Indonesian tobacco brands to add health warning labels

There have been persistent calls to control tobacco advertising in the country, which holds the third-highest number of tobacco consumers in the world after China and India. 

More than 200,000 people die from smoking-related illnesses in Indonesia every year. International attention was drawn to the country’s smoking problem when a disturbing YouTube clip of a smoking toddler went viral a couple of years ago. 

Around the same time, the Asia-Pacific Association for the Control of Tobacco (APACT) launched an appeal to the Indonesian government to regulate its tobacco industry and cigarette advertising in an effort to curb smoking among its people.

Indonesia is unusual in that cigarette advertising is still permitted on TV, with all the leading brands allocating budget to the platform. Restrictions, however, require that the ads only air late in the evening and may not feature the product or the word ‘cigarette’.

Last year, the Health Ministry said a ban on tobacco advertising would only be implemented in stages, following consultations with several parties including officials, cigarette companies and tobacco farmers.