The Sri GAGs – TSG Advertising

Summary

• “The Sri GAGs” or “TSG Advertising” is a social media-based advertising agency based in Colombo.
• They published Facebook posts quoting a report by “Smoke Free Sweden” criticising current Sri Lankan tobacco control efforts.

Background

“The Sri GAGs” or “TSG Advertising” (according to their website), established 16 April 2016, is a Sri Lankan social media based online advertising agency located at GCBD business centre, 41 Janadhipathi Mawatha, Colombo 00100, Sri Lanka. According to their website, the business of The Sri Gags includes social media marketing, paid advertising, web development and content strategy.

As of March 2026, neither their social media pages nor the website reveals any information about the ownership, leadership or the team employed by the agency. However, public information domain searches revealed two personnel identifying themselves as team members of “The Sri Gags” in their personal linkedIn profiles.

• Ahmed Rifkhan – Managing director.
• Rideema Wijesooriya – Marketing manager.

Links to the Tobacco Industry

As of March 2026, The Sri GAGs Facebook page listed 10 organisations that they have partnered with. Two of them are public relations agencies that have previously conducted marketing campaigns for the Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC), namely Strategic Alliance Private Limited and Neo@Ogilvy (Private) Limited. Read more about them and their marketing campaigns in the TobaccoUnmasked pages NGage Strategic Alliance, Phoenix Ogilvy (Pvt) Ltd and Ceylon Tobacco advertising flavoured cigarettes.

Image 1: Excerpt from the Facebook page of The Sri GAGs.

Tobacco Related Activities

Disseminating a Report Promoting Tobacco Industry’s Harm Reduction Approach in Sri Lanka

Tale of Two Nations Vol 9: A comparative study of how Sri Lanka and Sweden are faring in the fight against smoking was a report launched in November 2025 comparing tobacco control in Sri Lanka with that in Sweden. This report promotes “harm reduction approach” a narrative long being used by the tobacco industry to sustain nicotine addiction. Read more about the report on the TobaccoUnmasked page Debunking – “Tale of Two Nations Vol 9: A Comparative Study of how Sri Lanka and Sweden are Faring in the Fight Against Smoking”.

It was published by “Smoke Free Sweden” and was authored by Delon Human and Noel Somasundaram. Delon Human is a South African doctor who collaborated with British American Tobacco (BAT) in their activities to promote nicotine products. Read more about him on this Tobacco Tactics page. Noel Somasundaram is a Sri Lankan Endocrinologist. Read more about him on the TU page Noel Somasundaram.

As of March 2026, The Sri GAGs uploaded two posts on their Facebook page quoting the report “Tale of Two Nations Vol 9: A comparative study of how Sri Lanka and Sweden are faring in the fight against smoking”. The two posts quoting the report claimed that Sweden achieved a low smoking prevalence rate due to their “balanced” harm reduction approach compared to the “prohibitionist” approach in Sri Lanka. The investigations carried out by the CCT team revealed that this report contains multiple inaccurate and misinterpreted facts, which is a strategy akin to the tobacco industry tactics of lying, telling half-truths, and generating doubt about established scientific consensus. Read more from the TU page report Debunking – “Tale of Two Nations Vol 9: A Comparative Study of how Sri Lanka and Sweden are Faring in the Fight Against Smoking”.

Image 2: Screenshot of The Sri GAGs Facebook post quoting the report published by Smoke Free Sweden.

Image 3:Screenshot of The Sri GAGs 2nd Facebook post quoting the report criticising the “prohibitionist approach” towards smokeless tobacco and nicotine products in Sri Lanka.

Alcohol related activities

The Sri GAGs Instagram account has reposted a story promoting Lion Beer brand on 20 June 2021.

Image 4: Screenshot of the Lion Beer’s story on the Instagram account of The Sri GAGs.

Implications

The harm reduction approach to quit smoking has been a narrative used by the Tobacco Industry to sustain nicotine addiction as they expanded their business framework to include alternative tobacco and nicotine products. In November 2025, two prominent events were held in Sri Lanka related to promotion of tobacco industry’s this harm reduction narrative. The “Quit like Sweden” event held in Colombo on 11 November 2025 is linked to the multinational tobacco company [Philip Morris International] (read more from the TU page Quit Like Sweden Programme in Sri Lanka). The report Tale of Two Nations Vol 9: A comparative study of how Sri Lanka and Sweden are faring in the fight against smoking that was published in the same month is linked to British American Tobacco (BAT). While the majority of shares (84.13%) of the Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC), the monopoly holder of cigarette manufacturing and trade in Sri Lanka, is held by BAT, PMI also holds a stake of 8.32% of the shares.

National Medicinal Regulatory Authority (NMRA) is the state authority related to approval of medicines and medical devices in Sri Lanka. NMRA does not include alternative tobacco or nicotine products in their approved list of medical devices. Thus, it is illegal to use those products as medical/therapeutic interventions in Sri Lanka.

According to the Regulations on Prohibited Tobacco Products in Sri Lanka under National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act No 27 of 2006, Electronic cigarettes (Vapes), Smokeless tobacco products (Snus), and Flavoured, Coloured, Sweetened tobacco products are defined as Prohibited Tobacco Products in Sri Lanka and no person shall manufacture, import, sell or offer for sale any such prohibited tobacco product.

Promoting this “Harm Reduction Approach” is not only violating the mentioned Regulations on Prohibited Tobacco Products in Sri Lanka but also violating the section 35 of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act, No. 27 of 2006, which prohibits promotion of any tobacco product.

TobaccoUnmasked Resources

• Debunking – “Tale of Two Nations Vol 9: A Comparative Study of how Sri Lanka and Sweden are Faring in the Fight Against Smoking”
• Quit Like Sweden Programme in Sri Lanka
• Regulations on Prohibited Tobacco Products in Sri Lanka
• National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act
• Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC)
• NGage Strategic Alliance
• Phoenix Ogilvy (Pvt) Ltd
• Ceylon Tobacco advertising flavoured cigarettes

The local language translations