[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。
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US5.35.249.641 x% {, q4 Z1 P* e
US 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.) ]; w. v4 J# \# o$ G& v

+ [& o/ j4 W/ b4 h# d: `6 W5.35.249.64The 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.$ X2 o! u) s! i9 J4 N0 ?& r

. c! C/ I4 C4 l' d2 N2 J0 O% `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.5 |0 Z' w0 v. g1 D+ M

" \) `; E( ~6 Z0 f) ~US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.
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6 M+ j- J: Q9 i/ m" v0 V" T% T: VUS 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.5.35.249.64. q% w$ f) S0 A8 E
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.5.35.249.64: b# ~; u- x. r
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.0 C  R) f4 q" D* {" C* ~

6 k9 k9 F% s) N: l6 v( T" S4 j6 f"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."; @% g6 m7 ]' }/ p7 w! A, _; z
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters., B+ h% F$ |1 t- @  O5 \
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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.