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accept them back. The released ECVIIS will now be screened. If determined to be refugees, they will be resettled overseas. If not, the government will seek to repatriate them to Vietnam. A group of lawyers has also initiated habeas corpus actions for a number of other Vietnamese migrants in detention.
On December 31, 1994, the total number of Vietnamese migrants in Hong Kong stood at 24 757, of whom 1 698 had been accorded refugee status, 22 433 were classified as non-refugees, 179 were awaiting screening and 447 were ECVIIS. During the year, 1 504 refugees were resettled, while 1 149 births were recorded among the VMs. A total of 242 VMs were repatriated to Vietnam under the Orderly Repatriation Programme. The figure for voluntary repatriation was 5 581, while 549 ECVIIs were returned to China.
Traffic
With a 4.1 per cent increase in registered vehicles during the year, the competition for road space became increasingly acute. The expanding cross-border traffic also resulted in increased pressure on the road network serving the border crossing points and the Kwai Chung Container Terminal.
Major construction projects, many of them relating to the new airport, have also had an adverse impact on the traffic flow, especially where the project sites interface with, or encroach on, the current road systems. A number of major traffic accidents on the Strategic Road Network resulted in prolonged delays to traffic. This also highlighted the conflict between the increasing vehicle population and the limited availability of road space.
The number of fixed penalty tickets issued has continued to rise over the past few years. An increase in the fine from $200 to $320 in June 1994 had only a marginal deterrent effect. During the year, police and traffic wardens issued about 2.08 million tickets for parking offences, an increase of 8.7 per cent over the 1.91 million tickets issued in 1993.
The engagement of taxi drivers in malpractices has been a perennial problem, but concerted police action resulted in many successful prosecutions. A further deterrent has been the requirement for the compulsory display of taxi driver identity plates, which came into effect on April 1. Several legislative amendments have been proposed to further combat this problem.
Speeding and jumping red lights continued to be the most commonly detected moving offences. More advanced speed detection equipment, such as VASCAR autovision and red light cameras, have been acquired to combat such offences.
Marine Police
The year saw a dramatic decrease in smuggling activities at sea. In particular, smuggling by speedboats (tai feis and chung feis) dropped significantly. This was attributed to the combined efforts of the Hong Kong and Chinese governments, and effective deployment of resources by the Anti-Smuggling Task Force, which includes customs officers and the Royal Navy.
The ever-increasing sea traffic, however, continues to place new demands on resources. This was particularly apparent around the once quiet and secluded waters near Sha Tau Kok following the opening of the new container port at Yantian, China, in July. To the west, the various projects connected with the new airport at Chek Lap Kok have required an expanded police presence around Lantau Island. The increase in the number of tourists visiting the