Myanmar bans smoking at world famous pagoda
Friday, 27 July 2007
YANGON, July 26 (Xinhua): Myanmar has designated the platform around its world's famous Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon as tobacco- and betel- free zone, banning smoking and taking of betel leaf there with effective from this weekend, local media reported today.
Such practices at the sacred site are prohibited for the first time in a bid to improve the image of the area in terms of hygiene, the Yangon Time said.
Shwedagon pagoda, where the relics of four Buddhas were enshrined and built over 2,500 years ago, remains one of the nine wonders in the world.
Myanmar has also banned smoking in university campuses in the country starting December last year in an effort to create tobacco- smoke-free environment for the health of the university students.
The ban also apply to a wide range of public accessible areas such as school, stadium and mart but not in some specific areas under a smoking and tobacco product consumption control law promulgated in May 2006.
The law introduces some strict restrictions with regard to sale and production of cigar and totally bans all forms of tobacco advertisement including advertising through sponsoring sports matches.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar health authorities have stressed the need to expand the country's anti-tobacco campaign to rural areas where smokers, especially women, are high in number.
Noting that most women smokers are poor and uneducated, health officials pointed out that smoking is more prevalent among women in rural areas than in urban ones.
Myanmar has been committed to controlling tobacco consumption by ratifying the International Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It became a signatory to the convention in September 2003 and was the 11th out of 192 countries to ratify the convention.
Myanmar launched a tobacco free initiative project in 2002.
Such practices at the sacred site are prohibited for the first time in a bid to improve the image of the area in terms of hygiene, the Yangon Time said.
Shwedagon pagoda, where the relics of four Buddhas were enshrined and built over 2,500 years ago, remains one of the nine wonders in the world.
Myanmar has also banned smoking in university campuses in the country starting December last year in an effort to create tobacco- smoke-free environment for the health of the university students.
The ban also apply to a wide range of public accessible areas such as school, stadium and mart but not in some specific areas under a smoking and tobacco product consumption control law promulgated in May 2006.
The law introduces some strict restrictions with regard to sale and production of cigar and totally bans all forms of tobacco advertisement including advertising through sponsoring sports matches.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar health authorities have stressed the need to expand the country's anti-tobacco campaign to rural areas where smokers, especially women, are high in number.
Noting that most women smokers are poor and uneducated, health officials pointed out that smoking is more prevalent among women in rural areas than in urban ones.
Myanmar has been committed to controlling tobacco consumption by ratifying the International Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It became a signatory to the convention in September 2003 and was the 11th out of 192 countries to ratify the convention.
Myanmar launched a tobacco free initiative project in 2002.