Latest news with #anti-smoking
Malay Mail
12-07-2025
- Health
- Malay Mail
‘Try not to smoke. Issue resolved': Artist adds anti-smoking sign to Singapore's samsui woman cigarette mural after backlash
SINGAPORE, July 12 — A plaque carrying an anti-smoking message has been installed at the controversial samsui woman mural in Chinatown here, which sparked public debate last year over its depiction of smoking. CNA reported that Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said the building owner proposed the installation of an 'interpretive plaque' and that the mural itself will remain unaltered. 'The artist stresses that the cigarette depiction is not intended to glamorise or promote tobacco use. Smoking has been shown to be extremely harmful to one's health,' said the plaque, referring to artist Sean Dunston. Dunston told CNA the plaque's text was co-written by him and the building's landlord, with edits from the URA, to address concerns over normalising smoking while retaining the artwork. 'The overall intention was to create an iconic, vivid composite of a Samsui Woman in her prime and in a moment of peace,' the plaque added. According to CNA, Dunston said he initiated the inclusion of the anti-smoking message as part of the agreement allowing the mural to remain, and also suggested the plaque's placement and design. 'The anti-smoking message is there to reiterate something everyone already knows. Smoking is bad for you. Try not to smoke. Issue resolved,' he said, saying the plaque went up on Thursday. The mural depicted a 'Samsui' woman – referring to Chinese immigrants who came to Singapore and Malaysia in the early 20th century, primarily from the district now called Sanshui in China's Guangdong province. These women were known for their hard work in construction and other labour-intensive jobs, and were easily recognisable by their distinctive red headgear. The mural was produced by American multidisciplinary artist Sean Dunston, who has been based in Singapore since 2009. In July last year, Singapore MOH and URA said they have decided to retain the mural without any modifications, since it is not a tobacco advertisement. The building owner was however fined S$2,000 (RM6,640) for failing to obtain conservation permission before starting the mural, contravening Section 12 of the Planning Act 1998.
CNA
11-07-2025
- Health
- CNA
Plaque containing anti-smoking message installed at smoking samsui woman mural
SINGAPORE: A plaque bearing an anti-smoking message has been installed at the site of the smoking samsui woman mural in Chinatown, which garnered debate last year. In response to queries from CNA, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said on Friday (Jul 11) that the building's owner had proposed the installation of an "interpretive plaque" at the mural. As for the mural, MOH and URA reiterated that it "will be retained without any modifications to it". The authorities said that they worked with the building owner on the proposed message "to ensure that the cultural and artistic context for the mural and anti-smoking stance are conveyed appropriately". THE PLAQUE When CNA visited the site on Friday, the small gold plaque was seen installed above the signature of the artist, American muralist Sean Dunston. It states that the overall intention of the piece "was to create an iconic, vivid composite of a samsui woman in her prime and in a moment of peace". "Samsui women are usually depicted on task, or in less than comfortable contexts, and much older, though they were often young as any other workers," the plaque reads. The samsui woman depicted is smoking a cigarette, while holding a Taoist talisman in her left hand along with a red thread, "to punctuate that this woman strives and is connected to her family and the people in her life". The anti-smoking message appears below this, reading: "The artist stresses that the cigarette depiction is not intended to glamorise or promote tobacco use. Smoking has been shown to be extremely harmful to one's health." Mr Dunston told CNA on Friday that the plaque's text had been written by him and the building's landlord, and that they had edited it based on input from URA. "I suggested the addition of the anti-smoking part of the text for the plaque, as a way to fulfil the 'mitigation of any normalisation of smoking the mural may have caused' part of the stipulated agreement to allow the mural to remain unchanged," he said. The artist also suggested the plaque's placement and handled its layout and background design. "We had been talking about putting up a plaque for a few months, and there was no rush," said Mr Dunston. The plaque was installed on Thursday, he said. When asked for his thoughts on the matter's resolution, Mr Dunston said the plaque's primary purpose is to convey information about the artwork. "The anti-smoking message is there to reiterate something everyone already knows. Smoking is bad for you. Try not to smoke. Issue resolved," he said. CNA has contacted the representative of the building's landlord for more information on the plaque. In July 2024, MOH and URA said that, following a review, the mural would be kept without any changes to the artwork. "This is in view of the fact that the mural is not an advertisement for tobacco, which is against the law, and is largely perceived as an art piece," they said then. The authorities said they took into consideration "diverse views from many members of the public" in making this decision. MOH and URA added that they would "work with the building owner to find appropriate ways to mitigate any impact that the mural may have in promoting smoking, without modifying the mural itself". The landlord's representative, Shepherd Asset Management, told CNA at the time that the decision was "proof that Singaporeans can hold differing opinions while maintaining our strong sense of community and spirit".
South China Morning Post
17-05-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
No time to waste in reducing the rate of smoking in Hong Kong
Smoking rates remain far too high in many communities around the world, where public health systems are left gasping under growing burdens related to ageing populations and climate change. It was good to see Hong Kong authorities take legislative steps recently to reduce smoking in the city further. Advertisement The government's long-awaited anti-smoking bill was introduced for a first reading in the Legislative Council on April 30. Secretary for Health Lo Chung-mau told lawmakers the measures would be essential to protect public health. The bill would ban the possession and use of alternative smoking products such as e-cigarettes in public. Those who bring illicit cigarettes into the city would face tougher penalties. Some non-smoking areas would be expanded and fines imposed on those caught smoking in queues for public transport or near some building entrances. The government had vowed to pass 10 short-term measures to push the smoking rate below the current 9.1 per cent. Time is running out to reach a goal of 7.8 per cent by this year. While controversial, the move is in the public interest and worth pushing forward. If Legco passes the bill, new laws would go into effect in several stages. Among the earliest would be a New Year's Day implementation of a measure to double fines to HK$3,000 for smoking in prohibited areas. A similar penalty was proposed for offenders under a ban on e-cigarettes to take effect in April 2026. Flavoured tobacco sales and a duty stamp system for cigarettes would start in the second quarter of 2027. Advertisement Lo voiced concern that e-cigarettes and other alternatives were still accessible to young people even though their sale was already banned three years ago. Worryingly, some are found using the devices to abuse the recently banned drug, space oil.
