Tobacco.org

Flout it, stub it 

"We work with building managers to help us in implementing and enforcing the new rules," said Mr Tai Ji Choong, head of operations in NEA's environmental health department.

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And that is what IMM's building management, which has designated three zones for smokers, is doing.

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Mr Chow Chee Khang, CapitaLand Retail's head of engineering and technical services, said: "We've had complaints from some concerned parents that smokers are standing very near to their children at the rooftop garden and playground. With this initiative by NEA, I believe this concern will be addressed and I believe we'll be providing a healthier shopping ambience for our shoppers."

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NEA said most smokers in shopping centres, for example, -- the open-air ones now come under the ban -- are tenants but a few members of the public were also caught yesterday.

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• Stub it out, please 

SMOKERS in Singapore have even fewer places to enjoy a puff now, as a nationwide ban on lighting up in a new list of public areas took effect yesterday.

About 100 plain-clothes enforcement officers from the National Environment Agency (NEA) fanned out across the island yesterday to issue friendly reminders to smokers who were still puffing away in now out-of-bounds areas such as lift lobbies and carparks.

As at 5pm, 245 smokers in about 280 places checked had received reminders. . . .

The ban was widened yesterday to include areas such as non-air-conditioned offices, hotel lobbies, multi-storey carparks and places within 5m of the entrances and exits of buildings.

The widened ban is part of a drive since 1970 to stamp out smoking in Singapore. Already, lighting up is forbidden in all hawker centres, restaurants and community clubs, among other places.

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Cigarette smugglers nabbed at Woodlands Checkpoint  

Officers from Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) have foiled another attempt to smuggle cigarettes into Singapore.

The latest incident involved a Malaysian-registered lorry which arrived at the Cargo Complex of the Woodlands Checkpoint at 10.55pm on January 1.

The driver and his accomplice, a Malaysian, had tried to pass off the loot as a consignment of 1,250 cartons of detergent.

However, ICA officers uncovered 6,311 cartons and 1,875 packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes hidden in boxes amidst the detergent packing.

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Help! I want to quit smoking 

FROM Jan 1, puffers will find that they have an even more limited space in which to light up as the non-smoking ban gets extended to more places. Now that you can't smoke in non-air-conditioned offices, lift lobbies, multi-storey carparks or anywhere within five metres of the entrances and exits of buildings, isn't it time you redoubled your efforts to snuff out that last cigarette?

But smokers have first to recognise that what they have is similar to a drug addiction, and that most will need professional help in quitting, say doctors. . . .

For the first two years, smoking could be a 'fad' for a beginner smoker, but once it drags on beyond that, it's definitely an addiction, says Prof Eng. 'Which is why it's so hard to quit. In many studies, the success rate of quitters who do it alone is single digit.' . . .

Smoking cessation has been quite successful in Singapore, thinks Dr Eng. In 2004, 12 per cent of the population smoked regularly (down from 18 per cent in 1992), a far healthier figure than most places in the world. In first world countries (eg the US, UK and France), the rate is 20 to 25 per cent.

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Cigarette log cakes 

Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers found a total of 8,110 cartons of cigarettes under a meticulously bundled stack of timber logs at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Dec 23.

The cigarettes were transported in via a Malaysian-registered lorry driven by a 36-year-old Malaysian Indian male.

He denied knowledge of the stowaway cigarettes, and claimed that he was instructed by his boss to send the consignment to Defu Lane.

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Singapore Smoking Ban Talks Drag On For LVS, Genting ($$) 

The operators of Singapore’s two upcoming casinos, Las Vegas Sands and Genting, are continuing to hold talks with government officials about how severely smoking will be restricted in their gaming halls.

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Singapore to extend smoking ban to all indoor public places 

Singapore will extend the smoking ban to all indoor public places and some outdoor places by January 2009, the National Environment Agency (NEA) announced Friday.

Singapore, renowned for its clean image and strict laws against littering, in July last year has already extended the smoking ban from all in air-conditioned buildings to popular outdoor "hawker centers", air-conditioned karaoke lounges and nightclubs.

This time, in all indoor places, irrespective of whether it is air-conditioned, such as multi-storey and basement car parks, lift lobbies, non air-con shopping centers and shops, smoking will be banned.

Some outdoor places, like playgrounds and exercise areas, will also be smoke-free next year.

In addition, smoking will also be prohibited within 5 meters from entrances and exits leading to public buildings and facilities.

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Huffing & Puffing Over Absence Of 'Smoking Zones'  

She and her friends were sitting in a cafe in Brunei and she was enjoying it all except, of course, for the forced interruption for a cigarette that brought about the need for a dash into the night. . . .

But she had enjoyed her stay in Brunei very much. After the hectic life she lived in Singapore, Brunei was a paradise of peace and tranquility.

