REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Tifatul Sembiring said he had sent circulate letter underlined that cigarette advertisment could not broadcast during today's World No Tobacco Day. The letter was addressed to all managing director of radio and television broadcasters in Indonesia.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the first World No Tobacco Day on May 31, 1987 to draw global attention about tobacco epidemics and its negative effects to human's health. Government appealed to radio and television broadcasters not to broadcast any cigarette advertisment on the celebrated day.

"It aims to disseminate the warning bad effects of smoking on human health and asks public not to smoke for 24 hours simultaneously around the world on May 31, 2013," Sembiring said on Friday.

Government of Dubai also commemorates 'World No Tobacco Day' by bans cigarette sales activity for 24 hours on Friday. Some posters "shout out" World No Tobacco Day at some corners of the city. Every store, outlet, wholesale level requires to put up posters in their stores.

City Government of Dubai also appeals their citizen to refrain from cigarettes on Friday. Activists and NGOs also campaigns for the dangers of smoking. Government of United Arab Emirates seriously address the issue of cigarettes in the country. 

The government has issued policies to control distribution of tobacco products. However, government policy actually contradicted to data survey that said numbers of smokers continued to rise. For 20 years, smokers in the country has increased to 17.1 percent in 2010 compared to 14.9 percent in 2009. 

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