SINGAPORE (AP) - Members of Singapore's armed forces have been put on notice as

of AUg. 1: anyone caught smoking in public while in uniform will be fined.

With the end of a three-month grace period, military policemen have orders to crack

down, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense said. Violators will have 50 Singapore

dollars (U.S. $31) deducted from their pay.

The cigars after formal dinners in the officer's mess, a tradition dating back to

British colonial rule, were extinguished last year. Some units now pass around chocolate

mints instead of the port and cigars.