Fourth: "Smoking Ban in China"

"China starts this year off in a healthy way. Starting at the new year with a ban on smoking.



By Dikky Sinn, Associated Press | January 1, 2007
HONG KONG -- Hong Kong will become a mostly smoke-free city starting today, when a ban on lighting up in many public spaces, inside and out, comes into force. The prohibition is highly unusual in smoke-happy Asia.
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The ban covers restaurants, workplaces, schools, and karaoke lounges, and extends to outdoor places such as beaches, sports grounds, and parts of public parks.
The strict antismoking laws are extremely rare in Asia, home to some of the heaviest smoking populations in the world. Among the continent's major cities, Singapore is the only one with a similar law.
Amy Choi, a 27-year-old law student, supports the smoking ban because, she said, she dislikes breathing in secondhand smoke, even though she enjoys a puff when she drinks.
"I don't like people smoking next to me. It's so smoky and smelly," she said in an interview, apparently backing the ban.
Robert Hyde, an Australian who has smoked for more than 10 years, said the ban would not stop him from returning.
"If I need to smoke, then I'll smoke outside the restaurant and then go back to enjoy my meal. It's easy," Hyde said.
But Leung Kwok-hung, a lawmaker who opposed the measure, said a complete ban is unnecessary. "Smoking is not permitted in many of the outdoor areas. The coverage is so large but the smoking area is so limited," he said.
Hong Kong's lawmakers passed the law in October after a marathon 12-hour debate.
The stiffest opposition came from restaurants and the entertainment industry, where smoking is most prevalent.
Leung said the government should have allowed businesses to install filtration and ventilation systems. "It's ridiculous that the government is not allowing restaurateurs to use those enhancement facilities to maintain a smoking area in their restaurants," he said.
Antismoking groups pushed for the measure in Hong Kong, one of the most modern and affluent cities in Asia.
Smoking is common here, but is not as popular as in other parts of Asia.
The United States and European countries have instituted bans on smoking in recent years; it is rare to find an indoor US facility that permits smoking.
By next summer, smoking will be outlawed in all British pubs, cafés, offices, and public places.
Several American states and cities, Ireland, Finland, Italy, Norway, Spain, and Sweden have restricted smoking in similar locales, as have New Zealand and South Africa.
Hong Kong's ban does not yet include nightclubs, bars, mah-jongg parlors, bathhouses, or massage establishments. These venues have until July 1, 2009, to implement the new Hong Kong law."
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.

China has also started this year off with a smoking ban, and once again, the ones who oppose the ban are mainly the restaurant owners.Some states that the ban is not necessary saying that smoking is common, but Leung Kwok-hung, a lawmaker, states, "Smoking is not permitted in many of the outdoor areas. The coverage is so large but the smoking area is so limited."

1. If smoking is not permitted in many outdoor areas, why have the ban?
2. Will the restaurant owners have the chance to sign for a waiver?


Dikky Sinn. "Hong Kong begins year with ban on public smoking." The Boston Globe. 1 Jan 2007.

"Hong Kong begins year with ban on public smoking." The Boston Globe. 20 Jan 2007