FLT ATTENDANT RPT; DC10; PAX SMOKING IN LAVATORY. NO ARREST.

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A SMOKE ALARM IN BATHROOM IN REAR OF AIRPLANE WENT OFF DURING SNACK SVC. I HAD ALREADY SMELLED SMOKE IN THIS SAME LAVATORY EARLIER IN FLT AND CHKED LAVATORY. I WENT TO LAVATORY AND KNOCKED ON THE DOOR. A PAX CAME OUT OF SMOKE FILLED LAVATORY; OBVIOUSLY SMOKING. I TOLD HIM HE COULD NOT SMOKE AND HE APOLOGIZED; HE KNEW HE SHOULDN'T SMOKE. I RPTED THE INCIDENT TO THE PREMIUM; AND SHE SPOKE TO HIM. PAX WAS MET IN HNL; BUT RELEASED AS HE SPOKE CHINESE. IT WAS CLR HE UNDERSTOOD WHAT HE HAD DONE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT THE MAN SMOKED IN THE SAME LAVATORY A FIRST TIME WITHOUT SETTING THE SMOKE ALARM OFF. THE SECOND TIME HE SMOKED IN THE LAVATORY; THE ALARM WENT OFF. SHE HAS BEEN TOLD BY HER COMPANY THAT PEOPLE SOMETIMES CIRCUMVENT THE SMOKE DETECTOR BY BLOWING SMOKE DOWN THE TOILET WHILE IT IS SWIRLING; OR EVEN THE WATER DRAIN; BECAUSE THEN IT VENTS IT OUTSIDE THE AIRPLANE. IN THIS INSTANCE; THE PAX PRETENDED HE DIDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH; ONLY CHINESE. THE POLICE CAME ON BOARD THE PLANE ON ARR IN HNL AND TOOK HIM OFF. SHE LATER HEARD THAT HE WAS LET GO BECAUSE HE CLAIMED HE ONLY SPOKE CHINESE; AND DIDN'T REALIZE WHAT HE HAD DONE. THE RPTR STATED THAT SHE KNEW FROM HER ENCOUNTERS WITH HIM THAT HE COULD SPEAK ENOUGH ENGLISH TO KNOW WHAT HE HAD DONE.