Tobacco Control Law Pass

Pictorial Warning on Cigarette Packets Demanded
Bangladesh participation in international treaty on tobacco control
Legal Victory in Bangladesh
Anti Tobacco Act soon - Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain,                                       Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh
Pakistan bans all forms of tobacco ads and smoking in public places
World Environment Day 2003
Ban on two-stroke three-wheelers at last!
Study finds 97% of Dhaka students  disrupted by horns
Polythene bags banned in Dhaka from 1st January 2002
Crackdown on unfit vehicles

World Environment Day 2003

Ban on two-stroke three-wheelers at last!

Study finds 97% of Dhaka students  disrupted by horns

Polythene bags banned in Dhaka from 1st January 2002

Crackdown on unfit vehicles

Pictorial Warning on Cigarette Packets Demanded

Bangladesh participation in international treaty on tobacco control

Legal Victory in Bangladesh

Anti Tobacco Act soon - Dr Khandaker Mosharrf Hossain,

                                                 Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh

Pakistan bans all forms of tobacco ads and smoking in public places

On World Environment Day ,2003(on 5th June) we have exhibited and distributed our publications in environment fair, organized by the Ministry of Environment at Osmani  Auditorium  with the help of the stall of BAPA.

On the occasion of World Environment Day,2003 two programmes were made in the magazine programmes named Jubo Taranga and Environment and Science on Bangladesh Betar.

To control noise pollution Shabdo Duson Protirodh Samannay Committee was made on September,2002. Its Secretariat is at Work for Better Bangladesh (WBB). A demonstration and a public meeting were arranged by Shabdo Duson Protirodh Samannay Committee at the front of National Museum at Shahbag After finishing  the meeting a colorful rally was performed. The lecturers of the meeting were Proffesor Mojaffar Ahmed, Dr. Badiul Alam Majumder, Humayan Kabir Hiru, Sirajul Islam Molla, Amit Ranjan Dey, and Manik Mahood. Most of the newespapers published this news with a highly importance.

The Independent,  3 March 2003, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Work for a Better Bangladesh yesterday demanded inscription of warning along with photo on the cigarette packets mentioning diseases caused by smoking.

Research officer of the organization Ratan Deb, Syed Mahbubul Alam and Rafiqul Islam Milon Spoke at a press conference at the Dhaka reporters unity (DRU) where the research report titled “Tobacco Control Act: Peoples Aspirations’’ was released.

They Said tobacco product were being produced and marketed in different countries of the world including Canada and Brazil with pictorial warning on the packets about the dangers of smoking. They said Thailand was also going to implement inscription of such warning on cigarette packet from this year.

The Researchers of the organization demanded inscription of health warning on 50 percent of the space on the packet of cigarette mentioning diseases caused by tobacco smoking. They also demanded shunning words like “light” “mild”, low-tar and added that 15 European Union countries have announced stoppage of misleading words like this.

The researchers in their survey found that 63 percent children participating in survey had seen cigarette advertisements on the electronic media, especially television channels, children know the name of cigarette more than their necessary things, children aged 10 and 11 know the name of Gold leaf cigarette more then “Meena Cartoon”. They said the survey revealed that the children know the name of cigarette more than the child right week, Independence Day, Victory Day and Amar Ehushey International Mother Language day.

Among the 5-year-old children 62 per cent children could not say the date of mother language day but 34 per cent of then could mention the name of a brand of cigarette. Though 45 per cent children could not say the date of independence and National day 85 percent of them could mention the name of a brand of cigarette. Of those participation in the survey 91 percent of smokers and 97 percent of the non-smokers wanted ban on tobacco advertisement.

The survey found that the adolescents and youth smokers were very important, as they are the main consumer of tobacco. When a youth chooses a brand the possibility of his sticking to the brand for rest of the life was very high. According to the survey most of the smoker did not know that tobacco was addictive though the tobacco companies also admit it.

Geneva, 17 Feb 2003
Governments from around the world are meeting in Geneva, Switzerland to discuss an international treaty on tobacco: the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Bangladesh is playing an active role in the negotiations. 

The Bangladesh government is represented by the Joint Secretary of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Selina Ahsan and Deputy Secretary Abdul Haq and Director of National Cancer Institute Dr. A. S. M Shariful Islam .

