Taipei, Jan 11 (DPA) Taiwan Sunday banned smoking in all indoor public places, becoming the 17th country in the world and the second in Asia to take the move to protect people's health.
The ban is a victory for anti-smoking campaigners and health workers, but is a nightmare for die-hard smokers who can now only smoke at home or in the open.
'Since Ireland banned indoor smoking in 2004, 14 countries and one territory - Bermuda - have followed suit, and Taiwan is the 17th worldwide to ban indoor smoking,' the John Tung Foundation, the leader in Taiwan's anti-smoking campaign, said in a statement.
Taiwan is the second country in Asia to ban indoor smoking after the Himalayan Buddhist kingdom Bhutan, which banned the sale of cigarettes and smoking in 2005.
Under the new rule, smoking is banned in all offices and indoor facilities such as department stores, restaurants, cafes, cinemas, airports and railway stations.
Smoking is also banned in indoor working environments where three or more people work together.
Those violating the rule face a fine of between 2,000 and 10,000 Taiwan dollars ($60 to $100).
Indoor facilities that provide cigarette lighters or ash trays will face fines of 10,000 to 50,000 Taiwan dollars.
The new rule further restricts cigarette sales, barring shops from displaying cigarettes where customers can reach them.
The new rule further restricts cigarette sales, barring shops from displaying cigarettes where customers can reach them.
On the first day, inspectors checked 4,953 venues around the islands, and issued 26 fines, but there was lots of confusion and protests.
'We have received more than 200 phone calls, a quarter of them were protests or simply four-letter words,' Lin Ching-li, from the John Tung Foundation, told DPA.
'We should keep explaining to the public so that they understand and back our campaign,' she added.
The ban on indoor smoking is enforced by the Department of Health and has received support from President Ma Ying-jeou and the majority of Taiwanese.
At the New Year national flag-raising ceremony, Ma wore an anti- smoking pin on his suit.
Since Thursday, all Taiwan TV newscasters began to wear the anti- smoking pin to express the TV stations' backing for the ban on indoor smoking.
Taipei, Taiwan's capital, will not only ban indoor smoking, but will also ban smoking in 24 parks starting in July.
All taxis in Taipei already carry a 'no smoking' sign and taxi drivers will refuse to transport passengers who insist on lighting up inside the taxi.
The Apple Daily said that the ban will affect four million smokers and one million venues in Taiwan.
While most Taiwanese support the new law, some smokers were fuming mad.
'I pay health tax when I buy cigarettes, but now I have to hide when I smoke or face a fine. They treat me as if I were a criminal. This is too much,' the Apple Daily quoted Luo Yen Wen-ting, 28, as saying.
The ban on indoor smoking has created problems for some business owners due to the expense of setting up an outdoor smoking areas and the fear of lost business.
The Taipei international airport has shut its 16 smoking rooms, and Taiwan airlines have voluntarily stopped promoting the sale of duty-free cigarettes during flights, but will sell them if passengers ask for them.
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