[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。+ H/ t& P, V( \  W. D$ ^0 @

8 u. i! z4 ^( y. fCigarette lighter ban 'a waste of time': US
7 d- \4 M4 Y! |: p  n# p; x4 u# HUS 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.0 G: H  F7 [: \

: f/ P, [4 R5 n. 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.
# m4 U. S  v% k2 _' C人在德国 社区5 `, ?3 ~# M3 R4 }4 O
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.
  E8 U& L6 s) I% I- prs238848.rs.hosteurope.de4 ]; V  g0 M. P
US authorities have never tried to ban matches from flights.
) U  _' J$ l1 N$ X4 Q人在德国 社区# r' P, a' S9 L# f9 D2 s# R9 L
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.8 X5 J1 M# a8 v2 K" r( ?9 d
Mr Hawley says lifting the prohibition will free up security officers to spend more time looking for bombs or bomb parts.rs238848.rs.hosteurope.de. c0 |$ q( u' t7 G

0 d* q1 K$ q5 [  G5 v# j- m/ Frs238848.rs.hosteurope.de"The number one threat for us is someone trying to bring bomb components through the security check point," he said.
6 A! n0 J3 r/ e/ u  J5 K
1 f; @0 N6 O/ R) p- J( f"We don't want anything that distracts concentration from searching for that."
5 `! ~4 n7 k2 K9 k
1 w- }+ u5 M4 O" C( ]7 DThe policy change is to take effect on August 4 and applies to disposable butane lighters and refillable lighters." [5 a% T& |6 Q0 \! ]

4 H0 u8 L& X1 t, rThe 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.