Dutch relax fireworks ban for New Year's with a bang

By Thor Kerr

THE HAGUE (JP): As Jakarta traditionalists open the fasting month with fireworks today, the Dutch ban on fireworks will cease for 16 hours to let New Year's revelers here light up and briefly blow up their wintry lives.

Fireworks maim, blind and kill people in the Netherlands every year. While the most dangerous fireworks are outlawed, the Dutch lust for a bigger bang and brighter sparks means that snow- clearing bombs and other explosives are finding their way onto the streets and into the hands of teenagers.

Police have responded by setting up fireworks-busting teams across the country, but the explosives keep flowing over the border, out of backyard factories and onto the streets.

"Most illegal fireworks come from Belgium," says municipal police spokeswoman Henrietta de Wilder.

"Last week, we confiscated 1,800 kilograms of illegal fireworks in one location."

Five thousand kilograms of illegal fireworks have been seized by The Hague municipal police this year.

The drug-busting teams have been working flat out since October, gathering intelligence, raiding suspect premises and searching people and property at random. On a Saturday in early December, the police stopped and searched 3,000 vehicles for illegal fireworks in The Hague alone as part of a nationwide operation.

Those caught may wind up in jail for up to six years or pay a maximum fine of one million gilders (US$500,000).

The penalties are harsh but the problem fireworks, with names like "strikers", "widow-makers" and "Chinese rolls", can be lethal.

"At least one person was killed by fireworks last year," says de Wilder.

"Sometimes people get blinded, deafened or lose a hand."

But illegal fireworks are not responsible for all the burns and injuries being treated in casualty wards come New Year's Eve. Many are caused by the fireworks sold legally on the two days before.

Dutch municipal councils have licensed video libraries, bike shops and other stores to sell approved fireworks from Dec. 29 to Dec. 31 to meet public demand for a good explosion.

These fireworks can only be fired legally between 10 a.m. on New Year's Eve and 2 a.m. on New Year's itself.

Even under these tight restrictions, people still end up in hospital.

De Wilder says most injuries are caused by carelessness.

"On New Year's Eve, people drink some beer or champagne or whatever, so they don't read the instructions carefully."

The authorities are trying to teach people about the dangers of fireworks.

"Don't wear nylon clothing," says de Wilder, since sparks from fireworks are likely to set nylon alight.

Locals warn that the biggest danger on New Year's Eve will probably come from a stranger lobbing a homemade grenade at you.

But de Wilder says this New Year's Eve won't be nearly as dangerous as past ones.

"We try to educate the children not to throw fireworks at people," she says.