City bans smoking in public places

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Smoke at your own risk.

That was the message left hanging in the air from city councillors on Friday when they endorsed the air pollution bylaw, which bans smoking in all enclosed public places.

Along with general air pollution regulations, the bylaw, endorsed one month after it was submitted to the council on Jan. 4, criminalizes smoking inside public buildings; a violation punishable by six months' jail and/or a fine of Rp 50 million (US$5,555).

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso said earlier that the bylaw, which has earned praise from anti-smoking and environmental activists, was an important measure to clean up the capital's air. Studies have ranked Jakarta's air quality as the third-worst in the world after Mexico and Bangkok.

Councillors said areas smoking was now banned in included schools, office buildings, buses, trains and airplanes, malls, restaurants and hotels.

The ruling, which will not be enforced for another year when a public information campaign ends, also requires all cars, trucks and buses to undergo emission testing every six months and all public transport and city council vehicles to run on natural gas rather than gasoline.

According to environmentalists, vehicular emissions contribute up to 70 percent of the pollution in the capital, with industrial emissions accounting for the remaining 30 percent.

The bylaw also states that residents have the right to file class actions against polluters if they can prove their emissions caused them suffering.

Police officers and public officials will enforce the rulings.

Non-governmental organizations belonging to the Coalition for Clean Air welcomed the bylaw on Friday, and urged the city administration to properly enforce the regulations.

In a statement sent to The Jakarta Post, the coalition stressed the administration should immediately disseminate information about all the new rulings.

"One year is long enough for the city administration to inform the public about the new rules," Tubagus Haryo Karbyanto, of the Jakarta Residents Forum, said.

Tubagus said the city should invite all those affected by the bylaw, including building managers and public transport operators, to discuss how to make the ruling effective.

The Indonesian Smoking Control Foundation (LembagaM3) also welcomed the smoking ban.

"Smoking is not only dangerous for smokers, but also for people nearby because they are forced to inhale tail smoke," LembagaM3 chairman Renie Singgih said.

Other groups in the coalition include Swisscontact, the Clean Air Appreciation Movement, the Indonesian Center for Environment Law, the Clean Emission Partner and the Committee for Phasing out Leaded Gasoline (KPBB).

Editorial -- Page 6