The advocate helping children speak for themselves

Children make up a third of the world’s population. One might wonder what would happen if they had self-representation in global politics.

“A society that welcomes the voices of children will certainly be a bit noisier. As if adults weren’t noisy enough,” joked child rights advocate Amihan V. Abueva. “But maybe with some louder noise from the younger ones, we could find more sense and better solutions.” 

From the Philippines, Abueva has been a pioneer in her field for more than three decades. This week marked International Children’s Rights Day on 1 June, which the Southeast Asia Globe commemorated by walking through her pivotal work across the region and world in an extensive interview. 

A key member and former president of the Bangkok-based child protection network ECPAT International, Abueva played a major advocacy role for stopping child prostitution in the global sex tourism of Southeast Asia. 

Beyond that, Abueva has long been a vocal proponent of the right of children to participate in society, especially in policy-making about child welfare. She previously served as the Philippines’ government representative to the ASEAN Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) and has worked to encourage input from youths and children.

Abueva was born in the Philippines and raised during the authoritarian regime of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. In those years, she overcame several obstacles to become a rights defender, but the real turning point in her work as a children’s advocate wasn’t until after the end of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986. 

Soon after the restoration of democracy, she gave birth to a child.

“Then it was when I became a breastfeeding advocate and got more serious about children’s rights,” Abueva said. “I have never left.”

That was 1988. The next year, the UN adopted the first children’s rights international treaty, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Abueva, who started her activism in the Marcos years, and her team successfully lobbied the Philippine Senate until it signed and ratified the treaty in 1990.

The UNCRC is now the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, adopted by 196 nations, including all Southeast Asia countries. 

Although that was a big milestone for the region, Abueva felt it wasn’t enough. 

Through the years, while overseeing research on prostitution and tourism, she felt “it was really important to talk to the children themselves about it”.

In 1996, she embarked on a campaign to involve children in the first World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Stockholm. The event included representation from 122 governments and civil society organisations from around the world.

“I had a real uphill battle,” she said. “I insisted that children should be participating at the same level as adults, and I won.” 

The planning committee accepted her plea and 16 children from the Philippines, Sweden, Brazil and Ghana participated in the congress. 

That was just the beginning. From 2000 to 2008, hundreds of children from more than 20 countries were involved in international meetings. As children’s participation grew quickly, ECPAT worked along with other international organisations to facilitate the process and train adult participants to safely and effectively interact with the youths. 

“Many people work for children, but they don’t know how to work with children,” she said. 

Amihan V. Abueva at an event in the Philippines. (Photo submitted)

Abueva wants to see even more child participation across all levels of governance, from domestic to international.

“When you help children to grow and develop critical thinking, they can become leaders for themselves,” she said. “It is our responsibility to accompany them. Especially in our society, which is not kind towards those who think critically.”

What does child participation mean in the context of Southeast Asia?
A concept we are seeing emerging now is children as human rights defenders. But, of course, it’s difficult in a region where even adult human rights defenders are at risk. 

By using the term “human rights defenders”, children could find protection in already-existing international legislative standards. But the problem is how the state allows those rights. We have to help children to value peace and solidarity and so to help each other rather than become military-led. 

Recognition of the children’s right to participate in Southeast Asia has been progressing at different levels. Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, are more involved in child participation across the region, while others, such as Laos and Vietnam, are still trying to catch up. In Myanmar, we also have a big problem now. The military junta really endangers lots of children. We are still working with some groups there, but they have to be really careful. We are still trying to find safe ways for them to participate, for instance, through consultations with the UN. 

Civil society organisations, government agencies and inter-governmental bodies have strengthened collaborative work to create safe spaces for children to express their views on matters affecting their lives. But aside from the various efforts of creating safe spaces for children, child participation is not just children receiving kits or food during an activity, it is not just children watching magic shows, or having activities to commemorate children’s month. 

Meaningful child participation brings in children even at the planning stage, where children can raise what they think is the best way for them to celebrate the children’s month, what programs, projects or activities are appropriate or are needed by them and their peers, and how the activities should be implemented that will ensure child-friendly approaches and tools. Another important aspect of meaningful child participation is getting the children’s feedback on the activities and how they can be further improved in the future. 

