Airtimes: Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore and Taipei Wednesday, July 7 at 2030 Thursday, July 8 at 1130 Saturday, July 10 at 1900 Sunday, July 11 at 0330 & 1630 Monday, July 12 at 0900
Bangkok and Jakarta
Wednesday, July 7 at 1930
Thursday, July 8 at 1030 Saturday, July 10 at 1800 Sunday, July 11 at 0230 & 1530 Monday, July 12 at 0800
There are more than one billion smokers in the world. China is home to most of those smokers - as well as the most smoking-related deaths. One woman has made it her lifelong mission to curb tobacco use, especially in China. It's an endeavour that's seen her labelled one of the world's three most dangerous people by the tobacco industry. Tobacco control advocate Dr Judith Mackay joins host Anjali Rao on CNN's TALK ASIA and reveals how her one-woman ambition has turned into a mainstream public health campaign. Having lived in Hong Kong for four decades, the British doctor never envisaged herself shifting from a hospital ward to battling against one of the richest and most powerful industries. "When I was in clinical medicine, I didn't realize that I would move to preventive health, and even when I moved to preventive health, I didn't realize it was going to be such an almighty battle with such a powerful industry." Despite China being the world's largest tobacco producer and consumer, Mackay believes that the measures to stop people smoking in the most populous country are similar around the world - tax increase, promotion bans and creation of smoke-free areas. "If there's any doubt about the fact these three things work, they are the three things the tobacco industry oppose vehemently. They challenge governments and legislation. They fight those three things tooth and nail, so I think that's a very good litmus test that those are the three things that we need to be concentrating upon." From high-level lobbying with government and policy makers, to hands-on education with non-profit making organizations, such as the World Lung Foundation, Mackay has devoted her life to advocating tobacco control, making her one of the most unwelcome figures by pro-smoking groups. One U.S smokers' rights group even once referred to her as an "evil, possessed, power lusting piece of meat" whom they sought to "utterly destroy". Mackay candidly admits that she has feared for her life: "I was certainly concerned about my safely, in fact I was offered police protection in Hong Kong by the government at one stage...What I said very publicly at that time was that if I was ever found at the bottom of Hong Kong harbour with concrete a round my feet, that it was the tobacco industry until proved otherwise. I made it very clear that I'm not a suicidal type." But Mackay's lifetime mission gained recognition - in 2007 Time magazine named her "100 Most Influential People in the World" and she received an OBE from the Queen last year. Looking back at her lifetime mission, the 67-year-old is satisfied with what she has achieved: "25 years ago I was very much a lone voice in the wilderness in this region and it was tough being on my own and coming under such attack from the tobacco industry. That has now changed completely...we now have a whole generation of younger tobacco control advocates...It's become really mainline public health now, so from that point of view I think that's probably the most satisfying aspect of the work I've done..." Mackay's interview with TALK ASIA will be available online at www.cnn.com/talkasia after the first airing. For more information, please visit www.CNNPressroomAsia.com. Related links: Talk Asia official site Talk Asia Facebook page |
