HONG KONG, March 17 (Xinhuanet) -- A new battle against smoking will start this month in most restaurants in Hong Kong, an important move toward Hong Kong's long delayed dream of being smoke-free.

    The Department of Health and the catering industry of Hong Kong finally decided Friday to start a educational campaign for smoke-free environment in all restaurants, the first step for a total ban on smoking in restaurants in 2007.

    The efforts include holding seminars on tobacco control, establishing examples of smoke-free restaurant, helping restaurants employees to get rid of smoking, aiming at changing the attitudes toward smoking and ways of operation within the industry before a total ban on it.

    Hong Kong has initially planned to make all smoking indoors, including smoking in restaurants and night clubs, illegal by the middle of this year, but has to back off because the anti-smoking legislation was ferociously protested by the restaurants and bars.

    After intense lobbying from the industry, the health chief of Hong Kong York Chow told legislators at the beginning of this year that the ban would not be put into place until January 2007.

    The industry has claimed that a ban on smoking might not only result in business loss but also cost up to 100,000 jobs in the city, which would be a strong attack on the catering services.

    Speaking at a press conference Friday, Deputy Director of Health TH Leung said: " The campaign is to enhance the industry's awareness about the harmful effects of second-hand smoking and cultivate right attitudes toward anti-smoking within the public, a preparing step toward a total ban next year."

    Meanwhile, a "Smoke-free Restaurants Working Group" was established to push the anti-smoking efforts, which includes organizations from the catering industry, such as the Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management Ltd, the Association of Restaurant Managers and the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades.

    Being the Co-chairman of the working group, TH Leung added "The working group was formed to tie in with the implementation of the government's tobacco control policy and serve as a bridge between the government and the industry."

    At present, most of the public indoor places in Hong Kong are listed as non-smoking places, including cinemas, public transportation, supermarkets, banks and shopping malls.

    Besides, all restaurants with more than 200 seats should have one third of its area as non-smoking place.

    Leung said anti-smoking in restaurants is not only to provide a healthy eating environment to the customers but also to create a better working environment for restaurants employees.

    However, he admitted that the government would allow a certain period of time for restaurants, especially for bars, to adjust to the anti-smoking ordinance.

    "Publicity and health education are essential elements in an effective tobacco control strategy," he said.

    According to statistics from Hong Kong government, there are about 870,000 smokers in Hong Kong's population of more than 6.8 million.

    If the ban on smoking in catering places is successfully implemented next year, Hong Kong would be the first city in Asia, which prohibits smoking in bars and restaurants. Enditem