The Commissioner, Mr Lawrence Li, led a delegation to attend the "Meeting on Cooperation and Liaison between Mainland and Hong Kong Customs" with the Customs General Administration (CGA) of the People's Republic of China in Beijing on 3 August 1998. At the meeting, both sides agreed to further strengthen their cooperation and enhance the exchange of intelligence to curb smuggling. A Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation was signed to conclude the agreements reached during the meeting and the informal meeting held in Hong Kong earlier this year.
In Beijing, the Hong Kong delegation met Mr. QIAN Guanlin, the Commissioner of CGA.
At the invitation of Customs General Administration, the Hong Kong delegation visited Hangzhou Customs and CGA's Foreign Affairs Training Institute in Suzhou.
Miss Denise Yue, JP, Secretary for the Treasury was the Inspecting Officer at a passing-out parade at the Customs and Excise Training School on 10 October. A total of four probationary Inspectors and 51 probationary Customs Officers completed their induction course at the Training School.
Addressing the passing-out parade, Miss Yue encouraged the officers to work hard in maintaining Hong Kong's integrity as an efficient commercial and trading centre in the world. She also expressed her appreciation to the painstaking efforts of the department in the area of revenue protection and expected that we would, without any reservation, continue to crack down such illegal activities as smuggling and tax evasion.
Secretary for the Treasury inspecting Passing-out parade at Customs & Excise Training School
The Secretary for Security, Mrs Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, took a look at the operations of the Customs and Excise Department during her familiarisation visit to the department on 7 September.
The visit began with a briefing by the Commissioner, Mr Lawrence Li, on the organisation and functions of the department.
At the Customs Headquarters, Mrs Ip was also briefed by other directorate officers on the Customs control at airport, control of containerised cargo and control of strategic commodities. The Commissioner then accompanied Mrs Ip to the Customs Drug Investigation Bureau. She was given a brief account of the work of the Bureau on drug investigation, financial investigation and precursor chemical control. She also toured the facilities at the Bureau, including the Customs museum.
Before her departure, Mrs Ip met other senior officers of the department at the Customs and Excise Service Senior Officers' Mess.
The Annual Customs Co-operation Conference between the Korea Customs Service and our department was held in Hong Kong on 25 and 26 September. The Korean delegation was led by Commissioner Uhm Pak-yong and the Hong Kong Customs delegation by Commissioner Li Shu-fai.
During the conference, both sides had a frank and full discussion on a variety of topics of mutual interests. Through the discussion, they had gained deeper insight into various aspects of their work and better understanding of each other. At the conclusion of the conference, an Agreed Minute was signed between the two Administrations which was intended to address matters of common concern. At the Korean delegation's request, the Kong Kong Customs will assist to organise visits to the New Airport and provide training for their officers on the Air Cargo Clearance System.
On the evening of 25 September, the Korean delegation was invited to a Mess Night function in our Senior Officers' Mess. The delegation was very impressed with our high spirit and large turn-out. The following day, the delegates visited Lok Ma Chau Control Point and the New Airport.
The first Co-operative Conference was held in Hong Kong in May 1980 resulting from a proposal made by some Senior Korean Customs officers during a visit to Hong Kong in 1979. Since then, the conferences have been held alternatively in both territories annually.
Six Non-official Members of the Executive Council, led by the Council's Convenor Dr The Hon Chung Sze-yuen, visited the Customs and Excise Department on 2 November 98 to see for themselves the department's work.
Five other Non-official Members of Exco were the Hon Yang Ti-liang, The Hon Leung Chun-ying, Dr The Hon Rosanna Wong Yick-ming, The Hon Tam Yiu-chung and The Hon Charles Lee Yeh-kwong.
The visit began with a briefing on the organisation and functions of the department given by the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Lawrence Li Shu-fai, at the function room of the Customs and Excise Service Senior Officers' Mess. The Members were then briefed by the Head of Trade Controls, Mr John Chan Kwok-wah, on illegal transshipment of textile goods. The Head of Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau, Mr Calvin Leung Ho, briefed the Members on intellectual property rights protection.
