A man was fined NT$50,000 (US$1,609) for attempting to bring heated tobacco products (HTPs) purchased abroad into Taiwan, the first such fine imposed under rules passed earlier this year, the Health Promotion Administration said.
The Legislative Yuan in January passed the third reading of amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防治法), banning e-cigarettes and requiring that HTPs pass a Ministry of Health and Welfare health risk assessment before they can be manufactured, imported or sold. The amendment went into effect on March 22.
The Health Promotion Administration on Tuesday said that as no HTPs have passed the assessment, none can be bought in Taiwan or imported.
Photo: AP
Customs officers have already begun thoroughly inspecting packages and are checking travelers’ checked and carry-on baggage, it said.
Customs inspectors at an airport in April found that a man who brought a carton of tobacco sticks from another country was attempting to bring them into Taiwan, Smoke Hazard Prevention Division senior technical specialist Liu Chia-hsiu (劉家秀) said.
The sticks were seized and the matter was reported to the local health department, Liu said.
After the man explained the situation to the local health department, he was fined NT$50,000 for contravening articles 15 and 26 of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act, she said.
Under the act, the illegal production or importation of HTPs can lead to fines of up to NT$50 million, and people who attempt to bring in unapproved HTPs can be fined between NT$50,000 and NT$5 million, while people who use HTPs can be fined between NT$2,000 and NT$10,000, she said.
As of June 14, customs officers have reported to local health departments 69 cases of travelers bringing in HTPs from abroad, Liu said.
Health Promotion Administration Director-General Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍) said that as summer is the peak season for travel, the agency urges people to comply with the law and not attempt to bring HTPs into Taiwan, either for self-use, friends and family, or resale.
The John Tung Foundation said that it has received more than one report of a Taiwanese tour guide encouraging tourists to buy HTPs while traveling in Japan.
In one incident, a tour guide instructed members of their group to hide HTPs in their dirty clothes to avoid being found during inspections, it said in a news release.
The foundation said that HTPs contain many of the same, or even more harmful ingredients, as regular cigarettes, so it has notified the Tourism Bureau and suggested that it instruct travel agencies not to allow their tour guides to encourage breaking the law.
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