HEALTH authorities in Hong Kong have come up with a bold new approach for getting people to stop smoking - simply stare at them disapprovingly.
Health Minister, Professor Lo Chung-mau, addressed the territory's Legislative Council earlier this week, and noted that "when the members of the public see people smoking in non-smoking areas, even if no law enforcement officers can show up immediately, we can stare at the smokers".
"When someone takes out a cigarette at a restaurant, everyone on the premises can stare at that person...I do not believe that person would dare to hit back at everyone at the restaurant, as they are simply staring," the Professor suggested.
He noted that cigarettes can harm the health of everyone, and that pointedly glaring at those who choose to light up in inappropriate locations would help create a non-smoking culture in Hong Kong.
Condemnatory staring is one of the mildest measures being proposed by Professor Lo, according to the South China Morning Post, which also reported that authorities will use surveillance or even crowd-sourced video clips as evidence that smokers are lighting up in restricted areas.
Other possible strategies mentioned in a discussion paper include raising tobacco taxes to as much as 75% or banning people born after a certain date from buying cigarettes.
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