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