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Inside a 3-by-4 meter glass cubicle at Mall Taman Anggrek in West Jakarta, 29-year-old executive Johannes Simamora lit his second cigarette in a row. He inhaled deeply then blew a thick smoke out.

Johannes has been a chain smoker for nine years and said he had managed to reduce his smoking habit from three packs a day to two.

“But when I’m stressed, I smoke three to four packs,” he said.

In 2006, the Jakarta administration issued a bylaw banning smoking in public places, such as malls, restaurants, cafes and offices. The bylaw also required building management to provide designated smoking areas. The regulation specifies that violators can face fines of up to Rp 50 million ($4,850), but it appears to have been poorly enforced.

Ridwan Panjaitan, head of the law enforcement unit of the Jakarta Environmental Board, cited a lack of human resources as one reason the ban has not been enforced more effectively.

Johannes, at least, is aware of not forcing his habit on others and considers where he is before lighting up.

“When in malls, I always try to find a smoking room like this,” he said. “If there isn’t one, then I’ll go to an eating place that has a smoking area.”

Last year, the father-of-two experienced health problems that made him consult a doctor. He had a cough and breathing difficulties and was diagnosed with liver problems. The health risks have not deterred him from his habit, however.

“I would rather not eat than not smoke,” he said.

Johannes is of about 63 million to 70 million Indonesians who smoke, according to figures given by Kartono Muhammad, a board member of the Indonesian Health Coalition.

And not all are as considerate of nonsmokers as Johannes. In the lobby of the same mall, Chandra sat smoking despite the presence of other people in the area, including young children. Once in a while, the 51-year-old father-of-three flicked the ash from his cigarette onto the lobby floor.

“I’m aware of the government’s ban on smoking in public places,” he said. “But it’s my right to smoke.”

Chandra, who did not want to give his family name, offered reasons why he continued to smoke.

“It helps me a lot when I’m stressed with work,” he said, adding that he runs his own business but declined to give details. “I smoke more than 16 cigarettes [a day] on average. A few more on stressful days.”

He has tried to quit three times before, but each attempt ended in failure, he said, because of his circle of friends.

“Your smoker friends are the biggest temptation.”

Having smoked for 30 years, Chandra is well aware of the habit’s ill effects on his health and has been advised to quit by his doctor. “I have diabetes and cholesterol problems,” he said. “I haven’t yet checked if I have heart problems.”

Many public places now have smoking rooms like those at Mall Taman Anggrek, but smokers seem unaware of, or unconcerned about, the bylaw. On any given day one can see smokers like Chandra lighting up in public places, although the managers of some buildings try to enforce the smoking ban.

“When we find visitors smoking outside designated areas, we politely ask them to put out their cigarettes,” said Anastasia Damastuti, public relations officer for Mall Taman Anggrek. “If they refuse, we ask them to go to one of the three smoking rooms we have.”

The mall also requires outlets that allow their customers to smoke inside the building to establish individual smoking rooms. “We have two coffee shops that built smoking rooms for their customers. The open-air area should be for nonsmokers only,” Damastuti said. “We are pretty strict in dealing with this issue although we don’t have penalties for violators.”

Like most of Jakarta’s malls, Sarinah Department Store in Central Jakarta has a smoking room for its customers. Located on the fifth floor of the shopping area, the room includes a shop selling coffee and herbal drinks.

It looks like a pleasant place for smokers but many can still be found lighting up in other parts of the building, including in the Dunkin’ Donuts franchise on the street level. “It is actually a no-smoking area downstairs but, you know, we can’t be too stiff [enforcing rules],” said a representative of the building management, who did not want his name used. “We’re flexible.”

At the doughnut store, customers sipped coffee while puffing on cigarettes, despite a “No Smoking” sticker on a pillar outside the store, just meters away.

“I think if we made this counter a no-smoking area, we would lose a lot of customers,” said Eka Setiawan, who works for the donut shop. “But I guess the government is being soft, too. They don’t really take action against people who smoke in public places.”

Staff members did make more of an effort when the ban was first announced.

“The first few months after the government launched its program, we took away all the ashtrays and said we didn’t have them when customers asked,” said another employee, Hikmatu Jahra.

“They just used the saucers instead.”

One of the customers is 28-year-old smoker Maya. She comes from a family of smokers — her mother and two younger brothers also smoke — and she herself goes through a pack a day.

Maya’s father also smoked until he had heart problems five years ago and needed an operation. This, however, has not made Maya heed any dangers she might face from smoking.

“I work out regularly, I go jogging three times a week and play tennis when I have friends [available],” said Maya, who budgets Rp 500,000 each month for cigarettes. “Your heart’s health condition depends on your lifestyle. If you exercise and take vitamins, [smoking] should be okay.”

Before smoking, Maya said, she does take note of where she is.

“If I am in a smoke-free area, I won’t smoke,” she said. “But if it’s allowed, then I’ll smoke.”

Maya once quit smoking for six months but started again during exam time at university. Just recently, a question from one of her Sunday school students made her want to try to stop again.

“That young child asked me what we should say to smokers who smoke near us,” she said. “I was like ‘Oh God.’ ”

She said she has decided to quit next month. When asked why she would wait until then, Maya said, “Because I still have a few more tens of thousands from my monthly budget.”

Another smoker at the store, 53-year-old Ronny Mendur, felt similarly about smoking in public places.

“If we’re allowed to smoke in public places, I’ll smoke, if not, then I won’t,” the father-of-four said.

Ronny thinks the government prohibition needs better supervision.

“It’s good that buildings now have smoking rooms, but the government needs to really supervise it for the program to run effectively,” he said. “But it also depends on smokers’ awareness. Otherwise, the program will fail.”

Kartono of the Indonesian Health Coalition agrees that the ban needs stricter enforcement.

“The municipal government doesn’t do anything to building managements that allow people to smoke inside,” he said. “It’s typical Indonesian [behavior] — they can be hard when making rules but in practice they are soft.