This No Smoking sign can be seen at railway stations in Kuala Lumpur.
It warns violators of fines of RM10,000 (that’s around $3,000) or up to 2 years in prison.
I’m all in favour of smoking bans but isn’t two years in jail rather harsh? Malaysia’s penalties must be among the world’s toughest.
Even Singapore, which is well known for its love of fines for offences like littering, gum chewing, not flushing the toilet and other anti-social vices, only fines smokers S$200.
Mind you, Malaysia is not always rigorous at enforcing its own laws. The number of people actually sent to jail for smoking is probably very low.