Businesses brace for smoking ban

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Hotels, malls and restaurants in Jakarta said on Sunday they were ready to comply with a bylaw banning smoking in all enclosed public places.

The City Council endorsed last Friday a bylaw on air pollution that bans smoking in public places and requires managements of public places to designate specific areas for smokers.

Hotels and restaurants interviewed by The Jakarta Post said on Sunday they had long separated smoking and non-smoking areas, while mall operators said they already prohibited smoking inside malls.

Putu Ayu Aristya Dewi, marketing manager for the Accor Group, which owns several four and five-star hotels in the capital, said the bylaw would bolster the group's policy of designating smoking and non-smoking areas in all of its hotels.

"We already distinguish between smoking areas and non-smoking areas. For example, we have a certain number of non-smoking floors or rooms. So we can follow the new regulation with a slight adjustment," she told the Post.

She said enforcing the regulation would not be difficult because most of the guests at the group's hotels were educated people and would understand the bylaw.

Yudith Nurwulan, public relations director for an international hotel chain, said her office would study the bylaw before deciding what policy changes it would make.

Fransiska Kansil, the public relations manager for a five-star hotel in the capital, said special smoking areas were already provided for guests at the hotel.

The newly endorsed bylaw criminalizes smoking inside public places, including schools, office buildings, buses, trains, airplanes, malls, restaurants and hotels. Violations can be punished with up to six months in jail and/or a fine of Rp 50 million (US$5,555).

The bylaw will not be enforced for a year to allow the authorities to educate the public about the ruling.

Riezka Novia Bewinda, media relations officer for Plaza Semanggi in Central Jakarta, said on Sunday the shopping center had been designated a smoke-free area.

"The management will discuss what impact, if any, the bylaw will have on Plaza Semanggi," she told the Post.

Handaka Santosa of Sogo said significant changes would have to be made at cafes and restaurants inside malls, because most of these establishments allowed guests to smoke.

"We must make some adjustments for restaurants and cafes. We are now studying what steps we will make in compliance with the bylaw," he said.

Danny Leo Lukito, owner of the Suite Seven cafe located in Kemang, South Jakarta, said he was unsure what the impact of the bylaw would be on his business.

"To be honest we still haven't prepared. If it is a private party, I don't think we can ban smoking. Right now we try to have separate places for smokers and non-smokers, but sometimes they get mixed together," he said.

He said he was not aware of any non-smokers complaining about the current setup at the cafe.