SCMP
I refer to the report “Pedestrians complain of fumes from outdoor areas where smoking allowed” (July 13).
Smoke Terminators’ Society chairwoman Betty Kwan Ka-mei said it was unfair to non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke. What about the rights of the smoking population?
We now have smoke-free buildings, parks and beaches, and, since July 1, smoke-free bars and clubs. Where are smokers supposed to go? At least we are able to keep to the designated areas and street corners.
The report referred to a designated area in Wan Chai: Gloucester Road Garden. I am sorry if the smoke seems concentrated, but that is what happens when the smoking population congregates in segregated areas.
Did people who have voiced their concerns think the smoking population of Hong Kong consisted of only a few thousand people?
I am always hearing about the damage of second-hand smoke but have yet to see a study comparing the effects of second-hand smoke to the effects of vehicular pollution in a densely populated city with heavy traffic like Hong Kong. When I am on the pavements I cannot be sure which is stronger, the smell of cigarette smoke or the exhaust fumes of the city’s traffic.
Ken Wong, Happy Valley