[Kabar-indonesia] SBY told to stop expansion of cigarette companies

[Joyo at aol.com]

The Jakarta Post 
Saturday, August 5, 2006

SBY told to stop Sampoerna expansion

JAKARTA: The National Movement to Prevent Smoking Problems has asked 
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to stop the expansion of cigarette companies in the 
country.

The organization, consisting of 21 NGOs and professional organizations, 
criticized the government's issuance of a permit to the country's largest cigarette 
company, PT HM Sampoerna, to build a new factory in Karawang regency, West 
Java.

"The new factory is able to produce nine billion cigarettes per year. This 
will be an insidious danger for the youth and poor people because it will 
increase cigarettes' availability in the country," said Farid Anfasa Moeloek, 
chairman of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI), which is part of the National 
Movement to Prevent Smoking Problems.

He said about Rp 50 billion (US$5.5 million) in cash aid that the government 
provided annually to low-income citizens would only be wasted on cigarettes.

Widyastuti Soerojo of the Anti-Smoking Foundation said any benefits from the 
new factory, expected to employ about 12,000 people, would ultimately be 
meaningless since millions of people could potentially die from increased smoking.

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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