Law kicks in, butt they are not stubbing out

A NEW Year and new rules on smoking kicked in.

AT PLAYGROUNDS AND EXERCISE AREAS

During a two-hour enforcement operation by the National Environment Agency (NEA), a few people were caught breaking the rules.

The NEA officers did the rounds to see whether smokers are adhering to the new rules.

And as of yesterday evening, over 240 smokers were given verbal warnings by NEA officials for not complying with the new rules.

Still, NEA said compliance to the new ban was high as inspections were carried out in places with high human traffic, Channel NewsAsia reported.

More places in Singapore have become smoke-free from yesterday.

AT NON-CONDITIONED SHOPPING CENTRES

Smoke-free areas

They include lift lobbies, markets, multi-storey and basement carparks, hotel lobbies, ferry terminals, playgrounds, exercise areas, non air-conditioned shopping centres, shops, factories, offices, and within five metres of entrances and exits.

Tai Ji Choong, head of operations, Environmental Health Department, NEA, said: 'One of the key challenges is to raise the awareness of the public to this new ban, so we are actually adopting an educational approach where we work with building managers to help us in implementing and enforcing the new rules.'

IMM's building management is stepping up efforts to enforce the rules.

Mr Chow Chee Kang, head of the engineering and technical Services of CapitaLand Retail, which owns IMM, said that they had received complaints from some concerned parents that some people were smoking near children at the rooftop garden and playground.

AT ENTRANCES/EXITS

He said: 'With this initiative by NEA, I believe this concern will be addressed.'

NEA said most smokers in shopping centres are tenants at the malls.

First-time offenders caught smoking in prohibited places can be fined $200, while those with subsequent convictions can be fined up to S$1,000.

The new rule is aimed at 'protecting the public from second-hand smoke', Mr Khoo Seow Poh, director-general of public health with NEA had earlier told The Straits Times.

He said the drive is part of a global initiative by the World Health Organisation, which has urged governments to push for smoke-free work places and public places.

Singapore is among the close to 150 countries which have signed the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

It has already met its mandatory requirements, including a ban on tobacco advertising and health warnings on cigarettes.

Other places that have stubbed out smoking in public include Ireland, Sweden, Britain, India and Hong Kong.

In Singapore, smoking is already banned in all nightspots, hawker centres, restaurants and community clubs, among other places.

Casinos

However, casinos in the upcoming integrated resorts in Sentosa and Marina Bay have been exempted from the ban, though operators will have to draw up 'house rules' to protect non-smokers, the NEA said.

Operators who fail to advise their patrons against lighting up can also be fined.

Along with more smoke-free areas from yesterday, smokers here can only smoke specially-labelled cigarettes that will distinguish the duty-paid ones from contraband.

Singapore has one of the lowest adult smoking rates in the world at about 13 per cent, according to a 2004 survey.

Death of a citizen in Bangkok

HE died in the fire that turned a popular Bangkok nightspot, Santika Club, into a hellhole on New Year's Day. The Foreign Affairs Ministry has confirmed his death, though no details were released about how his body was identified.

TRAGIC: Thai rescuers standing by bodies of victims wrapped in white cotton sheets in a carpark. Many victims were charred beyond recognition. PICTURES:

With many of the 61 dead charred beyond recognition, the family of Mr Teo Sze Siong, 38, is still clinging to the hope that there may be a mistake in the identification process.

They will not accept that he is dead until they see his body. Mr Teo's two elder brothers left for Bangkok yesterday evening.

According to The Nation newspaper in Bangkok, bodies of most of the victims were charred and mangled beyond recognition.

Bangkok police said that 14 women and 17 men have yet to be identified. Another victim's sex was not known.

Col Nitibanthuwong, Commander of the Disaster Victim Identification Division, told The Nation that a centre was set up at the Thonglor police station to coordinate attempts to identify the unknown bodies.

He urged relatives to come to the centre with dental records or items that could provide DNA footprints for identifying the bodies.

Lt Col Sujettana Sotthibandhu, a forensics expert, told UK's The Telegraph that it might take at least a week of DNA analysis to identify the more than 30 bodies that were charred beyond recognition.

