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ASH Daily News

7 November 2003

HEADLINES

BAT 'dragged out' of Burma
Japanese court rules against smokers' claims
Turkish stocks suffer after Tekel auction
Ventilation compromise on Irish smoke ban?

FULL TEXT

BAT 'dragged out' of Burma

There is extensive coverage today's papers on news that British American
Tobacco is to sell its share in the Rothmans of Pall Mall Myanmar Pte
Limited, effectively ceasing operations in Myanmar (Burma). BAT runs a
cigarette factory in Burma which employs about 500 people.

BAT's announcement comes after sustained pressure from The Burma
Campaign UK, which campaigns for human rights and democracy in Burma.
Their efforts lead to an intervention by Foreign Office - the junior
minister Mike O'Brien formally asking BAT to pull out of strife-torn
Burma in July.

Mike O'Brien's call on the company followed comments made by Prime
Minister Tony Blair to parliament when he stated that trade between
British companies and the military regime was not appropriate.

Financial Times:
http://search.ft.com/search/article.html?id=031107000855
The Guardian:
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/foreignaffairs/story/0,11538,1079866,00.h
tml
The Times:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,4501-882672,00.html
The Independent:
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=461246



Japanese court rules against smokers' claims

Further proof of Japan's outdated attitude toward the health risks of
tobacco came last week when a court rejected claims by former smokers
that their habit had made them seriously ill.

Six men, aged 60-80 years, filed a suit with the Tokyo District Court in
1998 seeking 60 million yen (US$553 000) in damages from the government
and Japan Tobacco Inc (JT), the country's sole cigarette maker. The suit
was the first of its kind in Japan.

The plaintiffs, three of whom died before the ruling, said JT had
knowingly sold them cigarettes without properly informing them of the
health risks.

While conceding that smoking can cause serious illnesses, the court
rejected the men's claim that their illnesses--lung cancer, cancer of
the larynx, and emphysema--had been caused directly by decades of
cigarette smoking.

"Nicotine is addictive, but it is not enough to override the free will
of each smoker", judge Kikuo Asaka said. "It is hard to accept that
smokers cannot quit with some willpower and effort."

The ruling was greeted with dismay by the men's lawyers. "This ruling
should be world news, as it shows that Japan has become a laughing
stock", said attorney Yoshio Isayama. "The judgment is poles apart from
what the world knows about smoking."

Anti-smoking groups were similarly stunned by the court's assertion that
nicotine is only mildly addictive. "This judgment has brought shame on
Japan", said Bungaku Watanabe, of the Tobacco Problems Information
Centre.

Last week was not the first time JT, the world's third-largest cigarette
maker, has questioned widely accepted scientific evidence of the link
between smoking and cancer, despite health ministry figures showing that
100 000 Japanese die prematurely every year from smoking-related
illnesses.

Source: The Lancet, 1 November 2003



Turkish stocks suffer after Tekel auction

Stocks in Istanbul tumbled yesterday as investors were left disappointed
with the auction of Tekel, the state owned tobacco maker, which failed
to reach the government's target.

Political obstacles to Turkey's ambitions to becoming a member of the EU
also weighed on sentiment.

Turkey had hoped to raise as much as $3bn from the sale of Tekel, but
the highest offer, by Japan Tobacco International, was just $1.15bn.

Investors feared the low bid could lead to the sale being delayed.
Turkey has committed itself to selling off several state owned assets as
part of plans with the International Monetary Fund.

Source: Financial Times, 7 November 2003



Ventilation compromise on Irish smoke ban?

The Times reports on the possibility of new air cleaning technologies
that may even at this late stage present themselves as a compromise to
banning smoking in Irish pubs.

Full article:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-7-882909,00.html
Source: The Times, 7 November 2003


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