Jakarta (The Jakarta Post/ANN) - The city administration plans to impose a ban on smoking at all venues and hotels used for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games later this year.
Head of the Jakarta Tourism Agency Arie Budhiman said on Monday that the agency would, in collaboration with the Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD), enforce the ban between Nov. 11 and Nov. 22.
"The ban will benefit athletes competing in the games and protect spectators from dangerous smoke," Arie told reporters.
Only during the SEA Games, the city government will designate venues and hotels used by athletes and officials as no smoking zones
"Athletes, officials and other guests will not be allowed to light up at the hotels and venues during the competition," he said.
The city administration will also be joined by the Swisscontact Indonesia Foundation to enforce the ban.
Officials from the city administration are expected to install smoke detectors at venues and hotels for the SEA Games soon.
In May 2010, Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo signed a gubernatorial decree making it illegal to smoke inside certain buildings and workplaces in the city.
The regulation, Gubernatorial Decree No. 88/2010 went into effect late last year.
The decree was an amendment to a 2005 bylaw which allowed occupants to light up in smoking sections.
The decree bans smoking in areas like community health centers, workplaces, places of worship, public transportation and areas dedicated to education and children's activities.
Separately, BPLHD head Peni Susanti, said that according to a recent survey, more and more Jakartans are supporting the smoking ban.
"We are seeing an increase in the numbers of people approving and supporting the ban," Peni said.
The survey, conducted in March this year, questioned 841 respondents in the city's five municipalities.
Data from the survey showed that 94 percent of respondents said they were uncomfortable about being in the same room with smokers.
"Around 90 percent of respondents who smoke also said that they did not like being in a room or area full of cigarette smoke," she said.
While 91 percent of respondents support the smoking ban, 85 percent agreed that the ban should include all public buildings.
"People also said they are willing to warn others about complying with the ban. Some 54 percent of respondents said they would protest against people smoking near them," Peni said.
In the survey, the city also ran an inspection of 210 buildings.
More than 30 percent of the buildings violated the ban.
More than 19 percent of 31 health facilities surveyed flouted the ban as well as 67 percent of 30 types of public transportation, while 35 percent of 29 shopping malls also violated the ban.
In response to the violations, the city has issued more than 700 warning letters to building managers.
BPLHD head of law enforcement division Ridwan Panjaitan said on Monday that fresh warnings have been given to 25 establishments failing to comply with the first reprimand for breaches of the smoking ban.
Ridwan warned building managers to abide by the regulation or face public shaming.
The agency said it could temporarily shut down buildings which continue to flout the regulation before deciding to revoke their operational permit.
Indonesia is among the world's three largest tobacco consuming nations, with studies showing that tobacco consumption grew 26 percent in the last 15 years.
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