“Thank you for not Smoking”: ASEAN Secretariat Headquarters a 100 percent Smoke-free building

Jakarta-May 2, 2012: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Wednesday, 02 May 2012, looks to set a healthy example for the rest of the region, by declaring its own headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, officially smoke-free. Ahead of the ceremonies to launch a "Smoke-Free ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC)", regional tobacco-control advocates are congratulating the ASEAN leadership for "a determined and progressive stance that unequivocally expresses where the region's governments should stand with respect to curbing tobacco use."

Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) Director Bungon Ritthiphakdee, on behalf of the alliance of tobacco control advocates from around the region said that "the ASEAN secretariat's leadership by example isn't merely symbolic. It follows through on a commitment and is concrete in action."