On the occasion of the first anniversary of the publication of 'Customs News', I should like to congratulate the Editorial Board on having done an excellent job since the inaugural issue in March last year. I have heard positive feedback from both serving and retired members of the department that 'Customs News' provided both informative and enjoyable reading. Friends of many overseas agencies to which 'Customs News' is circulated have also expressed high regard for the publication.

'Customs News' reports directions and significant developments of the department, activities and achievements of staff as well as news about serving and retired members.

It serves to improve internal communication and esprit de corps among members of the department and to enhance their sense of belonging. I have no doubt that 'Customs News' will continue to thrive in its mission and I am confident that it will enjoy continued support and appreciation.

As I shall be retiring in March 1999, this will be the last message that I send to you in 'Customs News' in the capacity of Commissioner, I should like to express my sincere thanks to you all for the excellent support that you have given me over the past many years. I appreciate the dedication, fortitude, diligence, perseverance and loyalty that you have always displayed.

It is regrettable that I have reached my age of retirement and that I have to leave you. But my sadness on leaving is mixed with a feeling of pride. I am proud of having spent my entire civil service career with the department that enjoys respect and a good reputation both locally and abroad.

The department, as I recall, was a division with some 600 officers in the now defederalised Commerce and Industry Department when I joined in 1963. It was headed by a Chief Preventive Officer, a rank equivalent to that of a Senior Superintendent today. Commensurate with the growth in volume, scope, complexity and importance in our work, it has developed into a separate department with an establishment of over 5,000 staff, deployed all over the territory under the direction of its own Commissioner who is a Principal Official of the HKSAR.

The modernisation programme that we embarked upon two years ago has progressed well. We have drawn up vision, mission and value statements that provide clear directions on where we are going. We have improved staff's working environment and enhanced staff·¦s safety at work. We have acquired a new marine base and placed orders for additional launches. We have laid the foundation stone for the Kwai Chung Customhouse and secured approval for building a Customs Headquarters Tower. The departmental Retired Officers' Association has been formed and the Customs and Excise Children's Education Trust Fund is scheduled for legislation later this year. We have also made strategic and action plans that chart our course into the next millennium.

We are well known, both locally and internationally, as an efficient and sophisticated force against smuggling, drug trafficking, copyright piracy and counterfeiting, and as a tough agency enforcing product safety and other trading standards. We are recognised as one of the finest customs services in the world and last year we achieved the distinct honour of being elected a member of the Policy Commission of World Customs Organization.

I am proud that the department has achieved these unprecedented developments and has a future that is more promising than ever before.

I am also proud to have had a very satisfying career with the department and to have worked with you, a team of highly professional, loyal and conscientious officers. It is an honour and a privilege to have been your Commissioner.

This being the 90th anniversary of the department, I wish it further development and greater success in the next 90 years and beyond. I wish every one of you, my dear colleagues, health, happiness and success in your career.

Mr Lawrence Li Shu-fai, SBS, JP

Mess Dinner

Hong Kong Customs praised

Federal Express Corp has presented a plaque to the Customs and Excise Department in recognition of the department's outstanding contribution to the air cargo industry for introducing the Air Cargo Clearance System.

FedEx vice-president for the mid-Pacific region, Mr John Quinn, who presented the plaque to Acting Commissioner Raymond Li Wai-man, said the system had helped to streamline shipment processing operations.

Secretary for Security inspects passing-out parade

The Customs and Excise Department is renowned as an internationally efficient Customs agency. Members of the department have a high reputation for professionalism, honesty and hardworking.

The Secretary for Security, Mrs. Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, said this at the passing-out parade held at Customs and Excise Training School on 16 January 1999. A total of 24 probationary Inspectors and 128 probationary Customs Officers completed their induction course at the Training School.

Attendance of WCO Policy Commission Session in New Zealand

The Commissioner, Mr. Lawrence Li Shu-fai and Assistant Commissioner (Control and Intellectual Property), Mr. Vincent Poon attended the 40th Session of the Policy Commission of the World Customs Organization in New Zealand between 8 and 11 December 1998. This was the first time Hong Kong Customs attended the meeting as a member of the Policy Commission after being elected in the Council Session in June 1998. The next Policy Commission Meeting will be held in Brussels in June 1999.

