Smoking banned at airports

Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, chairs the Cabinet meeting at Al-Salam Palace in Jeddah on Monday. (SPA)

By ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: The Council of Ministers urged the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to ban smoking at all airports and their facilities in the Kingdom on Monday. It also advised GACA to impose a fine of SR200 on people who violate the new regulations.

The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, approved the recommendations of the 150-member Shoura Council.

Although the Kingdom passed anti-smoking regulations in August 2003, the habit is growing among its population. There are six million smokers in the country who puff away SR8 billion every year. According to one report, smoking-related diseases kill at least 33 people in the Kingdom each month.

Saudi Arabia ranks fourth in the world in terms of cigarette consumption and 41st in terms of population. As many as 13 billion cigarettes are imported into the Kingdom every year.

About 10 percent of the Kingdom’s total smokers are women and 19.3 percent are teenagers. Studies have shown that 13 to 15 percent of young men and women live with smokers and are subjected to passive smoking.

The Cabinet meeting reviewed the current foreign tour of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and hoped his visits to Canada, the United States, Morocco and France would produce results.

The Cabinet referred to the launch of Ghazal-1, the first Saudi car designed by King Saud University students, adding it boded well for the Kingdom’s decision to invest in a knowledge economy.

The Cabinet decided to sign an accord with South Africa for the repatriation of convicts and accused in criminal cases.

It also approved the contracts that were signed to carry out a major housing project in Jazan, accommodating people displaced as a result of attacks by Yemeni intruders last year. The project includes 6,000 housing units, 31 mosques, 35 schools, five health centers and infrastructure facilities.

Comments

SAMEER MN

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This is very good decision taken by GACA. this is very helpfull to others also. Very good..

SAJ

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It is good move for the citizen's, but what about for expat's requesting for visa's comes under labour position in iqama. hoping for it.

ISMAEEL MARIKAR

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You must be joking. I was at the Jeddah airport,and i saw the tv monitor, the "no smoking" sign but there were several young men with their laptops, smoking and I had to tell them in very strong language.

DR. WALEED ADDAS

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This is great news long awaited as well. As a role model, those who are wearing official uniforms inside the airports should start quitting smoking as well as it does not look nice when new visitors arrive inside our beloved country and see passport officers 'having a fag' or chatting with each others or not sitting in their kiosks to attend to the guests. The new rule should also apply to all the security officers and not be confined to the gentlemen only!

K. USMANI

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Smoking has always been banned at all airports in the kingdom, but the rule has seldom been respected. Being very sensitive to smoke, I have often been ridiculed, when I request smokers to at least keep a distance. As a frequent traveler, I see the violators are generally not the travelers, but airport security, airline and police staff stationed at the airports. The law should be extended to impose a double penalty on uniformed personnel smoking on duty. The million dollar question: Who will enforce this rule?
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