Hong Kong is a role model in the battle against human smuggling, the head of Customs said yesterday, five days after 26 mainland stowaways were found in a container at the Kwai Chung terminal.
Commissioner of Customs and Excise John Tsang Chun-wah told a regional Customs forum an effective framework had been developed to stop Hong Kong becoming a major transit point for human smuggling from the mainland.
'For a start, we have good co-operation with . . . the police and the Immigration Department,' he said. 'Furthermore, there is an extensive liaison network in place to share information with other law enforcement agencies in the world.'
Of the 11 cases of human smuggling to North America in the first four months of this year, six were first discovered by Hong Kong Customs, Mr Tsang said.
'We are a model that is being copied around the world. A lot of other administrations have come to Hong Kong to look at how we are working together with the disciplined services, the industry and in international liaison,' he said.
Mr Tsang said the issue of human smuggling should not be seen as a local problem but interpreted in a worldwide context.
'This is an international problem and does not happen only with people from Xiamen going to the US via Hong Kong. There are lots of illegal immigrants from the Middle East, Africa and Europe,' he said.
