MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1991
A WIDE RANGE OF OPTIONS TO TREAT AND REHABILITATE DRUG ADDICTS HAD BEEN DEVELOPED.
THERE WERE 25 METHADONE CLINICS THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY OPERATING UNDER CONDITIONS OF STRICT CONFIDENTIALITY, WITH AN AIM OF HELPING TO KEEP DRUG ADDICTS AWAY FROM DRUGS AND REDUCE DRUG-RELATED CRIMES.
THERE WERE A LARGE NUMBER OF VOLUNTARY AGENCIES DEVOTED TO THE TASK OF TREATMENT AND REHABILITATION, PROVIDING AN IMPRESSIVE ARRAY OF SERVICES RANGING FROM THE OPERATION OF VOLUNTARY IN-PATIENT TREATMENT CENTRES TO FREE COUNSELLING AND PROVISION OF ASSISTANCE CAREER PLACEMENT.
IN
EVERY YEAR A VARIETY OF PREVENTIVE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMES INCLUDING COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PROJECTS, ANTI-NARCOTICS PUBLICITY THROUGH THE MEDIA, AND EDUCATIONAL TALKS TO STUDENTS AT SCHOOLS; ORGANISED.
WERK
OF THE EXPLAIN
SINCE FEBRUARY 1984, A SCHOOL TALKS TEAM OF OFFICERS NARCOTICS DIVISION HAD BEEN VISITING ALL SECONDARY SCHOOLS TO TO STUDENTS IN FORMS I TO VII THE HARMFUL EFFECTS OF DRUGS, SO AS TO DISSUADE THEM FROM ABUSING OR EXPERIMENTING WITH ILLICIT DRUGS.
HE ALSO DESCRIBED HONG KONG'S EFFORTS TO ATTACK THE UNDERLYING, ECONOMIC CAUSES OF THIS TRADE, RECOGNISING THAT ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS OF ATTACKING THE PROBLEM WAS TO IDENTIFY AND TO DESTROY THE FINANCIAL STRUCTURES AND MACHINERY SET UP BY DRUG TRAFFICKERS.
IN 1989, HONG KONG INTRODUCED ITS DRUG TRAFFICKING (RECOVERY OF PROCEEDS) ORDINANCE WHICH PROVIDED FOR THE FREEZING AND THE CONFISCATION OF DRUG TRAFFICKING PROCEEDS. THE ORDINANCE ALSO MADE IT A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO LAUNDER THE PROCEEDS OF DRUG TRAFFICKING.
SO FAR, SOME $312 MILLION HAD BEEN FROZEN AND OVER HALF A MILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF DRUG ASSETS HAD BEEN CONFISCATED.
IN ADDITION, CONFISCATION ORDERS HAD BEEN GRANTED FOR ANOTHER 4.4 MILLION OF DRUGS ASSETS.
"ALTHOUGH IT IS PERHAPS A LITTLE EARLY TO SAY JUST HOW EFFECTIVE THE ORDINANCE HAS BEEN IN ATTACKING THE PROFIT ELEMENT IN THE DRUGS TRADE, THE RESULTS SO FAR ARE ENCOURAGING.
"WE ARE NOW REVIEWING THE ORDINANCE WITH A VIEW TO INTRODUCING FURTHER AMENDMENTS TO ENHANCE ITS EFFECTIVENESS AND ITS CAPABILITIES IN ATTACKING THE ASSETS OF DRUGS TRAFFICKING," MR MATHEWS SAID.
NOTING THAT BANKS PLAYED A VITAL PART IN COMBATTING MONEY LAUNDERING, HE SAID AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE DRUG TRAFFICKING (RECOVERY OF PROCEEDS) ORDINANCE REQUIRED FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN HONG KONG TO GIVE NOTICE WHENEVER THERE WAS A SUSPECT TRANSACTION WHICH MIGHT INVOLVE THE PROCEEDS OF DRUGS TRAFFICKING.
HE SAID THE HONG KONG ASSOCIATION OF BANKS HAD ISSUED COMPREHENSIVE GUIDELINES IN THIS AREA.
/BY IMPLEMENTING