The Commissioner John C Tsang led a delegation, comprising Assistant Commissioner Lawrence Wong and Assistant Superintendent Sam Lui, to attend the 8th World Customs Organization (WCO) Regional Conference of Heads of Customs Administrations for the Asia Pacific Region held in Canberra, Australia between April 9 and 13, 2000.
The highlight of the Conference was the unanimous nomination of Hong Kong, China to be the next WCO Vice-Chairman representing the Asia Pacific Region which will serve for a tenure of two one-year terms starting from July 2000.Australia, the current Vice-Chairman of the Region, organised and hosted the Conference. Twenty Heads of Customs Administrations or representatives in the Region attended the Conference to review the work undertaken over the past two years and set the future direction and focus for the next two years.Customs Intelligence and Liaison Bureau
The Customs Marine Base at Stonecutters was formerly part of the British naval base. After the handover, it was re-allocated to the Customs for use as a marine base.
Conversion and renovation work started in mid-1999. After six months or so, the Marine Base came into operation on March 6, 2000 after an opening ceremony officiated by the Commissioner John C Tsang. The Marine Base consists mainly of two buildings: the main building and the ancillary building. The main building houses office areas, a conference room, a training room, an arms cage, a supplies room, detention rooms, changing rooms, a standby room and a recreation room, whereas the ancillary building is used for warehousing marine and diving equipment.
The Customs fleet was set up in the 1960's when the Department was still known as the Preventive Service. In the beginning, there were only nine wooden boats without any permanent berths. Other than conveying officers to work, the boats would berth at the then Government Dockyard.
In the 80's and 90's, the Customs fleet gained momentum in modernisation. They took their shelter at the Canton Road Government Dockyard. Owing to the relocation of the Dockyard, the Government Property Agency arranged for the conversion of four containers into offices and changing rooms in a site of the Airport Railway station near the Central Government Pier to serve as a temporary base for the fleet.
Now, the Customs fleet has a permanent base of its own. The base is an ideal and comfortable workplace and the morale of all colleagues is high. The Marine Base is a boost to officers' sense of belonging and provides adequate facilities for them to exert their efforts to the full strength in combating smuggling activities.
Mr. Mu Xin-sheng, Deputy Commissioner of the China Customs General Administration (CGA), led an eight-member delegation for a visit in Hong Kong from February 29 to March 3, 2000 and signed a "Customs Co-operative Arrangement" with the Commissioner John C Tsang on March 1.
The Arrangement was formulated in accordance with the "Memorandum of Understanding on Co-operation" signed by the Department and the CGA in Beijing in August 1998. It provides a framework for both administrations to strengthen co-operation in the fight against smuggling and illicit drug trafficking and in the protection of intellectual property rights. Besides, it sets out the mode of co-operation and the arrangements of mutual administrative assistance in other customs related areas. Following the signing of the Arrangement, both administrations will exchange intelligence, conduct parallel joint anti-smuggling operations, organise visits and training programmes, conduct feasibility studies on the simplification of customs clearance procedures and the exchange of information by means of electronic data interchange.
Under the spirit of the Basic Law and the principle of "One Country, Two Systems", the signing of the Arrangement is another good example demonstrating the status of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as a separate customs territory.
The Cyber Investigation Seminar, jointly organised by the Hong Kong Customs and the US Customs Service, was held from April 17 to 20, 2000 at the Civil Service Training and Development Institute. The primary objectives of the Seminar were to enhance the participants' knowledge in cyber investigation and computer forensics and to provide them with an opportunity to share their enforcement experiences with the visiting instructors.
The Seminar was convened by three cyber investigation experts from the US Cyber Smuggling Centre of the US Customs Service. They were Senior Special Agents Mr. James Thomas, Mr. Edgar Lacy and Mr. Phillip Osborn. Attending the Seminar were 58 officers including 50 from the Customs and eight from the Police, the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Intellectual Property Department.
The Seminar covered a wide range of topics including the set up of Cyber Smuggling Investigation Centre and its mission, a brief introduction of internet, types of computer crime, the ways to obtain electronic evidence, seizure of computers and the follow-up forensic examination.
