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TobaccoUnmasked Welcome to TobaccoUnmasked TobaccoUnmasked is the information portal of the Centre for Combating Tobacco (CCT). It contains evidence based information on the tobacco industry, with detailed profiles of tobacco companies relevant to Sri Lanka and their employees. The pages of this website also contain profiles of tobacco industry allies; institutions and individuals linked with the industry in various ways. TobaccoUnmasked describes strategies adopted by the tobacco industry in the themes of influencing policy, tobacco tax & price related issues, corporate social investments, tobacco cultivation and marketing and promotion. Tobacco industry arguments and their responses against different policy processes are reported as a learning exercise for future reference. How to Find Information on TobaccoUnmasked There are several ways in which you can find information on TobaccoUnmasked: You can search for a specific topic in the Search Bar on the top of the screen. To search, type the topic you want to find the information into the box, and press 'Enter'. If its a recent issue, you can go through the list of most recent pages in the ‘What’s New section’ which will display new entries or major updates to the existing pages. Or, you can search through the ‘Key Topics’ section that categorizes the pages based on the themes the investigations were conducted. Searching for an individual? Click the relevant category below for an easy search: Tobacco Industry Directors and Employees Politicians Government Officials and Employees Academics and Researchers Corporate Sector Entertainment Industry Journalists and Media Disclaimer:The individual profiles are published only to facilitate implementation of FCTC Article 5.3. It is not the intention of the TobaccoUnmasked team to tarnish the individuals' image nor to cause them harm. The list of individuals under each category is not complete and only based on the findings of the ongoing investigative research of the TobaccoUnmasked team. The posts and the lists are constantly updated with new findings. About Us CCT is the Sri Lankan tobacco observatory established at the Faculty of Medicine University of Colombo under the Article 5.3 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). The aim of the CCT is to monitor the tobacco industry activities related to implementation of Article 5.3 in Sri Lanka and the region. Our implementation partners include; Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) Sri Lanka, National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol(NATA) and the Expert Committee on Tobacco, Alcohol and Illicit Drugs of the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA). The project was powered by Framework Convention on Tobacco Control(FCTC)Secretariat and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The UNION) and technical assistance was provided by the Tobacco Control Research Group, University of Bath and the Centre for Tobacco Control Research and Education, University of California San Francisco. What’s New on TobaccoUnmasked? 01st July 2020 - Kabir Hashim is the latest addition to our page series on Politicians. Await more pages in the series in the month of July as Sri Lanka is preparing to elect its 9th Parliament in August 2020. The Politicians who have a history of engagement with the tobacco industry or interfered in tobacco control policies and actions will be featured in TobaccoUnmasked, based on our investigations on the members of the previous parliament and the candidates for the coming elections. 26th May 2020 - Mangala Samaraweera was the immediate past Minister of Finance in Sri Lanka. Please visit our updated page incorporating reported tobacco related activities related to his era as the Minister of Finance. 06th May 2020 - Hemal Ranasinghe is an actor in Sri Lanka who played the main character in the movie Adaraneeya Kathavak which is accused of violating the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act. We have updated the list of movies released after the incident, in which he smoked on screen. 05th March 2020 - Please visit the updated Tobacco Industry Country Profile – Sri Lanka for updated tobacco use, burden and industry related information on Sri Lanka 19th February 2020 - We have updated the Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC) page with the most recent details about the company. Key Topics Click on the key topics below to access more information on tobacco industry and its activities in Sri Lanka. Interested in the definitions for each key topic to understand the reason for categorising the pages under them? Please visit our page Key Topics. Background Includes pages on global and national tobacco control laws and policies and tobacco industry tactics FCTC NATA Government fiscal and other policies relevant to tobacco Global Tobacco Industry Tactics Tobacco Industry Includes pages directly related to the tobacco industry under following themes; Tobacco Companies Tobacco Industry Directors and Employees Tobacco Industry Investors Tobacco Industry Activities Includes pages on tobacco industry actions and strategies under following themes; Corporate Social Investments Influencing Policy Marketing and Promotions Tobacco Cultivation Tobacco Tax and Pricing Related Issues Liaising with Government Officials Involvement in Illicit Tobacco Trade Tobacco Industry Arguments and Responses Includes pages on responses and reactions of the tobacco industry under following themes; Tobacco Industry Arguments Tobacco Industry Responses Interfering in Tobacco Control Actions Institutions Linked to the Tobacco Industry Includes pages on institutions reported to date to have had any interactions with tobacco industry or their proxies under following themes; Commissioned or Sponsored Consultants Indirect Links Institutions with Mutual Associates Institutions Governed by Tobacco Industry Partnerships Individuals associated with the Tobacco Industry Includes pages on politicians, government officials, celebrities, academics, researchers, professionals and other public/popular figures to have had any interaction reported to date with tobacco industry under following categories; Consultants Partnerships Monetary or other Gifts Sponsorship for Government Activities Sponsorship for Research Sponsorship for Social Projects Event Participation Individuals and Institutions Interfering in Tobacco Control Include pages on individuals and institutions that opposed or took action to delay tobacco control policies or actions or propagated the interests of the tobacco industry, however, with no proven link with the tobacco industry to date. Interfered in NATA Act Implementation Interfered in Tobacco Tax Increase Image or Product Promotion Interfered in Tobacco Control Actions

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Information published in tobaccounmasked.lk adheres to a strict referencing policy. You can find the sources of information under the resources list at the end of each post. The posts developed by reporters are edited by the Editor and peer reviewed before publication.

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Suggested citation: Centre for Combating Tobacco, Faculty of Medicine University of Colombo. TobaccoUnmasked, 2017, Available at http://tobaccounmasked.lk/index.php?title=Main_Page, Accessed (date accessed).

Acknowledgments

TobaccoUnmasked follows the model of TobaccoTactics, introduced by Tobacco Control Research Group, University of Bath. CCT wishes to acknowledge the library of the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) Sri Lanka for providing literature to develop TobaccoUnmasked posts.

TobaccoUnmasked Hotline on Article 5.3 violations

Our hotlines (+94) 076 923 3435 and (+94) 011 258 1571 are open for you to report violations of FCTC Article 5.3 or any other industry activity to influence policy development or implementation at any level.

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