Cigarettes sold in Thailand to have warnings on 85% of each pack

BANGKOK, May 30 (TNA) - The Thai Ministry of Public Health will legally require producers to print warnings on 85 per cent of each of their cigarette packs sold on the domestic market as of October 2013, from 55 per cent currently. Professor Dr. Prakit Vathesatogkit, Executive Secretary of the Bangkok-based Action on Smoking and Health Foundation on Wednesday voiced his support for the Thai Public Health Ministry's policy on requiring cigarette companies to enlarge their warnings to cover 85 per cent of each cigarette pack without fearing of any threat from multinational cigarette companies. Professor Dr. Prakit pointed out that the Cabinet of Ireland recently resolved to enforce a law next year to require plain cigarette packs to reduce the attractiveness of cigarette packets, as there are now 50 new smoking addicts in Ireland daily. According to the senior Thai health campaigner, Australia is the first country having enforced such the law since 2012. The senior Thai health campaigner acknowledged although Ukraine, Honduras and Dominican Republic have filed their complaints with the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) that such the law should violate the rights of trademarks and intellectual property, New Zealand and Britain are pushing for the legislation and the 27-member European Union or EU have agreed in principle with it since 2012. The senior Thai health campaigner said that multinational cigarette companies have only threatened to sue the Thai government for trademark violation, as the Public Health Ministry requires cigarette companies to print warnings covering 85 per cent of each cigarette pack as of October 2013, but the Ministry of Public Health has not prohibited them from printing their logos on their cigarette packs. (TNA)