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ANKARA, Sept. 28-- Turkey has extended an existing all-out ban on smoking in public places to private cars, stirring controversy. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently implemented a ban in personal vehicles that went into effect this week in the country of heavy smokers. More than 5,000 people have been fined up to 153 liras (27 U.S. dollars) each for smoking in their cars since the ban went into effect, the Ministry of Interior said on Wednesday, pointing out that up to 150,000 cars have been checked during an operation across the country. The bust was a major operation, involving over 37,000 police personnel and 169 sniffer dogs. In major cities, police can access CCTV for photos of the license plates of cars in which suspects are smoking. One driver fined in the central province of Aksaray, Israfil Akpinar, was stunned about the new ban and reacted somewhat sarcastically. "We are not allowed to smoke in public places, nor in open spaces as well like courtyards or near hospitals or schools. Where are we supposed to smoke then?" said the angry driver, the private Demiroren News Agency (DHA) reported. Erdogan has long been credited with his fight against tobacco addiction, as well as alcohol. The latest ban followed his remarks to reporters where he reportedly said: "I sometimes see drivers smoking in cars, and whenever I see them, I warn them, tell them. It's shameful." | 
