XN000022-1987-11-14 — Page 5

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1987

BETWEEN 1982 AND 1986, KONG DECLINED BY 20 PER CENT. SMOKERS IN THE WORLD.

C+

THE NUMBER OF DAILY SMOKERS IN HONG THIS REPRESENTED THE FASTEST DECLINE OF

"BECAUSE OF THE STRONG EVIDENCE LINKING SMOKING WITH MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY,' MISS CHUNG SAID THAT GOVERNMENT TOOK ** FIRM AND RESOLUTE" ACTION WHEN APPROPRIATE WITH THE AIM OF SAFEGUARDING THE HEALTH OF ITS RESIDENTS.

MISS CHUNG SAID THE AIM OF ENCOURAGING THE POPULATION NOT ΤΟ SMOKE WAS ACHIEVED BY EDUCATION, LEGISLATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE MEANS.

IN HER REVIEW, HONG KONG WAS SHOWN TO BE AMONG THE FEW PLACES IN ASIA WHERE:

HEALTH WARNINGS ARE REQUIRED ON CIGARETTE

ADVERTISEMENTS;

(A)

(B)

"NO

SMOKING" AREAS ARE DESIGNATED ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT;

(C) SMOKING IS NOT ALLOWED IN ALL GOVERNMENT CLINICS AND SOME OFFICE PREMISES; AND

(D) GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE ADVISED NOT TO

APPEARANCES.

PACKAGES AND

MANY MEANS OF

HOSPITALS AND

SMOKE IN PUBLIC

MISS CHUNG SAID THAT ANOTHER ASPECT OF WHICH HONG KONG WAS "JUSTIFIABLY PROUD" WAS BEING THE FIRST ASIAN AREA ΤΟ BAN SMOKELESS TOBACCO IN JANUARY 1987. THIS ACTION WAS COMMENDED BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION AND THE DELEGATES TO THE SIXTH WORLD CONFERENCE AS BRING COURAGEOUS AND A STEP TO BE EMULATED.

THE ISSUE OF SMOKELESS TOBACCO RECEIVED SIGNIFICANT COVERAGE AT THE WORLD CONFERENCE BECAUSE OF THE SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARDS THAT THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION ASSOCIATED WITH THIS NEW FORM OF TOBACCO.

THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISION IN OCTOBER TO SET UP A STATUTORY GOVERNMENT-SUBVENTED COUNCIL ON SMOKING AND HEALTH ALSO RECEIVED ATTENTION AT THE WORLD CONFERENCE.

AND MUCH

MANY WAYS то WHICH WOULD BE

THIS APPROACH WAS CONSIDERED SUPERIOR IN ARRANGEMENTS ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD. THE ARRAS EXAMINED BY THE NEW COUNCIL WOULD INCLUDE MORE EFFECTIVE PUBLIC EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY, THE ISSUES OF OUTDOOR ADVERTISEMENTS, ENFORCEMent of leGISLATION AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT.

THE SIXTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON SMOKING AND HEALTH WAS OPENED ON NOVEMBER 9 BY JAPAN'S MINISTER OF HEALTH AND WELFARE, MR TAKAO FUJIMOTO, (JAPAN) AND DR HALFDAN MAHLER, DIRECTOR GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION.

/OVER 700