Dear Yul

We agree with you completely and think that this dangerous and well organized attack on WHO by the tobacco industry and by its allies from England needs to be blamed and shamed before more participants of COP10 get infected by this aggression based on manipulation.  Independent scientists, investigative journalists, health experts and tobacco control advocates have to stand up together and GATC should continue to distribute discussion of members and of network participants on this topic.

Kurt, Manfred (www.aerzteinitiative.at) 

Disclaimer: I am commenting as a Philippine tobacco control advocate and not speaking on behalf of SEATCA.

I was going to let slide this commentary (attached) by English MPs belonging to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Vaping; however, their inflammatory comments are now being echoed in my country, including attacking the WHO FCTC as no longer being fit for purpose and describing WHO and anyone against vaping as abandoning smokers and denying scientific evidence. They even repeat the industry's rabid claims that the FCTC COP makes decisions without transparency and public scrutiny.

This reminded me of their pro-tobacco legislator counterparts in the Philippines, who used very similar language about WHO, the FCTC, and the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use in their (unfortunately successful) campaign to dilute existing e-cigarette regulations.

What is extremely aggravating is how these MPs try to frame the UK as a victim if WHO and other FCTC Parties do not agree with the UK (in reality, England) position on e-cigarettes. They even claim that WHO and the COP should be persuaded by the UK because it is the largest financial contributor to the COP since 2006. Gosh, what happened to science and national sovereignty? For a while, it seemed I had travelled back in time to when the British empire was expanding by liberating the world's uncivilized savages, who should be grateful to be enslaved in exchange for being freed from ignorance.

Their second action point is quite telling, as they call on the English government to explore the use of heated tobacco products to supposedly support smokers and achieve a smoke-free world. I could not tell though if it was BAT, Imperial, or PMI that wrote their script.

As I've said before, I wish the English well with their THR experiment, but leave my country out of it.

Regards,

Yul

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Ulysses Dorotheo, MD, FPAO