THEY'RE breaking two laws each time they light up, but these underage smokers don't seem to care.

For the past few months, groups of them, some in school uniform, have been blatantly smoking in Katong Shopping Centre.

Their usual hang-out? Outside cybergaming shops, within the air-conditioned premises of the mall.

It's illegal for these teens to smoke in a prohibited place. Some who are below 18 are also breaking the law when they light up.

Those caught smoking in banned places are fined $200.

Those under 18 caught smoking can be fined up to $300, or if he or she is a juvenile, be subjected to other penalties and directions which may be ordered by the Juvenile Court.

The presence of the underage smokers in Katong Shopping Centre has not gone down well with shoppers and tenants.

Said a 50-year-old tenant, whose shop is on the same floor as one of the cybergaming shops: "Of course we're irritated by these teens.

"When they smoke, you can smell it from here. But we don't dare to stop them. They usually come in one big group and make a lot of noise, and behave like they're not scared of anyone."

She said she would sometimes call the security guards for help.

"Usually they will go. But once the guards leave, they come back," she said.

Mr Lionel De Souza, 64, a private investigator whose office is located in the mall, said the smoking teens are there every day.

He said once, he saw an elderly lady who asked a group of about five boys and girls to stop smoking.

"They started shouting at her in a very aggressive way, like they were mocking her. I came down the stairs and stared at them, and they stopped. These kind of actions cannot be condoned."

DIRTY & SMELLY

Madam Jenny Lee, 58, is one shopper who has been affected by the smoking teens.

She passes by them every day when she fetches her 3-year-old grandson from a childcare centre in the mall, as one of the cybergaming shops is located next to the lift leading to the centre.

She said: "I told the teachers there to give feedback to the management (corporation). If they cannot stop them, they should at least get the cleaners to sweep up the cigarette butts."

When The New Paper was there last Friday, the strong stench of cigarette smoke lingered in the air on the ground floor where the cybergaming shops were.

Several cigarettes butts were also littered at the stairwell outside one of the shops.

In two hours, we spotted at least 10 teens, most of whom look below 18, lighting up.

The management corporation (MC) of Katong Shopping Centre said it is aware of the problem after feedback from tenants and shoppers, and has informed the National Environment Agency (NEA), which regulates smoking in prohibited places.

ON THE LOOKOUT

The MC has informed the security guards to look out for the smokers, and is planning to increase the number of patrols around the mall, from the current five times a day.

The MC has also put up signs around the areas reminding people not to smoke indoors.

Some of the signs also highlight the shopping centre's CCTV system.

But it said there have been no nasty incidents, like fighting, caused by the teen smokers.

An NEA spokesman said the agency was informed of the problem late last year.

Since the beginning of this year, it has received eight complaints, both from the MC and members of the public, of people smoking in the shopping centre.

Said the spokesman: "We followed up by increasing our checks on the premises and reminding the building management of their duty to stop smokers from smoking within their air-conditioned premises.

"We have so far caught one smoker and he was fined accordingly. We will continue to monitor the situation."

NEA declined to give the smoker's age.

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is also keeping tabs on the situation.

A spokesman said its Tobacco Regulation Unit will be investigating the situation at the shopping centre.

Said the spokesman: "HSA takes a serious view of smoking by underage persons as well as the sale of tobacco products to such persons."

Anyone who sells or supplies tobacco products to those below 18 can be fined up to $5,000 for the first conviction, or fined up to $10,000 for subsequent convictions.

This article was first published in The New Paper on May 18, 2008.