Before their departure, the Members met other senior officers of the department and also took a look of the display of seizure made by the Customs.
Following the vigorous enforcement actions taken by the department against pirated activities during the past year, sleeky infringers diverted their business to selling Japanese drama VCDs. In the absence of proof of copyright infringement, Customs officers had no solid ground to suspect these VCDs were pirated copies and therefore unable to take any legal actions against them. In order to tackle the problem, the department tried every possible mean in getting in touch with the potential copyright owners in Japan. Eventually, on 7 September, a Japanese delegation, comprising representative of the Council for Protection of Copyright of Television Programs (HOBANKYO), Tokyo Broadcasting System, Nippon Television Network and Fuji Television Network, came over to Hong Kong to sort out the legal and technical issues on copyright infringement on Japanese VCDs available in the local market. The delegation identified pirated VCDs of their work during the ground survey conducted at notorious shopping arcades. With their co-operation and full support, Customs' first move in a series of enforcement actions against the sale of pirated Japanese VCDs started in the evening of 10 September at Sino Centre in which a total of 200,000 copies of suspected pirated discs with a market value of HK$2 million was seized. The success of the operation is the proof of the concerted effort of Customs and the copyright owners.
To meet the anticipated growth in the volume of river trade cargo traffic and to increase the port productivity, a River Trade Terminal (RTT) with modern cargo handling facilities is built at Tuen Mun, Area 38.
RTT is operated by a private company called River Trade Terminal Co Ltd. It occupies 65 hectares of land and 3,000m sea-front which can cater for vessels up to 3,000 gross registered tonnes or 100 meters overall in length.
Phase I of the terminal commenced operation on 14 October 1998 while Phase II of the construction will be completed in November 1999. When RTT is fully operational, it can handle 100 river trading vessels simultaneously.
To coincide with the operation of the terminal, Customs facilities are provided on site for cargo clearance and other related activities. In the five-storey main building, the Ship Search and Cargo Command occupies the ground floor and mezzanine floor. The building also provides offices, arms cage, strong room, case processing room, conference room, recreation room, standby room and changing facilities which make up a total floor areas of 550 square metres. Besides, a 3,500 square metres cargo examination compound and a 1,200 square metres Customs and Excise Warehouse are also situated on the ground floor. At a quayside building near the seafront, a stand-by room for marine crews of the Marine and Land Enforcement Command and a kennel for housing the drug-detector dogs are available.
To cater for the workload, 136 posts have been supported, comprising 131 for the Ship Search and Cargo Command to perform ship search and cargo examination functions and five for the Office of Dutiable Commodities Administration to provide bonded warehouse service.
A pistol was thrown into the river by a man from the town bridge of Newcastle at 6 p.m. yesterday. You are the supervisor of a diving team and your mission is to retrieve the pistol." That was one of the tasks assigned to Inspector Charles Chung Kai-shing, and Barry Lai Chi-wing in attending the Advanced Supervisory Diving Instructor Course at the Northumbria Police National Diving and Marine School, UK from 27 July to 28 August 1998.
"The mission was clear but not simple. We had to collect information on tidal flow, current direction and river bed conditions so as to decide how many manpower and equipment we needed for such operation," Barry listed out all the factors that a diving supervisor should take heed of and emphasised that safety was always the top priority in the operation.
"The course was so compact. Not only supervisory skill, diving techniques and evidence preservation that we had to consider but as well as to learn the adoption of contingency in case of accident," Charles quoted the syllabus easily.
When asked about the most unforgettable moment in the course, Charles began to tell us his adventure excitedly. "At that time, I was at a depth of 26 metres. Suddenly the buoyancy of my diving suit lost control and was kept inflated. I was forced to move upwards and I could not breathe at all. Finally, I decided to loosen my suit and let air go. At the same time, cold sea water at 10oC poured in and I was almost frozen," Charles said. "Luckily, I was not hurt," he recalled.
