Intense promotion

Intense promotion

November is a special month for the promotion of tobacco in
Indonesia even though Heroes' Day is commemorated on the tenth
and the National Health Day is observed on Nov. 11. Sports people
across the nation promoting the tobacco industry. Here are the
facts:

1. Lucky Strike International Motorcross Championships 1994 on
the Raffles Village circuit, Grand Final is held in Cibubur,
Jakarta, Nov. 12-13.

2. Bentoel (kretek) Super Motorcross, Worldclass Action,
Surabaya, Nov. 10-11. Kretek is a typical Indonesian cigarette
with the highest levels of tar, nicotine and carbonmonoxide.

3. Djarum kretek "Super taste for Super people" (sic) is
presenting Dutch Super Football. "Super people in Action" (sic)
on TV. Education Indonesia (TPI) every Sunday.

4. Marlboro World Championship Bike Contest 1994 for viewers
of the Argentina Grand Prix and Spain Grand Prix shown on TV,
Nov. 6 and 20.

5. Dunhill League National Football Competition starts on Nov.
27. The organizers' are obsessed with having the Indonesian
National Football qualify for World Cup Final in the year 2002,
under their sponsorship. Although state television does not have
any other advertisements, Dunhill advertisements are broadcast
every night after the main news.

6. Alfred Dunhill's Masters Golf Tournament is held on Nov. 7
at the Bali Golf & Country Club.

7. Wismilak stands for "Wish Me Luck." (Smokers direly need
luck as one out of every four smokers die from smoking-related
disease). Wismilak Indonesian Open Tennis Tournament for Women
(emancipated women are targeted by the tobacco industry) is held
in Surabaya on Nov. 6.

8. Ardath National Badminton Championship 1994, Denpasar, Nov.
28. Indonesia has its world ranked badminton players
participating.

In view of the above, I wonder, whether there is any other
country where tobacco is promoted by so many sports people from
various branches in a single month. Indonesia is still the
tobacco industry's paradise.

DR. MUHERMAN HARUN

Jakarta