Tobacco.org

Customs swoops on illicit cigarette smuggling syndicate in Western Wholesale Food Market 

• Stopping smoking is hard despite success of smoke-free legislation 

The successful implementation of smokefree legislation in Hong Kong has led to an overall decrease in the total number of smokers but the remaining smokers who are finding it difficult to quit are going on to become "hardcore" smokers, according to a new study from Hong Kong presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology.

Hardcore smokers are defined as those smokers that (1) are daily smokers, (2) have a smoking history of at least six years, (3) have never tried to quit, (4) don't want to quit smoking, (5) smoke at least 11 cigarettes, on average, each day and (6) are 26 years or older.

The study found that the number of remaining smokers in Hong Kong who went on to become hardcore smokers grew from 23.8 per cent (2005) to 29.4 per cent (2008) of the male smoking population and from 10.6 per cent (2005) to 16.3 per cent (2008) of women who smoke.

"The increase in hardcore smokers is a worrying trend," said, Dr. Doris Leung, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. "Smokefree legislation has gone a long way in reducing the overall number of smokers in Hong Kong but what we now need is to look more closely at how we can help those remaining individuals with serious tobacco habits to stop smoking."

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• Mainland smokers in sights of new center  

The SAR will serve as a springboard for efforts that aim to help mainlanders quit smoking, World Health Organization officials said.

Shin Young Soo, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, said the territory has a strategic advantage in dealing with the cultural and social dimensions of the habit in China, which is home to 350 million smokers.

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First WHO Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation officially launched in Hong Kong (with photos) 

A ceremony to mark the official launch for the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence (Centre) in Hong Kong was held today (April 9). The WHO Collaborating Centre in Hong Kong is the first of its kind in the theme of smoking cessation. Today's launching ceremony was officiated by the Director of Health, Dr P Y Lam, and the Regional Director for the Western Pacific of WHO, Dr Shin Young-soo.

The Department of Health (DH) was designated by the WHO to set up the Centre in Hong Kong which aims to provide evidence-based smoking cessation training for healthcare personnel; develop, test and evaluate models of smoking cessation; support WHO's initiatives on smoking cessation; and assist WHO in the dissemination of information on smoking cessation.

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• First WHO Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation officially launched in Hong Kong 

A ceremony to mark the official launch for the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence (Centre) in Hong Kong was held today (April 9). The WHO Collaborating Centre in Hong Kong is the first of its kind in the theme of smoking cessation. Today's launching ceremony was officiated by the Director of Health, Dr P Y Lam, and the Regional Director of the Western Pacific of WHO, Dr Shin Young-soo.

The Department of Health (DH) was designated by the WHO to set up the Centre in Hong Kong which aims to provide evidence-based smoking cessation training for healthcare personnel; develop, test and evaluate models of smoking cessation; support WHO's initiatives on smoking cessation; and assist WHO in the dissemination of information on smoking cessation.

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Filmart 2012: HKIFF Opener ‘Buff’ Generates Pre-Fest Sales Buzz  

Media Asia's romantic comedy Love in the Buff, opener of the 36th Hong Kong International Film Festival from director Pang Ho-cheung, has proved to be a hit before the fest has even kicked off. The film has inked presale deals with China Lion for the U.S. and Canada, Dream Movies for Australia and New Zealand, Encore Films for Malaysia and Singapore and Applause Pictures for Taiwan. . . .

The sequel to the 2010 cult hit about the joys of smoking, Love in a Puff, Buff finds the couple from the first film -- Miriam Yeung and Shawn Yue -- struggling to reconcile after relocating them to Beijing. The film marks the first major release for director Pang after his own relocation to the Chinese capital. "Smoking is no longer the main focus of the film; we've strengthened the romantic storyline and incorporated the sights and sounds of Beijing," said John Chong, Media Asia executive director.

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LAI: * The tobacco epidemic today / Invited commentary -- Lai 21 (2): 101  

Customs swoops on illicit cigarette smuggling syndicate in Sai Kung 

Customs swoops on illicit cigarette smuggling syndicate in Sheung Shui 

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (February 11) swooped on a cross-boundary illicit cigarette smuggling syndicate in Sheung Shui.On board a cross-boundary lorry, a total of 92 boxes containing 1.1 million sticks of duty-not-paid cigarette were found.The total value is about $2.8 million with a duty potential of $1.9 million.In the operation, two men, aged 41 and 54 respectively, were arrested and the cross-boundary lorry was seized.

