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The 11st National Conference on Tobacco or Health : Against Tobacco Industry Interference
Date: 15 17 August 2012 Venue : The Miracle Grand Convention Hotel, Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Bangkok
Background : The National Conference on Tobacco or Health is for knowledge exchange among participants of tobacco consumption control networks including academic staff, researchers, lecturers, public and private authorities, civil society, and the general public to participate and exchange information on tobacco control gained from the previous year to be used to foster better tobacco consumption control performance in the future.

In 2012, WHO issued the slogan, The Tobacco Industry Interference to member countries and the international community, emphasizing the need for the disclosure and reporting of marketing strategies of the tobacco industry. This is one of the tobacco control provisions to be undertaken in compliance with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). Because smoking is dangerous to public health, Thailand embraced this approach as well, and provided similar direction, creating its own slogan, Watching, Monitoring and Stopping the Tobacco Industry. This slogan shows the intension of Thailand to work on tobacco control by encouraging society to know the tobacco industry’s tactics. These complicated marketing tactics will affect tobacco control measures and are also a danger to unsuspecting people. For this reason, policy makers and the public should beware of the marketing tactics of the tobacco Industry.

Therefore, it is a challenge to work on tobacco control and it calls for commitment from social institutions, the public and private sectors, and the general public including the mass media to collaborate together in establishing tobacco control roles and responsibilities in order to follow the purpose of the slogan of the National Conference on Tobacco or Health this year. This slogan also includes providing tobacco cessation services and smoke free environments. This academic conference has one of its missions that all participants and relevant people will be mobilized to take on active roles for tobacco control in Thailand.

Therefore, the Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Center (TRC), Mahidol University, together with the Thai Health Professional Alliance Against Tobacco, the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Thailand, Thailand Health Promotion Institute (THPI), Thailand National Quitline, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (Thai Health) support the 11th National Conference on Tobacco or Health, Against Tobacco Industry Interference aiming to exchange knowledge and encourage working together in order to drive public policies and to foster better tobacco consumption control performance in the future.

The Purpose of the Conference Is : To exchange academic knowledge and experience on tobacco control performance among various groups in order to provide direction to tobacco control work and to collaborate in working together among groups / organizations / the public and private sectors, and for target groups. There are approximately 800 – 1,000 people that will participate in this conference: the Thai Health Professional Alliance against Tobacco including Dentists, Nurses, Physical therapists, Medical technologists, Public health specialists, Psychologists, Thai traditional medicine doctors, and Chinese traditional medicine doctors. The group of medical practitioners in education includes teachers, lecturers, pupils, students, academic staff, and researchers from all educational levels. The group of the public sector includes the Department of Disease Control, Department of Health, The National Statistical Office Thailand, Excise Department, Customs Department, Fiscal Policy Office, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Department of Trade Negotiations (DTN), Department of Special Investigation, Royal Thai Armed Forces, Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy, Royal Thai Air Force, Royal Thai Police, NGOs. The group of the public interest organizations includes Foundations, Associations, and Institutions working on tobacco control. The group of the Local government includes those people who work in Provincial, District and Sub District administration. People who are interested in tobacco control include monks, volunteers, local radio broadcasting announcers and hosts, and the general public.

Network Conducting the Conference
Tobacco Control Research and Knowledge Management Center (TRC), Mahidol University, together with Thai Health Professional Alliance Against Tobacco, the Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Thailand, Thailand National Quitline, Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA), World Health Organization Country Office for Thailand, and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (Thai Health).