Saifuddin Ahmed, Coordinator of the Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance present at the negotiations as observer.

Tobacco control advocates in Bangladesh recently won a significant victory against the tobacco industry.  Advocates filed a writ petition against Imperial Tobacco (Bangladesh) Limited for their advertising campaign for Thames cigarettes.  The Court called upon the respondents, which included the Government of Bangladesh, Imperial Tobacco, and the publisher of advertisements, to show cause as to why the promotional advertisement activities of Imperial Tobacco (BD) Ltd. should not be declared to be illegal, and why exemplary damages shall not be awarded which shall be used for counter advertisement and awareness programs against the use of tobacco.  The judges also stayed all promotional advertisement activities of Imperial Tobacco (BD) Ltd. for a period of two months.  

At the end of the two months, the stay order was extended for a further two weeks, despite Imperial Tobacco's claims that the stay order was unconstitutional.

Dr Khandaker Mosharrf Hossain, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Bangladesh

The Government of Bangladesh plans to formulate the Anti-Tobacco Act soon, aiming to impose ban of the advertisement of tobacco. Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Khandaker Mosharrf Hossain disclosed this.

He was speaking as chief guest at the 3nd founding anniversary of Bangladesh Anti-tobacco Alliance at the BARDEM auditorium on 3 November 2002.

Joint secretary of Ministry of Health and family Welfare Dr Salina Ahsan and Country representative of the World Health Organization (WHO)  Sunity Acharia were present as the special guests.

As of the first of January 2003, the noisy, polluting two-stroke three-wheelers, locally known as baby taxis, have been banned in Dhaka.  A partial ban had removed most of the baby taxis from the streets several months earlier, but with the implementation of the full ban, the air quality in Dhaka has improved significantly.  In order to respond to the need for more transportation caused by the ban, as well as on further restrictions of the movement of bicycle rickshaws, many more buses are now operating in the capital.  Three-wheelers are allowed to operate if they have four-stroke engines.  Many of the new three-wheelers run on CNG, a further environmental improvement.

A recent report on noise pollution finds that 97% of students have their studying disrupted by car horns. This report, Noise Pollution Research and Action, published by Work for a Better Bangladesh, was released at a press conference on 28 August 2002. Amit Ranjan Dey, Project Officer, Work for a Better Bangladesh, answered various question from the journalists. The  Secretary General of Bangladesh Environment Movement (BAPA), Abu Naser Khan, Shirajul Islam Mulla, ED, Sundar Jiban and Ratan Deb were also present the press conference.

The report includes results from a survey of 2,500 people in Dhaka, two focus groups, various key informant interviews, and collection of data on noise pollution limits and levels in Dhaka. The report also includes many practical suggestions for NGO staff, media, and the Government to work to reduce noise pollution and make Dhaka a more healthy and livable city.

A procession against polythene (thin plastic) bag use by Work for a Better Bangladesh

The Government of Bangladesh has banned the use of polythene (very thin plastic) bags in the capital city of Dhaka, effective from 1 January 2002.  A nationwide ban will follow on the 1st of March.  Polythene bags have long been recognized as an environmental and health hazard.  Because the bags are not biodegradable, they pollute the nation's rivers, lakes, and soil.  They also clog drains, contributing to devastating flooding during the monsoon season.  It is reported that there is a 5-6 foot layer of polythene bags on the riverbed of one major river.  The initial reaction to the ban has been mostly positive, with Dhaka residents turning to the use of jute bags, the declining "golden fiber" of Bangladesh.  The production and disposal of reusable jute bags do not harm the environment, and the government and NGOs hope to see people return to the environmentally friendly ways of the past, where people took jute bags and baskets of assorted local materials with them to market.  It is also hoped that a successful ban in Bangladesh will be an example to other countries also plagued by the presence of polythene bags.

Old, polluting vehicles are no longer circulating freely on the roads of Dhaka.  From 1 January 2002, the Government of Bangladesh has begun a crackdown on unfit vehicles, impounding old and heavily-polluting buses, trucks, and tempos.  The capital city awoke to a cleaner and less crowded city, as the usual traffic jams were almost non-existent thanks to the removal of thousands of vehicles from the city streets.  Completely pollution-free bicycle rickshaws, as well as other newer and more fit vehicles, circulated more freely on the city's roads.