Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome, city officials,
teachers and students participate in World No Tobacco Day activities.
Pratchaya Kerdthong
More than 1,000 Pattaya students heard about the dangers
of tobacco as the city hosted its annual World No Tobacco Day commemoration.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome led the ceremony at Pattaya
School No. 3 May 31 as staff from the Pattaya Public Health Department and
Pattaya Police talked about the health and societal ills of smoking.
The educational messages were mixed into fun activities
to make students more receptive to the message. Kids played games and earned
prizes and were encouraged to participate in the “1 Person, 1 Baht” campaign
to assist disaster victims.
World No Tobacco Day is organized by the United Nations.
Special emphasis is placed on students, as the U.N. says 90 percent of new
smokers are between 15 and 24 years old. Smoking kills 480 people per hour
globally and smokers spend on average about 42,340 baht on cigarettes.
