Celebrity group S.H.E and the John Tung Foundation yesterday urged the public to help create a smoke-free environment by actively reporting those who violate the new Tobacco Hazards Prevention and Control Act (菸害防治法).
The amendment not only indirectly raises the price of cigarettes by doubling the tobacco health and welfare surcharge, but also prohibits smoking in public spaces including schools with students in grade 12 or under, government agencies, financial institutions, public transportation, offices with three or more people, restaurants, hotels and shopping areas. It goes into effect on Jan. 11.
“Sixty-nine countries in the world are now enforcing policies on smoke-free environments. This amendment allows Taiwan to catch up with those countries,” said Milton Shieh (謝孟雄), chairman of the anti-smoking John Tung Foundation.
At the film studio where the teen idols were preparing to shoot a TV commercial promoting smoke-free environments, S.H.E shared personal stories about their fight against smoking.
Because of the nature of her work, Selina said she often sees people smoking in smoking rooms, adding that this looked like a way of committing suicide.
Many people only quit smoking when they discover they have health problems, but if people refused cigarettes when they were young, they would avoid such painful experiences when older, she said.
The Bureau of Health Promotion has announced that those who see individuals or businesses violating the new act after it comes into effect next month can report them by providing local health departments with basic information about the violators, as well as photos or videos, if available, to serve as evidence.
Those who are afraid that reporting violations would offend fellow coworkers can instead contact the foundation, which would then report the case to local health departments, said Lin Ching-li (林清麗), chief of the foundation’s tobacco hazard prevention section.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS