http://www.tobacco.org/newsfeed/country/thailand.rss Latest top tobacco news headlines en-us http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/08/25/national/national_30081338.php http://tobacco.org/news/270366.html Using electronic cigarettes to quit smoking is hazardous to your health and nervous system. They cram too much nicotine into your blood, a study reveals. Mahidol University dental school researcher Dr Varanant Buejeap says electronic cigarettes contain nicotine and 28 carcinogenic substances, such as alkaloida, which releases substances that have amphetaminelike effects. What could happen This increases blood pressure and lipids in blood vessels. This makes the heart work harder and can lead to heart failure and sexual dysfunction. The Nation Thailand Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/08/13/business/business_30080411.php http://tobacco.org/news/269964.html Thailand Tobacco Monopoly (TTM) is looking to penetrate the Eastern European market as part of its drive to boost exports in light of declining cigarette consumption at home. TTM has recently exported some cigarettes to Singapore, Taiwan, Brunei and the Middle East, the workplace of a number of Thai workers. To accommodate the overseas marketing, new brands will be launched for easy recognition. Eastern Europe, particularly Poland and Russia, has high purchasing power, while its economies are expanding and regulations are not as strict as those in Thailand. . . . In the domestic market, TTM has no plan to launch new brands, in line with the government's anti-smoking campaign. Like private tobacco companies, it has witnessed declining demand in the Thai market. Though value has been rising through higher prices, sales volume has dropped continually. The Nation Thailand Eastern Europe Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.bangkokpost.com/040808_News/04Aug2008_news11.php http://tobacco.org/news/269859.html An anti-depressant drug, proved to be effective in tackling smoking addiction, will be offered under the universal healthcare scheme to encourage long-term smokers to quit the habit. Prateep Tanakitcharoen, deputy secretary-general of the National Health Security Office, said Nortriptyline would be added to the national drug list to help reduce the cost of treating smoking-related illnesses. It will be offered to patients under the scheme to help them quit smoking. The drug costs only one baht a tablet and each smoker needs 270 tablets over a period of three months to increase his chances of quitting, said Somsri Pausawasdi, president of Healthcare Network against Tobacco Consumption. ''Although Thailand has been praised worldwide for its efforts to control tobacco, the country could still do more to improve access to treatment among smokers,'' she said. An estimated 11 million Thais are smokers. Bangkok Post vuttipornp@bangkokpost.co.th Thailand Fri, 08 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/read.php?newsid=30077783 http://tobacco.org/news/268531.html The World Health Organisation (WHO) has selected Thailand as a role model for other countries in areas of tobacco-control consumption. The Nation Brazil Thailand Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.macaudailytimesnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11512&Itemid=32 http://tobacco.org/news/265372.html When an extension to Thailand’s existing anti-smoking law became effective on 17 February 2008 it triggered mixed reactions among tobacco lovers. While a majority of smokers asserted they had no difficulties complying with the new law, others would not give in as easily and went to the barricades. Local English-language newspapers like the “Bangkok Post”, “The Nation” and “Pattaya Mail” were flooded with readers’ letters mainly from foreign tourists, residents and expats decrying the stringent conditions the ban imposed. Some went as far as predicting that the country would suffer a decline in tourism, one of Thailand’s most important foreign exchange earners. . . . None of these doomsday prophecies have materialized so far, of course, and, in fact, all parties concerned appear to have adapted themselves well. The original anti-smoking law, introduced in 2001, banned smoking in all public places such as government buildings, hospitals, shopping malls, parks and hotel lobbies, as well as in air-conditioned restaurants. The latter were permitted to set up smoking areas as long as these were separated in a way that prevented tobacco smoke from wafting through the non-smoking sections. Macau Daily Times advertising@macaudailytimes.com (Thomas Schmid) Thailand Fri, 16 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/09Apr2008_news90.php http://tobacco.org/news/262882.html Not only is it unfair, but it is also intentionally deceptive of the tobacco industry to continue to promote its harmful and lethal products portrayed through "cool", "sexy" or "sophisticated" imagery. It is about time all Asean governments put an end to all forms of direct and indirect tobacco advertising, promotions and sponsorship, because where tobacco companies are concerned, there is no such thing as "truth in advertising". Bangkok Post vuttipornp@bangkokpost.co.th (E ULYSSES DOROTHEO) Philippines Thailand Asia Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://news.monstersandcritics.com/health/news/article_1397817.php/Higher_tobacco_taxes_best_medicine_experts_say http://tobacco.org/news/262349.html Bangkok - Higher taxes on tobacco are the most effective way for governments to combat the health and social costs of smoking, experts attending a World Health Organization (WHO) meting said Tuesday. 