http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/malaysia.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Saturday/National/2402573/Article/index_html http://tobacco.org/news/274517.html KUALA LUMPUR: Smoking is the main cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which severely limits a person capacity to breathe. The disease, COPD for short, is the sixth leading cause of death in the world. Health authorities here are concerned because COPD is expected to become the fifth leading cause of death in Malaysia if nothing is done to help smokers kick the habit. Collectively, they spent RM9 million daily buying 33 million cigarettes in 2006, according to the Third National Health and Morbidity Survey conducted that year. "Malaysia has approximately half a million COPD suffers," said Institute of Respiratory Medicine director Datin Dr Azizah Ahmad Mahayiddin, who launched COPD World Day celebrations here yesterday. NSTP e-Media mailed@nstp.com.my Malaysia Sat, 15 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/13/parliament/2533203&sec=parliament http://tobacco.org/news/274457.html PARLIAMENT is where anti-smoking laws are made, so it should be a place for parliamentarians to set an example. "I do not care who smokes. Warning has been given and it is illegal to smoke in a non-smoking area. MPs are the ones who passed laws against smoking so they should know what to do," Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said in welcoming the Health Ministry's move to act against smokers in the Parliament building. A smoker himself, Pandikar Amin said he quit two years ago after watching a television programme. He said he was taken in by what a woman said in the programme: "It is within your control and only you can decide (to stop smoking). I decided to quit and stopped smoking the next day." On Tuesday, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said he would need the House's permission to deploy enforcement officers to nab smokers. The Star reported that MPs, the public, civil servants and even Parliament staff were seen puffing away at the back of the lounge and cafeteria although smoking is banned in the Parliament building. The Star Malaysia Thu, 13 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=371176 http://tobacco.org/news/274402.html Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia said he had no objection to have Health Ministry enforcement officers at the Parliament building to ensure compliance with the no-smoking regulation if there was a proposal to that effect. "If it is illegal for smokers to smoke in Parliament, then the ruling should be enforced," he said when asked on the matter here Wednesday. Malaysian National News Agency ramjit@bernama.com Malaysia Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/11/business/2511463&sec=business http://tobacco.org/news/274284.html A price war among major tobacco companies is heating up with players slashing their prices in selected cigarette segments since early this month. This is despite a stern warning by the Health Ministry last Monday to big players British American Tobacco (M) Bhd (BAT), JT International Bhd (JTI) and Philip Morris International (PMI) not to reduce their prices below the new minimum price of RM6 for a 20-stick (20s) pack, effective by year end. Plagued by declining sales, high duty import and smuggled cigarettes, the companies are hard pressed to sustain their respective market share which has contracted sharply. . . . An industry source said: "There is an on-going price war in the value-for-money and extremely low-priced (ELPs) segments, triggered by an initiative to gain market share but at the expense of significant (profit) margin erosion." The Star Malaysia Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/7/nation/2482845&sec=nation http://tobacco.org/news/274135.html SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Health Department issued 67 summonses to smokers, including four women and eight foreigners, for lighting up in non-smoking areas yesterday. All the offenders were caught smoking in public areas such as restaurants and shops in the PKNS shopping centre, Plaza Alam Sentral and SACC Mall during eight hours of enforcement from 10am. Caught in the act: Two plainclothes enforcement officers approaching a man smoking at a prohibited zone in a shopping complex in Shah Alam yesterday. Department director Dr Rosnah Hadis said the operation was the first after the Health Ministry widened the ban on smoking to more areas last month. The Star Malaysia Fri, 07 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/5/focus/2444912&sec=focus http://tobacco.org/news/274081.html THE announcement made by Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai regarding the new regulations on the smoking ban and making all the footpaths in shopping complexes, including restaurants and open cafes, smoking-prohibited areas, is very much appreciated. Even though I was a regular smoker - I still smoke occasionally - it does not mean that I do not support such regulations. . . . The health warning on cigarette packs will not be effective because most smokers are selfish. Therefore, I suggest that the Ministry displays the maximum compound amount and identify the places where smoking is banned on the cigarette fold instead. The Star Malaysia Wed, 05 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/4/parliament/2448344&sec=parliament http://tobacco.org/news/274006.html SMOKING is banned in Parliament except for a designated area be­­hind the MP’s lounge but asking the MPs and even Government officers to comply with the rules seems to be a difficult task. Several “no-smoking” signs placed at various public areas in the august House since last year have also disappeared. Both backbenchers and opposition MPS can be seen violating no-smoking rules. . . . A source in the Parliament administration said even enforcement officers from the Health Ministry did not dare come to issue compounds. “How do you tell a minister or an MP not to smoke ?” an officer asked The Star Malaysia Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/2/nation/20081102191442&sec=nation http://tobacco.org/news/273835.html The Health Ministry is stepping up enforcement against smokers who light up in non-smoking areas. Action would also be taken against restaurant owners who allowed smokers to puff away at non-smoking sections, said its minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai. "Air-conditioned