is drafting a law that would ban smoking while walking or riding scooters, motorcycles and bicycles and require that smokers carry an ashtray, a bag or a disposal bin with them to hold their cigarette butts if there is no such container available where they smoke. The new draft also stipulates smokers have to smoke in areas not far from a trash bin if they do not carry an ashtray. Offenders could face fines of up to NT$6,000, handed out by EPA personnel or traffic police. The draft will be submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review in the middle of this year and is expected to be put into implementation in early 2011, according to EPA Minister Stephen Shu-hung Shen. The following are excerpts from some local media reports on the issue: China Times: To gauge public reaction to the proposed new regulations, the EPA commissioned the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research to conduct a public opinion survey on the issue by telephone among 1,067 valid respondents aged 15 and over. The results of the poll found that 84 percent of the respondents expressed opposition to smoking while driving, while 59 percent even opposed smoking while walking. Among the 174 respondents who smoke, 84 percent said they had tossed cigarette butts on the ground, while 70 percent of them said they did so because they had no ashtray to dispose of the butts, and 25 percent admitted they have a habit of littering, according to the poll. The head of the EPA concluded that the poll showed the proposed law draft enjoys relatively high levels of public support. (Jan.13, 2010) Liberty Times: Local anti-smoking group, the John Tung Foundation, expressed reservations about the draft, saying it was the first time in any country that smokers who did not carry with them receptacles for their cigarette butts and ashes could be fined. However, the group said it is in favor of imposing a ban on smoking while riding to help protect the environment. Attorney Chen Bo-wen, a former chief judge at the Taipei District Court, questioned some details and implementation procedures, such as whether there are enough environmental personnel or traffic police to crack down on offenders. Chen said other issues included what law enforcement officers should pay attention to while carrying out their duties to avoid infringing on personal freedoms and how far smokers have to be from ashtrays or garbage bins. United Daily: An estimated 10 billion cigarette butts were discarded annually around the country, so the EPA has formulated the law draft in a bid to reduce butt litter and create a cleaner and healthier environment, said Wang Jiunn-iuan, the director of the EPA's Department of Environmental Sanitation and Toxic Substance Management. In addition to motorcycle drivers, the law will be applicable to their passengers, according to Wang. As to whether portable bottles and cans, cups, food boxes, and pencil boxes can be seen as butt disposal containers, that will have to be finalized in the near future. (Jan. 13, 2010) 