Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye holds a ‘No smoking’ sign during a press conference in Parliament December 17, 2018. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

IPOH, Dec 30 ― The Health Ministry does not have agents selling no-smoking signage at restaurants and food premises, said its deputy minister Dr Lee Boon Chye.

He said action would be taken against any quarters selling the signage if there were reports that they claimed to agents from the ministry following the government’s move to ban smoking in food premises from January next year.

“The ministry received reports they were quarters selling the no smoking signage for RM10,” he told reporters after a gotong-royong programme organised by Kinta Health Office with the cooperation of Ipoh City Council here today.

Dr Lee, who is Gopeng Member of Parliament, said owners of food premises and restaurants could buy or make their own no-smoking signage according to the stipulated measurement of 40cm x 50cm.

“It is not a problem if the size is smaller, as long as the signage is displayed,” he added.

He said the signage did not need to have the ministry logo and could be in other languages, besides Malay.

“It must have the no-smoking logo,” he said, adding that only one signage would suffice at each food premises as long as it could be seen by customers, failing which the premise owners could be fined up to RM3,000. ― Bernama