STOP SMOKING AND START HEALTHY LIVING INDONESIA

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Tobacco smoking in Indonesia is said to claim 300,000 lives every year, and The Indonesian Health Department reported in 2000 that 200,000 people are affected by cancer every year, Even though the country has required "no smoking" signs in health care units, educational institutions and in public transportations system, there is no ban on smoking in government and private offices, restaurants and bars.

Tax exemptions in the country provide an incentive to the manufacturers to advertise the sale of cigarettes as compared to other countries in the region, in spite of the World Bank suggesting higher tax rates. As a result, tobacco manufacturers almost run cigarette advertisements for free. All these factors, plus its low cost wich currently, cigarettes in Indonesia range from Rp 4,500 ($0.3) to Rp 20,000 ($1.4) per pack, have contributed to the extensive proliferation of cigarette smoking in the country among people of all ages. So much so, that even a two-year-old child picked up the habit of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day in his fishing village, where every one smokes. It was reported that the child's father initiated his son into this habit at the age of 18 month.