First vapor factory to open in Malaysia

Despite opposition from Malaysia’s Health Ministry and anti-vaping advocates, the country is due soon to have a factory manufacturing vapor devices and nicotine-free e-liquids, according to a story in The New Straits Times.

Kilang Vape of Malaysia, which is in Nilai Utama Enterprise Park, Negri Sembilan, was supposed to be opened officially on May 12 but the launch failed to materialize.

Initially, the Deputy Minister of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism (DTCC), Datuk Henry Sum Agong, was scheduled to open the factory, but the ministry decided against his becoming involved after heeding calls from non-governmental organizations and medical experts.

The DTCC minister, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin, in addressing the issue yesterday, acknowledged that he had received objection letters from several concerned groups about the opening of the factory.

But Hamzah conceded that the factory represented a business opportunity.

“There is nothing wrong for them to do business here,” he said. “We have laws and as per our regulations, one needs to have a license to operate in Malaysia. And they have got the license. Everything is in accordance to the law.”

But there was a sting in the tail of Hamzah’s statement.

“Whether they can sell the products in the country or not; that depends on the laws of the respective states,” he added.