Of course it is not about race or only an "Asian thing". My reference to Asian culture is regarding seniority and respect / fear from the captain (this is clearly stated in my OP).

An Asian copilot or flight attendant would almost never contradict a captain. A crew member of a safe ailine will be trained to communicate openly without fear of repression. Some Asian carriers are implementing such training, but the cultural thing still remains.

And to those who doubt the veracity of my report: Cockpit smoking was quite common on TG a couple of years back and I am a long standing FTalker who (except on 1 April) will not make foolish posts .