NO indoor-smoking areas have been approved by the federal or municipal authorities, despite claims by certain establishments that they received approvals to set them up at their premises.

Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said the ministry has no plans to draw up guidelines or allow indoor- or outdoor-smoking zones in Malaysia.

State and local authorities also do not have any power to approve such facilities, Lee told The Malaysian Insight.

Selangor and Kuala Lumpur officials also told The Malaysian Insight that only the federal government had the power to designate and approve such areas.

Selangor executive committee member Ng Sze Han confirmed this, adding that the state had no plans to come out with their own guidelines.

“If there is a plan to set up smoking areas, it will be up to the Health Ministry. The state has no say in the matter,” said Ng, who is in charge of local government, public transport and new village affairs.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall Advisory Board member Sally Sian Keng Eng said there has been no discussion on plans to allow indoor-smoking areas.

Certain catering companies and restauranteurs in the Klang Valley have claimed that they received permits to provide indoor-smoking areas, despite the fact that the Health Ministry has banned smoking at all eateries, whether indoor or outdoor.

Smokers are only allowed to light up at a distance of 3m from eateries.

The ministry has allowed for a six-month grace period for establishments and consumers to adjust to the new ruling, during which offenders would only be issued warnings by enforcement officials.

After June, those caught smoking in restaurants will be fined up to RM10,000 or face two years’ jail while eateries found to have allowed customers to light up would be fined up to RM2,500.

Lee said there was no need for Malaysia to set up designated smoking areas, unlike countries such as Singapore, which has a total ban on smoking in certain public areas.

Singapore has designated smoking zones as there are complete bans in places such as its famous Orchard Road, where puffing up is illegal even on the street and outside buildings.

Only 10% of Malaysia’s land area, which includes places of worship, restaurants, schools, offices, malls and government departments, is affected by the smoking ban. Smoking is still allowed on the street and outside these premises.

As such, the ministry believes that there is no need for a specific policy for smoking areas.

“If we want to ban smoking throughout an entire city and designate it all as a no-smoking area, then we need to set up (smoking areas).

“For example, it seems that the Penang government has listed the (George Town) heritage site as a no-smoking area, so it may be necessary to set up special smoking zones in that area.” – April 5, 2019.