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The suggestion on 24-hour operation at boundary control points involve complicated issues and the Administration has to establish whether there is a genuine need for this service, the Secretary for Security, Mrs Regina Ip, said today (May 2).

She made the remark at two separate meetings with leading members of the Democratic Alliance on the Betterment of Hong Kong (DAB) and the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions (FTU).

Mrs Ip said that latest studies showed that at the present stage, the current opening hours of the four land boundary crossings for passengers seemed to have adequately accommodated the normal commuting needs of ordinary households as well as most of the people going across the border for shopping and entertainment.

Mrs Ip pointed out that operating boundary checkpoints round the clock involve a host of factors. "Apart from the likely number of passengers, the resource implications, physical constraints and economic benefits are all considerations that have to be taken into account," she said.

She added that the alignment of manpower at Mainland control points was also very important, noting that boundary control in the Mainland involve six agencies including customs and the public security authorities.

"Besides, public views are divided on the issue, as evident from recent opinion polls. Residents living along the railway are concerned about nuisance of non-stop noise pollution and its adverse effect on property prices there. There are also shop and restaurant operators who are worried that their business will be hard hit," she continued.

Nevertheless, the Administration would consider a suggestion that the Lok Ma Chau Boundary Crossing should be open to passengers round the clock to facilitate residents who might need to cross the boundary during the night for matters of emergency.

"We would first explore the feasibility of the proposal with the Transport Bureau, and take up the matter with the Mainland authorities if the proposal is workable," she said.

Mrs Ip noted that there were other options for coping with surge in passenger flow at the boundary. A more practical means would be to extend the opening hours of the control points on peak days, as it is unlikely that a large number of passengers would choose to go to the Mainland or return to Hong Kong in the small hours of the morning.

She stressed that the Administration was always committed to maintaining efficient service at boundary crossings. On peak days during festival periods and long holidays, the Immigration Department had deployed adequate manpower to cope with the surge of commuters at all checkpoints.

During the Labour Day long weekend, the extension of the operating hours of Lo Wu checkpoint by 30 minutes was sufficient to cope with the holiday crowds. Inclement weather and the fact that we had two long weekends successively were believed to be factors contributing to the lower than estimated passenger figures.

"To cater for the increasingly heavy demand for cross-boundary traffic between Guangdong and Hong Kong, the Administration has already implemented a series of immediate measures aimed at expanding the passenger handling capacity of existing crossings. For example, additional kiosks have been constructed at Lok Ma Chau and contra-flow arrangement has been adopted during peak periods at Lo Wu," Mrs Ip said.

She added that the Administration was also actively considering ways to streamline cross-boundary passenger clearance procedures by exploring the optimum use of modern technology. An option under study was the use of smart card type identity cards for cross-boundary passenger clearance.

On calls for joint immigration and customs clearance at boundary checkpoints, Mrs Ip said the Administration was studying whether overseas experience of special clearance procedures, including pre-clearance implemented at the US-Canadian border and the co-location clearance adopted at the German-Polish border, could be applicable at our boundary checkpoints.

"While we keep an open mind on the options, we have to bear in mind physical, operational as well as procedural factors and constraints. In particular, we would need to handle the proposed measures carefully if they involve enforcement and legal problems. Whatever option we decide on must be in line with the 'one country, two system' principle," Mrs Ip concluded.

End/Tuesday, May 2, 2000

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