[Intl-tobacco] Report: Thai/U.S. Youth Crash Philip Morris ASEAN Art Awards - Part I

[robert weissman]

Dear Friends,

Last month, artists from throughout South East Asia came to Bangkok,
Thailand to compete for the coveted grand prize of the ASEAN Art Awards,
founded and sponsored by none other than the world's #1 multinational
Merchant of Death, Philip Morris. The company organized a series of
public relations events leading up to the awards ceremony on August 4^th
. What they didn=92t plan for: a bunch of Thai and U.S. youth crashing
their party!

On August 2nd, Thai and U.S. youth held a rally outside Thailand=92s
National Gallery of Art while Philip Morris execs, artists, and
reporters wined and dined at a reception inside. The next day, the youth
followed Philip Morris to the ancient city of Ayutthaya and joined a
procession of elephants that the company had hired to lead the artists,
journalists, and company execs to an =93artist interaction=94 activity
amongst historic ruins. The pictures speak for themselves!

Below, please find some background on Philip Morris=92 sponsorship of the
awards. Two additional emails will follow with a full report on the
actions around this year=92s ASEAN Art Awards, including links to numerous
photos from the events.

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Thai/U.S. Youth Crash Philip Morris ASEAN Art Awards Events
August 2-3, 2004 Thailand
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Part I: DECADE OF DECEIT: PHILIP MORRIS=92 SPONSORSHIP OF THE ASEAN ART
AWARDS

Philip Morris founded the ASEAN Arts Awards, a regional arts competition
for artists based in countries within ASEAN (Association of South East
Asian Nations), in 1994. A decade later, the Awards have become the most
prestigious arts competition in the region. Philip Morris remains the
primary financial sponsor of the awards, which are also supported by the
ASEAN Secretariat and 33 national art institutions throughout the region.

> > About the ASEAN Arts Awards

The arts competition, once an annual event, now takes place every two
years. Artists are chosen to compete in the ASEAN final, following
simultaneous competitions at the national level. Previous ASEAN Art
Award Finals have been held in Singapore (1994, 2000), Jakarta (1995),
Bangkok (1996), Manila (1997), Hanoi (1998), Kuala Lumpur (1999), and
Bali (2002).

During the past decade, artists from 10 countries have been eligible to
submit works, including : Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam
(countries vary from year to year). Artists may submit two-dimensional
forms of art up to 2 x 2 meters in size and created in the past two
years. Participating countries and art organizations nominate a panel of
internationally renowned judges to assess the entries. At the ASEAN
level, one Grand Prize ($15,000) and five juror-choice prize award
($5,000) winners are chosen.

More than 18,000 works of art have been submitted to the competition
since it started, and over 150,000 people have attended the awards.

> > What Philip Morris Gets Out of the ASEAN Art Awards

Publicly, Philip Morris likes to talk about its love of the arts. As
Ellis Woodward, Vice President of Philip Morris Asia Limited said at the
2002 Awards:

    =93The ASEAN Art Awards were initiated to encourage, inspire and
    reward, and most importantly support, creative works by established
    and emerging artists within the region. It represents one of the
    most comprehensive and prestigious two dimensional art competitions
    in Southeast Asia.=94

Philip Morris executives have also referred to the competition as =93Art
for Art=92s Sake.=94 The company boasts on its website of supporting arts
worldwide, noting that =93art is a unique way for a society to define,
express and understand its experience; for a company that sees itself
firmly rooted in society, arts sponsorship is a given.=94
http://www.philipmorrisinternational.com/pages/eng/community/Arts.asp

But privately, the company is much more candid about the real reason for
its support of the ASEAN Art Awards. C. Goddard of Philip Morris Asia
Region noted in a company speech in the 1990=92s that:

    =93The Philip Morris Group of Companies ASEAN Art Awards =96 an art
    competition involving seven ASEAN markets that provides Corporate
    Affairs and management with direct access to senior government
    officials in each country and given us strong relationships at the
    ASEAN Secretariat.=94

Philip Morris International Weekly Highlights from the 1990s detail many
of the government ministries befriended and favorable media coverage
obtained through the ASEAN Art Awards. The company classifies them under
the category =93public relations.=94 Here are a few examples:

    INDONESIA: On July 11, the five finalists for the Philip Morris
    Group of Companies Indonesian/ASEAN Art Awards were announced in a
    ceremony held in Bali and officiated by representatives from the
    Ministries of Tourism and Education. The event was featured on TV
    and through press coverage. (1997)

    MALAYSIA: On July 16, the five finalists for the Malaysian segment
    of the Philip Morris Group of Companies Malaysia/ASEAN Art Awards
    were announced in a ceremony held at the National Art Gallery and
    officiated by the Deputy Minister of Tourism and Culture. Philip
    Morris was highly praised for its continuous support for the Arts.
    The event was well covered by the press. (1997)

    PHILIPPINES: Fifty finalists in the Philip Morris Group of Companies
    Philippines Art Awards went on exhibit starting July 14. Five Jurors
    Choices were awarded, who will compete in the ASEAN Art Awards to be
    held in Manila in September. Prominent art critics and government
    officials attended the award and opening night. Other entities
    supporting the event were the Metropolitan Museum and the National
    Commission for Culture and Arts. (1997)

    Source: /Philip Morris Document, Bates: 2075808223/

/http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/cgi/getdoc?tid=3Djiw52c00&fmt=3Dpdf&ref=3Dr=
esults/


What some of these =93senior government officials=94 have to say about
Philip Morris=92 sponsorship of the Awards:

    =93I would like to commend Philip Morris for their firm commitment to
    support the arts in Singapore, and more importantly in ASEAN.
    Without their commitment to ASEAN, this prestigious regional event
    would not be possible=85The active participation of individuals and
    corporations, like Philip Morris, who have the passion of wanting to
    develop and elevate the arts and culture to greater heights in
    Singapore and ASEAN is extremely encouraging.=94 /-- Mr. Yatiman
    Yusof, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Information,
    Communications and the Arts, at Singapore-ASEAN Art Awards 2003
    presentation./ / /

CONCLUSION: The ASEAN Arts Award is a highly effective tool for Philip
Morris to gain credibility, positive public relations, and access to
government officials and ministries who have the power to help (or halt)
the company=92s expansion in Asia. The company=92s political influence
leveraging poses a serious threat to efforts to ratify/implement the
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and to exclude tobacco from
Asian free trade agreements, such as AFTA.

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Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control
Essential Action
P.O. Box 19405
Washington, DC 20036
Tel: +1 202-387-8030
Fax: +1 202-234-5176
Email: tobacco@essential.org
http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco