Brunei Praised For Its Fight Against Smoking

Bandar Seri Begawan – A top World Health Organisation (WHO) has praised Brunei for its stand against smoking.

The government's ambitious political and religious drive to educate the people about the dangers of smoking and eradicating the threat from cigarettes were commended today during a seminar about the Best Practices in Tobacco control.

Mr Burke Fishburn, the regional coordinator for the Western Pacific Regional Office of the WHO, shared his views and knowledge about the most effective and practical measures to control the consumption of tobacco.

Almost all of the smokers in the world start off their smoking habit early, in their teens and well before reaching the age of 20.

Smoking and second-hand smoke has been well-proven to have caused severe health conditions not only to the smoker but also to others around them.

Thus the focus of public health campaigns, he explained, should be centred on changing the public's attitude and social acceptance that smoking kills.

An education manager from the Asthma Foundation of Australia, Ms Jan Saunders, in the meantime, linked the chronic dangers of smoking and asthma.

Even though asthma remains a western disease, scientists, she said, predicted that within 10 years, asthma statistics in Asia will double as they continue to modernize and adopt western lifestyles.

The main danger of cigarette smoke to an asthma sufferer is that proximity to the smoke will trigger an asthma attack.

She also stressed the message that it must be everybody's responsibility to understand that smoking is fast becoming socially unacceptable.

Meanwhile, a speaker from the Panaga Health Centre, said that they are currently organising a health lifestyle programme which was aimed at reducing the number of smokers, providing a supportive environment for smokers who wanted to quit smoking and promoting a smoke free environment for the non-smokers.

Dayang Liza Haji Seruji in her working paper entitled "Tobacco control initiatives, Brunei Shell Petroleum" said smoking is a choice of every individual.

However, it brings serious consequence to others.

According to her, BSP which is committed to achieving a smoke free environment, have banned smoking in all its premises including oil tankers and offshore oil rigs. Smoking is only allowed at several designated areas.

Another speaker, an Education Officer/Counsellor, schools department, ministry of education, in his working paper: "Tobacco and Youth" disclosed his findings.

Awang Ali Yusri Abdul Ghafor, 15 from 171 students he interviewed in a single school had admitted to smoking.

According to him, majority of the students believed smoking is bad for their health.

Fear of dying young is also more evident among them, as they understand destruction caused by smoking to ones health. -- Courtesy of Radio Television Brunei

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