REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SURABAYA - Coalition of Health Professions-anti smoking (KPK-Anti Rokok) and Health Caucus of Indonesian House of Representatives in East Java reject the event "World Tobacco Asia (WTA) Conference 2012" in Jakarta on 19-21 September 2012.
"The second WTA Conference in Indonesia shows the strong position of tobacco industry in Indonesia. It makes Indonesia become world-nicotine wastebasket," the Chairman of KPK-Anti Rokok in East Java, Adang Bachtiar, said.
He explained that KPK-Anti Rokok would become the front guard to counteract any efforts damaging Indonesian health. They will hold Round Table Discussion (RTD) to discuss on tobacco control in Indonesia.
He said that government's permission on WTA Conference 2012 was surprising amid efforts to improve Indonesian people's health. Indonesia is chosen as a place for conference may be because government seems to support tobacco industry. Indonesia, without firm policy on tobacco control, is also dynamic tobacco market.
"Indonesia's image in international can be getting worse because Indonesia is considered supporting the death of million people due to tobacco," he said.
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