Allowing children to speak and make decisions, even as simple as letting them decide the colour of shirt to wear, helps them develop important life skills like problem-solving, critical thinking, and communicating.

What programs and activities are available for children to participate in key decisions at a community or national level?
At the national level, civil society groups are advocating for more meaningful child participation in existing or current mechanisms. 

For example, in the Philippines, the local government units are mandated to create a Local Council for the Protection of Children at the village, city or municipality and province levels. Children representatives are among the members of the council. Consultations with children are being conducted at the village level. The team is also in charge of promoting and ensuring a safe environment for children and overseeing the government’s action on the topic. 

Across the region, efforts to organise children and youth groups are also multiplying because we have to remember that children are not just passive recipients of services, victims, or survivors, but they are also active agents of change.

In issues like climate change, children are already taking action in simple ways that are also relevant in their own community. In the UNCRC monitoring and reporting, children are actively participating in preparing the reports submitted to the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

At the regional level, there is the ASEAN Children’s Forum (ACF), which is conducted every two years. During this regional meeting, children talk about issues that affect their lives and their peers. We also conduct a regional childrens’ meeting annually. We gather children from the communities where our member organisations work. In addition, we conduct consultations with children for our strategic plan. 

In 2019, we organised the Asian Children’s Summit for the first time. It was a way to try to bridge the whole of Asia. So we had children from East Asia, Southeast Asia and South Asia. The kids discussed four main themes, namely the right to help the environment, digital safety, children and the in the context of migration and violence against children and we asked them to develop what they wanted to say about this. 

That event especially demonstrated that children have so many ideas and that we need everybody to be working together. 

We value children’s voices in our work and we learn a lot from them and because of this, we are able to do our work better.

What are some of the main challenges in this field?
First, the participation rights of children need to be fully understood by all stakeholders. It is not just simply listening to children when they talk. Article 12 of the UNCRC talks about “giving due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of children”. It is active listening for adults and taking action based on the views of children. At the same time, adults have the responsibility to explain to children why some of their views could not be considered.

Meaningful child participation can be consultative, collaborative or child-led. These three approaches are equally important. 

Another problematic thing in Asia is that there is the process behind the [ASEAN Children’s Forum], which is organised by the ministers for social welfare and development and regional working groups. The ones who really get the work done here are senior officials in the end, which is not really the point of a children’s forum, is it? 

We [children’s rights practitioners] don’t know who actually listens to what the children said and what they do with the children’s opinions afterwards. There’s been an attempt to revise the terms of reference, but I’m not sure whether that’s already been changed or not.

Another major issue now is that children are the first ones to lose their voice when civic space shrinks and states impose stronger restrictions. That is what’s happening in Myanmar. But in the Philippines, things are also not going too well for children. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic, two teenage girls broke the curfew rules and two policemen caught them and took them to the beach. They sexually molested one and raped the other. Following the event, one of the girls went to report the case to the police in a neighbouring town but in addition to being denied police protection, on the way home she was ambushed and shot dead. 

Our work is to explain to the kids that when you are abused go to the police and report the violence. But cases like this really break everybody’s trust. If even the authorities don’t respect children, we are in big trouble.

Our role as child rights defenders is to ensure that the children’s voices are heard as loudly as possible.

What are your hopes for the future of children’s rights in Southeast Asia?
One day, a girl from Pakistan and her Indian friend came to me and said: “Grandma Ami, when you talk about our right to a healthy environment, don’t think only in terms of physical health, you have to also talk about mental health.”

And I was really taken aback because it was 2019. At that time, there wasn’t that much being said about the mental health of children. This was pre-pandemic. I really thought they had a point. Mental health was and is a big problem and I realised that thanks to two children speaking up to me.

This is exactly what I hope for the future; that adults value children’s opinions. When we embrace their participation, we need to value them for what they are now and for what they will be in the future. 

Children’s rights are everybody’s business.

