17 June 2020: SEATCA launched The Tobacco Industry (TI) Monitor website to provides comprehensive information on TI tactics and interference in the ten ASEAN countries. Information from this new Monitor can be used for advocacy and policy development. The site covers several aspects: country profiles, tobacco industry profiles, and various tobacco industry tactics. Besides those three issues, the site also provides information on harm reduction products (ENDS/HTPs) including arguments for ENDS and HTPs, FAQ on ENDS/HTPs. Tobacco control advocates, researchers, and country partners can get involved by contributing updates and information. Please contact Worrawan – TID program manager of SEATCA: worrawan@seatca.org
2. New report: “Today’s teens, tomorrow’s customers”
The tobacco industry is selling new products such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (HTPs) to create new generations of addicts. This report details how the tobacco industry is aggressively promoting e-cigarettes with youth-appealing themes, such as having fun, success, and sensuality, and using different Internet platforms frequented by youths like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Vaping trick videos on mobile video sharing service TikTok are rampant, and local celebrities and social media influencers are used to promote e-cigarettes and HTPs. These products are also marketed with thousands of youth-appealing fruity and candy flavors that reduce the perception of harm. Five ASEAN countries (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Singapore and Thailand) are among the more than 40 countries that already ban the sale of e-cigarettes and/or HTPs.
https://seatca.org/dmdocuments/WNTD%202020%20report-SEATCA-Final.pdf
Lobby group, CAPHRA has responded to this new report in the Philippines by attacking SEATCA, wrongly stating, among other things, that the report is sponsored by pharmaceutical companies. For more information about CAPHRA and other harm reduction groups in ASEAN, please visit TIM website [https://timonitor.seatca.org/front-groups-promoting-harm-reduction-products/]
