The organisation, which was established in 2001 as a state unit under the PM's Office, has rented the space for some time.

Earlier, ahead of the Buddhist Lent, occupying the space was a banner devoted to discouraging people from drinking alcohol during the three-month period. The message was fair enough: drinking only costs money and makes the drinkers poorer and poorer.

This month, it is the turn of its campaign against smoking. The message is what we have heard in its television commercials: "Why harm me with your smoke when we don't know each other?"

It seems the organisation's main objective is to eradicate drinking and smoking, which is apparent to anyone looking at the organisation's website, www.thaihealth.or.th. Most of its activities are intended to reduce drinking and smoking.

The organisation has also lent huge support to the government's move to place cigarette packs out of shoppers' sight. It succeeded in having all shops - including the influential 7-Eleven outlets - put cigarettes behind a shade.

I just wonder when the organisation will launch a direct attack against alcohol manufacturers and tobacco companies as well as importers, in order to strike at the roots of the problems. Without these products - on which 2 per cent of the excise taxes, or about Bt2 billion to Bt2.5 billion, go to the organisation annually - there would be no drinkers or smokers. And without that funding, would the organisation even be able to exist?

achara_d@nationgroup.com