People should stare at smokers in public places until they stop, the Hong Kong Health Minister has urged. 

Professor Lo Chung-mau told a health service panel staring at smokers disapprovingly will help create a "non-smoking culture" in the city, local Hong Kong media reported. 

"When the members of the public see people smoking in non-smoking areas, even if no law enforcement officers can show up immediately, we can stare at the smokers,” he said. 

"When someone takes out a cigarette at a restaurant, everyone on the premises can stare at that person. I do not believe that person would dare to hit back at everyone at the restaurant as they are simply staring." 

An anti-smoking banner in Hong Kong introduced as part of a series of measures in 2007. Image: Kees Metselaar / Alamy Stock Photo

Professor Lo also said authorities will use CCTV or videos from members of the public as evidence to crack down on smokers. 

He said not smoking should be seen in the same way as social and cultural norms like queuing for a bus without a law telling people to. 

Hong Kong health authorities recently launched a public consultation paper for new strategies to tackle smoking. 

Ideas included banning people born after a certain date from buying cigarettes and increasing the tax on tobacco to 75% of the package price in a rapid or gradual way. 

Statutory no-smoking areas in Hong Kong include parts of restaurants, workplaces, indoor public places and some outdoor public places, with penalties of HK$1,500 (€170.67). 

Reporting by IRN.