Jakarta, June 5 -- The Health Ministry is formulating regulations on cigarette and vape packaging and health warnings as part of efforts to make tobacco products less appealing, particularly to children and teenagers, and prevent them from taking up smoking.

The ministry's acting director general for disease prevention and control, Andi Saguni, said here on Friday that cigarette and vape packaging often serves as a form of promotion that attracts young people and encourages them to start smoking.

"One of the provisions in the draft regulation is the standardization of packaging, or plain packaging," Saguni said, noting that under the law, the products must follow specific design standards, such as color, and pictorial health warnings. ...