Smoking crack-down in Malaysia

Two hundred and twenty-one smoking-offense notices have been issued by the Malaysian Health Ministry during an operation referred to as Ops Puntung and carried out in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, according to a story in The Star.

The operation was carried out from May 12 to 14, but was said to have been ‘in conjunction with World No Tobacco Day 2016 on May 31’.

It involved 182 officers from various government agencies who checked 29 premises.

Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya Federal Territory Health Department (Public Health) deputy director Dr Wan Mansor Hamzah said the operation had been aimed at curbing smoking in restricted areas.

“Ultimately, we want the smokers to quit the habit or cut down smoking,” he said.

The operation focused only on smoking, not on vaping, and on violations such as underage smoking and the failure to display ‘no smoking’ signs.

Those who are caught smoking in restricted areas are liable to a fine of RM250 while premises that fail to display no smoking signs face a fine of RM500.

The sorts of places where smoking is banned include medical facilities, public toilets, air-conditioned eateries, public transport stops, government premises, shopping and sports complexes, libraries and Internet cafés.