Oct 8, 2025

"Governor Chachat," seriously, is preparing to overhaul the mechanism to enforce the law to prohibit smoking in public places, aim for a law, set up a dedicated care agency, take the Philippines, raise the protection of city-tourists for "healthy cities."

The governor of Bangkok, Chachchan, discussed a joint discussion with Professor Prakit Vatyasakorn, the Governor of the National Tobacco Products Control Board, and the Director of the Tobacco Products Control Division, the Department of Disease Control, the Ministry of Health, on enhancing the enforcement of the public smoking ban law to protect the health of non-smokers, with the BMA focusing on public and tourist health care and disease prevention. The BMA was awarded the "Healthy City" by the South and East Asian World Health Organization (SEARO) in October. 2024, which contains indicators on the creation of a health-contributing environment.

Prof. Nopp Prakit Wathisakorn, the author of the National Tobacco Products Control Board, said that cigarette smoke is the most important health hazard pollutant in buildings, which around the world have enacted laws banning smoking in public places to protect and protect the right to health of non-smokers. In many cities, such as Hong Kong, the People's Republic of China, Davao City and Iloilo, Philippines, authorities have been established that specifically prohibit smoking in public places. While Thailand, despite the law banning smoking in public places since 1992, law enforcement has a point to improve, especially Bangkok, which has a large variety of public places. 1.2 million smokers, not counting 32.4 million tourists in 2024, one in five smokers.

"The meeting decided that the BMA would invite a team of mayors of Iloilo, Philippines, and a team to share their experience with the establishment of an agency with a strength of about 20 officers to enforce public smoking and other tobacco control laws. In 2009, Iloilo had a population of nearly 500 thousand. In 2009, I took a panel from the Tobacco Control Agency, the Department of Disease Control, and BMA officials to see the Davao, Philippines, where Rodrigo Roa Duterte was mayor, and then in 2016, Duterte was elected president of the Philippines," said Prof.

The World Health Organization's Tobacco Control Convention Article 8 on Protection from Tobacco Smoke states that "second-hand smoke is carcinogenic; there is no safe level of second-hand smoke exposure" and that "to achieve the right to life and the right to achieve the best health standards is a fundamental human right." Member States have an obligation to ensure the protection of public health from the dangers of second-hand smoke in public, workplace, vehicles and other places without exception.

"Thank you to Governor Shachchan for the importance of protecting the health of the people of Bangkok from the dangers of second-hand smoke and hope that the BMA's operations in this regard will set an example for other provinces to implement to protect non-smokers from the dangers of second-hand smoke," said Professor Pragit.

# Bangkok # BMA