ENG-2003 — Page 418

PUBLIC ORDER

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Composed of experts in various fields of social, community and other areas of anti- drug work, the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN) is a non-statutory body which advises the Government on anti-drug policies and activities. Headed by a chairman, it has 17 unofficial members, three government officials including the Commissioner for Narcotics and a representative from the Department of Health and from the Hong Kong Police Force. Under a scheme of reciprocal appointment to advisory committees between the Singapore and Hong Kong Governments, the Director of Singapore's Central Narcotics Bureau is also invited to sit on the committee to exchange experience with ACAN members.

During the year, the Government continued to step up efforts to combat psychotropic substance abuse, particularly among young people, by adopting comprehensive measures to tackle the problem recommended in the Report of the Task Force on Psychotropic Substance Abuse.

Legislation and Law Enforcement

To fulfil its international obligations under the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, Hong Kong enacted the Drug Trafficking (Recovery of Proceeds) Ordinance and the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance which provide for the tracing, freezing, confiscation. and recovery of the proceeds of drug trafficking and other serious crimes.

The Drug Trafficking and Organised Crimes (Amendment) Ordinance was enacted in July 2002 to further enhance the effectiveness of Hong Kong's anti-money laundering regime through amendments to the Drug Trafficking (Recovery of Proceeds) Ordinance and the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance. These amendments took effect on January 1, 2003.

Since the enactment of the Drug Trafficking (Recovery of Proceeds) Ordinance and the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance, assets valued at $383 million have been confiscated and paid to the Government. As at year-end, assets amounting to $101 million had been ordered to be confiscated and were pending recovery and a further $1,278 million was restrained pending confiscation proceedings under these two ordinances.

The Places of Public Entertainment Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 1) Regulation 2002, which came into operation in January 2003, brings dance parties at unlicensed premises under licensing control. To dovetail with the implementation of the new licensing arrangement, the Narcotics Division issued a revised Code of Practice for Dance Party Organisers to promote self-regulation by party organisers or venue providers.

The law enforcement agencies, i.e. the Police Force and the Customs and Excise Department, continued to take strong and sustained enforcement action to suppress drug trafficking and related crimes. Both agencies further enhanced cooperation and communication with external authorities and achieved fruitful results in the disruption and halting of transnational trafficking activities and arrest of criminals. Furthermore, cooperation with Guangdong Province and Macau was strengthened through the mounting of parallel law enforcement actions, sharing of intelligence, and exchange activities.