Thailand is the second-largest tobacco-leaf producer in the ASEAN and the 16th in the world. According to the Tobacco Authority of Thailand, there are roughly 75,000 tobacco farmers across the country. Aree Sunlem, a 60-year-old villager of Baan Ta Pae Nua, in the southern province of Satun, used to be one of them. In the past, he usually rolled a cigarette smoking several times a day. Thanks to the Muslim Thais Well-being Promotion Foundation, he has completely quit smoking. In addition, he has also turned his tobacco farmland into a vegetable farm growing morning glory, cucumber, and eggplant on a rotational basis. Mr. Sunlem is one of the many people in Muslim communities in the South who joined the foundation’s project. Since 2018, he has switched from growing tobacco to other viable crops for the good health of his family and community. introducing crop diversification Studies show that the smoking rate in Muslim communities, particularly in the South, is high. This prompted the Muslim Thais Well-being Promotion Foundation to launch a  project in communities that will impact tobacco use and also support the livelihood of the tobacco farmers. According to Dr. Isra Sarntisart, Chairman of the Muslim Thais Well-being Promotion Foundation, he and his team have conducted a pre-survey on tobacco cultivation in the pilot communities. They found that there...

Dr. Prakasit Kayasit Deputy Manager of Thai Health Promotion Foundation Acting Director of Organizational Health Promotion Section    How to be called a “livable local community” is the key topic that the network has been working on for over 14 years in a bid to jointly create livable local communities in Thailand. Since 2009, Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) led by the Organizational Health Promotion Section has been working following the plan by empowering, strengthening and enhancing local administrative bodies, community leaders, social group and local governmental units for driving a local community operational system to become a “Joint Network of Livable Local Community”. The topic of work requires the network to consider all related dimensions, including physical, mental, intellectual, social and environmental health, in order to drive the mission of establishing livable local community towards the goal. The office has a crucial role to create a joint-learning process, drive a public policy at the sub-district, district and provincial levels, and run campaign advocacy for strengthening community health based on the following two principles: 1. Area-based Development, and 2. Health in All Policies – HiAP. The goal is to establish over 3,000 healthy sub-districts, communities, livable local communities and self-administrated local communities nationwide by putting in practice the strategic implementation of strengthening local community (S-2I) to support the “Tri-Power Strategy” employed by...

  Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) headquarters participated in a regional meeting with the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO-FCTC) representatives. Taking place on June 14th, 2023, at the Health Promotion Learning Centre, this meeting was part of the ‘Needs Assessment for Implementing the WHO FCTC in Thailand’ led by Dr Adriana Blanco Marquizo, Head of the Secretariat of the WHO FCTC.       Commended by Dr Marquizo, ThaiHealth is one of Thailand’s and the world’s most important organisations which serves as a vital mechanism to initiate, reinforce, and support the tobacco control efforts for over two decades as seen in its collaboration with various sectors. The visit of WHO-FCTC delegation to Thailand aimed at reviewing the Thai legislation, strategies, policies, and measures concerning tobacco control, and conducting a needs assessment in both academic and financial aspects. The purpose of the visit was to provide recommendations for Thailand’s further development in aligning with the WHO FCTC framework to strengthen and enhance tobacco control efforts in the country.     In response, ThaiHealth CEO, Dr Supreda Adulyanon, mentioned that since its establishment, ThaiHealth has strongly and consistently collaborated with various sectors, resulting in successful reduction of tobacco consumption from 25.5% in 2001 to only 17.4% in 2021. Thailand is the country where cigarette tax is imposed the...