BANGKOK— While the U.S. Navy's second fleet patrols Atlantic waters to monitor Cuba — whose cigars are banned from the United States — sailors in the Pacific fleet freely purchase and puff on Cuban stogies at a U.S. government-managed facility in Hong Kong. The cigars are sold at the pier-side Fleet Arcade, a short stumble from Club Hot Lips and other bars in the Wanchai red-light district. A servicemen's commissary that also serves as the embarkation point for boats out to visiting navy ships, the Fleet Arcade's shops pay rent to the U.S. government at well below market rates. Numerous sailors on leave in Hong Kong from the USS Kitty Hawk battle group have stocked up on Cohibas and Romeo Y Julieta cigars. Some probably brought them back on board, a violation of American law. Nonetheless, the battle group's commander, Rear Admiral Steve Kunkle, said the navy had more urgent concerns than conducting a body search of more than 7,000 personnel for smuggled smokes. The admiral's effective establishment of a "don't ask, don't tell" cigar policy for the navy's Seventh Fleet certainly pleased Tony Wong, the biggest seller of Cuban cigars in the Fleet Arcade. But, Wong added, sales don't just spike for the navy. China's frequent cancellations of naval visits have forced him to rely heavily on the ever-eager buyers among delegations from the U.S. Congress.
