[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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' K: [; \- F: D) vrs238848.rs.hosteurope.deCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': USrs238848.rs.hosteurope.de) G" x, U4 r5 U+ E& }
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.) C1 z; ^: x! f
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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.* l- @9 u$ k7 B& i$ j% a3 P( @) n

: O) {) O  c# [% y2 @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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' S8 l" C/ Z; e7 x2 _, H5 f2 S人在德国 社区US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.( Q8 Q0 m) Q' o4 r

- _& ?5 j3 v  Q! K  TUS 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1 ~9 `  V2 W. g) d2 o
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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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.* U, k2 i! I! w: W# H9 j* @
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"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."5 k8 w: I% C: J# W( k3 f

( h/ j9 L) x( J/ A. K5 d0 y6 cThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.4 w: l- [7 L5 v/ k( |
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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.