[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': US& S7 T. \- [6 e: f/ t0 P) K7 V0 S" I
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.' H/ |0 }: v; k4 ]. `2 ]: U: H0 ?
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The 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.; S9 J" t' g4 W) M/ D

# Y6 D2 p" _3 u& s. L( {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.
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US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.
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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.5.35.249.644 _) V% a: O' l4 F
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.6 \" `, _* N& ^' H8 S

! q; j0 \6 d% v4 O" j+ D"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.
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  f& D/ V# h9 f$ k) {& k"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."
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/ j* Y  X+ u, B2 P9 y1 L5 S3 i5.35.249.64The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.# m5 n/ Y( U0 s- ?# }" k  ]/ @4 M
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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.