July 27, 2008 - Alicia Keys, 10-times Grammy-winning artist, who has sold 20 million albums worldwide, accepted the Tobacco Free Kids' accusation and insisted action had been taken to remove the offending advertisements. As a result, the tobacco company has respectfully withdrawn their sponsorship and all billboards, signage and other forms of advertising . Giant posters had been placed in Jakarta - the Indonesian capital advertised the gig as a "Mild Live Production" - a reference to a cigarette brand produced by Sampoerna - the Indonesian subsidiary of Philip Morris International. In developing countries, tobacco companies continue to sponsor concerts by famous musicians, which health advocates have condemned as a means to market cigarettes to children and to circumvent restrictions on more traditional tobacco advertising. In major tobacco companies are prohibited from engaging in brand name sponsorships of concerts under a 1998 legal settlement with the states.
About 35% of the Indonesian population smokes, and tobacco use kills more than 200,000 Indonesians each year. An estimated 78 percent of Indonesian smokers started before the age of 19. Indonesia ranks fifth among countries with the highest tobacco consumption globally.
Related news briefs: Most Indonesians support moves to ban tobacco advertisements..Reference:
Smoking Charity Slams R'n'B Star,SKY News, 7/26/2008.
Credit Tobacco Free Kids for bringing this matter to the attention of the world.
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