The arrest of 90 people "on suspicion of parallel trading" will do very little to ease the nightmare at the border as more mainlanders are lured by easy money ("Over 90 arrested in parallel trading blitz near border", January 22).
Building security personnel and other low-paid mainland workers with multiple travel permits can double and sometimes triple their wages by becoming parallel traders or smugglers.
These traders are now organised and work in large teams to get the goods across. They also know how and when to cross to lessen the chances of having goods weighed or X-rayed by customs.
Correspondents have suggested ways to slow or decrease the trade and many of the ideas would more than likely work but there is a problem with the will of the authorities to tackle the issue, and with providing the people to enforce the measures put in place.
The MTR weight limit is a joke as the traders have simply purchased large backpacks and these are carried across on their backs while their trolleys meet weight requirements.
The biggest flaw is the poor enforcement by the private security company that employs people who seem too timid to properly tackle the problem.