Fireworks set off a flurry of lights and colours at Wat Arun Ratchawararam, or the Temple of the Dawn, in Bangkok to celebrate the new year on Jan 1, 2016. (Bangkok Post file photo)Fireworks will be temporarily allowed during the 2018 New Year celebrations, according to a new order by the junta's chief. The new order, published in the Royal Gazette on Saturday, aims to "allow celebrations of the new year, which will promote tourism". Under the new order, fireworks can be set off between 11pm on Sunday and 1am the next day without having to seek prior permission from district directors for Bangkok and district chiefs for other provinces. Fireworks can only be set off at a safe distance and nowhere near royal grounds, oil depots, refuelling stations, hospitals and airports.

Source: Bangkok Post December 30, 2017 09:22 UTC