To Barry, the most unforgettable experience was not from the course. "I remember once we (the Customs Diving Team) were carrying out mock operation in Hung Hom Bay, the water was so dirty and all you could see was only muddy sea water," Barry exclaimed. "I felt so lonely and helpless. But I get used to it now," he said.
Their detailed experience made us think that they were veteran divers. But actually, not. They have been diving since June 1996 after they passed the recruitment exercise of the department's Diving Team. "At first I intended to learn diving for fun and not until I had a better understanding on diving, then I realised that it was not easy," confessed Charles.
"The first diving experience was still fresh in my memory. The water was chilly on that day. As I went down into the water, noise gradually disappeared and the water became clam. A new world unveiled before my eyes. It was so amazing," Barry recalled excitedly.
Charles was also attracted by the wonderful underwater scene and went diving all over the world frequently. He admitted that he loved the feeling of being free and the colourful, ever-changing water world under the sea. "But as a member of the Customs Diving Team, we dive for no fun. We have to test, transport, repair and clean up the equipment on our own. In addition, we have to solve unpredictable problems in the sea. So you will not be surprised by seeing exhausted divers taking rest on board after an operation. Having said that, we still prioritize safety," Charles emphasised.
Both Charles and Barry are grateful to the department for giving them the opportunity to attend the overseas course which has broadened their horizon in diving technique. "I have been trained to be an all-round diver instructor and I am now ready to teach new divers and to assess individual's skills and abilities in diving," Barry said. After weeks of practical diving, Barry said his physique and powers of endurance have reached another milestone. "I have never imagined that I am able to dive to 30 metres' depth and work there." Charles nodded and admitted that he totally agreed with Barry's remarks.
The development of the outdoor sporting and training facilities in the Customs & Excise Training School (CETS) was completed in October 1998 at a cost of $8m. The project included the construction of a soccer pitch, four tennis courts, a jogging track, an obstacle course, physical fitness stations and changing rooms.
The new facilities have equipped the Training School with a dedicated and safe outdoor physical training yard as well as an ideal venue for holding various competitions. With the provision of the facilities, the effectiveness of physical training for our officers and trainees are greatly enhanced.
Receiving a friend from a distant place is so delightful' is an expression of pleasure remarked by the officers in Consumer Protection Division, Trading Standards Investigation Bureau (TSIB) after receiving an overseas visitor. The officers shared the joyful experience of receiving Mr Julian Crane from New Zealand on 27 and 28 of August this year. Julian is a Trading Standards Officer of the New Zealand Ministry of Consumer Affairs. A two-day attachment programme for Julian was aimed at introducing to him how TSIB enforced consumer protection in Hong Kong.
Mr Cheung Sai-yan, Head of Trading Standards Investigation Bureau, briefed Julian on TSIB's responsibilities of consumer protection enforcement under the Toy's and Children's Products Safety Ordinance, Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance, Weights and Measures Ordinance and Precious Metals Marking Orders. In addition, TSIB officers also arranged for him to visit a market, a Chinese herbal medicine shop and a petrol filling station. During the visits, we demonstrated how we carried out inspections to verify the accuracy of equipment. We exchanged with him valuable views and working experience in consumer protection. Julian also visited the Government Laboratory where he was shown how the weighing and measuring equipment for trade in Hong Kong were tested.
Julian found it most fascinating to visit the market. He was interested to see the various kinds of weighing equipment, in particular the traditional Chinese scales, being used for trade at the market. It was also a wonderful experience for him to have a look at the various features of a Hong Kong market. Though his visit was short, it has indeed provided a good opportunity for us to enhance our understanding and cooperation between Hong Kong and New Zealand on consumer protection matters.
