Taiwan on Sunday began to ban indoor smoking, becoming the 17th in the world and the second country in Asia to take the move to protect people's health, reported dpa. The ban is a victory for anti-smoking campaigners and health workers, but is a nightmare for die-hard smokers who now can only smoke at home or in the open. "Since Ireland banned indoor smoking in 2004, 15 countries have followed suit, and Taiwan is the 17th worldwide to ban indoor smoking," the John Tung Foundation, the leader in Taiwan's anti- smoking campaign, said in a statement. Taiwan is the second country in Asia to ban indoor smoking after the Himalayan Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, which banned selling cigarettes and smoking in 2004. Under the new rule, all offices and indoor facilities like department stores, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, airports and railway station ban smoking. Smoking is banned in indoor working environments where three or more people work together. It is also forbidden at bus stops and railway stations, including platforms and cross-overs at railways stations. People who violate the rule by lighting up in these places face a 2,000-10,000-Taiwan-dollar (60-100-US-dollar) fine. Indoor facilities that provide cigarette lighters or ash trays will face a 10,000-50,000-Taiwan-dollar (300-1,500-US-dollar) fine. The ban on indoor smoking is enforced by the Department of Health and has received support from President Ma Ying-jeou and the majority of Taiwanese. At the New Year national flag-raising ceremony, Ma wore an anti- smoking pin on his suit. Since Thursday, all Taiwan TV newscasters began to wear the anti- smoking pin to express the TV stations' backing for the ban on indoor smoking. Taipei, capital of Taiwan, will not only ban indoor smoking, but will also ban smoking in 24 parks starting in July. Many of the taxies in Taipei already carry a no smoking sign and taxi drivers will refuse to transport passengers who ignore the sign and insist on lighting up inside the taxi. The Apple Daily said that the ban will affect 4 million smokers and 1 million venues in Taiwan. While most Taiwanese support the new law, some smokers are fuming with anger. "I pay health tax when I buy cigarette, but now I must hide when I smoke or face a fine. They treat me as if I were a criminal. This is too much," the Apple Daily quoted Luo Yen Wen-ting, 28, as saying. But Lin Yu-chiao, 26, backs the ban because "the government has announced the up-coming ban on indoor smoking for a long time, so smokers should stop finding excuses to postpone quitting smoking." The ban on indoor smoking has created problems for some business owners because it is expensive to set up an outdoor smoking area and they fear it may drive away customers who smoke. The Taipei international airport has shut its 16 smoking rooms, but fears that some transit international passengers, needing a puff after a long flight, will not be able to smoke while waiting for their connecting flight.
