*****************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Yuen-han and a reply by the Secretary for Security, Mrs Regina Ip, in the Legislative Council today (February 14):
Question:
Since 1 September last year, the Customs and Excise Department ("C&E") and the Police have set up a joint Police/Customs Control Post at the entrance to Chung Ying Street in the Closed Area of Sha Tau Kok, and the Police have tightened the control of access to and from Chung Ying Street. These measures have aroused strong discontent among local residents. Regarding the policy on the access control and development plans of Chung Ying Street, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the average number of permits issued per day in the three years prior to the reunification in respect of each type of Closed Area Permits;
(b) of the reasons for implementing the new policy by C&E and the Police after the reunification and the details of the implementation; whether local business operators and residents had been consulted beforehand; if so, of the outcome of consultation; if not, the reasons for that; and
(c) whether it has drawn up development plans for Chung Ying Street; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that ?
Reply :
Madam President,
(a) First of all, I would like to point out that the Administration have not tightened the control of access to and from Chung Ying Street. We have reviewed the system and procedures on the issue of Closed Area Permits (CAPs) in 1999 to ensure that they can balance policy and operational considerations against the concerns and needs of local residents. Under the revised procedure, the Police adopt a more flexible and liberal approach in assessing the applicants' needs when issuing the CAPs. Similar criteria are also applicable to applications for CAPs to access Chung Ying Street. The number of CAPs of different categories issued by the Police from 1995 to 2000 is listed below:
Year (January Total Sha Tau Kok CAPs CAPs
to December) Total/Access to (Access to
Chung Ying Street other parts
of the Closed
Area)
______ ______ _________________ _____________
1995 60 600 42 400 / 2 100 18 200
(166) (116) / (6) (50)
1996 64 900 45 400 / 2 200 19 500
(178) (124) / (6) (53)
1997 56 100 39 300 / 1 700 16 800
(154) (108) / (5) (46)
1998 55 500 40 700 / 1 600 14 800
(152) (112) / (4) (40)
1999 63 500 47 100 / 2 500 16 400
(174) (129) / (7) (45)
2000 69 800 56 700 / 3 400 13 100
(191) (155) / (9) (36)
* Figures in bracket denote daily average.
As shown by the above, there was an significant increase in the number of CAPs issued by the Police in 2000.
(b) Law enforcement operations of the Police and the C&E carried out at Chung Ying Street are determined by the prevailing circumstances at the location in question. They are not new policies. Chung Ying Street forms part of the land boundary between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Mainland. It is an open boundary without any physical barrier or boundary control point facilities. In 1898, the old Sha Tau Kok Town was divided into two parts by the boundary between Shenzhen and Hong Kong (i.e. Chung Ying Street). Due to this historical background, indigenous residents of Sha Tau Kok Town and their offspring have all along been allowed access to Chung Ying Street to conduct their daily activities in Sha Tau Kok Town in the Mainland as well as the Sha Tau Kok area in Hong Kong. They are also allowed to carry consumer goods across the boundary for their own use. After reunification, the HKSAR Government continues to respect this traditional arrangement in respect.
Law enforcement work at Chung Ying Street has all along been carried out mainly by the Police's Border District. Police posts are maintained at three locations along the Street both before and after the reunification. On the other hand, the C&E carries out customs clearance and anti-smuggling duties mainly at the Sha Tau Kok Control Point and Shek Chung Au Check Post. From time to time the two departments conduct joint operations to combat illegal activities in the area.
With the implementation of open policy in the Mainland and the development of the Sha Tau Kok Town, many mainlanders travel to the Town for business, tours, family or relative visits; many of them also enter Chung Ying Street for sightseeing and shopping. At the end of last year, the Police estimated that as many as 10,000 people passed through the Street each day. The volume of goods in transit via Chung Ying Street in recent years is huge. According to statistics kept by C&E, the number of hand-push carts passing through the Street may reach 1 260 per day with a daily average of 660. Cargoes in transit via the Street may amount to 24 400 boxes with a daily average of about 12 800 boxes. The Police have from time to time seized smuggled items such as fire crackers, duty-not-paid cigarettes/red fuel (industrial diesel oil) and illegally imported meat in the area. The Administration has reasons to believe that criminals are making use of the unique environment of Chung Ying Street for smuggling activities, and therefore sees a need to step up enforcement actions.
As the Customs check post at Shek Chung Au is over 2 km away from the boundary, it is difficult for the C&E to combat smuggling activities at Chung Ying Street from that check post. In view of this, an additional check post has been set up at the entrance to Chung Ying Street since September last year for conducting spot checks of goods transporting through the Street. We appreciated that local residents might not be accustomed to this new arrangement. The C&E has therefore organized a number of briefing meetings for the Sha Tau Kok Rural Committee, residents of Sha Tau Kok Village, Member of Sha Tau Kok District Council, and the two Mainland cargo contractors operating in the area to explain the legislative import/export control and declaration procedures, which will be implemented in a flexible manner. Residents of Sha Tau Kok Village generally appreciated the need for the joint Police/Customs Check Post. Both sides have reached a consensus on the control and declaration procedures and agreed to continue to discuss the detailed arrangements and exchange views in future meetings.
To cope with the ever-increasing passenger flow and cross-boundary activities after the reunification, three more police constables have been deployed to the police posts at Chung Ying Street. More officers will be deployed to patrol the Street during daytime peak hours in order to maintain order and ensure effective control.
(c) The purpose of establishing an area south of the HKSAR's boundary as a Closed Area is to provide a buffer zone to help the security forces to combat illegal immigration, smuggling activities and other cross-boundary crimes effectively, and to maintain the integrity of the boundary between the HKSAR and the Mainland. The Administration controls access to the Closed Area by issuing CAPs on a need basis to prevent excessive presence of people and activities in the area, which will hinder the operations of our law enforcement agencies. The development of Chung Ying Street involves not only the provision of suitable ancillary facilities but also security considerations. Any development plan might greatly increase the passenger flow and activities thereat, which will in turn undermine the Administration's effectiveness in combating illegal immigration and smuggling activities, and hence affecting the law and order. In view of these considerations, the Administration has currently no plan to develop Chung Ying Street.
End/Wednesday, February 14, 2001
NNNN