The Sports & Recreation Club of the Customs and Excise Department was founded on 2 May 1991. It is the sole organisation in the department responsible for the planning and organising sports and recreational activities for members of the department as well as their family. Its main objectives are to foster friendship and cultivate a sense of belonging; instill cooperation and coordination spirit; and encourage good health and good physique through participation in various sports and recreational activities.
After a long and tedious negotiation between the Club and Wing Hang Bank, the "Customs & Excise Department Sports & Recreation Club" credit card is now available. The credit card comes into being after the club has successfully struck a deal with Wing Hang Bank which agrees to offer, among others, the following privileges exclusively for our members who are in possession of the credit card: -
The Bank also undertakes to set aside 0.35 per cent of all money spent by card-holders as donations to the Club, providing another source of income for our activities. Details of the application procedures have been announced by the Club.
Office of Service Administration & Training
9/F Harbour Building
38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong
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Chief Superintendent Poon Yeung-kwong was promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner on 15 June 1998.
Chief Trade Controls Officer Chan Kwok-keung was promoted to the rank of Principal Trade Controls Officer on 10 June 1998.
Two Inspectors: Tse Wun-chai and Wong Chi-shan were promoted to the rank of Senior Inspector on 15 July 1998 and 66 Senior Customs Officers were promoted to the rank of Chief Customs Officer on 20 July 1998.
Four Inspectors under the No. 2 Special Appointment Scheme and 51 Customs Officers in three classes graduated from the Customs and Excise Training School on 10 October 1998. The best recruits were Probationary Inspector Leung Shing-cheong, Probationary Customs Officers Yip Kwok-chiu, Ms Leung Ka-wai and Ms Lau Yuen-man.
Besides, 133 colleagues have joined the department as probationary Customs Officers on 12 October 1998.
The following officers retired between August and November 1998:
| Superintendent | Pang Kui-sum |
|---|---|
| Senior Inspector | Yip Wai-chong (Ms) |
| Chief Customs Officer | Lai Kam-hung |
| Chief Customs Officer | Cheng Kwei-hung |
| Senior Customs Officer | Chan Fu-chong (6408) |
| Senior Customs Officer | Cheng Kit-mou (6904) |
| Senior Customs Officer | Tse Chi-bun (7321) |
| Principal Trade Controls Officer | Poon Ching-hon |
| Senior Trade Controls Officer | Choi Chun-man |
| Assistant Clerical Officer | Wan Chun-leung |
| Typist Chie | Wong Shu-hing (Mrs) |
The Editorial Board records with deep regret the death of Mr Ma Wai-keung, Acting Chief Customs Officer, who died in Hong Kong on 21.8.1998.
The Airport Command is organising a Distinguished Customer Service Awards for Baggage Examination Counter Officers Competition in the Air Passenger Division in September and October. The objective of this competition is to promote and motivate the baggage examination counter officers towards continuous improvement of customer service and facilitation. We aim at providing a more friendly and courteous environment to passengers at the new airport.
The Civil Service Bureau has been generous in funding this meaningful competition. Eight best individual officers and a team will be selected according to grading given by supervisors and travellers on the performance of counter officers. In addition to the individual award with souvenir, the winners will also receive favourable entry into their personnel files for their distinguished performance. Results will be announced by mid-November.
Year 2000 (Y2k) problem or so called "millennium bug" will occur if a system or equipment in processing years function by using two digits rather than four is not able to differentiate "2000" from "1900" when the new millennium arrives.
With full awareness of the impact of Y2k problem, the Office of Information Technology first started to draw up rectification plans to address the problem in May 1997. Later on, a Project Group for the Y2k Problem was set up in January 1998 for more effective coordination of concerted efforts in the department. The Project Group, which is chaired by the Customs Civil Secretary, is responsible for identifying, monitoring and coordinating all rectification works for Y2k compliance.
