> Smoking ban extended

FROM January 1, smokers will have to stub out in all hotel lobbies and 5 metres away from all entrances and exits of buildings.

The smoking ban will also cover almost all indoor places, with the inclusion of non-air-conditioned premises like lift lobbies, markets, multi-storey and basement carparks. Smoking will also be banned in outdoor areas like playgrounds and exercise areas.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) on Friday said it is widening the list of smoke-free places to keep the air cleaner and further protect the public from the harmful health effects of second-hand smoke.

The move is also in line with the World Health Organisation recommendations.

‘The ban has been extended to indoor public places and lift lobbies because these are areas where public would find it hard to escape from second-hand smoke,’ said the NEA.

‘Entrances and exits to buildings and facilities where smoking is already prohibited were also included in the ban extension because feedback and checks on the ground have shown that smokers tend to congregate near these areas to smoke.’

Second-hand smoke, also known as ‘environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoking’, kills and scientific evidence shows that there is no safe level of exposure.

It can cause serious medical conditions including lung cancer, heart disease, asthma attacks, childhood respiratory disease, sudden infant death syndrom and reduced lung function.

Mr Lee Yuen Hee, Chief Executive Officer of the NEA, said on Friday: ‘We are encouraged by the positive feedback from many individuals and families who support the extension of the smoking ban and appreciate the effort of smokers who have chosen not to light up in smoke-free areas, helping to promote clean air and good health.’

The NEA will be rolling out a series of publicity activities to inform the public of the extended ban.

It has also conducted meetings and dialogues with various parties and will work with building and facilities managers to ensure smooth implementation of the ban.

> Boy, 16 had sex with girl, 11

AN 11-YEAR-OLD girl went on the Internet, befriended a teenage boy and, soon afterwards, invited him home to have sex.

Now 13, she is believed to be one of the youngest girls involved in a case of ‘underaged carnal connection’, or having sex with a child.

Nicholas Lim Jian Yong was 16 when, sometime before April 10 last year, the girl started talking to him over the social networking website Friendster, a district court was told.

They started seeing each other, and she told him she was 12 years old and a Primary 6 pupil.

Then, sometime between April 10 and June 30, she asked him to her home in Bukit Batok, and they had sex. It was consensual sex, the court was told.

About two weeks later, the girl broke up with Lim as she felt that they had begun to drift apart.

The Straits Times learnt that she went on to have another boyfriend, a 16-year-old Institute of Technical Education student.

Lim was arrested after the girl told the police that she had had sex with him before having sex with her new boyfriend.

The second boy is also being investigated for having sex with her. The Straits Times understands that the girl went missing this year. It is not known where she is now.

Last month, Lim pleaded guilty to having sex with a girl under 16. A second similar charge, of having sex at a staircase landing in a block of flats, was considered during his sentencing.

Lim, who is doing a hairdressing course, apologised for what he did and asked for a second chance. Community Court judge Roy Neighbour called for a pre-sentence report to find if Lim was eligible for probation.

The younger of two sons from a family who live in a three-room Housing Board flat, Lim said he wanted to be a hairstylist to help his parents.

Yesterday, the judge placed him on 12 months’ probation. He will have to observe a curfew and also do 40 hours of community service.

Lim’s parents, who were in court, signed a $5,000 bond to ensure his good behaviour.

Judge Neighbour warned the youth that he would be brought back to court to be dealt with for the offence should he breach any term or condition of the probation.

The penalty for having sex with a girl under 16 is up to five years’ jail and a fine of up to $10,000. Young, first-time offenders like Lim are usually given a second chance or fined.

Lawyer Vinit Chhabra said that in a situation where the youngsters are seeing each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, or where the age difference is not large, probation or a fine could be considered.

‘If it is a big age difference and you know there is a predator taking advantage of a girl under 16, then it’s a jail sentence,’ he said.

While it would not be fair to jail the boy in this case as the girl apparently initiated the act, Mr Chhabra wondered if an 11-year-old girl was even capable of fully grasping the far-reaching consequences of what she was doing.

Clinical psychologist Carol Balhetchet said she had come across girls as young as 10 experimenting with sex. She had seen one or two cases in each of the last two years. The director for youth services of the Singapore Children’s Society, she felt that for children that young, sex cannot be consensual.

‘I think there are a lot of mixed feelings about the situation and confusion and when they are like that, they want so much to please the other person, especially if the other person is someone older,’ she said.

She said it was sad that by the time parents or other adults discover what is going on, the sex has already happened.

Referring to the case of Lim and the girl, she said: ‘When you take an adult view of the situation, both the perpetrator – who is quite young – and the victim are both victims.’

> 42-year-old police officer quits after flashing woman in Hokkaido

ASAHIKAWA — A 42-year-old male police officer in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, voluntarily resigned after he flashed a woman in her 40s while he was questioning her during an investigation at her apartment, police said Wednesday.

According to police, the officer started making sexually suggestive remarks to the woman while he was questioning her about a case on Oct 16. The woman refused his advances. Her mother spotted the incident and reported the officer to police.

The officer was suspended for three months but voluntarily quit on Wednesday, according to police officials.

A police spokesperson said the officer cannot be accused of public lewdness because he was inside the woman’s apartment legally. The officer was quoted as saying, “I got excited when I saw lingerie inside the apartment.”