Being a participant, I found the Seminar very interesting and informative. I had no difficulty in grasping the gist of the subjects as they were delivered in layman language. Following the first two days of classroom lectures, we advanced to the hands-on session, which in my opinion was the main course of the seminar. Participants were given an opportunity not only to put the techniques acquired in the first two days into practice, but also to experience real-life applications of various investigative tools and their limitations. To deepen the understanding of the participants in cyber crime investigation, the US experts made reference to several precedent cases detected in the US for study.
Cyber crimes are hard to detect because the Internet world has no boundary. Tricky culprits will use whatever artifice to hide their real identities. Besides, disgraceful activities counted as illegitimate in one country do not necessarily carry any legal liability in another. International cooperation is thus a key to suppress cross boundary crimes in the cyber space.
With the rapid advancement of technology serving as the catalyst for the development of e-Commerce, IPR infringement is in the course of proliferation from a physical environment to the cyberspace. Law enforcement officers must take a proactive role and adapt themselves to this change. To comprehend the dynamic information technology environment, they must understand how the Internet works at an engineering level. Therefore, enhancing knowledge in the field of cyber investigation and forensic examination is the key to success. I am looking forward to receiving similar training in the near future.
The Commissioner of United States Customs Service, Mr. Raymond Kelly, visited the Department between May 10 and 12.
During the three-day visit, Mr. Kelly met the Commissioner John C Tsang and senior members and made a tour of various offices of the Department.
In winding up his visit, Mr. Kelly had highly appreciated the Department's efforts in combating transnational crimes, curbing infringement of intellectual property rights and manufacturing of counterfeit goods, preventing the diversion of strategic commodities, deterring smuggling of human cargo and suppressing illegal textile transshipment to the United States.
The first initiation forum for members of the Computer Forensics Special Interest Group (CFSIG) was held in the evening on March 28, 2000 at the Senior Officers' Mess. Forty-eight members attended the forum.
In the forum, Acting Senior Superintendent Leung Koon-wah briefed members on the main objectives and future directions of CFSIG in relation to the formation of the Computer Analysis and Response Team (CART) and the establishment of the Departmental Computer Forensics Laboratory. To warm up members' interests, Acting Superintendent Ho Ka-ying distributed a specially designed quiz for them to ponder on. Service guests Senior Superintendent William Chow contributed some invaluable views on the way forward for CFSIG while Superintendent Au-Yeung Ho-lok provided an account on the latest development of cyber crime enforcement in the Department. Other guests from the Infrastructure Services Branch of ITSD led by Senior System Manager Mr Alex Cheung were invited to join the forum and one of the guests, Mr. Jeff Fong, presented an overview on the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) in Hong Kong.
Members in the forum showed positive response and keen interest in participating in future programmes. Guest speakers from other departments or organisations will continually be invited to brief members on the latest development of IT related topics. It is envisaged that CFSIG will, along the course of its mission, also invigorate the development of IT culture in the Department. In striving towards such a vision, officers are always welcome to join the CFSIG by contacting SS (IT) at his e-mail address: kw_leung1@customs.gcn.gov.hk or S (IT) at ky_ho@customs.gcn.gov.hk.
Isn't it an illusion?" The four officers of Terminal Patrol Team of Ship Search and Cargo Command asked themselves inside a patrol car when they saw an armoured personnel carrier being placed on deck of a 37 000-tonne container vessel at berth no.11, Kwai Chung Container Terminal at about 2 am on March 30, 2000. Shortly afterwards, they realised the truth when they saw another armoured personnel carrier on the dock near the vessel.
Further investigation revealed the unlicensed transit of five armoured personnel carriers from Naples, Italy to Tianjin, the Mainland via Hong Kong. The seized BTR-70 model armoured personnel carriers, made by the former Soviet Union in early 80's, had good serviceability but disarmed. Two offenders were prosecuted and subsequently fined a total of $250,000 by the court.
The successful detection of the case was attributable to the hardwork and dedication to duties of the Terminal Patrol Team officers. The four Terminal Patrol Teams of the Command maintain a round-the-clock patrol in the 200-hectare Kwai Chung Container Terminals to detect and deter smuggling activities. It is, indeed, not an easy task for the Teams to achieve their mission in this world's busiest container port with voluminous container throughput and tight berthing schedule. The successful interception of the five armoured personnel carriers has pronounced and evidenced our firm determination to prevent the HKSAR from being used as a conduit for the proliferation of strategic commodities. The unanimous acclaims from the media are definitely encouraging.
