Malaysian Foreign Minister to be fined for smoking at eatery, issues apology

Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan will be fined for puffing a cigarette at an eatery, which is designated as a non-smoking area, the country’s health minister said on Wednesday. Hasan has apologised for his conduct and said he would be paying the fine, and hoped that the penalty would not be “too high”, The Straits Times newspaper reported.

This came following a viral photo of Hasan holding a cigarette while in the company of a group of men at a roadside eatery in the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan, which triggered outrage. Under Malaysian law, people found smoking in prohibited areas can be fined 5,000 ringgit (around Rs 95,000).

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said that Hasan himself requested the health ministry to issue a fine for the offence and stressed he would comply. He said that nobody, including ministers, was above the law.

“The Foreign Minister’s office has been informed of this matter. Honestly, Mohamad himself requested that the health ministry issue a fine for the offence, and he told me that the fine will be paid,” Ahmad tweeted on Wednesday.

In 2019, the Malaysian government declared smoking in all eateries and restaurants illegal and further strict measures were introduced in October this year.

Earlier today, Hasan addressed a press conference and said he had received a notice from the Seremban District Health Office this morning, according to The Straits Times.

“If it has become a concern and an issue among the people, I would like to sincerely tender my apology. I will pay the fine and I hope it will not be too high,” he said.

(with inputs from AFP)