XN000022-1986-03-17 — Page 6

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MONDAY, MARCE

'BECAUSE OF HONG KONG'S FREE PORT STATUS AND THE LARGE NUMBERÄ OF OCEAN-GOING VESSELS ENTERING PORT EVERY DAY, IT 18 IMPOSSIBLE" FOR US TO SEARCH EVERY ONE OF THEM', HE NOTED.

HE SAID THE TASK OF SELECTING A VESSEL FOR RUMMAGING WAS FACILITATED BY A FILING SYSTEM FOR EACH OCEAN-GOING VESSEL THAT CALLED AT HONG KONG, INCORPORATING ALL BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON ITS ITINERARY, COMPOSITION OF ITS CREW AND ANY RECORD OF INVOLVEMENT IN SMUGGLING. THE DEPARTMENT HAD FILES ON OVER 12 000 SHIPS.

'IN OUR SELECTION OF VESSELS FOR RUMMAGING, TO PRIORITY IS GIVEN TO THOSE ARRIVING FROM SUSPECT PORTS* (EG. TANGKOK, CALCUTTA, RANGOON ETC.) WHERE DRUGS ARE PRODUCED', HE SAID.

DEPENDING ON AVAILABILITY OF STAFF, MR LEE SAID, VESSELS FROM OTHER PORTS, TERMED AS 'NON-SUSPECT', WERE ALSO SELECTED FOR SEARCH TO DETER AND COUNTERACT DIVERSIONARY TACTICS WHICH MIGHT BE ADOPTED BY DRUG TRAFFICKERS,

'OUR SHIP RUMMAGERS ARE ALSO DEPLOYED TO SEARCH TRADING VESSELS ARRIVING FROM CHINA AND MACAU TO PREVENT THE SMUGGLING OF DUTIABLE GOODS AND OTHER CONTRABAND.

'IN 1985, A TOTAL OF 1 138 OCEAN-GOING VESSELS FROM 'SUSPECT PORTS', 231 FROM 'NON-SUSPECT PORTS' AND 274 MACAU TRADING VESSELS WERE SEARCHED BY OFFICERS OF THE ANTI-SMUGGLING DIVISION'.

MR LEE DESCRIBED THE SEARCH OF OCEAN-GOING VESSELS AS THOROUGH EXHAUSTIVE, REQUIRING THE USE AT TIMES OF SPECIAL EQUIPMENT JO AS BREATHING APPARATUS, SAFETY BELTS AND AIR BLOWERS.

'IN SOME CASES, EVEN THE HULL, SPECTED BY OUR DIVERS TO LOOK FOR CONTRABAND MAY BE CONCEALED'.

BALLAST AND WATER TANKS ARE PLACES AND 'HIDES' WHERE

REFERRING TO THE EXAMINATION OF CARGO - AN IMPORTANT PREVENTIVE WORK UNDERTAKEN BY THE SEA CARGO EXAMINATION DIVISION, MR LEE SAID OFFICERS' ATTENTION WAS LIKEWISE DRAWN TO CARGO THAT ORIGINATED FROM COUNTRIES WHERE NARCOTICS DRUGS WERE PRODUCED OR TRANS:IPPED, WHILE THEY AT THE SAME TIME MAINTAINED REGULAR CHECKS ON CARGO IMPORTED FROM NON-SUSPECT PORTS.

'IN 1985, A TOTAL OF 12 893 CONSIGNMENTS FROM SUSPECT PORTS' AND 2 820 FROM NON-SUSPECT PORTS' WERE SELECTED FOR EXAMINATION.

'IT NECESSITATES THE SCRUTINY OF IMPORT CARGO MANIFESTS AGAINST RELEVANT SHIPPING DOCUMENTS AND OUR OWN IMPORTERS LIST' COMPILED BY THE CARGO DATA UNIT OF THE CUSTOMS INVESTIGATION BUREAU.

'THIS "IMPORTERS LIST PROVIDES OUR FIELD OFFICERS WITH UP-TO-DATE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON ALL REGISTERED IMPORTER FIRM.. IN HONG KONG WHICH ARE CLASSIFIED INTO DIFFERENT CATEGORIES, HE SAID.