Promoting Customer Service at the Airport Command

Some years ago, I attended a management techniques development seminar organised for senior executives. At the seminar, other participants and I were asked by a seminar leader to conduct a survey on the service needs of our customers for the purpose of improving the customer service provided by the Department. One of the participants, who was a member of a disciplined force, was perplexed by the assignment and told the leader that he had difficulties in identifying the customers in his organisation because the major function performed by his department was to arrest criminals who should never be his customers. This issue ignited a series of profound and interesting discussions at the seminar, and subsequently provided me with much food for thought when I started to launch the customer service promotion exercise at the Airport Command.

It is not unusual to find that some members of disciplined forces, particularly those officers whose major duty is to suppress criminal activities, to have difficulties in appreciating the need to provide customer-oriented service. However, it must be realised that the prime objective of the entire government is to serve the community. All members of the civil service are committed to achieving this objective by providing good quality customer service to the community.

In order to enhance staff awareness of the need to provide good customer service to air-passengers, the Airport Command has put a lot of efforts in introducing cultural changes in passenger clearance.

Firstly, in October 1997, a Facilitation Steering Committee was established in the Command to formulate policy direction and operational strategies to promote facilitation and customer service.

Secondly, in February and March 1998, with the assistance rendered by the Civil Service Training and Development Institute and our Departmental Senior Training Officer, a "Customer Service Workshop" was organised for all officers of the Air Passenger Division. At the workshop, apart from learning the general techniques of providing good customer service, the officers were also taught how to improve their personal Emotional Quotient and to manage their stress at work. Post-course feedback from the trainees was very positive and encouraging. Since then substantive improvements in customer service have been observed.

In April, 1998, an Air Passenger Facilitation Working Group was formed in the Command to set service standard, improve techniques in handling passengers and draw up an implementation plan to enhance customer service.

In order to further promote officers' service quality, the Airport Command organised a competition for "Distinguished Customer Service Awards" among baggage examination counter officers during the period from 3 September to 13 November 1998. During this period, more than 3,800 passengers were interviewed immediately after their baggage has been examined by Customs officers. Over 99% of the interviewees were satisfied customers. About 60% of them rated our officers' manner and service as "good" or "very good", and about 30% of them gave a rating of "excellent". Taking into account that prior to the interview, all the interviewees' baggage has been examined by our officers, which had inevitably caused inconvenience to them, the outcome was a very strong indication of customer satisfaction. Eventually, eight officers were given the awards by the Commissioner at a presentation ceremony held on 4 December 1998.

Winners of the Competition are as follows:-

Champion

Senior Customs Officer Lo Wai-ming

1st Runner-up

Senior Customs Officer Wu Koon-hing

2nd Runner-up

Senior Customs Officer Tang Siu-ching

Award of Excellence

Senior Customs Officer Li Ng Oi-chun

Senior Customs Officer To Janson

Acting Senior Customs Officer Yuen Yin-fung

Acting Senior Customs Officer Lau Chung-mon

Acting Senior Customs Officer Ma Hon-po

Best Performance Team Award -

Air Passenger Division, Division One

Following the completion of the competition, all the winners of Distinguished Customer Service Award were invited to a review meeting. At the meeting, I discovered one distinct feature commonly shared by the winners was that they all possessed a strong sense of empathy. They fully understood the feelings of those passengers who had been selected for baggage examination following long hours of travel. Moreover, they completely realised that being courteous to passengers was not tantamount to losing their dignity at all because they could inspect passengers' baggage in a polite and considerate manner. The officers also recalled that when they took the initiative to greet passengers in a courteous and friendly manner, in most cases, the passengers would react in similar way. Their experience clearly indicated that cultivating a harmonious, warm and friendly atmosphere at work made our tasks much easier and enjoyable.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all my colleagues in the Airport Command for their understanding, patience, unfaltering efforts and devotion to duties in support to the customer service promotion exercise.