At about 1.30pm yesterday, while conducting an anti-illicit cigarette operation in Sheung Shui area, Customs officers of Anti-illicit-cigarette Investigation Division spotted a cross-boundary lorry in a public car park at Fung Nam Road, Sheung Shui.Two men were seen off-loading some wooden boxes from the lorry to a local rental lorry.Customs officers then took action and found 92 boxes of illicit cigarette. The two men were arrested immediately.

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• LCQ8: Sale of illicit cigarettes 

Following is a question by the Hon Wong Ting-kwong and a written reply by the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Professor K C Chan, in the Legislative Council today (February 8):

Question:

It has been reported that quite a number of traders are suspected of sellingduty-not-paid cigarettes (illicit cigarettes) through a major shopping web site on the Mainland; as the retail price of these illicit cigarettes is 60% lower than that of genuine duty-paid cigarettes, and traders can deliver the illicit cigarettes through courier companies to the buyers' residences in three days, thus quite a number of young people in Hong Kong are attracted to place orders. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: . . .

Reply:

President,

(a) The Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) has been closely monitoring illicit cigarette activities. Intelligence reveals that the sale of illicit cigarettes via internet is not common.

Last year, C&ED received only a single complaint regarding such activities in the local market. C&ED will continue to monitor the situation so as to prevent such illegal activities. . . .

(c) C&ED will take stringent enforcement actions against illicit cigarette activities. If the illicit cigarette activities involve Mainland websites, as these websites are operated outside Hong Kong, C&ED would refer such cases to the Mainland authorities for follow-up actions or appropriate preventive measures. Having regard to the mode of delivery adopted by such activities, C&ED will also step up inspection on import cargoes to prevent the smuggling of illegal commodities into Hong Kong.

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• No space for cigarettes in HK public libraries  

The ban on smoking in certain premises do not only refer to physically lighting up cigars. The Hong Kong Public Library took it a step further to declare that any mention of cigarette products in any of its periodicals were promptly dealt with.

Proof is a page taken out of Popular Mechanics that is actually an advertisement of a "100% organically grown" tobacco. Oops, it is still visible through the white censor sheet but nevertheless, it is a consistent effort to suppress the promotion of cigarettes and tobaccos in public library premises.

Good one!

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Hong Kong smugglers send millions of dollars of tobacco in mail  

Smuggled tobacco worth about 3.5 million dollars destined for Britain by airmail was seized over the year-end holiday period, Hong Kong customs officers said Tuesday.

More than 9,500 kilograms of hand-rolling tobacco packaged as the Golden Virginia brand was found in 600 airmail parcels declared as gifts and household products addressed to different parts of Britain.

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Smoker jailed for assaulting tobacco control inspector 

A 60-year-old man was sentenced to four months' imprisonment in the Shatin Magistrates' Court today (December 30) upon conviction of assaulting a tobacco control inspector (TCI).

The incident took place in a restaurant called Muk Au Seafood Restaurant in Shatin on August 24, 2011. The man assaulted a TCI when a team of inspectors was inspecting the premises.

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Tobacco dreams up in smoke after huge find  

Customs officers have seized illicit tobacco worth HK$3.9 million that was to be airmailed to Britain.

They later arrested three men, aged between 33 and 49, in connection with the 1.4-tonne cargo.

Among them was the suspected mastermind.

Officers said the tobacco was from the mainland with a value of between HK$2 and HK$4 per 50 grams. It was to be repacked under a false trademark and sold in Britain at up to 10 times the cost.

This is the first time such a large quantity of tobacco has been seized.

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• Tobacco tax set to rise 

The government is preparing to raise tobacco tax, to be introduced after the ban on indoor smoking comes into effect from January 1, secretary for Economy and Finance, Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said yesterday at the Legislative Assembly.

In Macau, the tobacco tax was last updated in 2009 and is currently at MOP 0.2 per cigarette or MOP 4 per 20-cigarette pack. But the Health Bureau has promised to increase this figure, lawmaker Ng Kuok Cheong recalled.

Meanwhile, in neighbouring Hong Kong the tax was raised this year to HKD 35 per packet, lawmaker Lee Chong Cheng stressed. And In Australia a cigarette packet can cost as much as HKD 120, he added.

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