[Intl-tobacco] THAILAND: Media urged to be wary of tobacco ads - Bangkok Post/Asia Media

[robert weissman]

THAILAND: Media urged to be wary of tobacco ads
Bangkok Post/Asia Media

The Disease Control Department sets guidelines for screening
advertisements in
response to indirect tobacco advertisements


Bangkok Post
Tuesday, October 19, 2004

By Onnucha Hutasingh

The Disease Control Department has warned the media about carrying
indirect tobacco
advertisements, and will set guidelines for screening ads and
sponsorship offers.

At a meeting with media representatives yesterday, department deputy
chief Narong
Sahamaythapat said cigarette manufacturers had come up with
sophisticated marketing
strategies and indirect advertising methods, and were exploiting the
media as their
advertising tools.

For example, some radio programmes gave free concert tickets plus packs of
cigarettes to lucky listeners, said Dr Narong. He also pointed out
certain cigarette
brands and logos were displayed on some brands of sportswear or on
racing cars shown
in foreign sports news footage.

``The latest case is Philip Morris Company's donation to Khun Rabiabrat
(Pongpanich,
a senator) for an anti-smoking campaign, which led to the question of
whether this
was proper or not. As a result, groups of Interior Ministry housewives
nationwide
must always run this campaign with this firm's name,' he added.

Paladisai Sitthithanyakit, president for academic affairs of the Thai
Journalist
Association, said the media was willing to cooperate and comply with the
law.
However, problems persisted especially in sports news. Although
reporters and
editors tried to focus on sports issues, most athletes wore clothes bearing
cigarette brand names and logos and organisers put up cigarette ads at
sports
stadiums.

It was agreed at yesterday's meeting that the department would work out
a list of
do's and don't's for the media and advertising agencies for use as
guidelines in
screening ads and sponsorship offers from tobacco companies.

The department would also list tobacco companies and cigarette brands
available on
the market, and work out measures to punish offenders.

According to the tobacco consumption control division, several
broadcasting stations
and the print media had breached the Tobacco Control Act of 1992 by
running ads,
articles or TV footage showing cigarette brands or logos. Over 10
violators were
given a warning and legal action was sought against a TV station for
repeatedly
showing cigarette brands during sports news.