The Transport Ministry yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with nine other agencies to solve problems and prevent aviation disasters caused by the release of hot-air lanterns and bang fai rockets.
Transport Minister ACM Prajin Juntong said the agencies, including six ministries, will work together to tackle the problem as a national priority, and will push for legislation to support their efforts.
The other agencies are the Interior Ministry, the Defence Ministry, the Tourism and Sport Ministry, the Education Ministry, the Culture Ministry, the Royal Thai Police Office, the Public Relations Department, the National Office of Buddhism, and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy and Planning will liaise with the other agencies to implement the agreement, which will take effect from this year until 2018, ACM Prajin said.
He said releasing the lanterns and bang fai rockets could start fires that damage property and threaten aviation safety.
He said that during the recent Loy Krathong festival between Nov 5-9, lanterns were released mostly in the North.
Revellers released as many as 12,700 lanterns, forcing the cancellation of several flights between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
ACM Prajin also said bang fai rockets are launched mostly in the Northeast between May and June where festivals associated with the rockets are held each year.
Last year, nearly 50,000 bang fai rockets were fired in the Northeast, he said.
Several flights, most of them commercial, had to change their routes to avoid the Northeast, which affects confidence in Thai aviation safety, ACM Prajin said.
This is a big concern affecting aviation safety and demands urgent attention from the government, ACM Prajin said.
He added that firing bang fai rockets is popular at traditional festivals and year-round.
Woradech Harnprasert, deputy permanent secretary for transport, said the ministry will ask the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand Ltd to draw up maps — designating restricted areas around airports that will be off-limits to the release of floating lanterns — for public distribution.
He said the Defence Ministry will offer personnel and equipment for disaster relief action, while the Interior Ministry will seek a law change to control fireworks.