Officers of the General Investigation Division detected two significant smuggling cases of endangered species on March 15 and 21, 2000 with a total seizure of 2 814 kg of pangolin scales and 456 kg of sea turtle skin and shells, valued at about HK$2.6 million. The contraband, hidden among bags of seaweed and shark's fin inside seven containers, arrived from Indonesia and the Philippines. They were to be transshipped to the Mainland. The consignees in Hong Kong have been arrested. Interception of the smuggled consignments was made as a result of the follow-up investigation jointly conducted by the Division and the Intelligence Collection Division into a piece of information supplied by a caller to the Customs hotline.
According to officers of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, these pangolin scales and sea turtle shells were the biggest seizure in the past 10 years. Based on the quantities of pangolin scales and sea turtle skins and shells seized, it was estimated that about 8,000 pangolins and 600 sea turtles had been illegally poached. Both pangolin and sea turtle are protected species, with the latter being classified as a highly endangered species. Their scales, skins and shells are popular ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine.
Under the Animals and Plants (Protection of Endangered Species) Ordinance, any person who smuggles a highly endangered species for commercial purpose is liable to a fine of HK$5 million and two years imprisonment.
Senior Inspector Li Wai-keung and I were in Sydney, Australia in the Chinese New Year attending a three-week training programme organised by the Australian Customs Service (ACS). The programme, from February 5 to 25, 2000, consisted of a two-week classroom training course on 'Operational Intelligence Analysis' and a one-week post course attachment to the ACS Administration. The main objective of the Operational Intelligence Analysis Course (OIAC) was to provide participants with intelligence doctrine and training in the skills required for the production of high level and quality intelligence. There were 16 participants in the training course, 12 from ACS, two from the Australian Taxation Office and two from Hong Kong Customs. The first week of the training course focused on intelligence theory while the programme of the second week was designed for participants to practise the skills learned during the theory segment of the course.
The training programme provided us with an opportunity to foster better co-operation with other customs administrations. The ACS officers' hospitality and generosity in sharing experience with us were unforgettable. Personally, I found the programme very valuable and beneficial for my career development in the Department. I hope I would be able to apply what I have learnt and observed in the training programme to enhance information collection and intelligence dissemination on illegal textiles transshipment activities.
The Textiles Task Force (TTF), a temporary set-up with a 12-month tenure, was formed on April 1, 2000 with a mission to combat illegal textile transshipments. The TTF, comprising 20 officers re-deployed from other units of the Trade Controls Branch, is dedicated to mounting Blitz Check Operations at various cargo entry / points and cargo handling basins, seven days a week, day and night. TTF will employ risk management technique and base on intelligence to profile and select textile consignments for detailed examination. It will also monitor the disposal of suspicious consignments from the point they are intercepted until they reach the end-users.
During the first month of operation, the TTF has successfully detected 25 textile consignments bearing false trade descriptions and / or being imported without licenses. The total value of these consignments amounts to $7.6 million.
While the working environment is totally new to TTF members, the support rendered by uniformed colleagues is of invaluable assistance. Exhilarated by the success of their operations so far, TTF members are confident that their continued efforts would send a clear message to unscrupulous traders that they must stop the illicit activities or else face severe punishment.
When I was checking-in for the flight to return to Hong Kong at San Diego Airport after visiting major cities in the United States for four weeks, the young lady at the check-in counter asked me, "Did you pack your luggage yourself or did you carry any suspicious item for someone else?" I answered her seriously that I packed them myself. They were fully packed with American knowledge which I could not afford to mislay.
I was nominated by the US Customs Office of the American Consulate General to participate in an International Visitor Programme in the United States. The programme was sponsored by the US Department of State that aimed at providing opportunities for visitors all over the world to make cultural and professional exchange with Americans.
In the four-week programme from Feb 26 to March 25, 2000, I visited US Customs Service facilities at airports, seaports, express cargo hubs, land border crossings and training school. I observed US Customs officers clearing passengers and cargoes by using high technology equipment and profiling techniques. The highlights were the visits to the world's busiest cruise passenger terminals in Miami and express cargo hubs in Memphis and Louisville. I met officials from US Customs Service, Department of State, Department of Justice, Airport Authority, Drug Enforcement Administration, City Police, College of Criminal Justice as well as express cargo operators. In the meetings, I was briefed about the situations in drugs trafficking, money laundering, intellectual property infringement and the corresponding law-enforcement procedures and strategies. Worthy of mentioning were the facilitation extended to express cargo traffic by US Customs and the compliance measures adopted by the cargo operators. The experience and knowledge gained during the visit would allow me to benchmark services and compare strategies with our US counterparts. It will definitely be beneficial to the Department and myself in facing changes and challenges in the years to come.
