An attempt by Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) to reinstall smoking rooms at international airports is hitting a roadblock as Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin has sent a clear signal that there is no rush to do so.
The minister said on Thursday that a study is still being carried out by a working group on the impact of smoking rooms inside the terminals of international airports.
A week earlier he had posted a message on his Facebook page saying there was no deadline for the panelists to complete their assessment.
“This problem needs to be correctly addressed before it can be resolved,” he said. “The working group will propose the study to the (National Tobacco Control) Committee when it makes progress, with no timeframe set on the task.”
He even hinted at doubling fines for errant smokers could be an option. Violators who smoke inside in all public places, including airport buildings, could be fined up to 5,000 baht.
Mr Somsak’s position is crucial as the public health minister also chairs the powerful National Tobacco Control Committee, which determines the issue.
The airport operator and anti-smoking campaigners are battling over whether smoking rooms should be restored inside terminals at the six airports that AoT operates. That requires the green light from the committee so that the regulations on smoking in public places can be amended.
AoT runs Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Hat Yai, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai airports.
All airports in Thailand have removed rooms for smokers inside buildings since 2019 under a strict law aimed at discouraging smoking. There are no dedicated smoking rooms outside the buildings.
AoT made a move last week to change that. It cited complaints from passengers who had long waits for connecting flights and were desperate for a puff but had no place to light up.
It also backed up its case by saying that smoking was taking place in restrooms and other areas, and some passengers were even willing to pay a fine just so they could indulge their habit.
AoT president Kirati Kijmanawat even warned of possible fires from illegal smoking inside airports. He also noted that some regional rivals give smokers places inside their terminals to puff. They include Changi in Singapore, Incheon in South Korea, and Narita and Haneda in Japan.
The campaign group Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Thailand has countered with a longer list of completely smoking-free airports that include Chicago O’Hare and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, both in the United States and among the world’s busiest airports.
The anti-smoking campaigners argued against the AoT push, saying health conditions of passengers and people inside airports needed to be safeguarded, and backed up their position with a statement from the United Nations Human Rights Council — of which Thailand is now a member.
The UN human rights agency has declared access to a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” a human right.
“Smoking rooms at airports have been closed for six years. There is no reason to go back to rebuild them,” it said on Saturday.
Mr Somsak said on Thursday that a thorough study was crucial and it needed to take into consideration not only benefits for the tourism sector but also public health.
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