Spotlight: Countries hold events to advocate no tobacco life

Some countries around the world held events on Sunday to advocate a no tobacco life around the 28th World No Tobacco Day (May 31) initiated by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO honored Beijing on Sunday for the city's new smoking ban set to take effect on Monday, China's toughest to date, which prohibits smoking in all the city's indoor public places, workplaces, and on public transportation.X "We applauded Beijing for its strong and determined leadership in protecting the health of its people by making public places smoke-free. We are delighted to be formally recognizing the Beijing Municipal Government with a WHO World No Tobacco Day Award," said Shin Young-soo, Regional Director for the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office.

According to the WHO, Beijing's law is compliant with the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, and when fully implemented, will have a major impact on the health of Beijing's millions of residents.

In Phnom Penh, more than 100 Cambodian anti-tobacco activists and officials on Friday marked the World No Tobacco Day, urging smokers to stop smoking at public areas and workplaces.

Bun Serey, vice-governor of Phnom Penh Municipality, said the City Hall has advised owners of restaurants, hotels, guesthouses and other establishments to place "No Smoking" signs in their places in order to discourage smokers.

Moreover, the City Hall has also placed smoking-ban signs at resorts, entertainment facilities and children's parks, he said.

"On the occasion, I'd like to appeal to smokers not to smoke at public venues and working places in order to keep Phnom Penh free from cigarette smoke," he said.

Yil Daravuth, an official at the WHO-Cambodia, said it is estimated that some 1.4 million adult Cambodians smoke cigarettes and other 550,000 people use smokeless tobacco (betel quid).

"Nearly 10,000 Cambodian people die from tobacco-related diseases every year in Cambodia," he said.

The country issued a circular to ban smoking at public areas and workplaces since February last year, but the circular did not state any penalty or fine for violators.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on May 27 held a seminar on smoking control to mark the World No Tobacco Day.

Officials from the DPRK's Public Health Ministry and other ministries and WHO representative in the country attended the seminar, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Choe Suk Hyon, an official of the Ministry of Publish Health, said that the no-smoking campaign has gained momentum throughout the country.

Smoking has been banned at educational and healthcare institutions in the DPRK. In particular, an increasing number of young people have stopped smoking, she said.

The number of smokers stood at 43.9 percent in 2014, a decrease from 50.3 percent in 2009, with the country seeing no female smokers, she said.

The country has taken a measure to hike tobacco price and has prohibited import of tobacco, she added.

The Philippine government called on the public on Friday to end the illicit trade of tobacco and focus on the products' graphic health warnings as more Filipinos die due to smoking-related diseases.

Department of Health Secretary Janette Garin made the call as the country joins the observation of the World No Tobacco Day on May 31.

"The World No Tobacco Day is an ideal event to raise awareness on the hazards of tobacco use because approximately 240 Filipinos die daily from smoking-related diseases," she said.

In November 1987, the WHO recommended to set April 7 as the World No Tobacco Day, which was implemented in 1988. The Day was altered to May 31 since 1989.

According to the WHO, the global tobacco epidemic kills nearly 6 million people each year, of which more than 600,000 are non-smokers dying from breathing second-hand smoke. Endi