KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian cigarette manufacturers were asked to print graphic warnings on their product packaging before June, local media reported on Thursday.

    If they fail to do so, they risk having to take their products off the market. They will also face a 10,000 ringgit (2,817 U.S. dollars) fine or two years' jail, or both, the New Straits Times reported.

    Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai said the authorities were forced to implement the tough measures as they were unhappy with the results of 10 years of anti-smoking campaigns.

    The campaigns have seen a mere two percent drop in the number of smokers.

    "However, the number of smokers would probably have escalated if not for the government's intervention," he said at his ministry in Putrajaya, the administrative center of Malaysia on Tuesday.

    The warnings on the cigarette boxes will comprise pictures of neck, mouth and lung cancers as well as gangrene, miscarriages and premature birth.

    Manufacturers would be required to print all the six sets of warnings alternately.

    They will also be required to stop labeling cigarettes as "low-tar", "light", "ultra-light" and "mild" which the ministry said was misleading.

    Smokers would also be made aware of the 4,000 kinds of "poison" contained in cigarettes, Liow said.

    This information, along with the manufacturer's name and manufacturing date, would be printed on each box.

    All National Service training centers had also been gazetted as no-smoking zones with immediate effect, he said.

    With this, there are now 20 no-smoking zones, including government premises, schools, higher learning institutions, Internet cafes and shopping complexes.

    Smokers were also not allowed to light up at open air areas in the vicinity of shopping complexes, including in alfresco dining areas.

    Liow warned that those who smoked in the prohibited zones could be jailed for two years or fined up to 10,000 ringgit (2,817 U.S. dollars) or both.

    By year end, all cigarette packs containing 20 sticks must be sold at a minimum price of 6 ringgit (1.69 U.S. dollars), Liow said.

    When this ruling is gazetted, those caught selling cigarettes below the minimum price will face a 10,000 ringgit (2,817 U.S. dollars) fine or two years' jail or both.