XN000022-1982-04-12 — Page 2

MONDAY, APRIL 12, 1982

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CUSTOMS AND EXCISE AMONG MOST EFFICIENT IN WORLD

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HONG KONG EXISTS LARGELY BY INTERNATIONAL TRADE, AND THE MANY ACTIVITIES THAT THIS ENTAILS IN RESPONSE TO THE REQUIREMENT OF OUR OVERSEAS TRADING PARTNERS HAS GIVEN RISE TO ONE OF THE MOST EFFICIENT CUSTOMS AND EXCISE SERVICES IN THE WORLD.

WHILE ITS MAJOR ACTIVITY IS STILL CONCERNED WITH FACILITATING THE SMOOTH FLOW OF GOODS OF ALL KINDS TO AND FROM HONG KONG, THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE SERVICE, NEVERTHELESS, STANDS HIGH IN INTERNATIONAL ASSESSMENT AS A DRUG-FIGHTING BODY.

ITS ANTI-NARCOTICS OPERATIONS, WHICH INVOLVE A SUBSTANTIAL PART OF ITS MANPOWER, RESULTED IN THE SEIZURE LAST YEAR OF SOME 190 KILOGRAMS OF NARCOTICS, WORTH ABOUT $60 MILLION IN THE STREETS, AND THE ARREST OF 750 PERSONS.

BUT TRADE FACILITATION REMAINS AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION PROBABLY MORE SO IN HONG KONG THAN IN MOST OTHER COUNTRIES, SAID THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS AND EXCISE, MR DOUGLAS JORDAN.

HONG KONG'S TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE LAST YEAR, FOR INSTANCE, CAME TO $260 BILLION, IN THE FORM OF ABOUT $138 BILLION IN IMPORTS, $80 BILLION WORTH OF EXPORTS AND SOME $42 BILLION OF RE-EXPORTS.

ALL OF THIS INVOLVED THOUSANDS OF AIRCRAFT AND VESSELS (AND ABOUT NINE MILLION PASSENGERS), IN ADDITION TO THE MILLIONS OF POSTAL PACKAGES, THOUSANDS OF CONTAINERS OF MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS, AND RAW MATERIALS AND OTHER ARTICLES.

IN FACT, THE SERVICE IS NOW RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DIRECT ENFORCEMENT OF 16 ORDINANCES INVOLVING REVENUE COLLECTION, COPYRIGHT, COUNTERFEIT, AND DANGEROUS DRUGS AND OTHER CONTRABAND.

TO COPE WITH THE INCREASING COMPLEXITY AND VOLUME OF ITS WORKLOAD, THE SERVICE LAST YEAR UNDERTOOK A MAJOR REORGANISATION OF ITS ACTIVITIES, WHICH IS NOW NEARLY COMPLETED. IN DOING SO, IT HAD TO INCREASE ITS MANPOWER BY 454 PERSONS TO ITS PRESENT STRENGTH OF 2 158, WHICH IS THE MAJOR PART OF THE 3 000 STRONG CUSTOMS AND CONTROLS DEPARTMENT.

WHEN THE SERVICE BEGAN IN 1909 AS A SMALL DIVISION OF WHAT WAS THEN THE IMPORT AND EXPORT DEPARTMENT, IT HAD A STAFF OF 26, RECALLED MR JORDAN. THE WORK THEN, HOWEVER, WAS EQUALLY VERY LIMITED IN A VERY MUCH SMALLER HONG KONG.

THE PRESENT CUSTOMS AND EXCISE SERVICE NOW ORGANISED IN THE FIELD IN THREE LARGELY AUTONOMOUS REGIONS HAS THREE SPECIALISED SUPPORT BRANCHES AT HEADQUARTERS - THE GENERAL ADMINISTRATION UNIT DEALING WITH STAFFING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT, A TECHNICAL BUREAU PROVIDING A THINK-TANK FOR THE SERVICE AND THE CUSTOMS INVESTIGATION BUREAU (CIB).

/MR K.S. TONG,