Up to now, good progress has been made and the rectification works for Y2k compliance are in the pipeline. For instance, a department wide inventory check on all Information Technology (IT) and non-IT assets for Y2k compliance has been conducted. Non-IT assets include line communication systems and embedded systems such as CCTV system, radiotelephone, security and burglar alarm system.
Moreover, we have succeeded to secure $3.56 million for the rectification of computer systems impacted by the Y2k problem. As from the end of September, 50% of rectification work for critical computer systems was completed. Overall, all rectification works are scheduled for completion by June 1999.
On 12 September, more than 70 senior officers of the department participated in a Strategic Trade Control seminar organised by the Trade Controls Branch at the Senior Officers' Mess. Through the presentations given by Ms Salina Yan of Trade & Industry Bureau, Mr Edward Yau of Trade Department and Messrs Andrew Wong and C L Ko of our department, participants learned that effective and comprehensive legal framework, transparent administration, determined enforcement actions and trading partners' understanding and co-operation were the major factors contributing to a successful strategic trade control system in Hong Kong. Participants were also briefed on the government policies, developments in international control regimes, as well as the current licensing system and enforcement strategies.
Officiating by the Commissioner, Mr Lawrence Li, a graduation ceremony for 19 members of the 63rd and 64th Induction Courses (IDC) for Assistant Trade Controls Officers was held at the Customs and Excise Service Senior Officers' Mess on 28 September.
After 26 weeks of intensive sandwich training programme (which included three parts: lecture in classroom, field attachment and case analysis in classroom), the officers were equipped with the job knowledge and practical skill to carry out the inspection duties.
The Commissioner, in his speech, mentioned the challenges that the officers were facing today and encouraged them to contribute their best.
The Head of Trade Controls, Mr John Chan, presented the certificates of merit to the best recruits Miss Amy Cheung from the 63rd IDC and Mr Leung Tak-kei from the 64th IDC.
SCO Lo Chong-kee (82295) of the Airport Command made the first drug seizure and arrested a 17-year-old man at the new airport on 5 September. The arrested person - a young student concealing 2.4 kg of heroin with a value of $2 million at his waist - was arrested when he was arriving at Hong Kong from Bangkok.
"It is an honour for me and my whole team in making the arrest and seizure with a significant quantity," said SCO Lo, responding to my congratulations on having detected the first drug case at the new airport.
Of course, he was then requested to recall his detective story and to share his valuable experience with our readers.
"The suspect was a 17-year-old male Chinese student departing from Bangkok. When he attempted passing through my processing counter, I stopped him and asked him some simple questions. He was so nervous that he could not answer those simple questions properly. He was so suspicious," explained SCO Lo, "and I decided to open his suitcase to have a thorough examination."
"No contraband was found inside the suitcase except only few personal effects," SCO Lo took a deep breathe and seemed to be ready to tell something crucial. "But that was the most suspicious point! Ordinary travellers should not have such a few personal effects," he added.
SCO Lo felt more suspicious about him when he discovered the passengers of the suspect's flight should use the north processing counter for Customs Clearance, but instead, he used the south processing counter where he was positioned.
"In addition, though he was thin, he dressed so clumsily with a bulge stomach. So I recommended conducting a personal search on the suspect to the duty Inspector. Subsequently, I found 15 slabs of heroin concealed inside his lingerie girdle."
"But I have to thank Inspector Leung Ka-man, Chief Customs Officer Mok Pak-yim and Customs Officer Chan Kai-on for their assistance in processing of the case," SCO Lo said humbly. We wish SCO Lo every success in his future.
The Swimming Gala 98 was held on 5 September. A total of 257 participants formed eight teams competing for 27 events. The Marine & Land Enforcement Team won the Champion of the Inter-Command Overall Competition. CO Leung Mei-fu won the Women's Overall Champion and CO Tam Chi-fai won the Men's Overall Champion. Headquarters Team won the newly introduced prize: Cheering-up team competition. Hong Kong Customs Senior Officer Team defeated the Customs Attach's Team and won the International Race.