To reinforce the Jakarta smoking ban, NGOs urge the city to declare *absolute smoke-free zones'.
Tulus Abadi of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) said recently that the smoking ban bylaw was still only partially implemented because people could still smoke in some parts of prohibited zones.
The bylaw designates seven types of prohibited zone including public transportation, health-care buildings, schools, children's areas, places of worship, offices and public spaces (including malls, restaurants, terminals and stations).
Out of the seven zones, only the first five are declared as absolute smoke-free zones, while offices and public spaces are considered as partially smoke-free because people are still allowed to smoke, but only in designated smoking rooms .
"The problem is that almost all smoking rooms are inadequate because they don't have good air flow systems. The smoke spreads out of these rooms," Tulus said. "Putting up smoking room seems to be a burden for some building managements, so that they don't want to bother to provide a room with proper facilities"
He also criticized some building managements for failing to put up *no smoking' signs in prohibited areas, while setting up cigarette advertisements in smoking rooms.
"Therefore, the seven prohibited zones stipulated in the bylaw should be made as absolute smoke-free zones. People should find another place outside the building if they want to smoke," he said.
The city administrations have been much criticized for failing to implement the bylaw since it introduced smoke-free zones in 2005.
YLKI recently published its July survey about the implementation of the smoking ban on public transportation and found violations in 89 percent of 549 public buses and minivans surveyed.
Early last year, the foundation also found violations of the ban in half of 60 malls throughout the city.
Azas Tigor Nainggolan of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) shared similar comments with YLKI, saying the administration should enforce the smoking ban completely by dispensing with the requirements to provide designated smoking areas.
"The implementation of the current bylaw is too lenient. There should not be any space for smokers and cigarette ads, in order to free Jakarta from cigarette smoke," he said.
- JP/Desy Nurhayati
