Complaints over gruesome anti-smoking ad limits showing to nights

dpa German Press Agency Published: Wednesday March 28, 2007

Singapore- A deluge of complaints from parents of
frightened children has prompted Singapore health officials to limit
the showing of grim anti-smoking advertisements to late hours, a
spokeswoman said Wednesday.
"We have received so many calls from parents saying their
youngsters are terrified and having nightmares," said Doris Khoong of
the Health Promotion Board.

A diseased tongue fills the screen before the camera depicts the
decaying teeth and sore lips, in a campaign the board launched in the
hopes of frightening smokers into giving up the habit.

The 30-second spots started March 20. Since then, they have been
aired in English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil during the day and night.

"Smoking causes oral cancer," says the woman in the ad as her eyes
well up with tears. "Quitting is hard, but not quitting is harder."

Khoong said the graphic ads would be aired only after 8 p.m. The
complaints have come from parents with youngsters up to 12 years old.

"Even some smokers complained they were alarming and asked to be
left alone," she said.

Local media has been inundated with complaints about the
explicitness of the ads.

"Singapore has traditionally frowned upon graphic depiction of
violence and sex scenes, so why is the horrific image of a woman
suffering from oral cancer permitted?" Faye Chiam asked in a letter
to The Straits Times.

Graphic pictures of diseased organs have been aired previously
during anti-smoking campaigns without complaints.

"These are of a living person," said Khoong. "That's probably the
reason."

Proponents of the ads noted the educational value and opportunity
to show people the potential consequences of smoking before they
start.

"I just wish most of the viewers felt that way," Khoong said.

It is estimated that 12.6 per cent of Singapore's population
smokes tobacco.

© 2006 - dpa German Press Agency

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