THE flying of kites, or kikik’ as it is more commonly known among locals, is the latest craze to hit Brunei. Nowadays, kites are frequently seen being flown high above in the sky, especially around the national housing scheme areas in Lambak Kanan, Rimba and Tungku.

Adults and children can be seen taking advantage of windy afternoons, despite the current hazy period, to fly their kites. Mobile vendors selling the kites have also been spotted at some popular kite-lying sites, such as the compound of Perpindahan Lambak Kanan mosque.

However, kites and their threads have also caused problems to valuable equipment and pose a real hazard to lives. In the past, there have been reports of several incidences whereby kite threads have entangled themselves to aircrafts and helicopters.

The public has been cautioned against flying kites around a five-kilometre radius of the take-off and landing sites for aircrafts and helicopters. Village leaders have also been urged to inform their residents about such dangers.

It would be especially alarming if a kite got sucked into an aircraft’s engine and its thread gets entangled in crucial parts of the control equipment.

Among the villages within a five-kilometre radius where the flying of kites is prohibited include Kg Mata-Mata, Kg Rimba, Kg Gadong, Kg Perpindahan Terunjing, Kg Perpindahan Lambak Kanan, as well as villages around Kg Ayer and Kg Jerudong.

Other areas that have been identified as off-limits to kite-flying activities are the airport, airfields, army camps in Rimba, Muara and Berakas, as well as the RIPAS Hospital, which is used to receive patients transported by helicopters.

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