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“
Australian
health advocates have congratulated pop singer Kelly Clarkson for
dropping tobacco sponsorship of her concert in Indonesia on April 29. Clarkson,
a past American Idol winner, responded to an international campaign by
fans and health groups against the sponsorship – with thousands of
emails and Facebook messages, including hundreds in Australia, where
Clarkson has been performing en route to Indonesia. Clarkson
is understood to have been unaware until recently of her public
association with Indonesian tobacco company Djarum, who had her
picture alongside their brand of “light” cigarettes plastered
across billboards and in TV ads. Media
reports say the singer initially thought it was too late to pull the
sponsorship, but promoters have now reached agreement with the tobacco
company to withdraw it and have promised to remove the advertising
within one or two days. Says
Anne Jones, Chief Executive of health group ASH Australia: “We’re
delighted to hear of Kelly Clarkson’s decision.
“This
is the second time in recent years a high-profile pop singer has
responded positively to public concerns about the impact of tobacco
sponsorship – Alicia Keys made the same decision in 2008. “This
is good news for Indonesia, where tobacco kills over 400,000 people a
year, with smokers overwhelmingly hooked as children.
“Indonesia
has not yet signed the worldwide anti-tobacco treaty and does not have
strong tobacco advertising laws. “We
hope this will help convince the Indonesian government to adopt
comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and
sponsorship.” Comment:
Media
info:
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Page last updated 27/4/10 |
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