ON the night of 29 May 2010, I was at Alexis Ampang in Kuala Lumpur for dinner and a performance by my colleague Shanon Shah. Curiously, after 10pm, the other patrons in the air-conditioned restaurant started lighting up. My friends, one of whom was a cancer survivor, complained to the restaurant. Didn’t the law stipulate [...]

PETALING JAYA, 24 April 2009: The list of non-smoking zones will be expanded from the current 20 areas to protect the public from the hazard of cigarette smoke, Health Minister Datuk Seri Low Tiong Lai said. He said more public places and workplaces would be designated as non-smoking zones soon. “Anyone caught smoking in these [...]

JAKARTA, 21Jan 2009: A “fatwa” (edict) on whether it is permissible or forbidden for Muslims to smoke is expected to emerge from a meeting of about 700 Indonesian “ulama” over four days from 23 Jan in Padang Panjang, western Sumatra. Indonesian Ulama Council chief Ma’ruf Amin said the meeting would discuss the pros and cons [...]