[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。5.35.249.64' |' }- E1 ^: l% D: O
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US" r& r: K) l9 F5 g/ o( n4 @9 U
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.5.35.249.64' A, q( N; i2 Q4 S% p4 i& ~+ P. X

' W  A0 @0 e6 E2 o0 n7 K0 IThe 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.; q( M/ Z8 M3 K: ?

5 K2 H  D3 @; {1 ~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.5 q1 t5 w, Z. |; J, W+ T4 ~
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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.
" d* Y" z: @; t8 Y" }Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.
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8 g/ E8 Z5 f  G; U' \1 I"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."
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0 D# m9 u1 D+ ?& X0 b1 D5.35.249.64The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.) ~' e0 p& U9 |; p, r7 I4 _( W

0 G+ G$ s5 u: @- i2 |( l+ WThe 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.