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Bali Legislators Approve Smoking Ban In Bali
12/01/2011

Bali villas and Bali resorts guests, as well as the locals, will now find it difficult to smoke in this island paradise as the island's legislative council has finally enacted a smoke-free zone bylaw in public places throughout the island at the start of the week.

The newly-enacted Bali smoking ban paved the way for the local authorities and establishment owners to prohibit smoking in hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, and places of worship, health care facilities and schools, among other places, as mandated by the newly-enacted ban on Bali smoking law as smoke-free areas.

Moreover, smoking and advertising for tobacco products were also prohibited in playgrounds, traditional and modern markets, transportation terminals, airports, government offices, and on public transportation.

Violators of the bylaw will be penalized with up to six months' imprisonment or a fine of Rp 50 million ($5,450).

According to Bali Governor, Made Mangku Pastika, the smoking ban Bali by-law was passed to implement the 2009 Health Law.

According to a 2010 report, smoking has been an issue in Bali, in which survey data showed that 31 percent of the province's population aged 10 and above were smokers, up from 24.9 percent in 2007.

Meanwhile, Indonesia is one of the few countries which have not yet ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which calls for comprehensive tobacco control regulations.

According to the World Lung Foundation, There are more than 60 percent of Indonesian men who smoke and 30 percent of Indonesian youth who have smoked their first cigarette before they turn 10 years old.

According to Utami Dwi Suryadi, secretary of the bylaw committee, the bylaw is definitely needed in Bali in order to protect the people in Bali from the dangers of smoking. There is a need for the strict and serious implementation of the bylaw and there is also a need for people to be educated about the impacts of smoking.

The Pastika administration would begin informing the public about the new regulation and educating them about the dangers of smoking.