[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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3 a1 I5 v9 X' HCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US1 G/ Z* ^) h- r! R
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.6 B7 d" Q6 y/ i8 a

6 F( N  }- r5 R" T9 N( V9 a* P+ FThe 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.de) C- _4 j' ?1 V+ D

3 t) V' j/ Z- F/ g8 L/ ?. _人在德国 社区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.0 \0 J+ P6 M. }+ n  j

: f: r0 F3 f1 `US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.
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7 k5 B) R- t* u  j6 P  Krs238848.rs.hosteurope.deUS 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 n/ z# r9 F9 O) v/ w
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.* h9 T3 L* M& t" P* E8 k, e
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"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.人在德国 社区0 m8 Q. g$ c; v& e$ e0 {" R$ R

9 k, N/ V. J2 E) o. Q  U5 A"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."
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; f% N4 p. z! }  x: o2 l5 GThe 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.