[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。+ D! R# m, H: W0 Q( D8 M  S( K
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US$ O# }* ^4 [4 O( c
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+ f2 S+ D" @. q2 f7 @' j

/ Y0 x) f* T# @- |( R7 M, Q+ U2 Brs238848.rs.hosteurope.deThe 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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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.+ d- }8 r$ Z. y" q

7 p2 r0 H5 Y8 ~  Q  ?! UUS 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.
, M) P7 w6 t( y+ d. ZMr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.5 l$ U5 k( x4 v' @" T; D
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.9 A$ a8 X% @, E# S1 e

4 S: ~$ q/ T2 l7 r"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."! E( |$ h) @, ~+ z
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.
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$ Y/ Y( i3 i7 _! [, N: K, ]: e' rThe 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.