KUALA LUMPUR: A video showing a man responding with a rude gesture to a customer who asked him not to smoke at a restaurant has sparked outrage from netizens.
In a video posted on X by @ezmanshariff, the man could be seen waving and grinning at the camera before showing his middle finger.
@ezmanshariff lamented the poor adherence to anti-smoking laws.
He said trying to address the issue on a personal level only led to threats and intimidation.
"What have we become? Smoking is prohibited in eateries, but no one cares.
"When people speak up because there is a 4-year-old here, they get threatened."
The post has 5,900 reposts and 4,700 likes at press time.
User @paultantk expressed his annoyance and disappointment with the poor enforcement of anti-smoking laws.
"Zero enforcement, absolutely zero. Completely toothless law. Not sure which law is more useless. No smoking at eateries law or rear seatbelt in passenger cars law."
User @zaidashaffi said foreign workers who try to remind people about smoking regulations face backlash and discrimination.
"Sometimes, a foreign worker warns the smokers. But they get scolded simply because they are foreigners.
"I hope these selfish people will be punished seriously! Sometimes there are small children, but they are still stubborn about smoking."
Smoking in no-smoking areas violates the law and poses a direct risk to the health and wellbeing of non-smokers, especially children and people with respiratory conditions.
The New Straits Times has reached out to the health minister for comment.