From: Voice of Vietnam
The Prime Minister asked relevant ministries and agencies to step up their efforts in the fight against tobacco trafficking, which is becoming a serious problem in many provinces and cities throughout Vietnam, especially in border localities.
- Black market tobacco ‘booming’ in HCM City
- Vietnam responds World No Tobacco Day 2014
- Heavier tax to be imposed on beer, wine and tobacco
Accordingly, the Ministry of Defence was requested to instruct border guards and marine police forces to increase border patrols on land and at sea to detect cigarette smugglers.
The Ministry of Finance is to advise customs officials at border gates to look out for attempts to illegally transport tobacco across the border and implement concrete measures to fight smuggling rings.
The economic and traffic police and investigation agencies under the Ministry of Public Security should cooperate closely to uncover tobacco smuggling networks.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade’s market management force was asked to improve the management of the domestic market and inspect retail and wholesale outlets in order to detect violations promptly.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Communications is to coordinate with relevant agencies, particularly the media, to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of tackling tobacco trafficking in a bid to encourage public participation in the fight.
