AS the second-hand swept past midnight last night, smoking – or not smoking – was the last thing on the minds of sports fans at coffee shops here.

The smoking ban at eating places had come into effect at the stroke of midnight. Still, many had cigarettes hanging from their lips as their eyes stayed rivetted on TV screens where Germany and Argentina were jostling for a place in the World Cup semi-finals.

Smoking is now banned at all non-airconditioned food outlets and hawker centres, except at designated smoking corners. The ban aims to minimise non-smokers’ exposure to second-hand cigarette smoke, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) in a press statement on Thursday.

The New Paper on Sunday visited several food centres early yesterday morning. Even before midnight, ‘No Smoking’ signs and signs indicating the designated smoking areas – comprising as few as two tables at some places – were already up.

But they were mostly ignored.

At S-11 at Ang Mo Kio Ave 10, smokers were littered among non-smokers, indifferent to the large ‘No Smoking’ sign which stood in one corner. Over at Lau Pa Sat, smokers gathered under a small sign on the ceiling indicating the smoking area.

But, as the night wore on, more smokers showed up, dragging tables and chairs with them. They extended the smoking area until it was quite unclear where it ended or began. One man was seen dragging a chair to the crowded smoking area and placing his feet inside the area boundary.

He then happily lit up.

With the World Cup season in full swing, the smoking ban appears ill-timed to some. Said one middle-aged smoker, who wanted to be known only as Mr Chen: ‘It’s unfair for smokers to be allocated so little space.’ He added that he understood that the ban was for the good of non-smokers, but felt that it was at the expense of the smoking community. ‘No one thinks about how smokers will feel,’ he said.

And many, who find solace in a cigarette during the tense moments of a World Cup match, are feeling increasingly frustrated. The displeasure was evident last night. When The New Paper on Sunday team took pictures at S-11 in Ang Mo Kio, some smokers got so upset a fight nearly broke out.

Our photographer was chased off the premises. Others, like Mr Chen, thought our photographer was from the NEA, carrying out a bust. Anyone caught smoking in a non-designated smoking area will be fined $200, said an NEA spokesman. Even a win on a World Cup bet may not be able to take away the sting of being caught.

Source: New Paper