Debated in Parliament on 11 Jul 2016.
Assoc Prof Randolph Tan asked the Minister for Defence (a) what is the impact of the inclusion of SAF camps in the list of places where smoking is prohibited by law on service personnel who continue to smoke; and (b) whether there is engagement of all ranks of smoking or non-smoking personnel to ensure that they understand the reasons for the ban and to obtain their support in maintaining it.
The ban on smoking within SAF camps and bases is not new. In fact, even before the Smoking Prohibition Act, SAF has, since 1993, administratively restricted smoking for its servicemen to designated smoking points, known as "Yellow Boxes", which are situated away from main thoroughfares and walkways. This prohibition was enforced with errant offenders punished accordingly.
The recent inclusion of SAF camps and bases under the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act formalised an existing and long-standing administrative restriction under national law. The only change with this inclusion is that the SAF can now also provide particulars of civilians who violate the smoking prohibitions in our camps and bases to the NEA for possible enforcement actions.
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