Man fined RM2,500 for smoking in prohibited area at Kuching eatery

KUCHING (Jan 7): A man has been fined RM2,500, in default two months’ imprisonment, by the Magistrates’ Court here for smoking in a prohibited area at an eatery in June 2025.

The accused pleaded guilty before Magistrate Ling Hui Chuan after being charged 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 carries a maximum fine of RM5,000.

The court was told that the accused had earlier been issued a notice of offence under Section 47 of the Act and was given two months to present himself at any Health Office to be offered a compound.

However, he failed to do so within the stipulated period, resulting in the case being brought to court for further action.

Efforts by the authorities to contact him as a reminder were unsuccessful, as his phone number could not be reached.

According to the facts of the case, the offence was committed during Ops Rokok carried out by an enforcement team from the Kuching Division Health Office at various locations around the city.

During the proceedings, prosecuting officer Mohd Fairos Ibrahim from the Inspectorate and Legal Unit of the Kuching Division Health Office urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence to serve as a deterrent to the accused and as a reminder to the public to be mindful of gazetted no-smoking areas that have long been in place.

He added that the sentence would also reinforce the importance of complying with existing laws in the interest of public health.