Categories
· Business (Tobacco)
· Op-Ed non-USA, by Country
· Tonga
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Jump to full article: New Zealand Herald, 2003-01-18 Author: Gordon McLauchlan
Intro: The tallest tree, which thought of those times with such pride, quietened as the breeze fell and tried to overhear a meeting of the court of King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. The king, a great potentate by his own estimate, was listening to a wily Chinese joker urging him to build a cigarette factory in his kingdom. "With due respect, Your Majesty," said a public health official, "If we have a factory churning out cigarettes, more of our people may smoke, and die earlier." "But," said his magnificence, "as my United Nations colleague, the great Bill Clinton, used to say, 'It's the economy, stupid'. We will get 70 jobs from this and maybe export orders. My good friend and business partner here, Mr Tsay, points out that the people of his great country smoke like the Sydney suburbs in summer and there are a couple of billion of them. Can't be too bad." . . "We should do it, but we should also prohibit the importation of foreign-made cigarettes so that every ciggie smoked in our island paradise should be homemade." "Good idea. And we - the royal family - will get a percentage." Jump to full article » |
Categories
· Business (Tobacco)
· Tobacco Control non-USA, by Country
· Tonga
|
Jump to full article: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) (au), 2003-01-09
Intro: Tonga's King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV has overruled health officials and given approval to a Chinese businessman to build a cigarette factory in the kingdom. The decision contradicts the King's recent health campaigns in which he has led exercises to control obesity and called for an end to tobacco and alcohol consumption. In a speech to his subjects over Christmas the King said a cigarette-making factory would help the Tongan economy by creating jobs. Government officials say the King who has near absolute authority in the kingdom, last week signed an approval granting Mingen Tsay authority to build his factory on government land. Jump to full article » |