Smoking to be banned in Bangkok city government offices by 2008

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) plans to impose a complete ban on smoking inside its offices throughout the Thai capital by the beginning of 2008, according to a senior official.

Head of BMA's Office of Sanitation Sithisatya Jiemwongpaet was quoted by Thai News Agency as saying on Monday that the ban has been partially effected in the BMA's two main headquarters buildings in the capital, where smoking is restricted in designated areas.

The smoking ban inside government offices will be extended across the capital and change into a complete ban in 2008, with each city office providing one smoking area inside its building and later eliminating it when the total ban comes into effect, Sithisatya said.

The BMA conducted an opinion survey among its 9,969 workers in 24 offices across the city recently and found 83 percent in support of the smoking ban.

The survey found that 26 percent of the respondents were smokers and that they smoke in car parks, office balconies, toilets, guard posts and cafeterias.

Source: Xinhua