Although the heat of the competition has come to an end, the momentum of our customer service promotion exercise has not slacken. Seventeen officers of the Airport Command have just completed a "Train-the-Trainers Workshop for Customer Service" organised by the Civil Service Training and Development Institute. A new round of internal staff training programmes will start very soon. Certainly, the Airport Command will continue with the cultural reforms in enhancing customer service in both passenger and cargo clearance. Moreover, we have also ignited a series of similar training programmes and exercises in some other formations of the department to promote facilitation and customer service. I hope that the Airport Command's cultural reforms in promoting customer-oriented service would be extended to all other parts of the department.

In recent years, we have witnessed many dynamic political, social and economic changes in Hong Kong and other parts of the world. In an era with fast and sudden changing pace, only through continuous self-reform and enhancement, we would be able to accommodate the development of society. I do believe that all our colleagues would always bear the departmental vision statement in mind and continue exerting their best efforts to "act with confidence, serve with courtesy and strive for excellence".

Wong Sau-pui, Lawrence

Chief Superintendent

27 December 1998

MPIA praises Customs for protecting copyright works

Dr Jackie Chan, on behalf of the Motion Picture Industry Association (MPIA) presented a plaque to the Commissioner, Mr Lawrence Li Shu-fai at the Shangri-la Hotel on 30 November 1998 in appreciation of Customs' efforts to protect copyright works of the movie industry.

Anti-piracy Reward Scheme Renews

The signing ceremony for the renewal of the Anti-piracy Reward Scheme took place at the Mess on 29 December 1998. The Reward Scheme was sponsored by eight prominent members of the copyright industry (Business Software Alliance, HK Optical Disc Manufacturers' Association, IFPI HK Group, Motion Picture Association, Motion Picture Industry Association, Philips HK Ltd., Software Publishers Association and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.) and administered by C&ED. The Scheme, entailing a capital of $623,000 took effect on 1 January 1999. Reward money up to $20,000 will be given to a member of the public who provides information to C&ED leading to the successful seizure of pirated CDs or CD manufacturing plants.

Sharing Our Experiences in IPR Protection with Singapore and Malaysia

From 2 to 7 November 1998, Assistant Commissioner POON Yeung-kwong, Superintendent CHOW Wing-keung and Assistant Superintendent CHU Man-kin paid a duty visit to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The visit, sponsored by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), aimed at introducing our new piece of legislation 'The Prevention of Copyright Piracy Ordinance' to senior government officials and prominent leaders of the music industry in these countries, and exchanging with them information and experiences in Intellectual Property Rights protection.

During the visit, the Hong Kong delegation participated in the following key activities -

In Singapore

meetings with local music industry and the Singapore's Trade Development Board (one of the policy bureaux responsible for IPR protection in Singapore)

visiting a CD factory

In Kuala Lumpur

attending a seminar on copyright enforcement with government officials, enforcement officers, legal practitioners and representatives of the music industry

meetings with local music industry and the Malaysian Police

It is worth mentioning that the seminar on copyright enforcement was well received and attended by about 70 participants, far exceeding the original target of 25. After our presentations, the participants reacted very positively and were interested in knowing about details of copyright enforcement in Hong Kong.

The question-and-answer session lasted for more than 45 minutes. The areas being addressed at the forum included our enforcement problems, copyright identification procedures, seizure statistics, prosecution results as well as seizure management etc.

To conclude, the visit has enabled us to understand more about the IPR protection regimes in Singapore and Malaysia, share enforcement experiences with our overseas counterparts, meet the prominent leaders of the copyright industry and establish contacts for future cooperation in IPR protection.

RILO Contact Point Meeting in Hong Kong

The 11th Administrative Meeting of Contact Points for the World Customs Organization (WCO) Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO) (Asia and Pacific) was hosted by the department from 17 to 19 November 1998. Participants included 34 delegates from the WCO Secretariat, the RILO, 16 regional Customs administrations and Customs administrations of Canada, France and the United Kingdom. The meeting was successfully concluded with an Action Plan for further enhancing the exchange of information between RILO and its members and promoting the effectiveness and efficiency of the RILO operations.

