Bangkok teens sneaking puffs of Indonesian clove cigarettes

Bangkok teens sneaking puffs of Indonesian clove cigarettes

Deutsche Presse-Agentur Bangkok

Sweet-smelling clove cigarettes from Indonesia have become a craze among Thai high school students, frustrating official campaigns to discourage smoking, it was reported Thursday.

A Bangkok school teacher was quoted by The Nation newspaper as saying the smuggled smokes were being sold secretly by vendors at the city's Memorial Bridge night market under the Gudang Garam brand.

Each package contains cigarettes in up to six flavors and sells for 70 baht (US$1.75) per pack, about double the price of locally-made brands.

The vendors avoid arrest by selling only to teenagers they know and trust, according to the teacher, who asked not to be named.

Speaking at a conference on the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on Wednesday, Dr. Prakit Vateesatokkij, head of the medical college of Ramathibodi Hospital, said the government's high-profile fight against illicit drugs had been drawing attention away from efforts to deter cigarette smoking.

He said the widespread smuggling of cigarettes tended to increase consumption because, unlike the clove cigarettes, they were usually cheaper than legal ones.

In addition, the government was reluctant to raise taxes on legal tobacco for fear this would make smuggled cigarettes even more attractive to consumers.