Malaysian government warns of stern action against those violating the new ruling The decision is taken in larger public interest, says Malaysia’s deputy health minister. KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians welcomed the government’s decision to ban smoking inside all restaurants and in open hawker centers and roadside stalls by Jan. 1 next year. “This time, all restaurants, regardless of whether they are an enclosed area, air-conditioned or open-air, will need to comply with the ruling from next year,” announced Malaysia’s Deputy Health Minister Lee Boon Chye. The smoking ban will be extended to air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned restaurants and coffee shops, open hawker centers; and roadside eateries and stalls. “We are ready to face objections from smokers and restaurant owners, but we will not compromise when it comes to looking after the health of the people,” said Chye. He added: “No doubt smokers will say they have the right to smoke, but non-smokers also have the right to enjoy their food without being harmed by cigarette smoke.” Chong See Ming, a 46-year old stay-at-home mum, told Arab News that she and her husband were glad that the government had finally decided to ban smoking in eateries. As part of a family with young children, Chong is always confronting smokers in open air coffee shops, asking them not to smoke. “These smokers always show reckless disregard and one even blew smoke at my young child,” she said. “I was asthmatic and very sensitive to cigarette smoke,” Chong said, adding that her father quit smoking when she was diagnosed with childhood asthma. The Ministry said it would take stern action against restaurant owners and smokers who defy the new ruling under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004. Smokers would face a heavy fine of $2,500 or two years in jail, while a fine of $600 would be imposed on establishments that allow people to smoke. Chong said some of her friends who are smokers are taking steps to quit after hearing about the coming smoking ban next year. The decision may be bad news for smokers, but it is welcomed by eatery owners and most patrons. Most smokers in Malaysia are men, with female smokers making up 1 percent in Malaysia. However, second-hand smoke exposure is greater. It is estimated by the Global Adult Tobacco Survey that seven in 10 Malaysians have been exposed to second-hand smoke, or 8.6 million adults. “The smoking ban will definitely affect my customers; 30-40 percent of them are smokers, and it may somehow affect the business revenue,” said Mahmud, supervisor at the Havana Bar and Grill, a nightspot in Kuala Lumpur popular among expats and locals alike. However, he told Arab News that he fully supported the government ban on public smoking in eateries because it is a move for the greater good. “The smoking ban is good for everybody, not for the customers, not for me, not for my father,” said Mahmud. The announcement on Friday is the latest move by the Malaysian Government to impose its decades-long anti-smoking measures and policies. Despite that, it is estimated by the National Health and Morbidity Survey that one fifth of the Malaysian population are smokers, or a total of five million. “I’m very happy that they came out with such a policy because I can keep my restaurant clean (from smokes),” said Anutha, the owner of Sri Nirwana Maju, a popular Indian banana leaf restaurant in Malaysia. “The smoke affects me because I am always at the counter collecting money and they would blow their smoke inside." She is also concerned that the smoke will affect families with children eating at her restaurant. “A lot of people may think that it will affect their business, but I do not agree,” she said, adding that she wants her customers to be healthier and come again to eat at her restaurant.