The unidentified bodies were all transferred to the Police Hospital for identification.

Mr Teo's family received news yesterday afternoon that he was one of those killed in the fire and the stampede that was sparked off by the fire.

Two other Singaporeans are reported to have been hurt and in hospital. Their names have not been released.

Mr Teo's younger sister told The New Paper that the family was unable to accept news of his death.

She said in Mandarin: 'It's too sudden... And it's not confirmed yet. We are hoping it's not him, not until we see his body. That's all we can hope for for now.'

She added that their mother was not taking the news well. Mr Teo, who was married, lived with his mother in a Toa Payoh flat.

Neighbours said they have not seen his wife for some time. The family had told them that she was working in China.

His sister said Mr Teo was in Bangkok for a holiday with a group of friends.

Loud wails could be heard from Mr Teo's flat several doors away since yesterday afternoon. Relatives were also seen walking in and out of the flat.

Mr Teo was the fourth of five siblings.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said it has made arrangements for Mr Teo's two brothers to fly to Bangkok.

Similar arrangements have also been made for family members of two other Singaporeans who are hospitalised with minor injuries.

The New Paper understands that Mr Teo and the two injured Singaporeans, a man and a woman, are friends.

They were believed to be there with another friend whose whereabouts are still unknown.

MFA added that the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok will continue to work with the local authorities to ascertain if there are any more Singaporeans affected.

Mr Teo's neighbour, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ho, said that Mr Teo was a very friendly man who was always smiling.

Mr Ho, 52, a stockbroker, said: 'He would walk over to chat with me whenever he saw me doing stretching exercises along the corridor.

'He told me that he was working at the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.'

Big Wheel keep on turning ?No

HE was looking forward to spending time with his family on Christmas.

But Mr Florian Bollen, 43, had to cancel his holiday plans when the Singapore Flyer broke down.

It left 173 people stranded on board for nearly seven hours.

Mr Bollen, who is chairman of Singapore Flyer, found out about the breakdown via SMS on Christmas Eve.

He was in Nuremberg, Germany, and was about to go with his family to Austria to ski.

But when he got the news about the Flyer, he left his two teenage children and wife behind and flew to Singapore.

He said: 'I was looking forward to spending time with my family, but had to cancel our plans.

'I was upset such an incident should happen. I was on the phone all night and gave instructions that all the passengers on the capsules must be brought down safely.'

An electrical outage had caused the wheel to stop.

The incident was the fourth stoppage since the wheel started operations last February.

Mr Bollen arrived on Christmas Day and immediately met with the wheel contractors, Singapore Flyer senior staff and one international expert who flew in with him.

Several international experts later flew in, and a committee was formed to investigate the cause of the stoppage and make sure it would not happen again.

While Singaporeans and tourists spent yesterday and today in merrymaking and revelry, Mr Bollen told The New Paper that he would be working with experts, contractors and management to get the wheel turning again as soon as possible.

In a media statement two days ago, he said the committee was making sure that more stringent systems were in place to keep the wheel rotating.

This included additional back-up mechanisms to keep the wheel turning at all times, in addition to the stand-by generator currently in place.

When asked yesterday when the wheel would be up and running again, he said an update would be released on 9 Jan.

'We are making very good progress in this aspect. We are working 24 hours a day with no day off on New Year's Day,' said Mr Bollen.

The chairman of the Singapore Flyer, who is a Singapore permanent resident, said he wanted the public to know that there was more to the Flyer than the wheel.

Other attractions

While the wheel was the main attraction, he said that Singapore Flyer had many other attractions which would continue operating.

Like the many pubs and restaurants nearby, which had suffered loss of business during and after the stoppage.

Mr Bollen felt the stoppage was a chance for the pubs, restaurants and stores around the wheel to 'stand up and be lifted up' in the minds of visitors.

He added: 'The Flyer is not just the wheel but is also a destination where people can eat and drink and enjoy themselves.

'We will work with the tenants to bring that message across through more promotions and tie-ins.'