Malaysia: Call to Carve out Tobacco from TPP

Source from:  Business Times  07/23/2013

The Malaysia Council for Tobacco Control has urged Malaysia to carve out tobacco from the ongoing Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations.

"Just like military products, narcotics and hazardous wastes are taken out of the talks, tobacco should also be taken out to ensure not only a free and fair trade but a safe trade as well," remarked Dr Molly Cheah at a stakeholder session here during the 18th round of TPP negotiations.

All 12 countries negotiating the TPP, are party to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Governments have their role to protect individuals from the devastating effects of tobacco.

Malaysia's call, she said, echoes that of the American Medical Association to the US Trade Representative and the World Medical Association that tobacco products and alcohol be excluded from free trade pacts.

The Malaysia Council for Tobacco Control is one of the five non-governmental organisations which made the call not to include tobacco as well as medicine, the rest being the Malaysian AIDS Council, Breast Cancer Welfare Association, Malaysian PT Foundation, and the South East Asia Tobacco Control Alliance. Enditem