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Singapore and Australia to launch A$20 million programme to help SMEs co-develop innovative green products

SINGAPORE: Singapore and Australia will launch a new A$20 million (US$13.2 million) programme to support small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) from both countries to jointly develop innovative green products.

Under the Go-Green Co-Innovation Programme, Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as Enterprise Singapore will set aside the sum to support SMEs from both countries over the next four years, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a factsheet.

The programme falls under the Singapore-Australia Green Economy Agreement, which was signed by both countries in October 2022.

Singapore and Australia will also work towards establishing a green and digital shipping corridor between their ports by the end of 2025, MFA said.

The two countries are finalising the guiding principles and work plan to guide collaboration under a food pact, which aims to increase the trade of food products, promote Singapore as a transhipment hub for Australian food products, and cooperate on global food security issues.

“When you think about the future objectives that both Singapore and Australia would like to see for our economies and societies, clearly, there are many shared objectives,” said Acting Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Friday (Jun 2), speaking at a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“We both want a greener and cleaner future, and we will get to net zero. We both want more resilient supply chains, particularly in critical areas like food and energy,” Mr Wong continued, responding to a question about what the private sector can take away from the partnership.

This “very clear alignment” of objectives will provide many opportunities for the private sector to collaborate, he added. “Because we cannot achieve all that we want through government collaboration.”

The private sector in the region is “looking for certainty” and are up for investments, said Mr Albanese.

“They know the enormous economic opportunity that areas like green hydrogen, the transition to green shipping, to cleaner aviation, the use of biofuels, the transition that is occurring in the economies of the world, they understand that it’s an opportunity,” he added.

“But they’re looking for governments to facilitate the investments that they’re up for making.”

Mr Wong received Mr Albanese at the Istana on Friday as Acting Prime Minister for the 8th Singapore-Australia Leaders’ Meeting, after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong tested positive for COVID-19 again on Thursday.

Mr Albanese is due to deliver the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Friday evening.

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Singapore to block Asia Sentinel website for not complying with POFMA correction direction

SINGAPORE: Internet access service providers in Singapore have been ordered to block the online publication Asia Sentinel after its non-compliance with a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) said on Friday (Jun 2).

The California-registered publication was required to carry a correction notice alongside its May 24 article, which the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said contained several falsehoods.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority has been directed to issue access blocking orders following Asia Sentinel’s non-compliance with the correction direction, MCI said in its press release on Friday.

MCI said that the correction direction issued to Asia Sentinel required the facts to be juxtaposed against the falsehoods, so that end-users in Singapore can read both versions and draw their own conclusions. 

“While Asia Sentinel carried the correction notices, this was not done in compliance with the requirements of the correction direction for the respective correction notices to be situated at the top of the article and at the top of the main page of the website,” MCI added.

The access blocking orders require internet access service providers to disable access for end-users in Singapore to the online location where the falsehoods were communicated, it said.

The access blocking orders will be cancelled should Asia Sentinel subsequently comply with the “full requirements” of the correction direction.

MHA reiterated earlier on Friday that Asia Sentinel did not have to take down its May 24 article and the online publication was only required to post the correction notice in the manner that has been stipulated.

“If Asia Sentinel truly believes in free speech, it should be happy for its readers to read both the article and the correction notice, and make up their own minds which is true,” the ministry said. 

POFMA’s primary tool to correct falsehoods is via a correction notice, “which must be placed in a specified proximity to the original post with a link to the government’s clarification”, according to MHA.

“This is akin to the right of reply practised by newspapers and magazines.”

Similar requirements have been placed on other recipients of correction directions and they have complied, MHA noted.

The ministry added that the government may have to take “further action” if Asia Sentinel does not comply with the correction direction.

A check by CNA at 3.30pm on Friday found that the correction notice on Asia Sentinel’s article was placed below an editor’s note which stated the online publication was “reserving the right to answer their (the Singapore government’s) demand at a future time” and that “we stand by our story”.

The correction notice was also not carried at the top of the main page of its website. 

