Cigarette firms may sue Thai government

Cigarette firms may sue Thai government

BANGKOK: Four cigarette manufactures may sue if the Thai Public Health Ministry proceeds with its plan to ban the display of cigarettes at sales points, the English-language Nation newspaper reported on Thursday.

The state-owned Thailand Tobacco Monopoly (TTM) joined Philip Morris (Thailand), British American Tobacco (Thailand), and JT International in what was the first time they have teamed up with foreign cigarette companies in issuing a public statement.

The proposed ban on displays deprived buyers and sellers of their basic right of a venue where buyers could freely choose the items they wanted, the cigarette companies said.

"This ban will make it difficult for us to check the authenticity of products and it will be harder for the tax authorities to verify tax collection," Prapatsorn Pongpanpisand, a deputy director at TTM told the Nation. -- DPA