russian Federation, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Vietnam.

Thailand was the first country to complete and release its survey . . .

He said most cigarette manufacturers are now producing more smokeless cigarettes after noting an increasing trend in smokeless tobacco use among teenagers worldwide.

To reduce the number of hand-rolled cigarette smokers, Prakit has asked the government to increase the tax level on hand-rolled cigarette products and collect tax excise to 70 per cent of product price from the current rate.

Deputy Minister of Public Health Manit Nopamornbodee said he will consult with the Finance Ministry about increasing the tax level on hand-rolled cigarette products and ya nat - traditional medicine that contains hand-rolled cigarette products. . . .

Meanwhile, Thai Network Against Tabinfo Asia 2009, led by Dr Hatai Chitanont, has submitted an open letter to Deputy Finance Minister,Prasit Pattaraprasit asking him to withdraw from the tobacco industry event he is due to open on Wednesday at Impact Arena Moung Thontani Exhibition Centre.

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• WTO hears RP complaint against Thailand  

The Philippines and Thailand were given a final opportunity until December 7 to comment and respond to questions before the WTO Dispute Settlement Panel is set to issue a ruling early next year over the countries cigarette tax dispute.

Philippine Ambassador to Geneva/WTO Ambassador Manuel AJ Teehankee relayed this in an email after the panel conducted the second substantive meeting last Nov. 4 to 6 in Geneva.

The panel hearing the (DS 371 Philippines versus Thailand on cigarette customs valuation), is chaired by H.E. Ambassador Roberto Acevedo, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the WTO, and its two additional members are Alvaro Hansen of Uruguay and Richard Gottlieb of Canada.

The panel heard rebuttal arguments and fielded searching questions on the facts, claims, and defenses presented by both parties since the first substantive meeting last June.

During the meeting, Teehankee highlighted issues of transparency, discrimination, and domestic protection in Thailand's regulatory regime

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RP, Thailand resume hearing on row over cigarette duties 

PHILIPPINE and Thai negotiators late last week resumed their second hearing on an ongoing trade dispute over cigarette duties, the Manila delegation said in a statement over the weekend.

The dispute process had been held up when the World Trade Organization (WTO), which arbitrates the case, had to make way for the resumption of talks seeking to forge a global trade pact.

The Philippines, at the hearing last Nov. 4-6, reiterated claims that Thai tax policies on foreign-made cigarettes violate WTO rules as they unfairly favor domestic industry, the statement read.

A ruling from an international panel led by Brazil WTO representative Roberto Acevedo is expected early next year, the statement read further.

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Research and Markets: The 2009 Import and Export Market for Cigars, Cheroots, Cigarillos, and Cigarettes Made with Tobacco Substitutes in Thailand  

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/749c8d/the_2009_import_an) has announced the addition of the "The 2009 Import and Export Market for Cigars, Cheroots, Cigarillos, and Cigarettes Made with Tobacco Substitutes in Thailand" report to their offering.

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• Where there is smoke, there will be fire 

The Public Health Ministry is warning the organiser of an Asian tobacco exhibition against breaking the laws covering the advertising of tobacco products and smoking during its three-day event next month.

The Disease Control Department has sent a letter to the Impact Exhibition and Convention Centre asking it to inform the organiser, US-based Tobacco Reporter magazine, about the restrictions on tobacco promotion, public health spokesman Supan Srithamma said.

Mr Supan yesterday said public health officials would work with police in "inspecting and arresting" violators of the law at Tabinfo Asia 2009 in mid November.

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New visual warnings ready 

Health authorities will ramp up their campaign against smoking by introducing new warning pictures on cigarette packs to warn of the dangers of the deadly habit.

The Public Health Ministry's announcement to introduce another 10 visual health warnings has been published in the Royal Gazette and will become effective on March 29, said Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodee.

The warnings include completely new pictures and health announcements, and revisions of existing ones.

Among them are photos of gangrenous feet with the message "smoking causes rotten feet", and a tumour on a smoker's face with a message "smoking causes 10 cancers".

The campaign aims to raise awareness among smokers of the habit's effect on specific organs and parts of the body.

