Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/10/20
By: Ku Chuan and S.C. Chang

Taipei, Oct. 20 (CNA) More than 70 percent of foreign tourists who receive

CNA file photo

fine tickets for smoking in no-smoking areas have paid up, even though they are not legally binding, officials of the Taipei City Department of Environmental Protection said Tuesday.

Department statistics show that during the first nine months of this year, the department issued 13,012 tickets for cigarette butt littering. A majority of those fined were Taiwanese, with foreign tourists accounting for only 112, many of whom were mainland Chinese.

Many question why foreign tourists feel compelled to pay the fines since they can still leave the country without any consequences. Immigration officials said there are no rules for putting such violations on record.     [FULL  STORY]