Extended smoking ban begins Dec 29

The Nation,

The Minister of Public Health confirmed on Saturday that anti-smoking laws will be widely extended on Dec 29 to take in almost all public areas and additional private rooms.

Mongkol Na Songkhla, the minister, kicked off a new anti-smoking campaign focussing on the danger of the second-hand smoke on close family members.

He told reporters at the event he had ordered aggressive enforcement of new laws which extend the ban on smoking, with violators facing an on-the-spot fine of 2,000 baht.

The new ban extends no-smoking areas to more public places, but also includes public areas not currently covered.

As of Dec 29, the law forbids smoking in transportation terminals, public parks, bus stops, sports stadiums, hotel lobbies, and traditional massage parlours. Health police "will take immediate action against violators," the minister said.

Hallelujah. Bars next, please.

Yikes, can't they just use the regular police for this? I'm sure they'll love another way to ... . But now the HEALTH police!

As a vehement anti-smoker I must say, that though the laws have done nothing to eliminate smoking in most restaurants and bars, when going out in Bangkok it seems to me that smoking has been pleasantly reduced as a result of all this. I will note one exception to this as the HRC will make people requesting nonsmoking tables to go to the dirty 3rd floor to choke on all the fumes that rise; of course, I do not ever go there anymore.

I hope they extend this to covered outdoor areas as well. Specifically I mean the small, outdoor, covered "arrival lounge" at the new airport which stinks of cigarette smoke while you are in line to get your taxi-meter.

Okay, now that they seem to be making great inroads on clearing the air of tobacco smoke, how about some ENFORCED anti-pollution VEHICLE laws to make the air outdoors less health-endangering?

I understand there are vehicle emissions controls laws on the books, as I recall a few years a couple of random enforcements where smoke-belching trucks and buses were reported to be impounded.

I've lived full-time in Jomtien for over a year now, and for the most part my neighborhood has clean air. I can get away with mopping the floors every ten days or so, versus Bangkok I had to do it at least every other day to keep from having the soles of my feet blackened. A few weeks ago I spent an extended weekend in Bangkok and by the 4th day, I had the old sinus congestion that used to plague me when I lived there -- I could taste the pollution.

I laud the inroads made to make indoor air smoke-free, but how about the streets and roads (and hence the rest of the city)?