Manila (AFP)
Filipino policemen were ordered on Wednesday to arrest people in public and confiscate their e-cigarettes a few hours after President Rodrigo Duterte announced he was going to ban vaping.
The head of state announced Tuesday night this next ban, calling the e-cigarette "toxic", which he accused of spreading "chemicals" in the body of its users.
He then threatened to arrest anyone who would vapotate in public in the Philippines, a country that already has one of the toughest laws in Asia against smoking.
A former smoker, Mr. Duterte is known for the very violent anti-narcotics campaign that he launched after his election in 2016. But he has also considerably tightened the bans on tobacco in public places.
By invoking "the order of the president", the Philippine police chief ordered "all police units across the country to immediately implement the ban on electronic cigarettes, and to ensure that all offenders are arrested, "according to a statement.
The Philippine Ministry of Health recently echoed the hospitalization of a 16-year-old girl with a lung injury that was reported to be directly related to the e-cigarette.
In a report published in July, the World Health Organization (WHO) found that electronic cigarettes were "undeniably harmful" and could not be used as a tool to help stop smoking.
India has banned the import, sale, production and advertising of electronic cigerette. It is also banned in Brazil, Singapore and Thailand in particular.
© 2019 AFP