'Higher taxes on tobacco lead to higher prices for tobacco products, which immediately discourage non-smokers from starting and current smokers from continuing with the habit,' said Bungon Ritthiphakdee, director of the Bangkok-based South-East Asia Tobacco Control Alliance. That conclusion was shared by other experts and government officials attending this week's meeting in Bangkok on WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Monsters and Critics Thailand Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/National/2198024/Article/index_html http://tobacco.org/news/262267.html ANTI-TOBACCO advocates from Southeast Asia said efforts to rid the region of the smoking habit will fail unless tobacco control laws, particularly those banning the promotion and advertising of tobacco products, are enforced effectively by all Asean member countries. The Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance's (Seatca) policy development adviser, Mary Assunta, said it was time for all Southeast Asian countries to pool their efforts and enact measures that could reduce tobacco use. "Unless we all effectively implement the global treaty that includes a ban on advertising and promotions, our people and children will remain vulnerable to the aggressive marketing tactics of Big Tobacco," she said. New Straits Times anniefc@nst.com.my (Annie Freeda Cruez in Singapore) Thailand Asia Asia-pacific Fri, 28 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.bangkokpost.com/News/30Mar2008_news04.php http://tobacco.org/news/262226.html Anti-smoking advocates from around Southeast Asia have agreed on the need to work together to push for the enforcement of a comprehensive ban on the promotion and advertising of tobacco products. The need to combat what they said was increasingly subtle and sophisticated tobacco marketing was stressed at a two-day workshop that ended on Friday, organised by the Bangkok-based Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (Seatca) and the Health Promotion Board of Singapore. The aim of the gathering was for participants from the region to share their experiences and lessons in anti-smoking campaigns and to address the need to tighten controls on anti-tobacco laws among Southeast Asian countries under Article 13 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of the World Health Organisation. Bangkok Post vuttipornp@bangkokpost.co.th (Karn Apornhiranyaras) Thailand Asia Asia-pacific Sun, 30 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.tobaccojournal.com/Profits_for_Thailand_Tobacco_Monopoly_expected_to_fall.48918.0.html http://tobacco.org/news/261506.html Profits for the state-owned Thailand Tobacco Monopoly (TTM) are expected to fall more than half to just THB two billion (EUR 41.5 million) per year within five years. This is due to competition from foreign producers and declines in cigarette smoking. Pradit Pataraprasit, deputy finance minister, said the market share for foreign brands had increased by around 1 per cent per year over the past several years to around 25 per cent now. Declining rates of smoking and new depreciation charges that the TTM must now book on recent machinery upgrades would further affect profits over the next several years, he said. Tobacco Journal International Thailand Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-grim-forecast-tobacco-firm-/2008/03/17/3332128.htm http://tobacco.org/news/261488.html Profits for the state-owned Thailand Tobacco Monopoly are expected to fall more than half to just two billion baht per year within five years due to competition from foreign producers and declines in cigarette smoking. The TTM, which posted 2007 net profits of 4.5 billion baht, produces the market-leading Krong Thip brand, and enjoys significant tax advantages over foreign imports. Sales last year totalled 30.9 billion cigarettes. . . . One of the most popular foreign brands, Philip Morris's Marlboro, is produced in the Philippines and enjoys preferential import tariffs under the Afta programme. Technology Marketing Corporation Thailand Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.pinoypress.net/2008/03/17/stop-fronting-for-tobacco-companies-government-urged/ http://tobacco.org/news/261385.html An anti-tobacco group today asked the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to strictly adhere to the provisions of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) and urged the Philippine government to stop "fronting for the selfish business interests of big-time multi-national tobacco corporations." Dr. Maricar Limpin, Executive Director of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Alliance- Philippines (FCAP), issued the call as she criticized the move of DTI to file a case against Thailand before the World Trade Organization (WTO) for allegedly imposing high tariffs on Philip Morris products produced in the Philippines. After failing to resolve the trade row through diplomatic channels, the Philippine government, through DTI Undersecretary Thomas Aquino has filed a case versus Thailand, accusing Bangkok of discriminating against Manila's cigarette exports to protect a state-owned tobacco monopoly. PinoyPress Philippines Thailand Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://nationmultimedia.com/2008/03/13/business/business_30068076.php http://tobacco.org/news/261308.html Thailand Tobacco Monopoly is instructed to maintain profitability, at times when health concerns are leading to lower smoking and higher competition from cheap cigarettes. Deputy Finance Minister Pradit Pataraprasit said after the visit to the TTM office on Thursday that the agency should review the competency of over 200 agents, find ways to reduce expenses, seek more revenue from related businesses, and find new partners. The Nation Thailand Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:00:00 GMT http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/?catid=3&newsid=36140 http://tobacco.org/news/260407.html The trial of a former provincial deputy mayor, 16 customs officers and two policemen implicated in a major tobacco-smuggling cartel opens in the northern province of Lao Cai Wednesday. The 25 defendants, accused of smuggling 11,000 tons of tobacco from China, have been charged with abusing power, offering and taking bribes, smuggling and fraud, prosecutors said. Nguyen Ngoc Kim, former deputy chairman of the Lao Cai's People's Committee, received kickbacks to illegally ratify 14 documents allowing several private enterprises to "import" tobacco, the indictment said. Thanh Nien Thailand Wed, 27 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/22/asia/AS-GEN-Thailand-No-Smoking-Campaign.php http://tobacco.org/news/260164.html One of Thailand's most high-profile bad boys may have secured himself a respectable position in the Health Ministry, but he's not yet ready to become a poster child for any campaigns to promote clean living. The Health Ministry indicated last week that Wan Yoobamrung, who has a well-known history of barroom brawls, could feature in advertisements to publicize newly imposed smoking bans in bars, nightclubs and open-air markets -- a suggestion that raised eyebrows given Wan's notorious past. "I can't accept the role because I still smoke and drink," Wan said Friday, his first day at work as the secretary to the deputy minister of health. "I'm trying to quit." AP Thailand Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:00:00 GMT