Customs director-general Khazali Ahmad today denied claims that a lack of enforcement led to firecrackers being smuggled and sold widely during every festive season.

He said the department conducted various operations and arrested those involved to prevent the items from coming into the country but they still managed to escape through the smugglers’ routes.    

“Firecrackers are still banned in this country. There is no lift.

“However, setting off firecrackers during Chinese New Year is part of the Chinese community’s culture. Enforcing against a culture is not easy and we don’t want a situation where we're accused of being high-handed. We don’t want to harass the people,” he said at a press conference in Putrajaya today.

He added that the only types of firecrackers allowed in the market were ‘Pop PoP’ and ‘Happy Boom’.

- Bernama