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Inter-departmental efforts in combating parallel trading activities
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     A Government spokesman said today (February 3) that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government is very concerned about the impact of parallel trading activities on people's daily lives, in particular in North District, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun. As the Lunar New Year approaches, relevant departments are closely monitoring the situation and have adopted various measures including targeted actions and stepping up enforcement to combat parallel trading activities.

     An inter-departmental meeting was chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Carrie Lam, yesterday (February 2) to review the work of various departments in combating parallel trading activities. The spokesman quoted Mrs Lam as saying that parallel trading activities are expected to be more prevalent ahead of the Lunar New Year. She has asked the departments concerned to closely monitor the situation and enhance communication, co-operation and enforcement to combat parallel trading activities and maintain order at streets and boundary control points. Ongoing and enhanced measures adopted by various departments include:

Management of boundary control points
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     The Government is very concerned about the impact of parallel trading activities on the operation of boundary control points. The law enforcement agencies (LEAs) have been implementing a series of countermeasures. In the two months of December last year and January this year, the Immigration Department (ImmD) and the Police have mounted 30 joint enforcement operations named "Windsand" in North District (including Sheung Shui and Lok Ma Chau), and arrested 286 Mainland residents who were suspected of contravening conditions of stay by being involved in parallel trading activities. ImmD will pass the particulars of the convicted Mainland residents to the Mainland authorities for cancellation of their exit endorsements and they would be prohibited from visiting Hong Kong for two years. Furthermore, the Customs and Excise Department has been actively exchanging intelligence and planning dedicated operations with the Shenzhen authorities. During the same period, the two sides have cracked 84 smuggling cases involving parallel traders, seizing goods with a total value of about HK$1.75 million.

     In addition, ImmD has established a "watch list of suspected parallel traders". ImmD will target and examine suspected parallel traders, and will mount special operations to strengthen the interception of persons suspected to be involved in parallel trading activities. If their purposes of visits are in doubt, ImmD will consider refusing their entry and repatriating them immediately. As at the end of January 2015, ImmD has included information of more than 13 300 suspected parallel traders in the watch list and refused over 27 100 entries.

     With the peak travelling season during the Lunar New Year approaching, the LEAs will deploy additional manpower to various control points, and to hot spots of parallel trading activities such as North District, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun to conduct targeted operations in collaboration with other departments.

Non-compliance at industrial buildings
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     The Fire Services Department (FSD) is very concerned about the fire safety hazards that are potentially caused by parallel trading activities. The FSD will take enforcement action against cases which have contravened any fire services legislation or have adversely affected fire safety in buildings, and will refer cases which involve unauthorised change of building use to relevant departments for follow-up action. The FSD has been regularly inspecting buildings which are involved in parallel trading activities in Sheung Shui, Fanling and Tuen Mun. The FSD will step up inspections to ensure fire safety.

     On some recent press reports suggesting that certain industrial building units in the New Territories had been converted into retail shops, the Lands Department (LandsD) said such activities might have breached the relevant lease conditions, and the resulting flow of customers will also increase security risks at these buildings. Targeting such lease breach cases, District Land Offices in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and North District under the department have set up special operation teams to enhance enforcement actions. The department will issue warning letters to the unit owners concerned. If breaches are not rectified before the deadline, encumbrances will be imposed by registering the warning letters at the Land Registry and the department might further proceed with re-entry of the relevant units.

Black spots for parallel trading and street management
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     The Police have been actively patrolling black spots where parallel traders gather in view of the nuisance caused by parallel trading activities to boundary control points and the local community in the vicinity. In recent months, the Police have also stepped up enforcement actions against issues including obstruction and nuisance in public places caused by parallel traders. In January this year, the Police conducted 31 operations and issued a total of 23 summonses under the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap 228). Relevant departments will continue to take strict enforcement action at black spots of parallel trading activities to minimise the nuisance caused to residents in public places.

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will enhance street cleansing services and step up removal of discarded items at parallel trading black spots in North District so as to keep the district clean and tidy.

     Targeting environmental hygiene problems caused by littering in the district, the FEHD will step up enforcement by issuing Fixed Penalty Notices to offenders to achieve a deterrent effect.

     To tackle obstruction problems caused by shops involved in parallel trading activities, relevant government departments, including the Police and the FEHD, will continue to take inter-departmental enforcement action in the run-up to the Lunar New Year to combat such irregularities.

Transport
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     As regards transport services, the Transport Department (TD) is very concerned about the recent influx of passengers to the bus routes serving the boundary control points. The TD has reminded the bus companies to reserve sufficient buses and to strengthen bus services to cope with the increase in passenger demand. Furthermore, as many passengers on the routes concerned carry oversized luggage, the TD has also requested the bus companies to deploy additional staff to provide assistance to boarding passengers, separate passengers with oversized luggage and improve the queuing arrangements.

     It is alleged that the issuing of free bus tickets to customers by the shopping malls in Tuen Mun has attracted many passengers with luggage to take Citybus route B3X (Tuen Mun Town Centre - Shenzhen Bay Port). To address the concerns of the public, Citybus Limited has already ceased selling prepaid tickets to the shopping malls.

     In respect of the alleged illegal activities involving some taxi drivers soliciting passengers near the terminating point of Citybus route B3X, the TD will, together with the Police, monitor the situation and strengthen enforcement actions.

     The Police have also stepped up enforcement actions against road obstructions caused by illegal parking and loading or unloading of goods in connection with parallel trading. In January this year, over 1 100 fixed penalty tickets were issued under the Fixed Penalty (Criminal Proceedings) Ordinance (Cap 237) and the Fixed Penalty (Traffic Contraventions) Ordinance (Cap 240). Action has also been taken against a taxi driver for carrying goods in a taxi. To prepare for the peak travelling season during the Lunar New Year, the Police will step up traffic enforcement actions, and will also deploy additional manpower at places of high pedestrian flow to ensure public order and public safety and to ensure smooth traffic flow.

     Representatives attending the inter-departmental meeting yesterday came from the Security Bureau, the Development Bureau, the Food and Health Bureau, the Transport and Housing Bureau, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Buildings Department, the Customs and Excise Department, the FSD, the FEHD, the Hong Kong Police Force, ImmD, LandsD, the Home Affairs Department, the Tourism Commission, the TD and the Information Services Department.

Ends/Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Issued at HKT 18:42

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