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National park employee charged for alleged assault, attempted rape

A Lithuanian woman, 27, takes police to a forested area near a garbage dump in Si Sawat district of Kanchanaburi where a national park employee tried to rape her, but she managed to flee. (Photo: Piyarat Chongcharoen)
A Lithuanian woman, 27, takes police to a forested area near a garbage dump in Si Sawat district of Kanchanaburi where a national park employee tried to rape her, but she managed to flee. (Photo: Piyarat Chongcharoen)

KANCHANABURI: A national park employee has been detained and charged after he allegedly assaulted a Lithuanian woman and attempted to rape her near a garbage dump in Si Sawat district.

Pramote Khongkham, 24, an employee hired on a temporary contract by the Erawan National Park in tambon Kradan, reported to police at Si Sawat station on Thursday to acknowledge the indecent assault charge, said Pol Maj Pakornkiart Shinathet, the station’s investigation chief.

On Friday, the national park on Friday terminated Mr Pramote from employment and urged the police pursue severe measures against him.

On Thursday afternoon, Evilija Grabauskaitem 27, accompanied by tourist police and an interpreter, filed a complaint with police. The tourist, who had bruises on her body, accused the man of assaulting her. She provided video footage and photos of the incident to the officers and guided hem to the location where the assault occurred, said Pol Maj Pakornkiart.

Police coordinated with Erawan National Park chief Prawat Phuangthong to gather details about Mr Pramote. The suspect later turned himself in to police on Thursday evening.

Pramote Khongkham, 24, an employee hired on a temporary contract by the Erawan Nationa Park in Kanchanaburi’s Si Sawat district reports to police to face charges. (Photo: Piyarat Chongcharoen)

During questioning, he told police that he had noticed the woman near the national park’s signpost as he was riding a motorcycle to buy candles from a nearby shop. Upon his return, he encountered her in the same area and honked his bike’s horn as a friendly gesture. The woman subsequently followed him on her motorcycle.

According to the suspect’s statement, he advised the woman not to follow him when he entered a forested area, but she seemed to misunderstand him. 

During their walk together, he admitted to the police that he had initially felt an urge to rape her. However, he changed his mind after she fell down.

Mr Pramote said he then escorted her out of the forest and apologised for his actions. While admitting his fault, he claimed that he did not assault her but only pulled her hands.

According to the investigation, the suspect had parked his bike near a garbage dump before proceeding to the nearby forested area with the woman. He allegedly used force in an attempt to rape her, but she resisted and managed to escape.

The suspect is in police custody awaiting further legal action.

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National park employee charged with attempted rape

Worker at Erawan National Park sacked after Lithuanian tourist files complaint

A Lithuanian woman, 27, takes police to a forested area near a garbage dump in Si Sawat district of Kanchanaburi where a national park employee tried to rape her, but she managed to flee. (Photo: Piyarach Chongcharoen)
A Lithuanian woman, 27, takes police to a forested area near a garbage dump in Si Sawat district of Kanchanaburi where a national park employee tried to rape her, but she managed to flee. (Photo: Piyarach Chongcharoen)

KANCHANABURI: A national park employee has been detained and charged after he allegedly assaulted a Lithuanian woman and attempted to rape her near a garbage dump in Si Sawat district.

Pramote Khongkham, 24, an employee hired on a temporary contract by Erawan National Park in tambon Kradan, reported to police at Si Sawat station on Thursday to acknowledge the indecent assault charge, said Pol Maj Pakornkiart Shinathet, the station’s investigation chief.

On Friday, the national park on Friday terminated Mr Pramote from employment and urged the police pursue severe measures against him.

The 27-year-old victim, accompanied by tourist police and an interpreter, filed a complaint with police on Thursday. The tourist, who had bruises on her body, accused the man of assaulting her. She provided video and photos of the incident to the officers and guided them to the location where the assault occurred, said Pol Maj Pakornkiart.

Police coordinated with Erawan National Park chief Prawat Phuangthong to gather details about Mr Pramote. The suspect later turned himself in to police on Thursday evening.