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Tobacco giant 'evaded B68bn import tax' 

The Office of the Attorney-General will decide on Oct 2 whether to charge the local arm of US tobacco giant Philip Morris over claims it evaded billions of baht in import taxes on its cigarettes.

The Department of Special Investigation yesterday gave the OAG the results of its investigation into allegations Philip Morris (Thailand) United Co Ltd under-reported the value of its tobacco imports and underpaid import taxes between 2003 and 2007.

The DSI has also sought arrest warrants for four foreigners who are among 14 people sought for questioning.

They are Paul Richard Dillman Jr, Ann Marie Kaczorowski, Hermann Waldermer and Matteo Lorenzo Pellegrini.

Thawatchai Suansida, the DSI special case investigation expert who led the inquiry, said the company had evaded taxes estimated at 68 billion baht.

Philip Morris allegedly declared a cost insurance freight (CIF) rate for L&M cigarettes imported from the Philippines of only 5.88 baht a packet. This compares with 16.81 baht a packet reported by other cigarette importers.

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• Thai police push tax charges against Philip Morris  

Thai police have submitted a case to state prosecutors charging that the local arm of Philip Morris, the world's largest cigarette maker, evaded more than $2 billion in import taxes, an allegation strongly denied by the company.

Police Col. Thawatchai Suansida said Thursday that the Department of Special Investigation, or DSI, determined that Philip Morris (Thailand) United Co. Ltd. had underreported the value of its imports and underpaid import taxes between 2003 and 2007.

The same matter, concerning cigarettes exported by a Philip Morris plant in the Philippines to Thailand, is the subject of a trade dispute.

Manila in November last year filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization claiming that Thailand's tariffs on the cigarettes are not calculated according to internationally accepted standards. A preliminary report from the trade organization is expected to be circulated to the parties involved early next year.

The office of Thailand's attorney-general, which received the tax evasion case on Wednesday from the police, said it will decide on Oct. 2 whether to bring it to court.

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• Tobacco fair tests Thai anti-smoking efforts 

Thailand's reputation as a Southeast Asian country with strong anti-smoking laws faces a direct challenge from the tobacco multinational companies that are due to gather in the Thai capital in November for a major industry congress and exhibition.

The organizers of the cigarette promotion gathering, TABINFO Asia 2009, are not leaving anything to the imagination as to why Bangkok has been chosen as the venue for the Asia-Pacific region's "own dedicated tobacco show".

"The Asia-Pacific region has not escaped the global credit meltdown. But its cigarette market remains more buoyant than elsewhere," declares the Tobacco Reporter trade publication in its

website. "The region remains one of the world's most promising cigarette markets."

Participants are promised an event, which runs from November 11-13, that will feature "The Big Issues. The Big Players", trumpets the conference website. It will offer "a very diverse representation of industry players up and down the supply chain. The expanded list of participants makes this a must-attend event for networking, showcasing, discovering, buying, and selling".

The market opportunities of four countries in the region - Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand - are already being highlighted by the trade publication to swell the number of cigarette enthusiasts for the Bangkok trade show. . . .

The choice of a developing country as a venue for this flagship event for tobacco multinationals comes at a time when the tobacco market in the developed world is shrinking due to a battery of tobacco control policies and the world's dominant cigarette producers are looking to the developing world to boost their fortunes.

This trend is reflected in the places where the tobacco industry has gathered every two years prior to Bangkok. The 2007 tobacco trade fair was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil; in 2005 it was the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

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Groups oppose big tobacco event planned in November 

Anti-smoking groups hit out yesterday at news that the tobacco industry plans to stage a major conference in Bangkok, saying the move would have an adverse impact on efforts to limit smoking.

Action Smoking and Health Foundation and its allies said they opposed Tabinfo Asia 2009 being held in Thailand.

"We should not be silent over this event as they [the tobacco industry] will be doing something bad for our country," secretary general of the Association, Dr Prakit Watheesathokkij said. "We need to disclose what they will doing here."

He spoke at a seminar titled "Warning about new threats from the tobacco industry", held by the Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Centre yesterday (and today) in Bangkok.

Tabinfo Asia 2009 is the tobacco industry's biggest event. It will be held at Impact Arena Exhibition Centre in Nonthaburi from November 11 to 13. Over 2,000 people from 100 tobacco companies are due to attend.

