A 42-year-old food stall operator at the food court near Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium was fined RM250 by the Health Department last night for hanging a lighter in his stall for the convenience of smokers.
The fine was issued under Section 18(1)(b) of the law, which prohibits providing any equipment or facilities that encourage smoking.
The operator claimed he was unaware that offering a lighter to customers could be considered an offense. “I thought only smoking in eateries or displaying cigarettes was illegal. I didn’t realize providing facilities for smokers was also an offense,” he said.
He added, “This is the first time I’ve received a fine, and it will serve as a lesson to be more careful in the future. I only hung the lighter because many visitors were borrowing it without buying one. I didn’t expect that would be considered illegal.”
Earlier, Kelantan Health Director Datuk Dr Zaini Hussin launched Operation Safe Lungs (Ops Selamat PaPa) as part of the full enforcement of the Tobacco Products Control Act 2024 (Act 852), which came into effect on 1 October.
Dr Zaini noted that since October last year, the Kelantan Health Department has issued 11,784 compound notices for various violations under Act 852, most of which involved smoking in prohibited areas.