The Control Points Command launched a campaign at the three land boundary control points between March 6 and 18, 2000. Cross-boundary drivers were requested to elect the "Best Manifest Processing Officers" and the "Best Manifest Processing Teams" of Lok Ma Chau, Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok Control Points.
The campaign aimed not only to elect the most courteous, efficient and responsible officers and teams who had provided the most satisfactory customs clearance service to cross-boundary drivers but also to boost officers' morale and devotion to duty. The campaign was organised under the sponsorship of Staff Motivation Scheme. A total of 17 500 ballots was distributed with a return rate as high as 88 percent. The vote counting process was conducted in an open and fair manner, with staff union representatives as observers.
The three Senior Customs Officers elected as the Best Manifest Processing Officers are Mr. Leung Chi-sing of Lok Ma Chau Cargo and Vehicle Processing Team 'D', Mr. Choi Kwok-hing of Man Kam To Cargo and Vehicle Processing Team 'B' and Miss Chiu Lai of Sha Tau Kok Cargo and Vehicle Processing Team 'C'. The three Best Manifest Processing Teams are Lok Ma Chau Cargo and Vehicle Processing Team 'C' led by Acting Senior Inspector Tam Kwok-fai, Man Kam To Cargo and Vehicle Processing Team 'C' led by Senior Inspector Chan Shu-kee and Sha Tau Kok Cargo and Vehicle Processing Team 'B' led by Acting Senior Inspector Kwong Yuk-toa.
To further promote co-operation and communication with the four operators at Kwai Chung Container Terminal and the shipping companies, the Ship Search & Cargo Command (SSCC) proposed to organise Friday social gatherings on a bi-monthly basis. On April 7, The Hong Kong International Terminal Ltd. (HIT) took the lead to support the proposal as the hosting party. Some 50 persons attended the first gathering including staff of HIT, officers of SSCC, the Office of Dutiable Commodities Administration (ODCA) and staff of the other three terminal operators. Through the gathering, participants met old friends and made new friends, and shared work experience in a pleasant atmosphere.
To show appreciation to HIT's hospitality and the warm support of the other three terminal operators, SSCC had undertaken to be the host of the next gathering to be held in June.
Ship Search & Cargo Command
Annual Dinner of the Association of Trade Controls Officers
The 2000 Annual Dinner of the Association of Trade Controls Officers was held on March 24, 2000 in a pleasurable atmosphere with fun and joy shared among some 200 participants. The participating guests included the Commissioner John C Tsang, the Deputy Commissioner Raymond Li, directorate officers of the Department, leaders of various staff unions and associates of the Association. After speeches delivered by the Chairman of the Association and the Commissioner, the dinner commenced.The programmes started with a Chinese opera song performed jointly by Vice Chairman K C Yu and member Mrs Gloria Tsui. Their wonderful performance won much applause from the audience.
The inter-bureau beer-drinking competition brought the excitement of all participants to the climax. After a hard-fought contest, the Trade Investigation Bureau team won the championship. The lucky draw marked the highlight of the evening. As there were a lot of prizes, a good number of the participants got fruitful returns.
Mr. Douglas H Knox, former Assistant Chief Preventive Officer, wrote to the Customs News and expressed that reading the 90th Anniversary Bulletin and Customs News had recollected his days with the then Preventive Service and those old faces familiar to him. He was also deeply impressed by the new Hong Kong International Airport which is a fantastic set up in comparison with the pre-war Kai Tak Airport, which was about the size of a few football fields. On the other hand, in a letter from former Assistant Commissioner Mr. Walter Neil, he appraised the Customs News as both interesting and informative, especially for those who had retired and moved abroad. Mr. Neil remarked that the Department's achievements in its field of functions and responsibilities were remarkable, both locally and internationally. Having joined the opening ceremony for the new Customs Marine Base at Stonecutters on March 6, Mr. Neil was also deeply impressed by the performance of the Customs and Excise Service Band and the Lion Dance Team.
If you would like to know the contacts of Mr. Knox and Mr. Neil, please contact the Editor.