The Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA ) busted a local man on Monday for attempting to smuggle in not one, not two, but 50 boxes of Pop Pop firecrackers into the country.
Whiz-bangers, cherry poppers, party snaps, whippersnappers — these are all names for the tiny noisemaking novelties that we usually refer to as Pop Pop. For those of you who’re too young not to have played with them before, Pop Pop is the brand of bang snaps that are little bags of gravelly explosives that aren’t as dangerous as they sound. When thrown, ignited or stepped on, these little things blow up and make a big cracking sound, but these things can’t do physical damage.
Popular among kids (especially during Chinese New Year revelries), Pop Pop is considered dangerous enough in Singapore to be outlawed. Categorized as sandcrackers, the Dangerous Fireworks Act of 1972 prohibits the possession, discharge, and import of cherry poppers.
As relatively harmless as these things may be, rules are rules. The Singapore Police Force has since confiscated the 50 boxes of Pop Pop (that the man kept in his luggage) and is conducting investigations into the case.
Of course, anyone who wants to play with Pop Pop bang snappers can always head across the border to Johor, where the toys are readily sold at convenience stores.
Dangerous Fireworks Act
Since 1972, setting off fireworks without prior permission by the authorities has been outlawed in Singapore under the Dangerous Fireworks Act. The ruling came into place not long after the country gained independence in 1965, and by 1968, the government sought to regulate the use of fireworks as it was becoming a public safety issue. This was because a third of the 150 fires that broke out during the Chinese New Year celebrations were because of fireworks — a deeply entrenched tradition involving firecrackers and rockets.
But the issue only got worse when people disregarded the rules, and by 1972, the police fielded 376 complaints about the illegal discharge of firecrackers, while two cops were attacked when they tried to prevent people from setting off firecrackers. 26 people were injured that year in fireworks-related crimes.
Not that the Act has prevented lawbreaking folks from having some forbidden sparkly celebrations. Last Chinese New Year, folks tried to bring in boxes of Pop Pop and strips of actual firecrackers. In November last year, Deepavali festivities kicked off with two illegally discharged fireworks in Little India and Yishun.
