A GENERAL manager of a Yantian-based company called the police after seeing his office being raided by law enforcement officers in spot checks for smoking-ban violations Tuesday, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported yesterday.

When law enforcement officers inspected a decoration company in Yihai Center, an ashtray loaded with cigarette butts was found in the general manager’s office.

The manager was outraged when the officers tried to explain the smoking ban to him. He argued with them before calling the police because he said the law enforcement team entered his office without his permission.

Tension was alleviated after police officers arrived. The company was ordered to rectify the irregularities and remove the ashtrays within seven days.

According to the law enforcement officers, residents are not allowed to smoke indoors in workplaces and public places citywide, while business owners should not put ashtrays in their companies because it encourages smoking in offices. The law enforcers also found that many office buildings hadn’t set up smoking areas outdoors in accordance with the smoking ban.

Shenzhen’s smoking ban, said to be the harshest of its kind in China, stipulates fines between 50 and 500 yuan (US$7-74) for individual violators and up to 30,000 yuan for operators of nonsmoking venues that fail to comply with the ban, which was extended to all indoor areas Jan. 1 this year.

Two monthlong operations were launched in March and May to conduct spot checks at leisure venues and restaurants citywide. The third operation, which kicked off Monday, will run throughout the month, checking for smoking-ban violations in office buildings, medical institutions, schools and border checkpoints across the city. (Zhang Yang)