Foreign tobacco companies are in a quandry over how to respond to stringent Thai health regulations which will require them to disclose the ingredients in their cigarettes

Japanese and western governments plan to file a complaint at the World Trade Organsation claiming discrimination and the companies themselves may even pull out of the country.
The regulations, under discussion for nearly five years and just approved by Thailand’s chain-smoking public health minister, Mr Montree Pongpanit, require tobacco companies to give the ministry a list of the ingredients in each of their brands. Tobacco companies object because of fears over inadequate intellectual property protection. They worry that the ingredient lists will end up in the hands of their competitors.