On 18 November, the participants visited the new airport. Thereafter, they had an enjoyable lunch at Po Lin Monastery. A tour to Tian Tan, the Giant Buddha concluded their day with good memories.

At the closing ceremony of the meeting, the Commissioner, Mr. Lawrence Li Shu-fai, announced the relocation of RILO from Hong Kong to Tokyo on 1 January 1999. To mark the occasion, the Commissioner presented a token optical disc incorporating the RILO intelligence database to Mr Hiroyasu Watanable, Director General of Japanese Customs.

RELOCATION OF RILO

The WCO, RILO for Asia and Pacific Region which has been established and operated in Hong Kong since December 1987 has been relocated to Tokyo, Japan on 1 January 1999.

To show its continued support to the WCO RILO Project, the Hong Kong Customs has seconded Senior Inspector Leung Sai-kwong as Intelligence Analyst to the new RILO in Tokyo for a term of two years commencing January 1999.

Secondment of SI Leung Sai Kwong to Japan RILO office

I am honoured to be selected to represent the department to join the RILO which will launch its new office in Japan in January 1999. This is my first time to be temporarily detached from the local operations. In the coming months, I will participate proactively in the RILO office to work closely with the counterparts of other customs authorities in furtherance of the common interests in international customs cooperation.

I was very excited when I first saw the recruitment notice about the new post of RILO in Japan. It does not only illustrate the department's continuing commitment in international cooperation with other customs administrations, it is also a distinct departmental gesture to develop the potentials of staff by offering them opportunities to experience in a totally different working context. I seized this golden chance not merely in the pursuit of my personal ambition. I can also reflect the department's perseverance and commitment in maintaining and promoting the joint customs cooperation.

Though Japan is not faraway from Hong Kong, my wholehearted devotion to the job implies my full physical and spiritual attendance in Japan. It requires a great determination. In this respect,

I am greatly touched and moved by the support of my family as well as my fellow colleagues. They give me much impetus and dynamism to face this new challenge. Their concerns means a lot to me.

I am confident in this assignment and looking forward to sharing my experiences and feeling with you in the coming Customs News.

Senior Inspector Leung Sai-kwong

Top Government Web-sites

The homepage of Customs and Excise Department has been selected by PC World, a popular computer magazine, as one of the top 10 most useful government web-sites for the business sector. The magazine describes the department's web-site as both informative and comprehensive. The homepage designers of our department have done a great job indeed. Congratulations!

"Customs News" Editorial Board

Address:

Office of Service

Administration & Training

9/F Harbour Building

38 Pier Road, Central,

Hong Kong

Tel: 2852 3373

Fax: 2815 3558

The New Customs Control System

The new Customs Control System (CCS), costing $40 million and involving 18-month development time, was implemented on 28 September 1998. The successful implementation of the new system was attributed to the joint efforts of the Customs & Excise Department, the Information Technology Services Department and the Electronic Data Systems (H.K.) Ltd.

Prior to the implementation of the new CCS, 280 officers attended a comprehensive training course on the new system applications at the training centre of Office of Information Technology between 18 August and 18 September 1998. A demonstration of the enhanced functions of the new system for the directorate and senior officers was also held on September 1998.

The new CCS comprises three Sub-systems, namely the Dutiable Commodities Sub-system, the Ship Search and Cargo Sub-system and the Central Records Sub-system. Currently, 118 CCS terminals are installed in the relevant Customs offices at different locations, including Harbour Building, Rumsey Street Multi-Storey Carpark Building, Central Government Pier, Middle Road Multi-Storey Carpark Building, Canton Road Government Offices Building, MTL Warehouse Building and North District Government Offices Building.

CCS's facilities and services will also be extended to the Customs Offices at River Trade Terminal and Kowloon-Canton Railway (Hung Hom Station) early this year.

