PHUKET: Officials from the Phuket Excise Office yesterday seized 956 packs of illegally imported cigarettes and packs of tobacco with a total street value of about 100,000 baht. Most of the contraband was imported by post, said Excise officer Chingchai Borwornthanasan. Three people were arrested in the raid: Yusaree Yun from Pattani, and Ussamarn Wangdee and Je-padeemoh Yun, both Phuket natives. The cigarettes and tobacco seized were expensive b ... Jump to full article >>

It is truly appalling that Philip Morris International and its Indonesian subsidiary, Sampoerna, are taking advantage of the deadly volcano eruption in Indonesia as a marketing opportunity. According to a news report published by GlobalPost, an on-line international news agency, Sampoerna – Indonesia’s largest tobacco company – is sponsoring a Sampoerna Rescue camp on the slopes of the erupting Mount Merapi in Java. According to the r ... Jump to full article >>

It is no secret that the tobacco industry possesses strong influence in the nation’s corridors of power. For more than 40 years, the industry has had a cozy relationship with those in high places, allowing it to enjoy some of the lowest taxes in the world and near total freedom in advertising their deadly products. It is therefore no surprise that Indonesia remains one of only a handful of nations yet to sign the landmark World Health Organiza ... Jump to full article >>

Wolfmother has pulled out of what is expected to be the biggest-ever music festival in South East Asia because it is being sponsored by a tobacco company. The band’s frontman, Andrew Stockdale, says he did not know the Gudang Garam cigarette company is the major sponsor of the Java Rockin’ Land festival in Jakarta. Stockdale says he is morally opposed to profiting from a festival sponsored by a tobacco company. [caption id="attachmen ... Jump to full article >>

Indonesia has stopped the export of its clove cigarette to the United States following the ban imposed by U.S. agency on such a cigarette, local media reported here on Monday. “There was totally no clove cigarette export to U.S. as of mid this year after sharp drop of clove cigarette export to U.S. since the ban was imposed in September last year,” Frans Rupang, a deputy at Indonesia’s customs office said. According to Frans, t ... Jump to full article >>

A new study finds that smokers in rural Indonesia finance their habit by dipping into the family food budget—which ultimately results in poorer nutrition for their children. The findings suggest that the costs of smoking in the developing world go well beyond the immediate health risks, according to authors Steven Block and Patrick Webb of Tufts University. The study is published in the October issue of Economic Development and Cultural Change ... Jump to full article >>

Business groups in Papua New Guinea say they are alarmed at the amount of counterfeit goods being smuggled into the country from Indonesia. They say that not only do sales of cheaper black market goods hurt PNG manufacturing, but the Government loses taxes, and some products may be unsafe for consumers. There is a flourishing and lucrative trade in smuggled goods, including babies’ nappies and cigarettes, at street markets in Papua New Gui ... Jump to full article >>