places such as restaurants must have separate smoking areas with their own vacuum system to prevent other parts of the premise being polluted," Liow told reporters after launching Health Day here on Sunday. "We will increase the number of raids and checks to ensure rules are abided by," he added. The intensified measures to stop the offence were decided after the ministry received various public complaints of smokers who refused to put out their cigarettes despite "No Smoking" signs being displayed. The Star Malaysia Sun, 02 Nov 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/bnm/20081030/tts-cash-smoking-993ba14.html http://tobacco.org/news/273789.html The Consumers Association of Sabah and Labuan (Cash) today expressed support for the government's move to curb the smoking habit among Malaysians, and hoped that the government would soon extend the ban on smoking in public places to further strengthen the initiative. Its secretary-general, Hashima Hasbullah Yahya, said in a statement the government could consider prohibiting smoking in areas where children and families gathered, such as playgrounds, cinemas, libraries and museums. "We ask the government to not only aim at the smoking habit amongst the people but also protect people from the harm of exposure to second-hand smoke, which contains toxic substances that are often in greater concentration than the smoke inhaled by the smoker," she said. Malaysian National News Agency Malaysia Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/National/2389508/Article/index_html http://tobacco.org/news/273775.html KUALA LUMPUR: Food outlet operators are not too happy with the latest addition to no-smoking zones. As of Wednesday, smokers are not allowed to light up at open air areas in the vicinity of shopping complexes. This includes alfresco dining areas, which according to the operators, will make customers very unhappy. A manager (who did not want to be named) from a cafe in Bangsar Village told the New Straits Times that the new ruling would affect business badly. Customers who smoke would not frequent food outlets that did not allow them to smoke, he said. "Where else are they going to be allowed to smoke if not at the dining area outside? What if it is raining outside, where will they go?." NSTP e-Media mailed@nstp.com.my Malaysia Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/29/nation/2396216&sec=nation http://tobacco.org/news/273715.html Cigarette production dropped by 20% in the last five years due to massive smuggling. "About four to five years ago we were producing 20 billion sticks yearly but now, it has dropped to 15 billion sticks," Confederation of Malaysian Tobacco Manufacturers chief executive Shaik Abbas Ibrahim said. Snuffed out: Workers dumping the RM8mil worth of illicit cigarattes into a pit to be destroyed at the Manara Kastam Larkin, Johor Baru, yesterday. He said local production also dipped due to the cheap availability of contraband cigarettes. "The illegal cigarettes are sold for RM10 for three packets," he told reporters after witnessing the destruction of RM8mil worth of cigarettes at the Customs headquarters in Larkin yesterday. The Star Malaysia Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/National/2388264/Article/index_html http://tobacco.org/news/273704.html Cigarette manufacturers have been given until June next year to print graphic warnings on their product packaging. If they fail to do so, they risk having to take their products off the market. They will also face a RM10,000 fine or two years' jail, or both. Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the authorities were forced to implement the tough measures as they were unhappy with the results of 10 years of anti-smoking campaigns. The campaigns have seen a mere two per cent drop in the number of smokers. "However, the number of smokers would probably have escalated if not for the government's intervention," he said at his ministry. The warnings on the cigarette boxes will comprise pictures of neck, mouth and lung cancers as well as gangrene, miscarriages and premature birth. NSTP e-Media farrah@nst.com.my (Farrah Naz Karim) Malaysia Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/10/30/nation/2405900&sec=nation http://tobacco.org/news/273703.html Cigarette packs must carry graphic pictures as health warnings by Jan 1 in the Government's latest blitz against smoking. There are six types of such images featuring mouth cancer, throat cancer and deformed foetuses. Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the pictures on the front of the cigarette packs must cover 40% of the surface while the ones shown on the back must be 60% in size. Other measures targetting smokers include setting a minimum RM6 for a 20-cigarette pack by year-end, extending the list of non-smoking premises, and banning manufacturers from using words such as "low tar", "light", "ultra-light" and "mild". The Star Malaysia Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20081029/tap-malaysia-health-economy-tobacco-0193655.html http://tobacco.org/news/273661.html Malaysia will fix a minimum price of 6.00 ringgit (1.70 dollars) for a pack of 20 cigarettes to discourage smoking, a senior health ministry official said Wednesday. "The price has already been set and we are just waiting for it to be gazetted by the end of this year," the health minister's press secretary Lim Chau Leng told AFP. "This minimum price will help discourage youngsters from buying cigarattes," he said. Malaysia imposes high taxes on cigarettes to discourage demand and a packet costs about 9.00 ringgit but cheaper brands are available for 4.50 ringgit. Agence France Presse Malaysia Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.nst.com.my/Wednesday/Frontpage/20081029193802/Article/index_html http://tobacco.org/news/273655.html FROM next year, all cigarette boxes will carry gory pictures to deter people from smoking. The Health Ministry is hoping that photographs of neck, mouth and lung cancers as well as gangrene, miscarriages and premature birth would prompt smokers to kick the habit. Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the ministry was not happy that after 10 years and numerous campaigns, there was only a drop of two percent in the number of smokers annually. Cigarette manufacturers have been given until next June to print the graphic warnings NSTP e-Media farrah@nst.com.my (Farrah Naz Karim ) Malaysia Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT