Welcome to the historical city of Malacca, please be reminded that you are now entering a smoke-free Malacca. This message will be flashed on the handphones of all incoming visitors to the state via the main entry points from April 11.
Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said the state government has taken serious initiative to declare almost all tourist destinations in Malacca as smoke free zones.
“We will flash the short messaging services (SMSes) through specially mounted gadgets at all entry points in a move to designate more areas as smoke free“, he said after chairing the weekly state exco meeting recently.
Currently, five places here have been designated as no-smoking zones including the 4.2 sq km big World Heritage City and Melaka Raya, the Malacca International Trade Centre and the Alor Gajah and Jasin town centres.
Mohd Ali said from April 11, more areas in Malacca city, Alor Gajah and Jasin will be covered by the no smoking regulations in a bid to achieve a greener Malacca.
He said apart from the SMSes, the state will also publish the prohibition on smoking in designated areas on all printed matters, billboards and states newsletters.
Apart from the SMSes, state government agencies would be asked to display the Malacca-A Smoke Free Zone messages in its official websites starting by the middle of next month.
Mohd Ali said he would announce accordingly, the new areas that would be declared as smoke free zones.
He said the enforcement aspect on the no smoking regulation would be executed by the Health Ministry and all local councils.
Mohd Ali said the state launched the Malacca Smoke Free programme in conjunction with the national level World Health Day on April 11, 2010 and on the same date this year, the state will expand the prohibition, covering more areas.
He said the state made tourist stretches like Jonker street and Jalan Kota as tobacco free zones, last year and now plans to extend the same to other areas including cultural sites, playgrounds and recreational areas as well as markets, business premises and hotels.
On an unrelated matter, Mohd Ali said the state government had identified a 100ha site in Selandar, Malacca to be turn into bird nest cultivation park.
He said the state government would encourage swiftlet farms operators currently concentrating their business in Malacca city centre to shift their trade to the site once its fully completed.
Mohd Ali added those rearing swiftlets in buildings within the heritage zone in the city would be encouraged to relocate their birds nest farms to the site.
He also revealed that bird entrepreneurs are using the 18th Century Dutch-styled buildings in Jalan Hang Jebat and Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock here as harvest centres for the bird’s nest.
-News courtesy of The Star-
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