$10,000 Fine, Jail For Tobacco Advts
By Azlan Othman

Bandar Seri Begawan - Under Section 17 of the Tobacco Order 2005, anything that is deemed as an advertisement to promote tobacco could see the violator slapped with $10,000 fine, six months' jail or both. And under Section 16 of the Order, smoking is prohibited in specified public places like schools, government premises, shopping complex and food outlets and offenders could face a fine not exceeding $1,000.

Legal Adviser at the Ministry of Health, Dk Hjh Suzylawati bte Pg Indera Wijaya Pg Dr Hj Ismail, in delivering her presentation at an enforcement workshop on the Tobacco Order 2005, highlighted the 36 sections of the order that are divided into six parts.

They are Preliminary, Tobacco Product Control. Smoking at Specified Places and Vehicles, Advertisement Control, Legislation Enforcement and General.

The Tobacco Order and its regulations will be enforced following a grace period of six months from August 1, 2007.

Under Section 29 (1) of the Order, should ‘authorised officers’ be prohibited from carrying out their duties to enter any premises, detain or confiscate any items, offenders will face a fine of $10,000, imprisonment not exceeding one year or both.

Under Tobacco Product Control, the prohibition on the importation and selling of tobacco products including provision on the maximum amount of nicotine and tar inside a cigarette (Section number of cigarettes in a packet (Section 4), prohibition on promotion (Section 7) and the prohibition of sponsorship, prizes, cash, scholarship and reward (Section 8).

It also includes prohibition to supply tobacco products to minors aged 18 and below (Section 9), control of smoking, purchasing and possessing tobacco products by minors (Section 10), notice on the prohibition of selling of tobacco products to minors by retailers (Section 11), the need to acquire a licence for importation, supply and selling of tobacco products (Section 12), as well as health warning and labelling of tobacco products (Section 13).

It is an order which prohibits advertising relating to cigarette smoking, control the use of tobacco products, control selling, promotion, packaging and businesses of tobacco products, prohibits smoking on specified places and vehicles and to give provision on matters relating and associated with it.

She said the World Health Organisation (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) was enforced on February 27, 2005 in a global response to the tobacco epidemic. It has been ratified by 148 countries and Brunei did so on June 3, 2004.

During the five-day workshop, two experts on tobacco enforcements from New Zealand will brief and train authorised officers.

Forty participants are attending the Tobacco Legislation Enforcement comprising personnel from the Royal Brunei Police Force, District Office, Municipal Department, Customs and Excise Department, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Narcotic Control Bureau and the Health Services Department. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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