‘Customs department to prohibit entry of all firecrackers as of month’s end’

AMMAN — All kinds of firecrackers will be banned from entering the Kingdom by the end of this month, Jordan Customs Department (JCD) Director General Munther Assaf said Thursday. 

Assaf told The Jordan Times over the phone that firecrackers are not allowed to enter the domestic market, except for the small two-inch (5.08cm)explosives, which he said are licensed for certain qualified importers. 

But as of July 29, all firecrackers will be banned from entering the domestic market, the official said, commenting on the spread of firecrackers during Ramadan. 

Assaf said that the use of firecrackers this Ramadan is lower than previous years, indicating that the JCD has intensified its measures to combat the smuggling of the explosives. 

He noted that customs personnel confiscated four containers of firecrackers last month and imposed a heavy fine on the importers.

“This year we controlled the smuggling of such explosives. However, small quantities could still be smuggled,” Assaf said. 

According to international trade regulations, customs cadres inspect 10 per cent of containers of imported goods, but JCD personnel inspect up to 40 per cent of the containers. 

Expressing sympathy with many complaints over noisy nights during Ramadan because of firecrackers, Assaf said that the Interior Ministry and police are exerting “huge” efforts to combat the phenomenon on the streets. 

The official blamed parents for allowing their children to play with such noisy but dangerous explosives, accusing merchants who sell firecrackers of making profits at the expense of children’s safety.    

Ahmad Hashem, a resident of the Tlaa Al Ali neighbourhood, said he did not expect to get a good night’s sleep this Ramadan as children stay out on the streets once people break their fast at sunset until dawn. 

“The street where we live is noisy because of kids playing with firecrackers,” he said. 

“But Ramadan this year is much better than last year,” Hashem said.

When asked whether he finds selling firecrackers to children ethical, Abu Abdullah, a shop owner in Amman, replied: “If they don’t buy from here they will get them from somewhere else.”