FILE: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of city view
2. Traffic

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
3. People at restaurant
4. Various of smokers
5. People at coffee shop
6. Various of smokers
7. Sign reading "No Smoking"
8. SOUNDBITE(English) Dzulkefly Ahmad, Malaysian Minister of Health:
"Just not banning and prohibiting but more to ensure that we have a safe and clean air particularly in those public places."
9. Smoker
10. Sign reading "No smoking. No vaping."
11. Various of smokers
12. SOUNDBITE(English) Local resident (name not given):
"We smokers, we accept it. We are trying to smoke really far away from those who are non-smokers."
13. SOUNDBITE(English) Local resident (name not given):
"I feel it's ok. Just come three meters away, you smoke. See, I'm still free. I'm smoking here."
14. Various of people at restaurant
15. SOUNDBITE(Chinese) Ting Choo Hew, key member, Chinese Coffee and Tea Shopkeepers' Association (partially overlaid with shot 16):
"Since we started following the new rules at the beginning of the year, we've had a lot of complaints from our members that their business is down by about 40 percent. We really hope the government can show more flexibility and let us know where people can smoke."
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16. Few people at restaurant
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17. Train station
18. Market, shoppers

FILE: Selangor, Malaysia - Date Unknown (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
19. Batu Caves

FILE: Putrajaya, Malaysia - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
20. Malaysian Prime Minister's Office

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
21. SOUNDBITE(English) Dzulkefly Ahmad, Malaysian Minister of Health (partially overlaid with shot 22):
"This is in the light of us well moving forward and projecting into a trajectory of a more advanced society, a society that understands good values."
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22. Microphone of China Global Television Network (CGTN)
++SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE++
23. Various of smokers, "No Smoking" signs

FILE: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
24. Various of city view, traffic

Eateries in Malaysia are reeling from the effect of the government move to ban smoking and vaping in all restaurants, coffee shops and hawker centers, even open-air ones as of Jan 1, 2019.

The anti-smoking rules have been on the books for years, but till now only enforced in enclosed, air-conditioned restaurants and workplaces. The government is allowing smokers time to get to grips with the change, but some restaurant owners are worried about the economic hit they're taking.

Till a couple of weeks ago, smokers were a common sight at non-air conditioned eating places. But as of Jan 1st, smokers may now only light up three meters away from the premises and those caught smoking in public face fines of 10,000 ringgit (2,500 US dollars). Restaurants must also prominently display smoking ban signs and can be fined for failing to uphold the ban.

"Just not banning and prohibiting but more to ensure that we have a safe and clean air particularly in those public places," said Dzulkefly Ahmad, Malaysian Minister of Health.

Enforcement officers have visited more than 30,000 restaurants and issued upwards of 14,000 warnings since the ban was imposed.

For the first six months, the government won't impose fines but will focus on education. It already appears to be working.

"We smokers, we accept it. We are trying to smoke really far away from those who are non-smokers," said a smoker.

"I feel it's ok. Just come three meters away, you smoke. See, I'm still free. I'm smoking here," said another smoker.

Many restaurant owners are worried, though.

"Since we started following the new rules at the beginning of the year, we've had a lot of complaints from our members that their business is down by about 40 per cent. We really hope the government can show more flexibility and let us know where people can smoke," said Ting Choo Hew, member of Chinese Coffee and Tea Shopkeepers' Association.

Smoking has long been banned in air-conditioned spaces. But the government says it will now roll out the smoking ban to cover more and more public places.

"This is in the light of us well moving forward and projecting into a trajectory of a more advanced society, a society that understands good values," said Ahmad.

The minister says the government will resist pressure from businesses and disgruntled smokers, and will not backtrack on its clampdown.