[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。! o! s; s3 S9 H. V" U+ Q
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': USrs238848.rs.hosteurope.de0 i0 c' x/ Y  m4 i, I, w
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.
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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.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de8 A9 l# A8 n; y# L% p# C. L, |
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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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( T, b# P  x, g2 r; [' i1 prs238848.rs.hosteurope.deUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.) b& q! E4 G; b7 F( O6 V
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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.2 V8 M9 w0 m$ _, N9 h1 t- Y' U
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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. Z2 n+ w  Y# H# V/ m$ ]7 `! ^7 L# B"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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) _- `5 \6 \' z5 M( `5 {8 ors238848.rs.hosteurope.deThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.7 x5 @( j; T4 d' N; e

. Z# D' E) D0 R# s9 A8 z9 y1 b& ?  Z, UThe 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.