Unlike the old system, the new CCS operates 24 hours a day with high system availability and resilience. Also, all the previous constraints and problems inherent in the old system have been removed. To facilitate data interchange such that the undesirable and costly manual input efforts could be saved, the new CCS allows cross sub-system inquiries and it interfaces

with the Air Cargo Clearance System (ACCS), the Seizure Management and Inventory Control System (SMANDICS) and the Vessel Traffic System (VTS) of the Marine Department.

The new host computers are built with high flexibility for system enhancement and capability for future expansion. With the adoption of a centralised database approach, the new system can now accommodate a greater variety of operational information with fuller details, making the database more comprehensive and sharable. The strengthened functions, user-friendly interface and overall performance of the new system allow users to input and retrieve information in a much more effective and efficient manner. A series of computer reports can also be produced for operational, analytical and managerial purposes.

Implementation of the new CCS marked another milestone in the modernisation programme of the Department.

Record seizure of Cocaine at Airport

Customs Officers made a record seizure of 156 kilograms of cocaine worth about $180 million at the Hong Kong International Airport on 5 December 1998.

The seizure was found concealed inside an aircraft tyre among the supply items of a cargo aircraft under maintenance. Follow-up investigations by Customs Officers found that the cargo plane had stopped at various cities in Europe, South America and North America before arriving Hong Kong for maintenance in late November.

Personnel News

Promotion

Mr Wong Ching-wai, PTCO was promoted to SPTCO on 1 December 1998.

Mr. Lawrence Wong Sau-pui was promoted to Assistant Commissioner on 1 February 1999.

Mrs. Maggie Kwok Young Mei-ki was promoted to Chief Superintendent on 1 February 1999.

Three officers were promoted to the rank of Superintendent on 31 December 1998. They were Messrs Ng Wai-ming, Leung Koon-wah and Liu Cheung-shing

Eleven officers were promoted to the rank of Senior Trade Controls Officer on 28 December 1998.

Eighteen officers were promoted to the rank of Trade Controls Officer on 14 December 1998.

One Clerical Officer was promoted to the rank of Senior Clerical Officer on 28 December 1998.

Two Assistant Clerical Officers were promoted to the rank of Clerical Officer on 1 December 1998.

HK Customs & Excise Long Service Medal and Clasps

A total of 674 officers of various ranks were awarded the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Long Service Medal and Clasps. A presentation ceremony for Assistant Superintendent and above was held at the Customs and Excise Officers·¦ Mess on 23 December 1998. Presentation Ceremonies for the remaining officers were conducted in January 1999.

New Staff

Twenty four Inspectors and 128 Customs Officers in nine classes graduated from the Customs and Excise Training School on 16 January 1999.

The best recruits were Probationary Inspector Kong Chi-ho and Yim Sheung-chi, Probationary Customs Officers Chow Kin-chi, Chiu Yuen-ching, Lo Ting-chiu, Leung Chun-sing, Suen Chun-bong, Cheung Ka-yiu, and Cheung Kam-fai.

Posting

Mr Chu Chan-pui, Francis, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) transferred to the Government Secretariat on 16 November 1998.

Mrs Au Cheung Wai-har, Agnes, CEO took over the post of Departmental Secretary on 2 November 1998.

Mrs. Au-Yeung Kwai-mun, Stella, Acting Principal Executive Officer took over the post of Customs Civil Secretary on 18 January 1999.

Retirement

The following officers retired between December 1998 and February 1999 :

Senior Trade Controls Officer

Ip Kar-wai

Trade Controls Officer

Chan Chak-woon

The following officers proceeded on pre-retirement leave:-

Senior Principal Trade Controls Officer Chan Kwok-wah, John 1 December 1998

Customs Civil Secretary David T Browning 4 January 1999

Assistant Superintendent Pang Chi-ming 10 January 1999

Assistant Commissioner Chik Wah-wai 1 February 1999

Obituary

The Editorial Board of Customs News records with deep regret the deaths of Mr Wong Kam-to, former Superintendent; Mr Kwok Che-chung, Mr. Jose Ricardo Leon, former Inspectors; and Mr Wong Chi-wing, former senior Customs Officer (5929). They passed away in Hong Kong and USA between November 98 and January 1999.