Paulina Quintao – Despite the outcry from the community for the government to ban cigarette advertising in public spaces, the Minister of Health said it won't be able to because there is no law for this.
He said the new legislation will fortify articles in the International Convention of Controlling Tobacco which Timor-Leste has already ratified. He added the legislation is in response to community concerns over the increase in tobacco advertising in public spaces in the country.
"We now are developing new legislation that will be presented to the Council Ministers for approval that will put a total ban on tobacco advertising," said Chief dos Santos at Hotel Vila Verde, in Dili.
He said the new legislation is very important because it will ban these types of advertising and because tobacco taxes in Timor-Leste are very low compared with other countries making it easier for young people to pick up the habit.
In Timor-Leste there is a high prevalence of chronic diseases related to smoking such as hypertension, cancer and tuberculosis, with the costs for treatment heavy on the public purse.
He added smoking is a health hazard that puts lives at risk in the long run, leads to infertility, causes mouth and tongue cancer, and may lead to premature births in pregnant women who smoke during pregnancy.
According to global statistics approximately 6,000,000 die each year due to smoking related diseases and some 600,000 die each year due to passive smoking.
Meanwhile the President of Commission F (Health, Education, Gender Equality and Veteran Affairs), MP Virgilio da Costa Hornai, agrees with this initiative but warned the National Parliament has many other laws that it will need to be debated first.
"These initiatives are very positive and we will consider the types of advertising that are allowed but we have other laws to discuss first such as the Land and Property Law, the Decentralization Law, and others," said MP Hornai.
In the meantime the Minister of Health, Dr. Sergio da Costa Lobo, said the ministry currently is not able to ban cigarette advertising in public spaces because there isn't a legal basis for such a ban. "We can't do anything legally to force them to take down this advertising," said Minister Lobo.