Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley, during the 16th Meet the Press session has said that his government has decided to propose an amendment to the Tobacco Control Act in the upcoming parliament session.
“Given the pain and the suffering that it has caused, the government is going to seek a swift deliberation and an adoption on the amendment,” Thinley said.
According to Thinley, the government will propose the amendment as an urgent bill. “Even if it doesn’t satisfy the requirements to be submitted as an urgent bill, we will consult with the National Council and make every effort to see it through during the upcoming session,” added the prime minister.
He said that, after the government heard the stories of people who got heavy punishments and the social and emotional impact on their friends and family, the government tried to find a way out by establishing a set of rules, which was not effective.
Until now, some 59 people have been arrested under the act. And going by the verdicts handed out by the courts, it is likely that those who are found guilty will be sentenced to a minimum of three years, Thinley said.
He explained that the government could not propose an amendment earlier because the act was not one year since it had been enforced. In the summer session of parliament, the act will have been one year old. So, the amendment is possible.
Thinley further said that the decision was taken after the cabinet deliberated on the issue a number of times. He said that they are also looking at the legal implications.
He also told the media that the members of parliament have started to consult with the people about the tobacco act to get their views and comments.
The prime minister acknowledged that there are ambiguities in the act including the ones on what constitutes smuggling.
The Office of the Attorney General is studying the possibility to remove the ambiguities to make certain specific references to ensure that there is no direct relation between certain sections of the act and the Penal Code concerning three years of imprisonment.
Prime Minister also made it clear that it was never the intention of the parliament to punish those who smoke.
