Foundation urges ban on smoking in all indoor public places

Lin Ching-li, a foundation director in charge of public affairs and Sun Yueh, a seasoned actor and a life-time volunteer with the John Tung Foundation, distributed copies of an anti-smoking position paper at the Legislative Yuan to solicit support from lawmakers of various parties for an amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act.

Lin quoted the position paper as indicating that more than 85 percent of the Taiwan people have said in public opinion polls conducted by Shih Hsin University, the Internet search portal Yahoo! Kimo and the local cable television channel TVBS that smoking should be banned in all indoor public places.

Lin said 48 countries in the world have passed laws banning smoking in all indoor public places and surveys have found that business in restaurants or pubs in these countries has actually increased as a result.

She said that legislators from the ruling and opposition parties have debated and exchanged views on the amendment many times since early this year but that the fate of the draft revision still hangs in the balance as lawmakers of different political parties have different opinions on the issue.

Lawmaker Wu Chih-yang of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), Lawmaker Kuan Pi-ling of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, Lawmaker Liao Pen-yan of the opposition Taiwan Solidarity Union and independent Lawmaker Lee Ao have expressed their support for quick passage of the draft amendment.

But since there were quite a few lawmakers opposing to the ban on smoking in all indoor public places, the legislative caucuses of various parties agreed to make it up for a final resolution at the plenary legislative session.

The caucuses agreed to present optional proposals to the plenary session, including banning smoking in all indoor public places and allowing smoking in restaurants or pubs with independent ventilating system or independent smoking room.

But smoking in indoor places in universities, libraries, museums, fine arts museum, and other cultural and educational establishments should be banned, the caucuses said.

Also yesterday, Lawmaker Ting Shou-chung of the KMT said he would take anti-smoking groups to visit chairmen of various parties asking them to make it their established policy to ban smoking in all indoor public places.

But Tsai Teng-shun, chairman of the labor union of the Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Co., said it’s tantamount to depriving local smokers of their basic human rights if they are banned from smoking in all indoor public places.

The Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act went into effect in 1997, banning sales of cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18 and restricting advertising by cigarette companies. The law was revised in 2000 to ban smoking in schools, medical facilities, shared working places and libraries.

However, smoking is still allowed in well-ventilated smoking rooms in restaurants, department stores and government offices.

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