[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
7 U- I+ v2 P+ K9 s2 C/ G5.35.249.64US 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.$ b& M$ W( T2 |3 C
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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.
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  e$ N6 P& y8 ~; _3 }" d& CReid, 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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/ o" L# O, C' x& N2 ]) S% H/ sUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.人在德国 社区" V8 {& K, C/ I1 F$ S

) J* W2 P/ v/ A5 A7 W9 _9 ]人在德国 社区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.人在德国 社区: G2 }" x# }& D: r$ d
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.2 c& }6 i; P0 i8 K  f( b3 d

- p. Y& m/ [; _"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.5.35.249.64' k  {& x& V) o& Y9 ?+ b% ~4 l
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."7 B  _- X" k4 V
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.; m' J, c7 E! W0 d
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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.