[国际新闻] 美国撤除禁令8月起可带打火机上飞机

日月光

美国政府决定从8月4日开始，停止施行已经两年，禁止乘客带普通打火机上飞机的政策。美国运输部认为，在乘客登机前搜索他们身上是否携带打火机，根本是浪费时间。 2001年当鞋子炸弹客芮德意图在从巴黎飞往迈阿密的班机上，用火柴引燃藏在鞋子里的炸弹後，美国政府在国会的坚持之下，终於宣布了禁带打火机上机的命令。4 n! B1 x; c2 ?! |3 b. H

$ ]  {3 r4 ?, ?! N- o; O  E5.35.249.64Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US
" T9 R+ _5 s5 j4 h0 c: a* n5.35.249.64US authorities will no longer enforce a two-year-old ban against taking cigarette lighters on planes because searching passengers wasted time and did not improve aviation security, the New York Times reports.人在德国 社区8 X- ^* \9 i7 ]( T1 y' \) `

" \1 w7 S2 {' I' a/ {+ d) bThe ban on lighters was ordered by US lawmakers after a passenger, Richard Reid, tried to ignite a bomb in his shoe in 2001 on a flight from Paris to Miami.人在德国 社区: k" `" d* }! D% b9 R+ _
人在德国 社区# ~) a5 ~- Z: W0 D4 Q7 F. @
Reid, known as the "shoe bomber", had used matches to try to ignite explosives concealed in his shoe and is currently serving a life sentence for trying to blow up the transatlantic flight.
/ [7 D' o# S: z% S. _; Y! P
* G( k" O% |( P5.35.249.64US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.3 }6 w9 ?) q( z% L
+ g3 }3 t/ H6 Q4 J0 R4 z- m' ]
US Transport Security Administration assistant secretary Kip Hawley says the ban on lighters did not significantly enhance security because small batteries could be used to detonate a bomb.
! f/ q) Q% i0 B; z% {8 J人在德国 社区Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.
0 e) y& R) g2 S: `% ]
( d3 s8 @% q' F+ Y% d人在德国 社区"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.5.35.249.64" C1 f& E/ v- a8 g) c1 H$ B
, ?# X, x: |7 J/ E& f9 V  m( @2 U; e
"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."$ k4 D+ E$ Y! h

' N+ k. w1 T  c% ^/ N( X  I; OThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.- C: e+ j; O6 _( h% U
& L1 N/ V; ]  u" _, m
The New York Times says some 22,000 lighters a day are collected by security officers at airports across the United States and disposing of the confiscated lighters has cost about $US4 million a year.