A 2-year-old chain smoker, whose addiction to nicotine sees him puffing as much as 40 cigarettes in a day, while his mum looks, has generated a lot of concern as his story hit the media in Indonesia.
Rapi Ananda Pamungkas’ dirty habit started when he was just a baby after picking up used butts outside his mum’s market stall in hill station resort of Sukabumi.
However, within days the two-and-a-half-year old was hooked and he began constantly pestering passing shoppers to give him cigarettes.
The adults initially found the youngster’s demands endearing and plied him with cigarettes while laughing as he lit up.
But Rapi – nicknamed Rap – soon started becoming aggressive and throwing tantrums when he couldn’t get his beloved ”meroko”, the local term for cigarettes.
“He has been smoking every day for around two months. If I don’t give him a cigarette, my child goes berserk.”
Maryati said that Rapi began smoking at the age of just two months ago after collecting cigarette butts scattered on the road which older lads lit for him.
After that, he began demanding from his parents who run a food stall which also sells cigarettes, as well as hounding passersby for his daily fix.
She added:
“If Rapi doesn’t get cigarettes he cannot sleep. He will start rampaging and crying.“It’s expensive, because we have to buy them for him. He likes to do it all day. He can smoke about 40 every day.”
The toddler’s dad Misbahudin, 40, said he also smokes but doesn’t know why his child started the habit.
