Thaindian News

By Gina Gomez
Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept 3, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Ardi Rizal, the Indonesian kid who had managed to arouse the world in a fit of indignation and horror a few months back, has finally returned to the right track, having quit smoking. A few months back, a video of the two-year-old child was uploaded on the internet, in which he was seen nonchalantly smoking, and, in fact, playing tricks with the smoke. Needless to say, the video raised quite a furor, and the parents of the kid came in the firing line. However, at that point of time, the father had responded by saying that they saw no harm in providing him with cigarettes, justifying their action by saying that Ardi Rizal threw tantrums if not provided with his regular dose of at least 40 cigarettes a day.

However, this has not come by easily. The parents of Ardi Rizal tried in vain to coax their son into kicking the habit, and when all else failed, they had to resort to a rehabilitation program. Sources reported that the heavy smoking took a toll on the boy’s health severely, resulting in weak lungs and an apparent shrinking of the brain. Moreover, tests conducted on him at the insistence of the health officials indicated that he had already developed heart problems.

The rehabilitation program lasted for 30 days, at the end of which the toddler doesn’t ask for cigarettes and does not throw any more tantrums. The Chairman of the Indonesia’s National Commission of Child Protection, Arist Merdeka Sirait, it is now necessary to keep the child in a smoke-free environment, where he would not be tempted into smoking again.