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The joint efforts of Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau law enforcement authorities in recent years in the fight against drug trafficking and cross-boundary drug abuse have been effective in curbing the supply of drugs, the Permanent Secretary for Security, Mr Stanley Ying, said today (September 16).
Officiating at the opening ceremony of the third "Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau Conference on Policy to Tackle Drug Abuse and Trafficking", Mr Ying said traffickers brought drugs across boundaries for huge profit, turning a blind eye to the harm done.
"As one of the regions in China with the busiest flow of people and cargo, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau should work closely to deal with the problem on a regional level," Mr Ying said.
"The three places have different laws, practices and systems. It is all the more important for us to strengthen our co-operation in order to stifle drug traffickers, and seek further opportunities to co-operate in legislation and law enforcement, preventive education as well as treatment and rehabilitation.
"A joint investigation which began in April by Hong Kong Customs and their counterpart in Shenzhen has had a fruitful outcome. This again shows the importance of cross-boundary co-operation for enforcement agents on a regional level."
The third "Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau Conference on Policy to Tackle Drug Abuse and Trafficking" in Macau is hosted by Macanese Government. The theme of this year's conference is improving communication and strengthening co-operation among the three regions.
Also officiating at the conference were the Public Prosecutor-General, Public Prosecutions Office, the Government of Macau SAR, Mr Ho Chio Meng; President of Social Welfare Institure, Mr Ip Peng Kin; Acting Director of Health Bureau, Mr Lei Chin Ion; Deputy Director of the Guangdong Narcotics Control Commission, Mr Zheng Hong; Mr Chen Shaobo of the Guangdong Narcotics Control Commission, the Chairman of the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN) of the HK Special Administrative Region Government, Dr Choi Yuen-wan; and Commissioner for Narcotics, Mrs Rosanna Ure.
Anti-drug officials exchanged views on matters related to drug policy and the latest problems and developments in different areas of work.
They also had in-depth discussions, with proposals made during the three concurrent sessions on anti-drug legislation and law enforcement, preventive education, and treatment and rehabilitation.
Government departments of the three places discussed ways to sustain the momentum of further co-operation and establish a liaison mechanism in combating drug abuse.
Addressing the opening ceremony, ACAN chairman Dr Choi Yuen-wan, said that Central Registry of Drug Abuse figures recorded a 40%-increase in the number of psychotropic substance abuse cases in the last five years. The problem of drug abuse among teenagers under 21 had aroused great concern.
He said that more than 90% of these teenage abusers were addicted to psychotropic drugs, while over 40% of them took more than one kind of drug.
Dr Choi pointed out that in general, young drug abusers started taking drugs at about 15 to 16 years of age. The reasons included peer influence, curiosity and pleasure. Two thirds of them had received secondary education while another 30% had completed high school education.
Among the young drug abusers, one fourth were still in school while a third had a full-time job. Slightly more than a third were either out of school or unemployed. About 65% had no criminal record.
Dr Choi said that the complexity of the problem was reflected in initial analysis. It affected not only the frustrated teenagers, but also some pop idols.
"It is feasible and important to give these young people a chance to start a new life as early as possible.
"More than 90% of our young people do not take drugs. It is also important to strengthen their 'immunity' to drugs by cutting off the drug supply to create a drug-free environment," he continued.
Members of the Hong Kong delegation attending the conference included representatives from the Narcotics Division of the Security Bureau, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Customs and Excise Department, the Social Welfare Department, the Department of Health, the Correctional Services Department and the Government Laboratory.
More than 110 officials from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau participated in the conference. They will visit the Healthy Life Education Centre, Drug Treatment Complex Centre and a rehabilitation home for drug abusers in Macau tomorrow.
The first "Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau Conference on Policy to Tackle Drug Abuse and Trafficking" was held in Hong Kong and the second in Zhongshan. These laid the foundation for further co-operation among the three places in tackling drug problems.
Ends/Thursday, September 16, 2004
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