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