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• Policy denounced as 'smoke and mirrors' 

The credibility of Thailand's anti-smoking policy is being questioned after it was revealed the country is hosting a major tobacco promotional event in November.

Anti-smoking activists are strongly opposing the staging of Tabinfo Asia 2009, which will be held from Nov 11 to 13 at Impact Muang Thong Thani.

They say it makes a mockery of the nation's anti-smoking stand.

They said the event was a fresh effort by multinational tobacco companies to expand their business in the region, which is seen as the world's most lucrative market for tobacco consumption.

"The tobacco industry is acting like cigarettes are normal and that the Tabinfo Asia 2009 event is just an ordinary trade expo," said Prakit Vathesatogkit, secretary of the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation (ASH Thailand). . . .

A network of anti-tobacco advocates in Thailand would hold activities to condemn an event which they say is aimed at directly and indirectly influencing the country's policy on tobacco control.

Dr Prakit said staging the promotion was in contravention of Article 5.3 of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention of Tobacco Control in protecting public policy from tobacco industry influence.

He urged government agencies - particularly the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly - to follow the WHO pact. . . .

US-based Tobacco Reporter magazine, the organiser, said the reason for holding the event was "to learn how the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly manages to survive under heavy legal restrictions".

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Street Wise: Smokers have reason to be worried sick  

Since its establishment in 2001, the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation has done an extraordinary job of discouraging smoking in the Kingdom. . . .

The Tobacco Consumption Control Law has been strengthened. Gone are the days when smokers could light up freely in bus stations, restaurants and entertainment venues.

So it's not surprising to learn that, according to Mahidol University's research centre, the number of smokers in Thailand fell from 11.7 million in 1991 to 9.54 million in 2006.

Many give the credit for these successes to Prakit Vathisathokit, secretary-general of the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation.

The bad news for smokers is that Prakit, who retired from the civil service years ago, is determined to be on the scene for a long time, despite his advancing years. Though smokers are annoyed by the growing number of strict controls on their habit, many more are planned, he said.

"The rules are strictly enforced in Bangkok, but many smokers in the provinces are not aware of them. I still have a lot to do," he said.

And Prakit appears physically fit enough to continue with his plans.

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• Alternative cigarette raises concerns  

Authorities will have to watch out for nicotine gel, an alternative cigarette that looks set to attract smokers but may be harmful to health.

By just rubbing the gel in one's hands, one will be able to experience having a cigarette within 30 seconds.

The nicotine gel is touted as a solution to people who feel the urge to smoke in smoking-free places.

"The problem is that there is no research to confirm that this product is really safe," Thailand Health Promotion Institute president Dr Hatai Chitanondh said yesterday, "This is not a certified quit-smoking product."

According to him, the nicotine gel is already available at more than 400 retail shops in Malaysia. Despite its ban in Thailand, the product has the potential to find its way to Thai smokers via Internet advertisements.

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Tobacco company scientist gained access to WHO collaborating center 

A new study of previously confidential tobacco industry documents shows that a Philip Morris scientist established close connections with a WHO Collaborating Centre in Thailand called the Chulabhorn Research Institute (CRI). The study is published in this week's PLoS Medicine.

The CRI is an internationally renowned teaching institution for a variety of scientific disciplines, including environmental toxicology (the study of how chemicals in the environment, such as tobacco smoke, can affect human health). The institute is designated a WHO Collaborating Centre, carrying out activities in support of the WHO's public health programs.

Ross MacKenzie (School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia) and Jeff Collin (Centre for International Public Health Policy, University of Edinburgh, Scotland) analyzed tobacco company documents that were made publicly available online following litigation in the United States. Philip Morris documents revealed that ostensibly independent overseas scientists, now identified as industry consultants, were able to gain access to the Thai scientific community. Most significantly, a Philip Morris scientist called Roger Walk established close connections with the CRI.

Documents indicate that Walk was able to use such links to influence the study and teaching of environmental toxicology in the institute and to develop relations with key officials and local scientists so as to advance the interests of Philip Morris within Thailand and across Asia.

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