BALI, August 26, 2011 (Bali Discovery): A survey conducted by the provincial government of Bali shows 93% of Bali’s residents support the implementation and enforcement of non-smoking areas. Of great concern are results from the same survey showing wider use of tobacco by 10-year-old children in Bali. A 2007 survey determined 24.9% of ten-year-old children smoked, a number that increased to 31% in 2010.
The chairman of the Hindu High Council (Parisadha Hindu Darma Indonesia), Ngurah Sudiana, is calling on legislators to include Puras or religious temples in Bali in those areas off-limit to smoking together with all religious gatherings. The call for the smoking ban at religious events is a surprise, given the tradition of providing free cigarettes whenever hosting or organizing a religious ceremony.