Evidence of Indonesia’s dangerous addiction to tobacco can be seen everywhere in Jakarta. Besides seeing Jakartans of all ages lighting up every which way you look (including young kids), cigarette advertising is also pretty ubiquitous. But that began to change last year, however with the (slow) implementation of a law banning outdoor tobacco billboard advertisements.

A new law, signed today by Governor Basuki “Ahok” Purnama Tjahaja, goes even further. Titled Gubernatorial Regulation Number 244 of 2015 on the Implementation of Guidelines for Advertising, it will hopefully put an end to all cigarette display ads in Jakarta.

According to Jakarta Tax Department Secretary Made Suarjaya, under the new rules, tobacco advertisements will be banned, both outdoors and indoors.

“Previously the regulations only limited them outdoors. Now indoor ads are also also not allowed,” Made said as quoted by Tempo today.

The regulation also only allows for the advertisement of alcoholic beverages inside venues that are licensed to sell alcoholic beverages. It also governs the placement and content of electronic billboards in the capital.

Hopefully the administration will try to get this new ban implemented quickly, but we know it will be tough given the vested interests of big international tobacco companies who are increasingly targetting Indonesians to make up for decreasing smoking rates in other countries.



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