Restaurant owners will pay if patrons smoke

NST: SUBANG JAYA: The Health Ministry will intensify its enforcement to punish restaurant owners who allow smoking in air-conditioned restaurants.
Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the ministry had been receiving complaints from the public about smokers in air-conditioned restaurants, which are supposed to be smoke-free.
"If the owners want to have smoking areas, they should partition their restaurants and equip them with separate air-conditioning systems to prevent pollution," he said after launching a Health Day campaign here yesterday.
Liow said, however, that there has been a sharp decline in the number of compound notices issued by the ministry this year to those who smoked in prohibited areas compared with the last two years.
The ministry had issued 2,622 compound notices from January to October, with fines amounting to RM564,170, compared with 7,166 in 2006 and 9,196 last year, the fines amounting to RM2,490,915 and RM3,071,474, respectively.
More than 85 per cent of this year's compound cases have been settled while 44 per cent of 2006 cases and 40 per cent of those issued last year were settled.
Those who smoke in prohibited areas can be fined between RM300 and RM500. If they repeat the offence, the fine could reach RM10,000.
The ministry is also intensifying its efforts to nab retailers who sell cigarettes to underage smokers.