Smoking at Kuching eatery sees man slapped with RM600 fine

KUCHING (Feb 13): A 26-year-old man was fined RM600 in default six days’ jail by the Magistrates’ Court here for smoking at an eatery, which is a gazetted non-smoking area.

Magistrate Mason Jaro Lenya Barayan convicted the man on his guilty plea to a charge under Section 16(2) of the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024, read together with Section 16(3) of the same Act, which provides for a maximum fine of RM5,000.

The offence was committed at an eatery here last May.

According to the facts of the case, the man was found smoking at an eatery during ‘Ops Rokok’ conducted by the Kuching Health Office enforcement unit.

He was then served with a notice of offence and given a period of two months to go to any health office for the issuance of a compound.

However, his failure to do so led to the case being filed in court.

During proceedings, Kuching Health Office Inspectorate and Legal Unit prosecuting officer Mohd Fairos Ibrahim sought the court to impose a deterrent sentence against the man.

He submitted that such a sentence would serve as a lesson to both the man and members of the public on the importance of observing and complying with gazetted non-smoking areas.

Mohd Fairos added that a deterrent sentence would also get the public to comply with laws enacted in the interest of public health.