SMC puts up ‘No Smoking’ signboards in public parks
SIBU: Sibu Municipal Council ( SMC) has put up ‘ No Smoking’ signboards in all 25 community parks here to prevent the public from puffing away at these places.
This is in accordance with the gazetting of public parks as nonsmoking areas to keep out secondhand smoke.
When contacted yesterday, SMC deputy chairwoman Rogayah Jamain said: “All the 25 community parks here had been installed with ‘No Smoking’ notices.
“We advise the public not to light up their cigarettes in these public parks,” she told The Borneo Post.
State health deputy director ( public health) Dr Nordin Saleh recently said in a statement that they had started awareness campaigns on the gazetting of public parks as no-smoking areas which would continue for three months.
He said public parks should be used for healthy activities such as jogging, picnics, playground for children, yoga, aerobic exercises and so on, and offenders would be given a notice or compounded up to RM50 after the three months.
“If they fail or do not wish to pay the compound, they will be charged in court, where they could be fined up to RM10,000 or sentenced to two years in jail,” Dr Nordin had said.
Separately, Bernama had reported that the Health Ministry was currently carrying out public awareness exercises on the smoking ban at all public parks and recreational places before the directive is enforced on June 1.
Its director- general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah reportedly said the enforcement would be in accordance with the gazetting of public parks as places where smoking is banned under the Tobacco Products Control Amendment Regulations 2017.
Meanwhile, the National Health Morbidity Survey ( NHMS) in 2015 found that the prevalence of smoking was 22.8 per cent among Malaysians.
We advise the public not to light up their cigarettes in these public parks. Rogayah Jamain, SMC deputy chairwoman