Internet Cafe Fined 1,000 Yuan for Failing to Stop Smoking

Smoking in an internet cafe may seem like something very ordinary to many people, but this behavior not only creates fire safety hazards, it also undermines the healthy operation of internet service venues. On September 2, police from the Xitang Police Station of the Haiyan County Public Security Bureau issued a penalty notice to an internet cafe in their jurisdiction for failing to stop customers from smoking in time. Reportedly, this is also the first case handled by Haiyan police involving an internet cafe that discovered smoking but did not intervene.

On the day of the incident, officers from the Xitang Police Station of the Haiyan County Public Security Bureau were conducting an inspection at a local internet cafe when they found two customers smoking at computer stations No. 51 and No. 19. The internet cafe’s management staff did not advise them to stop or intervene. This constituted a violation for failing to stop smoking in an internet service business venue. In accordance with the law, the police issued the internet cafe a warning and imposed a fine of 1,000 yuan for discovering smoking and not stopping it.

It is understood that Article 33, Item 1 of the Regulations on the Administration of Internet Access Service Business Venues stipulates that if an internet access service business discovers smoking and does not stop it, the public security authorities may issue a warning and impose a fine of up to 15,000 yuan according to law. In serious cases, the venue may be ordered to suspend operations for rectification, or even have its Internet Culture Business Permit revoked by the cultural administrative department.