[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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/ f6 S9 m2 y8 O0 S5 yCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US' [; y7 P0 S0 `5 {$ |9 {" A
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.人在德国 社区8 |) T  n+ N  J

" B7 ^8 \1 b0 t7 ~( n. xrs238848.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.人在德国 社区  w! o9 R0 G6 `8 L1 U
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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.& u6 v+ B2 O' `5 \

5 Y/ ^& F* w$ T* C- M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.$ d! o5 }# T, l
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts./ ]0 Q9 v. S* u6 ?: u

& O0 {  q0 r! a' u0 d' K( u2 k"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.# m) m; P& [$ T& Z2 Y8 G; W

3 f  ]9 T& O6 b6 R( u"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."
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# t, K' o  y9 ]* l% q) OThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.+ H. A& c$ N) `. [& F1 |' V: {/ l
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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.