MARCH 12, 2005

Malaysia to ratify the UN anti-tobacco treaty

The Malaysian government will ratify the UN's anti-smoking programme by the end of the year. The Malaysian health minister Datuk Chua Soi Lek announced that there will be a new Tobacco Act tabled in parliament which will meet the terms of the UN's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This will place severe restrictions on the sale and marketing of tobacco and will include a ban on tobacco advertising.