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NATA management board says it will resign if Chinese cigarettes are imported
View(s):The Board of Management of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) in a letter to the Minister of Finance has threatened to consider resigning en masse if the Ministry went ahead with the importation of Chinese or other foreign cigarettes.
The letter, signed by NATA chairman Dr. Palitha Abeykoon, and copied to the Health Minister, expressed NATA’s deep concern about the decision to grant a licence to import cigarettes from China. Mr. Abeykoon says it would in a single stroke reverse years of gains in preventing harm from tobacco. The letter pointed out that the move would not only have serious health repercussions but also economic and social consequences.
The letter quotes studies by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) that show that the Sri Lankan economy suffered losses amounting to Rs. 200 billion annually due to tobacco, and highlighted that nearly 20,000 Sri Lankans are killed each year due to tobacco use. The letter pointed out that allowing cigarettes to be imported from China for Chinese workers would open the floodgates with Indian workers here also wanting to import cigarettes from India. NATA also argues that it would be impracticable to ensure that the imported cigarettes would only be made available to foreign workers.
The lack of transparency about the terms and conditions of the alleged licencing was also raised in the letter. NATA also pointed out that it would clearly contravene international legal obligations as Sri Lanka is signatory to many conventions. Pointing out and it was a violation of Article 33 of the National Tobacco and Alcohol Act of 2006, the letter urged the Finance Minister to rethink the move. The letter also highlighted the need for better law enforcement to address the issue of Chinese cigarettes being smuggled.
Health Minister Rajitha Seneratne has said that he will table the letter at the upcoming Cabinet meeting and inquire from the Finance Minister what his stance was on the matter.