"Smoking-ban murder"

[Farang1]

ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A restaurant owner in southwest Turkey was shot dead after he tried to prevent his customers from smoking to comply with a new law on the use of tobacco indoors, Hurriyet daily said on Thursday.

A fight broke out after Hidir Karayigit, 46, ordered a group of customers to extinguish their cigarettes when they began smoking at his "meyhane," a traditional restaurant that serves alcohol, in the town of Saruhanli, Hurriyet said.

One of the customers shot Karayigit four times after he took away the group's cigarettes, said witness Hamza Havutcu, Karayigit's business partner who was also shot and wounded.

Turkey's government on July 19 introduced a nationwide ban on indoor smoking, including bars and restaurants, despite the fact that half of Turks aged between the ages of 15 and 49 smoke; one of the highest rates in the world.

"I'm deeply saddened that the first smoking-ban murder occurred in our town," Saruhanli Mayor Veli Yalcin told Hurriyet. "They either shouldn't have outlawed smoking or they should have outlawed alcohol along with smoking."

(Writing by Ayla Jean Yackley; Editing by Jon Hemming)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_smoking_odd

"I'm deeply saddened that the first smoking-ban murder occurred in our town," Saruhanli Mayor Veli Yalcin told Hurriyet.

So, are they expecting this to be a regular occurance?

Well, if they can't kill you with secondhand smoke, they'll get you with lead poisioning.

[jingjai]

I guess the lesson here is: don't mess with a Turk and his tobacco .

Wasn't it the Turks who used to mix hashish w/their tobacco and then go in into battle, and do unspeakable things to their enemies?

[BobHelm]

That will teach them to mess with human nature
There should be a large visible sign out side every establishment saying "Smoking" or "Non-Smoking" (including the recognised international signs). Anyone caught smoking in a non smoking establishment should immediately be executed, as should anyone not smoking in a smoking establishment. Not wanting to burden anyone that owns a smoking establishment with further bureaucracy it would seem the only way to enforce this is that all customers will have to light a new cigarette off the butt of the old one..
I am fed up with governments taking namby pamby measures to enable personal freedoms & public heath - this should at least be a positive start..

[wazza]

But wait Bob

Ur outside the Clock, having a nice little puff and feel the need to mt the old bladder, 1 foot in the door on the way inside and still exhaling your last puff.

What are you then ?? 1/2 dead ???

[BobHelm]

no,no wazza what you do in the "street" is open to all sorts of abuse as always, smoke, don't smoke 'up to you'
I was talking inside closed premise - so, in your example, The Clock is non smoking (as are all Thai enclosed bars & restaurants) so it would certainly be a killing offence if you entered still breathing smoke. Certainly at night a little view across the road would be enough to expel the smoke from most people's lungs.....

[wazza]

Ahhh i see now, so from your meeting point, you get to preform your lung function tests. Always remember to take a big breast in and then blow very hard to get the best of the exhalation.

If you fail this first test, suggest u inhale with 2 breasts untill a succesfull forced exhalation is achieved.

Ps sorry for my lisp

[BobHelm]

Ah you have it 100%, lisp or no lisp....

[beer monkey]

I guess the lesson here is: don't mess with a Turk and his tobacco .

Wasn't it the Turks who used to mix hashish w/their tobacco and then go in into battle, and do unspeakable things to their enemies?

What you mean they couldn't stop laughing at them....

[JimboPSM]

It is quite mind boggling to think of the staggering amount of time and money that has been spent around the world persecuting a substantial proportion of the population for doing something that is legal for citizens in every country.

It is somewhat ironic that, in many countries, the authorities largely turn a blind eye to illegal drugs - which, while gaining no tax revenue, actually do cause a substantial proportion of the violent and financial crimes that plague society.

[beer monkey]

I think the man should of handled that differantly...not even 2 weeks into the ban and people will be very touchy about being told 'No Samoke'...and then for him to take the ciggies from them would of been like taking a *dummy from a baby.
foolish, i bet he wished he had an outdoor smoking area with heaters installed now.

*pacifier/binkie