The youngest smoker turns 3 years soon

October 17, 2011

Boy named Chairul from depressive fishing village in Eastern part of Java Island - modern icon of Indonesia. More than 13 million of people from all over the world have get acquainted in absentia after watching video on YouTube in which two-years old boy smokes cigarettes, one after another, however, without inhaling - little boy just likes to funk. In spite of the fact that appearance of unsophisticated smoker on TV screens and in the Internet became shocking sensation, it has uncovered only the tip of the iceberg. In Indonesia nobody is surprised because of smoking children - International Tobacco Corporations carry in the Island Empire such a shameless marketing of cigarettes that is impossible in any other country of the world. Endless brainwash, tobacco advertising everywhere and as result Indonesians spent more money than on cigarettes only on rice.

Every single day of the boy named Chairul begins not with washing, breakfast but with cigarette. Grandfather allows him to smoke up to 2 packs a day because "cigarettes are tasty like bread smeared with chocolate". If you refuse to give Chairul cigarette and cup of coffee he will fill himself bad, will yammer and grizzle.

In several hours drive from Chairul's village in a small town lives 7 years old boy named Maulana who also smokes in front of his parents and does this literally from the cradle. First thing that Maulana has found after his first journey under the table was pack of cigarettes. His mother justifies her tolerance with reason that without usual tobacco smoking boy becomes weak and weepy.

According to statistics approximately one million of Indonesian children of age under 16 suffer of nicotine dependence but one third of adult smoking Indonesians became tobacco addicted already during elementary school. The matter is that this strange country doesn't have any age restrictions on tobacco acquisition. Any attempt of the government to reduce cigarette production blunders on protest of farmers for whom tobacco growing is the only way to subsist.