SEATCA

There are about 125 million smokers in the ASEAN region from whom the tobacco industry reaps its profits and it is seeking more smokers among Asia’s young.  Countries in the region [all are Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) except Indonesia] are replete with experiences of how tobacco companies maneuvered to find ways to deter, dilute and delay tobacco control measures.   In some cases, the industry sought to participate in the development of national and sub-national tobacco control policy, in some instances even proposing to draft the legislation for the government.