Malaysia to ban smoking at all eateries from early next year
The Malaysian Government will not compromise with the smoking ban in all restaurants, food outlets and hawker stalls, Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad told the press on November 14.
The ban against smoking at all eateries will stay despite protests from restaurant operators. (Photo: The Star)
Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The Malaysian Government will not compromisewith the smoking ban in all restaurants, food outlets and hawker stalls,Malaysian Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad told the press on November 14.
He stressed that the government’s directive to ban smoking at all eaterieswould stay despite protests from restaurant operators and it would take effectin January to protect public health, especially women, children and the elderly.
Earlier on November 12, more than 20,000 eatery owners under the umbrella ofthree associations- Malaysia-Singapore Coffee Shop Proprietors GeneralAssociation, Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association, and MalaysianIndian Restaurant Owners Association- organised a press conference, expressingtheir objections to the government’s smoking ban. They said that it wouldaffect their business.
Malaysia has a high rate of smoking despite high taxation levied on tobacco. Thereare around five million smokers in Malaysia, according to the latest NationalHealth and Morbidity Survey. Tobacco price in the country is three or fourtimes higher than regional nations. However, smoking is still popular in openeateries.
In May, the World Health Organisation said that tobacco is killing more than 7million people a year, around 890,000 are the result of non-smokers beingexposed to second-hand smoke. Half of those deaths (some 3 million people) weredue to cardiovascular diseases like heart attack and stroke. -VNA
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The ban against smoking at all eateries will stay despite protests from restaurant operators. (Photo: The Star) 
