Smokers
who light up inside bars, restaurants, hotels and other establishment where the
public gathers will face fines of 20,000 riel (about $5) starting September 16,
the Ministry of Tourism announced on Wednesday.
The
deadline will also mark the beginning of the enforcement of a broader Council
of Ministers sub-decree banning smoking in all public places, according to a
government spokesman.
Hor
Sarun, an undersecretary of state at the Tourism Ministry, said the ministry
would be in charge of educating and enforcing the smoking ban at all
entertainment and hospitality venues, and that the rules would help draw
tourists.
“Cigarette
smoke is a hidden killer of both smokers and those around them, and most
tourists do not like that,” Mr. Sarun said on the sidelines of a workshop about
the new rules at the Ministry of Health.
Establishments
that do not post required anti-smoking signs or that allow smoking within 5
meters of the entrance, will face fines of 50,000 riel, or about $12.50, and
could lose their operating licenses, he said.
Mr. Sarun
said the ministry would work with local NGOs to educate business owners and
their customers on the law, which will also apply to venues that cater largely
to Cambodians, including beer gardens and karaoke parlors.
“We will
use media in each municipality and province to raise public awareness, and we
will arrange meetings like workshops and public forums,” he said.
Som
Chenda, director of the Kep provincial tourism department, said during the
workshop that the Tourism Ministry would need to be careful not to discourage
investment or risk turning off potential visitors.
“If the
private sector makes mistakes and then we penalize them or revoke their
licenses, I don’t think this will be a mechanism to attract investment,” Mr.
Chenda said.
Government
spokesman Phay Siphan confirmed that the Tourism Ministry’s effort was part of
a countywide ban on smoking in public spaces first passed by the Council of
Ministers in March and signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen, himself a former
smoker.
“The law
will be enforced by cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry
of Tourism,” Mr. Siphan said.
The
Ministry of Health announced that it would begin enforcing the ban in May but
has yet to do so.
Hang Sy,
co-owner of Mtes Tom restaurant in Phnom Penh’s Chamkar Mon district, said his
local and foreign customers already did their smoking outside out of courtesy
for other diners.
“They
don’t want to disturb others, so they come outside to smoke, and after, they
come back in,” he said on Wednesday, predicting that the smoking crackdown
would not be widely enforced.
Kang
Sothear and Ben Paviour
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