[国际新闻] 美国撤除禁令8月起可带打火机上飞机

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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。! ]( R' w; n2 \0 x# Y% Q7 K+ z5 x
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Cigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US( r3 ^, S9 ]7 |
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- o% }5 B4 e: t; [8 ~, t
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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.
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- i, [1 H8 l* ~$ k9 E/ Y4 CReid, 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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; a; n6 f" J5 GUS authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.: I# n# V, n# W, u" L( }8 q! W- Z

7 ?0 Y& m0 I9 j; i7 K* |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.人在德国 社区# P+ ]8 I8 w) I& o
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.人在德国 社区% x1 Z1 ^' g1 L+ k- k

5 X3 Y$ S% [, V9 R"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.
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. D1 W% T1 l9 d"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."
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The policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters.人在德国 社区- [& I7 G" _4 |9 c: [% R9 v

% W9 Y2 A- K8 q8 b7 \8 [! rrs238848.rs.hosteurope.deThe 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.