BATB holds concert, violates tobacco control law

A multinational tobacco company has organised concerts in Dhaka to promote its brand in gross violation of the tobacco control law.

On Sunday, the third day of the concert mainly for university goers, bdnews24.com found a group of BRAC University students entering the venue, Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, after 5pm.

The programme was, however, postponed half an hour before its 7pm start.

It was not clear why Sunday’s event was postponed. No one was willing to comment on the highly restricted programme that barred the media.

A student told bdnews24.com that the concert would continue until Sep 24. “They may change the venue,” he said.

However, the event caused a furore among anti-tobacco groups.

An anti-tobacco body, PROGAA, which has deployed a team to investigate the tricky advertisement of tobacco products and companies across Bangladesh, found that the British American Tobacco (BAT) started the concert from Friday.

“It is to promote a new brand that BAT just launched in the market,” a PROGGA spokesperson said.

“On the first day, they invited students from North South University, and on the second day (Saturday) American International University Bangladesh (AIUB).

“They selected the students by getting filled out forms one can collect from some specific super-shops, fast food restaurant and a shoe company.”

“Invited students get mobile SMS,” PROGGA said.

The group condemned it and asked the government to take strong measures.

The new law passed last year has banned tobacco advertisement in any form including at shops where they sell.

The companies cannot organise events displaying their logos or products.

The Bangabandhu International Conference Centre has been decked up with the colours of BAT brands.

The law has made it a “cognizable offence”, allowing police to take immediate action, apart from other bodies like the health authorities or the civil administration.

The Bangladesh Anti-Tobacco Alliance also condemned the event and asked the government to take action.

They said companies were hardly being fined in Bangladesh for flouting the tobacco control law.

It says a company can be fined Tk 100,000 and members of its management can be imprisoned for three months for any violation.

However, Sher-e-Bangla Police Station OC Md Momin Uddin said he had no clue about the law.

“We don’t have the gazette. How we can take action?” he asked.

Tobacco industry lobbies are so powerful in Bangladesh that even lawmakers used to write to the finance ministry against tax increases.

But the amendment to the law last year had been widely appreciated because of the tough measures it promised.

Bangladesh is one of the world’s top five tobacco-consuming countries with tobacco giants targeting developing countries in the face of stringent curbs in the developed world.

Bangladesh is also a top-priority country of the US-based Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) and UN agency WHO for tobacco control, as it had 41 million smokers – nearly a fourth of the population.

WHO estimates that tobacco kills 57,000 people in Bangladesh every year and affects more than 350,000 people.

Taifur Rahman, co-ordinator, CTFK, told bdnews24.com that BAT made a “gross violation” of the law by organising concerts.

“They cannot do this. But, unfortunately, they manage to do it. They are adopting new and tricky measures all over the world to promote their products,” he said.

“Students are their best choice,” he said, urging the government to take steps against such defiant companies.