Tobacco free Inle Lake

SHAN STATE  Tourist hotspot Inle Lake could be designated a tobacco-free area to make it more environment friendly for visitors.
Global New Light of Myanmar, the official news channel of the government, quoted Minister U Win Myint and the head of the District Public Health Department Dr Khin Maung Yin, who outlined details of the proposed ban.
It is part of wider efforts to curb tobacco consumption in Myanmar, but linking the ban to tourism benefits is a doubtful strategy.
The government is rolling out a public awareness campaign to identify health risks associated with tobacco, but the logistics of enforcing tobacco-free areas across multi communities will be challenging. Without local support the plan will fail and there is plenty of evidence that community leaders do not share the government’s enthusiasm for a tobacco ban in villages around Inle Lake.
inside no 2The decision to create tobacco-free areas is being positioned as tourism-related. However, it falls under public heath issues that are being pushed by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA). The alliance met for its third regional meeting on tobacco control in ASEAN last May in the Philippines.
Tobacco-free areas already exist at some of Bagan’s temples, while the Pindaya caves in Shan State will also be a tobacco-free site in the future.
Inle Lake is a freshwater lake located in the Nyaungshwe Townshipof Taunggyi District of Shan State, part of Shan Hills in Myanmar.
It is the second largest lake in Myanmar with an estimated surface area of 44.9 square miles (116 sq km), and one of the highest at an elevation of 2,900 feet (880 metres).
The best time of the year to visit is during September and October. The nearest airport is Heho Airport, which is 35 km from the lake. There are flights from both Yangon and Mandalay. Yangon is 660 km and Mandalay a 330 km drive from the lake.

sourced:traveldailynews.asia