Stubbing out smoking

Smokers will have a tough time in Thailand now. The country has enforced a strict no-smoking law, making it illegal to light a cigarette at virtu-ally any indoor public place in the country. With a few exceptions -- such as bars and entertainment spots -- restaurants, hotel lobbies, elevators, shops and supermarkets everywhere carry large 'no smoking' signs to stop potential violators from puffing as they please.

If caught, there are stiff penalties for both the smoker and the establishment involved. While the smoker will have to pay an equivalent of us $46, the organisation owning the site will have to shell out an amount to the tune of us $465.

Thailand is now one of the few Asian countries, along with Singapore and Hong Kong, that has strict no smoking laws.

With smoking regulations becoming stricter in Europe and North America, major tobacco companies are now trying to dump their products in Asian markets, which have relatively laxer rules.