Manila: The World Health Organization vowed support for countries that continue to fight smoking, adding that Southeast Asia, other Asian countries, and the Pacific region must unite against tobacco firms' new efforts to pursue legal battle against anti-smoking measures in the region.

"I urge all these countries to stand firm together, do not bow to pressure... we must never allow the tobacco industry to get the upper hand," said WHO director-general Margaret Chan during a WHO meeting of Western Pacific nations on Monday.

WHO has been "gearing up" to support countries that have fought tobacco firms by passing laws for high taxes for sin products, and for imposing warning about the dangers of smoking on cigarette packets, said Chan, but did not give details.

Chan referred to the legal suits filed by tobacco companies against Australia and Uruguay as unprecedented battlegrounds.

Philip Morris has vowed to earn compensation from Australia's plan to legislate plain packaging for cigarettes, adding it was a violation of international trade obligations..

Admitting the challenges ahead, Australia's health secretary Jane Halton said, "We acknowledge it will be a big fight (with Philip Morris)."

WHO also lauded the Philippines for legislating higher taxes for tobacco products.

Challenges ahead

Noting the challenges to be faced by all countries that try to stop smoking and curb sales of cigarettes, Chan said, "Big tobacco can afford to hire the best lawyers and PR firms that money can buy. Big money can speak louder than any moral, ethical or public health argument and can trample even the most damning scientific evidence".

"It is hard for any country to bear the financial burden of this kind of litigation, but most especially so for small countries," Chan added.

Big tobacco firms are immoral for being bullish and for resorting to "scare tactics" in order to up the sales of cigarettes, warned Chan, adding that tobacco firms are aimed at stopping if not going around national laws, including international conventions against smoking.

"It is horrific to think that an industry known for its dirty tricks and dirty laundry could be allowed to trump what is clearly in the public's best interests," Chan said, but did not identify the sectors that support tobacco firms.

WHO has been aiming curbs on cigarette advertisement, passage of national laws to stop public smoking and higher taxes for sale of cigarettes.

About 3,000 people die each day from tobacco use, among 1.6 billion residents in Australia, China, Brunei, Cambodia, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam and other South Pacific nations.