She felt so much at home here. No doubt, there were minor irritations, like, for example, this one.

"Where's the yellow box?" she had asked when she stepped into a cafe a week ago when she first arrived in Brunei.

"What yellow box?" her friends had responded looking puzzled.

"The smoking zone in a cafe," she explained.

And she went on noting the blank look on her Brunei friends: "In Singapore about 20 per cent of the total seating space can be designated as a smoking zone in cafe. And that is marked by a clear yellow line. Within that box smoking is allowed. It is very popular with outdoor cafes. It seems to work out alright so far."

She looked at her friends in disbelief that they were unaware of this. Surely there should be a smoking area. That was only reasonable.

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'TRAITOR' GONG 

The big scandal in China revolves around superstar Gong Li. The sexy actress caused a ruckus when she renounced her Chinese citizenship to become a citizen of Singapore, homeland of her tobacco-tycoon hubby. Her move lit up the Internet in China, reports Post film editor V.A. Musetto, with bloggers branding the 42-year-old "Miami Vice" star a traitor and calling for a boycott of her films.

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Singapore receives international award for approaches to tobacco control 

Singapore's National Smoking Control Programme (NSCP) has been internationally recognised for its outstanding practices, as well as innovative and successful approaches to comprehensive tobacco control.

Singapore received the Good Practice Award for Comprehensive Tobacco Control in Cities at the World Health Organisation Alliance for Healthy Cities Awards 2008.

The award was announced at the Third Global Conference of the Alliance for Healthy Cities held in Ichikawa City, Japan, on 25 October 2008.

The National Smoking Control Programme adheres to the MPOWER package, which is a roadmap to help countries meet their obligations to the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control (FCTC).

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LETTER: Stern action against smoking in lifts 

I REFER to the letter 'Why smoking persists in Housing Board Lifts' (Nov 22).

National Environment Agency (NEA) officers carry out checks against smoking in prohibited places including lifts. While lift owners are required to adequately and conspicuously display the 'No smoking' signs to remind the public that smoking is prohibited in the lifts, ultimately, it remains key for everyone to act responsibly towards the environment and be considerate to the people around them. NEA has and will continue to take enforcement actions against people smoking in lifts.

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Eco-friendly cigarettes, anyone? 

In a recent joint operation, officers from the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Singapore Customs (SC) seized 2,016 cartons of "eco-friendly tobacco".

Penalty

Upon conviction by the court, first-time offenders of cigarette smuggling can be fined up to a maximum of 20 times the amount of duty evaded. For second or subsequent convictions, offenders can be jailed for up to two years, as well as being fined. The offenders also face further fines based on the amount of GST evaded.

The vehicles used in the commission of such offence are also liable to be forfeited. . . .

There were warning labels on the foil that cautioned against its removal as the contents were "environmentally-friendly" products that were prone to air contamination.

Paying no attention to the decoy labels, ICA officers continued with the un-stuffing process. Their efforts were rewarded when the officers retrieved duty-unpaid cigarettes in the cargo.

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Man openly smokes in LRT 

STOMPer Aylin spotted this video on the Internet and was shocked by this uncle's audacious behaviour. He was smoking in the LRT and still had the cheek to defend his actions.

In her email to STOMP today (Nov 10), the STOMPer wrote:

"I accidently saw this video on the Youtube website, and I just wanted to share it with everyone. "My first thought was that this Singaporean uncle is very ridiculous, and that he dares to smoke in the LRT.

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Buangkok Kopi does nothing to stop smokers seated in No Smoking area 

A STOMPer spotted two different pairs of diners smoking at the same No Smoking table at Kopi, situated outside Buangkok MRT Station, and expresses disappointment that the coffeeshop chain seems not to be doing anything about this.

Previously, the contributor had spotted smokers at this outlet's sister branch, located a few metres away, and had emailed us about it.

Subsequently, the NEA reacted and said that it issued the foodshop management a stern warning.

Said the STOMPer:

"I spotted two pairs of diners smoking while they were at a No Smoking table in Kopi on Oct 25, at about 1 am.

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No smokers spotted at Buangkok Kopitiam, but we are keeping watch, says NEA  

The NEA conducted checks on both Kopi and Kopitiam at Buangkok and found no smokers, but says it is keeping a close eye on the situation.

Earlier, a STOMPer had sent in two stories about how groups of men were spotted smoking in the No Smoking area in both shops.

Says the NEA:

"We refer to your email of 25 Oct 2008 titled " Smokers at Buangkok Kopitiam City ".

"Following your reader's feedback, we inspected the "Kopitiam" foodshop at Block 277C Compassvale Link #01-13. There were adequate signs there to remind the public against smoking. Our officers mounted several watches incognito but did not come across anyone flouting the prohibition.

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