Appeal over Thai warnings suspension

Thailand’s Public Health Ministry yesterday filed an appeal with the Supreme Administrative Court asking that the ministry be allowed to require larger health warnings on cigarette packs, according to a story in The Nation.

Philip Morris Thailand took legal action against the ministry in June, asking the Administrative Court to invalidate the ministry’s notification that would have required tobacco manufactures to increase the size of graphic health warnings from 55 percent to 85 percent of the front and back of cigarette packs.

Toward the end of August, the Administrative Court suspended the ministry’s plan.

Disease Control Department Deputy Chief Dr. Nopporn Cheanklin said the ministry’s appeal asked the court to force cigarette makers to use, from Oct. 2, 10 warning graphics enlarged so that they covered “up to 85 percent of the packaging surface.”

Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong said at least nine cigarette makers had complied with the ministerial announcement and changed the warning graphics. Two of them had already shipped their products to Thailand.