Police To Prosecute 7-eleven For Inconvenience

[george]

Police, health authorities to prosecute 7-Eleven for inconvenience

BANGKOK:-- Helping Thailand's smokers 'kick the nicotine habit' -- and protecting the nation's young people from exposure to it --appears to be 'inconvenient' for the country's more than 3500 7-Eleven 'convenience' stores, plus an unknown number of vendors who are thought to be copy-catting resistance to the widely-publicised anti-smoking campaign.

The Public Health Ministry is determined that police halt illegal displays -- which, it says, constitutes 'advertising' -- at 7-Eleven stores which violate the ban.

Police have gathered evidence and will file charges against the offenders, said Dr. Narong Sahamethapat, Deputy Director of the Communicable Disease Control Department after a meeting Monday of the National Committee for Control of Tobacco Use.

The panel agreed that 7-Eleven's conspicuous display of cigarettes at check-out counters is a clear violation of the 1992 Tobacco Product Control Act.

The Act defined placing cigarrette packets at points of sale caught the attention of shoppers and was thus deemed as advertising--which is now against the law.

The Ministry warned convenience stores which continued to display cigarettes at points of sales twice on Sept 27 and 30, Dr. Narong said.

The Ministry is cooperating with police to conduct arrests of offenders in Bangkok and its suburbs next week, while provincial health officials will work with local police to serve warrants and make arrests at convenience stores in the provinces.

Violators face a Bt 200,000 fine or defending themselves in court. Dr. Narong said that charges will be filed against 7- Eleven operators nationwide and its head office in Bangkok.

In the long run, Dr. Narong said, the law must be amended to cover the ban on displaying cigarettes at points of sale.The Finance Ministry plans to propose such an amendment of the tobacco-related law.

--TNA 2005-11-07

[Sangsom]

What a nonsense! If displaying is equal to advertising than each and every display is an advertisement. No displaying your stock only helps customers so they can see where to find what in a particular shop! When you put something up like: "Why not start smoking now, join the millions that love it!" Than that is advertising.

Displaying sigarette brands at sport events etc. is of course advertising. When it is in a shop that sells the stuff than that is definately not the case!

Edited November 7, 2005 by Sangsom

[DJ Pat]

Show 7-11 has balls. Good on 'em to stand up against another utterly ridiculous law.

[bino]

This has to be one of the craziest laws that I have ever seen anywhere.

Convenience stores like Seven Eleven have to hide the cigarettes to protect the young people, but the shelf next to the cigarette case in every Seven Eleven is stocked with alcohol on open display(which they can't sell between 2-5 PM to protect young people). On the counter next to the cash register, condoms are on open display. I guess sthat this is for the "protection" of young people too.

I just don't get it.

[meemiathai]

I hope they execute whoever breaks this law.

[chownah]

The law in Wasington State (USA) is that cigarettes for sale can not be displayed...I think..I haven't been there for a while. Its great. This is a great law and I hope it gets enforced 100% here in Thailand. Smokers are idiots...I know, I used to be one. I think tobacco should be legal but children should not even see it for sale. All you smokers know where you can buy your drug so what's the big deal about this law anyway? I think that cigarettes should have a guarantee that comes with every pack...guaranteed to be bad for your health!!!

Hey, and don't flame me!!!! Go flame up another cigarette, fool.

[mumbojumbo]

With the ugly pics on the cig packs now, you would think that would do more to discourage youth than hiding them

[gharknes]

Police, health authorities to prosecute 7-Eleven for inconvenience

 

BANGKOK:--  Helping Thailand's smokers 'kick the nicotine habit' -- and protecting the nation's young people from exposure to it --appears to be 'inconvenient' for the country's more than 3500  7-Eleven 'convenience' stores, plus an unknown number of vendors who are thought to be copy-catting resistance to the widely-publicised anti-smoking campaign.

The Public Health Ministry is determined that police halt illegal displays -- which, it says, constitutes 'advertising'  -- at 7-Eleven stores which violate the ban.

Police have gathered evidence and will file charges against the offenders, said Dr. Narong Sahamethapat, Deputy Director of the Communicable Disease Control Department after a meeting Monday of the National Committee for Control of Tobacco Use.

The panel agreed that 7-Eleven's conspicuous display of cigarettes at check-out counters is a clear violation of the 1992 Tobacco Product Control Act.

The Act defined placing cigarrette packets at points of sale caught the attention of shoppers and was thus deemed as advertising--which is now against the law.

The Ministry warned convenience stores which continued to display cigarettes at points of sales twice on Sept 27 and 30, Dr. Narong said.

The Ministry is cooperating with police to conduct arrests of offenders in Bangkok and its suburbs next week, while provincial health officials will work with local police to serve warrants and make arrests at convenience stores in the provinces.

Violators face a Bt 200,000 fine or defending themselves in court. Dr. Narong said that charges will be filed against 7- Eleven operators nationwide and its head office in Bangkok.

In the long run, Dr. Narong said, the law must be amended to cover the ban on displaying cigarettes at points of sale.The Finance Ministry plans to propose such an amendment of the tobacco-related law.

--TNA 2005-11-07

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

another complete load of crap from the kindergarden, they got egg on their face from the courts but just can't accept their stupidity, if they didn't come up with this nonesense then they wouldn't be trying to defend it,

[sriracha john]

If they HADN'T decided that the 7-11 displays were illegal I would have to change the wording under my avatar.

[Pie Boy]

If they HADN'T decided that the 7-11 displays were illegal I would have to change the wording under my avatar.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd change your avatar, The Public Health Ministry will be prosecuting you next.

[sriracha john]

If they HADN'T decided that the 7-11 displays were illegal I would have to change the wording under my avatar.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd change your avatar, The Public Health Ministry will be prosecuting you next.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

awww... it's ok, I'll leave it... afterall, it's ONLY a 200,000 baht fine. :D

[cobra]

With the ugly pics on the cig packs now, you would think that would do more to discourage youth than hiding them

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I love those, especially the rancid lung pic, I bring half a dozen packs back home and give them to my smoker friends, they get a good laugh from them but it doesn't deter them from smoking, not even the nearly ~$7.00 per pack can phase them.

[cclub75]

In the long run, Dr. Narong said, the law must be amended to cover the ban on displaying cigarettes at points of sale.The Finance Ministry plans to propose such an amendment of the tobacco-related law.

The circus continues ! It's amazing to see how bad they want to save face.

So to summerize the situation :

-the police is going to "arrest" offenders (!!), prosecute blabla

-but meanwhile, they recognize that they have to amend the LAW, in order to ban the displaying.... because (as we know) the curent law doesn't apply to display point of sale (which is common sens, but anyway)

Childish...

[thailien8]

Anything that will discourage innocent young non-smokers from trying and falling into the clutches of this deadly and extremely addictive drug is to be commended. 7-11's defiance of this law thanks to CP Group's crony connections with the powers-that-be is sad. They will be able to sell cigarettes to the already-addicted with no problems.