Up in smoke: Indonesian child-teen smokers rising, AS

JAKARTA (AP) Ardi Rizal, 2, is furious when his parents refuse a cigarette. His father gave him his first time he was only 18 months.

The child of smoking was a reporter who recently visited his home in the fishing village of Musi Banyuasin, south to visit the Indonesian province of Sumatra. I'm not concerned about their health, looks healthy, shrugged the boy's father Mohammad Rizal.

Shout, he throws tantrums when he does not smoke. It is a drug addict.

Young revealed Ardi is the end of a disturbing trend. Data from the Central Statistics Agency, 25 percent of Indonesian children aged 3-15 years have tried cigarettes, with 3.2 percent of active smokers.

The proportion of the increased 5 - to 9 years, from lighting to 0.4 percent in 2001 to 2.8 percent in 2004, said the agency. A video of a boy of four years in Indonesia to smoke rings appeared briefly on YouTube in March, prompted outrage before it is removed from the site.

Child advocates speak about the health damage from tobacco smoke, the children, and be bought to bring the increasing pressure on them a cigarette in a country where one third of the population tobacco, snuff and tobacco use in larger quantities from a few cents. Seto Mulyadi, President of the Commission for the Protection of Children in Indonesia, the increase in aggressive advertising and parents who are smokers.

A law should be to protect children and passive smoking are immediately introduced into this country, he said. A health law passed in 2009 formally recognized that smoking is addictive, and a coalition against tobacco, snuff is a larger smoking ban in public places are pushing for a ban on advertising and size of health warnings on cigarette packs.

But a draft law on control of the snuff is advised because of opposition from the tobacco industry to a standstill. The bill to ban advertising and sponsorship of cigarettes, banning smoking in public, and add graphics for packaging.

Benny Wahyudi Senior Ministry of Industry, has said the government had a plan to try, the number of smokers, including the reduction to limit production to 240 billion cigarettes this year of 245 million, initiated in 2009. The government is aware of the impact of smoking on health, and launched initiatives to increase, including reducing the production of cigarettes, the taxes and limiting smoking areas, he said.

Mulyadi said a ban on advertising is important to keep children and young people from smoking. If cigarette advertising is banned, no more children, whose lives are threatened because of smoking, he said.

ubiquitous advertising a bump last month when cigarette manufacturers were forced to withdraw its sponsorship of the concert by pop star Kelly Clarkson, following protests from fans and snuff tobacco. But the introduction of a message that not smoking, it would be difficult in Indonesia, the world's largest consumer of tobacco-third.

Hary Tubagus Karbyanto, a member of the National Commission Snuff Control said that Indonesia must also take into account the social conditions that lead to smoking, pressure such as family influences and peer. Health promotion is part of the smallest unit was in our society, public health centers and centers for primary care of the family was quoted by the Jakarta Globe on Friday.

The Health Minister has admitted that smoking young Endang Sedyaningsih be in a country that as positive, because the cigarette companies are no grants for sports sponsorship is perceived difficult. This is the challenge for us in protecting young people from the dangers of smoking, said in a statement of the Ministry's website.