[国际新闻] 美国撤除禁令8月起可带打火机上飞机

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。& C. h" Y1 Z# W: H. @
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US! @  i4 X8 j1 b  K" P9 m2 X) o' 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.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de% a% E$ o4 p3 c+ }; C- c4 ~

2 \2 L& E  g. N/ m8 K0 [人在德国 社区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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# w: Q/ l: ~0 drs238848.rs.hosteurope.deReid, 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.7 G7 p, \7 t" B5 Z0 v) u- k

8 R+ @4 s3 Y6 Y+ o5 aUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de4 Z0 Z$ [  G( b$ n

3 [) _/ k5 ]8 X, ^5 {: pUS 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/ H2 H" w7 }$ O- u* `0 n/ g3 f
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.0 i: o( f/ g3 P$ \4 ^4 Y
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.  B4 U# A9 `) i3 \
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."$ N/ w0 o" d! z

% w, O, c$ ^8 h+ o  @0 n& Qrs238848.rs.hosteurope.deThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.
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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.