Pramote Khongkham, 24, an employee hired on a temporary contract by Erawan Nationa Park in Kanchanaburi’s Si Sawat district reports to police to face charges. (Photo: Piyarach Chongcharoen)

During questioning, he told police that he had noticed the woman near the national park’s signpost as he was riding a motorcycle to buy candles from a nearby shop. Upon his return, he encountered her in the same area and honked his bike’s horn as a friendly gesture. The woman subsequently followed him on her motorcycle.

According to the suspect’s statement, he advised the woman not to follow him when he entered a forested area, but she seemed to misunderstand him. 

During their walk together, he admitted to the police that he had initially felt an urge to rape her. However, he changed his mind after she fell down.

Mr Pramote said he then escorted her out of the forest and apologised for his actions. While admitting his fault, he claimed that he did not assault her but only pulled her hands.

According to the investigation, the suspect had parked his bike near a garbage dump before proceeding to the nearby forested area with the woman. He allegedly used force in an attempt to rape her, but she resisted and managed to escape.

The suspect is in police custody awaiting further legal action.

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15 furniture stores in Singapore with the best vintage and modern selections

Need a clever space-saving solution? The Distrikt Bed has your back, or rather, your side tables. And for those living in studio apartments, fear not – the bed also comes in a sofa version, saving you from the clunky presence of coffee tables.

315 Outram Rd, #03-02 Tan Boon Liat Building, Singapore 169074

2. Grey and Sanders

Nothing in nature is perfect, and Grey and Sanders lets you bring that notion into the quintessential mid-century modern home. Live edges of wood slabs are proudly displayed, alongside freckled leather that age well like patina. Here, flaws are not merely tolerated but celebrated.

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Move Forward speaker pick named mid-month

Move Forward Party (MFP) secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon and party deputy leader Sirikanya Tansakun arrive at a meeting of the eight-party coalition at Prachachat Party headquarters on Tuesday. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
Move Forward Party (MFP) secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon and party deputy leader Sirikanya Tansakun arrive at a meeting of the eight-party coalition at Prachachat Party headquarters on Tuesday. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

The Move Forward Party (MFP) is expected to finalise its candidate for the House Speaker post in the middle of this month, said party secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon.

He said the party has not decided who it will nominate, but the matter should be settled in this month when the Election Commission is expected to start endorsing poll winners.

Mr Chaithawat said the MFP and Pheu Thai, who are locking horns over the post, will solve the dispute within two weeks.

Pheu Thai leader Cholnan Srikaew said his party would not discuss who it will nominate for the House Speaker post until it reaches an agreement with the MFP.

“It was agreed at the recent meeting that the issue would not affect the coalition formation. This means if we have an agreement, the coalition formation will proceed without any conflict,” Mr Cholnan said.

“We don’t want any conditions. We don’t want the issue to be settled in a free vote.”

Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan, leader of the Thai Sang Thai Party, on Thursday called on the MFP and Pheu Thai to sort out the issue instead of allowing a free vote over the selection of the House Speaker.

“A free vote will cause problems in the formation of the government. They should finalise it,” she said.

Meanwhile, acting Democrat leader Jurin Laksanawisit said on Thursday it is an incorrect understanding that the House Speaker’s role is to drive a political party’s agenda.

Mr Jurin said the House Speaker must maintain neutrality during parliament meetings.

He added that the House Speaker’s conduct is clearly governed by the constitution and parliamentary meeting rules.

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BTSC says it's ready to invest in 'missing link'

Yellow Line gets off the ground: A Yellow Line monorail train runs above the Chalong Rat Expressway's Lat Phrao section on Thursday. The 30.4km monorail links Lat Phrao in Bangkok to Samrong in Samut Prakan. The one-month free service will start on Saturday. Fares are expected to range from 15 baht to 45 baht. (Photo: Pattanapong Hirunard)
Yellow Line gets off the ground: A Yellow Line monorail train runs above the Chalong Rat Expressway’s Lat Phrao section on Thursday. The 30.4km monorail links Lat Phrao in Bangkok to Samrong in Samut Prakan. The one-month free service will start on Saturday. Fares are expected to range from 15 baht to 45 baht. (Photo: Pattanapong Hirunard)

The Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC) is ready to invest in a 2.6-kilometre missing link to connect its Yellow Line monorail to the Green Line of the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) at Ratchayothin and Lat Phrao stations.

