Firecrackers, bak kwa seized at Tuas, Woodlands Checkpoints

Five boxes of ‘Pop-Pop’ were detected under the front passenger seat. PHOTO: FACEBOOK/IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY
The 39 strips of firecrackers that were found inside the car boot. PHOTO: FACEBOOK/IMMIGRATION & CHECKPOINTS AUTHORITY

SINGAPORE - Firecrackers and bak kwa or Chinese barbecued meat were seized at Tuas Checkpoint and Woodlands Checkpoint, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) said on its Facebook page on Tuesday (Feb 13).

In the first case, ICA officers detected five boxes of "pop pop", a type of firecrackers, under the front passenger seat of a Singapore-registered car on Saturday.

The firecrackers were seized by the Singapore Police Force.

Just two days later, officers detected 39 strips of firecrackers in the boot of another Singapore-registered car at Tuas Checkpoint.

The firecrackers were also seized. This time, a 37-year-old man was referred to the police for investigation.

ICA said in its post that both "pop pop" and firecrackers are prohibited items under the Dangerous Fireworks Act.

In another Facebook post on Tuesday, ICA said there were two cases of bak kwa being hidden in snack packages at Woodlands Checkpoint on Monday.

"As Malaysia is not an approved country for the importation of meat products by travellers, the packets of bak kwa were disposed of," wrote ICA.

The cases were handed over to the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) for further investigations.

Controlled items such as bak kwa or barbecued meat, eggs and potted plants are subject to travellers' allowance only from approved countries, ICA said.

"Travellers are reminded that Malaysia is not an approved country for personal import of meat products and eggs," said ICA.

Currently, travellers can bring in up to 5kg of pork and pork products directly into Singapore from 21 AVA-approved countries, including Canada, Netherlands and the United States.

For a list of approved countries, refer to AVA's website, the SG TravelKaki App or ICA's website.

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