Immigration officials deny 'improper belly taps' at border on suspected pregnant women

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A picture taken by mainland resident Su Jia on March 20 shows passengers queueing in front of immigration counters at Lo Ma Chau checkpoint. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Published: 12:37pm, 24 Mar 2013Updated: 1:44pm, 24 Mar 2013

Hong Kong's Immigration Department has denied its officers ever asked female passengers to lift their clothing, tap or press their bellies at border checkpoints, according to a statement by the department in response to a South China Morning Post query.

"After reviewing surveillance video and conducting inquiries with our officers, we didn't find any occurrence of anybody asking certain passengers to press their bellies or lift their clothing," said the written statement, in reference to eye-witness accounts that have gone viral on Chinese social media, stirring controversy over Hong Kong's crackdown on mainland Chinese women giving birth in Hong Kong.

According to one such account, posted by mainland resident Su Jia on the popular social media site Weibo, immigration officers at Lok Ma Chau checkpoint ordered several women to lift their clothing, tap or press their stomachs, including one woman who said she was in her 50s.

Su, a public relations director, told the South China Morning Post that on Wednesday, he saw an immigration officer issue such instructions to a woman.

The woman complied, Su said. But she looked both amused and annoyed, and said: “Come on, I am more than 50 years old.

A younger woman who was accompanying her was asked to do the same, Su said. She asked: “Am I too fat?”