Surapong Laoha-Unya, CEO of BTSC, on Thursday said the extension would benefit commuters.

“We are willing to invest in the project because the extension will benefit everyone. We are ready to discuss the matter with the MRTA,” said Mr Surapong.

The Yellow Line links Lat Phrao in Bangkok with Samrong in Samut Prakan. There are 23 stations along the 30.4-kilometre line. The monorail has a connection to the MRTA’s Green Line at Samrong station.

The missing link would run along Ratchadaphisek Road in Bangkok and link to the Green Line at Ratchayothin station.

According to a source, the extension project is worth around 3-4 billion baht. Without the missing link, commuters wishing to switch from the Yellow Line to the Green Line will have to re-route their journey through the MRTA’s Blue Line, increasing travel costs for commuters.

The source said if the MRTA agrees with the BTSC’s proposal to invest in the missing link, the MRTA would also ask for compensation for lost revenues from its Blue Line.

Mr Surapong said the Yellow Line would kick off a trial service at 9am on Saturday before its full commercial launch around the beginning of next month.

Currently, the BTSC has submitted an estimated fare range based on the consumer price index (CPI) to the MRTA for approval. The rate will be 15-45 baht.

Afterwards, the MRTA will submit the proposal to the Ministry of Transport and the cabinet for further approval.

“The BTSC is ready for the trial run as the safety and facilitation of the project is now provided. The project will help mitigate traffic congestion, particularly during rush hours, on Lat Phrao Road,” he said.

The BTSC estimated that it would earn an income of around a billion baht from the launch of the Yellow Line.

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GPO touts new drug to help quit smoking

Cytisine, an alkaloid that occurs naturally in certain plants, is locally developed by the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), to help people quit smoking. (Photo: GPO)
Cytisine, an alkaloid that occurs naturally in certain plants, is locally developed by the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), to help people quit smoking. (Photo: GPO)

The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) has unveiled a locally developed cytisine — an alkaloid that occurs naturally in certain plants — that can help people quit smoking, reduce treatment costs and potentially save over 12 million baht in imported drugs.

Dr Mingkwan Suphanpong, the GPO’s director, said there are more than 9.9 million people in Thailand over the age of 15 who are classed as frequent smokers.

She was speaking on World No Tobacco Day, which fell on Wednesday.

Considering that some of these will die from smoking-related diseases like lung or oesophageal cancer, emphysema and heart disease, the health costs are significant, she said.

Thailand has five listed drugs that can be prescribed to help people kick the habit: varenicline, bupropion, nicotine replacement therapy, nortriptyline and little ironweed.

Only the last two appear on the National List of Essential Medicines, said Dr Mingkwan.

Human trials have shown the GPO’s cytisine to be safe and effective, she said.

Dr Ming- kwan added the drug is now in the process of being approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Mingkwan: Drug costs less

She added that cytisine GPO will be a regulated drug which is only available at hospitals. Dr Mingkwan said the cost of helping smokers quit will be greatly reduced if cytisine can serve as a replacement for varenicline. Moreover, the GPO version can save up to 12 million baht per year by serving as a substitute for imported medicine, she said.

The GPO plans to distribute cytisine in January. The Department of Thai Traditional and Complementary Medicine has suggested smokers try herbal medicine first to kick the habit.

Dr Thiti Sawangtham, the department’s deputy permanent secretary, said the three best herbal medicines in this regard are clove, little ironweed and lime.

The first two can be taken orally to reduce nicotine cravings while ironweed can be brewed as an after-meal tea.

Dr Thiti said Chinese traditional medicine recommends acupuncture to quit smoking. Research suggests this produces serotonin, which eases the cravings for nicotine and helps people balance their metabolism and sleep cycle. More information about the application of herbal medication is available on the department’s official Facebook page or by calling (02) 591-7007.

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