Yeh, minister of the Cabinet-level Department of Health (DOH), made the remarks while fielding questions on the issue from lawmakers at a legislative committee meeting.

He said although the DOH is not the agency in charge of the matter, in principle it is opposed to the tobacco plant construction plan because it goes counter to global anti-smoking trends.

The negative complications, such as public health and pollution problems, could outweigh the plant's job creation benefits, the minister said.

The non-profit, anti-smoking John Tung Foundation voiced its objection a day earlier to the plan by the Britain-based Imperial Tobacco Company Ltd. to build a tobacco plant in northern Taiwan Miaoli County's Chunan township,

The foundation criticized the local government for allowing the company to do so despite strong public disapproval and called for the watchdog arm of the government, the Control Yuan, to conduct an investigation of the issue.

"The project is against international norms and could seriously tarnish Taiwan's international image," a foundation spokesman said.

The Miaoli county government announced recently that it has approved a project submitted by Imperial Tobacco to erect a plant at the Kuanyuan technology park in Chunan.

Blanchi Cheng, a board member of the Tobacco Institute of the Republic of China, argued Wednesday that as a legal investment, the plan could also help to boost local economic development.

The tobacco plant would be the company's first in Southeast Asia and would serve as a base from which to explore other markets in the region.

The tobacco plant is reportedly projected to create some 250 job opportunities in Miaoli.