Govt calls for no-smoking public places

JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Health appealed to government agencies yesterday to declare more public places no-smoking areas.

The ministry's director general of drugs and food, Wisnu Katim, said he would raise the issue with the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Youth and Sports Office and the Ministry of Transportation.

"I will appeal to those ministries to ban smoking in public places so that nonsmokers can breath clean air," he said after briefing reporters on World No Tobacco Day this Saturday.

Smoking is banned in very few public places. The Ministry of Education and Culture has banned it in state and private schools.

Most restaurants now have designated no-smoking areas but do not ban smoking altogether. Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has banned smoking on some of its flights.

Wisnu stressed that nonsmokers had a basic right to breath clean air in public places.

He said the Ministry of Health was drafting regulations to curtail smoking, particularly among young people, and increase protection for nonsmokers.

The regulations being considered included banning sales of cigarettes to minors and banning smoking in the work place and other places, he said.

Anti-smoking campaigners face an uphill struggle given the country's strong tobacco lobby. The industry is among the largest employers and biggest taxpayers.

To mark World No Tobacco Day, the government in collaboration with the World Health Organization would present certificates of appreciation to Garuda Indonesia and the Ministry of Education and Culture for their active participation in restricting or banning smoking, Wisnu said.

The Ministry of Health has appealed to smokers to give up the habit on Saturday.

The appeal has consistently been ignored in past years.

PT Pos Indonesia, the state postal company, plans to issue new stamps to mark World No Tobacco Day. (11)