XN000022-1984-01-28 — Page 3

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 1984

VAST MAJORITY OF HK'S TRADERS ARE HONEST

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MOST ALLEGATIONS AND ASSERTIONS ABOUT HONG KONG'S INVOLVEMENT IN COUNTERFEITING TRADE WERE UNFAIR, THE COMMISSIONER OF CUSTOMS AND EXCISE, MR DOUGLAS JORDAN, SAID IN ORLANDO, USA, ON FRIDAY (JANUARY 27).

MR JORDAN WAS SPEAKING AT THE INTERNATIONAL ANTI-COUNTERFEITING COALITION MEETING THERE.

HE TOLD THE MEETING THAT THERE HAD ALWAYS BEEN PEOPLE IN OTHER PLACES MAKING UNFAIR ASSERTIONS ABOUT VARIOUS ASPECTS OF HONG KONG'S TRADING INTEGRITY.

MR JORDAN STRESSED NOT ONLY WAS THE VAST MAJORITY OF HONG KONG'S TRADERS HONEST BUT THE TERRITORY'S COMMUNITY AT LARGE WAS HARD WORKING AND DESERVED ALL THE TRADE IT ACHIEVED.

+BUT THERE ARE A FEW ROTTEN APPLES IN ANY BARREL. AND THIS CAN BE SAID OF ANY COUNTRY WHETHER ONE IS TALKING ABOUT COUNTERFEITING OR ANY OTHER FORM OF FRAUD. UNFORTUNATELY IT IS THE ROTTEN APPLES WHO ATTRACT THE PUBLICITY, NOT THE VAST MAJORITY OF HONEST TRADERS.

+WE IN HONG KONG ENDEAVOUR TO PROVIDE THE STRONGEST LEGAL SANCTIONS AGAINST SUCH ROTTEN APPLES AND STRONG EFFICIENT LAW- ENFORCEMENT TEAMS TO ENSURE MAXIMUM APPREHENSION OF SUCH PEOPLE, HE SAID.

MR JORDAN GAVE DETAILS OF THE DEVELOPMENTS LEADING TO THE ENACTMENT OF THE TRADE DESCRIPTIONS ORDINANCE WHICH BECAME EFFECTIVE IN APRIL 1981.

UNDER THE NEW LAW, ENFORCEMENT RESPONSIBILITY WAS PLACED ON THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENT, AND OPERATIONALLY ON THE DEPARTMENT'S TRADE CONTROLS INVESTIGATION BRANCH WHICH HAD 45 OFFICERS SPECIALISING IN COUNTERFEITS AND OTHER TRADE DESCRIPTION INFRINGEMENTS, HE POINTED OUT.

+BUT AS BACK-UP, THERE ARE SEVERAL HUNDRED OFFICERS AT THE ENTRY POINTS AND IN THE HINTERLAND WHO NOT ONLY AS PART OF THEIR OVERALL DUTIES SEEK TO DETECT THE MOVEMENT OF COUNTERFEIT GOODS, BUT ARE AVAILABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO SPECIFIC TASK FORCES WHEN SUCH ARE NECESSARY FOR PARTICULAR OPERATIONS, MR JORDAN SAID.

TO ILLUSTRATE HONG KONG'S INCREASING EFFECTIVENESS IN ITS ANTI-COUNTERFEITING OPERATIONS, MR JORDAN POINTED OUT THAT IN 1978 THERE WERE 213 INVESTIGATIONS RESULTING IN THE SEIZURE OF $1-MILLION WORTH OF GOODS, WHILE IN 1983, 913 CASES WERE HANDLED, WITH $21- MILLION WORTH OF GOODS SEIZED.

+IN 1978, WE TOOK 56 CASES TO COURT. FINES TOTALLING $50 000 WERE AWARDED AND THREE PERSONS WERE COMMITTED TO PRISON.

/+LAST YEAR,