For the first time in Malaysian history, cigarette companies will soon be hauled to court to account for the health woes linked to their products. A group of citizens is planning to file a battery of law suits against cigarette companies for health problems they said they suffered as a result of both active and passive smoking.

"We are suing the tobacco companies for failing to inform the public on the danger of smoking," said Koh Eng Bing, chairman of the Anti-Smoking Association Pro-tem Committee (ASA).

Koh said that his organisation is drawing up a list of people to take part in the legal action to seek compensation from cigarette companies. He added ASA, an NGO established in May by a group of concerned citizens to help raise public awareness on the danger of smoking, would play a key role in the law suits against the cigarette peddlers.

According to Koh, ASA had resorted to take the legal course because it had given up hope that the government would help in their campaign against smoking. He said even before ASA was formed, a number of anti-smoking campaigners had sent seven memorandum to government ministries including the Health Ministry, Finance Ministry and Prime Minister's Office.

These missives strongly urged the government to take action to stem the increase of smokers, now totals 1.6 million, and of which about 17 per cent are below 18 years of age.

"Smokers are becoming younger and younger," lamented Koh. "We have urged the government to impose higher taxes on tobacco and to ban the sale of tabacco to minors. However, we failed to receive any response from the authorities."

The reason, explained Koh, is that "the government is afraid of the tobacco multinational corporations because it gets RM1.3 billion every year from taxes imposed on tabacco".

Koh has been active in campaigning against smoking since he was a Universiti Malaya tutor in 1986. Now a businessman, Koh is working with others in ASA to seek justice for those who had suffered from health problems as a result of direct and passive smoking.

"Lung cancer is one of the major killers in our country," said Koh. He pointed out that cigarette companies had already admitted in United States courts that tobacco causes cancer.

He told malaysiakini that ASA had also tried placing paid "Merokok Merbahaya Kesihatan" signboards in a number of Malaysian towns. They were successful in Manjung, Perak only after arguing with the local authority for more than three months. However, they have yet to get approval in other towns.

This situation, said Koh, was rather ironic "We are willing to pay for our anti-smoking signboards, but are unable to obtain approval. Yet, cigarette ads and posters are displayed everywhere without any problem from the authorities," he said.

Koh also criticised the media for the lack of cooperation in covering their anti-smoking campaign and to even run their paid advertisements.

"Perhaps they are afraid of not getting ad revenues from the tobacco companies," he said.

However, ASA was able to publish an advertisement on Dec 25 in China Press seeking legal firms and lawyers who are willing to offer their services to represent the group in either a class or an individual action against the tobacco companies.