A Nanjing woman who was carrying rice-based baby cereal and wrongly arrested at the border has demanded compensation from customs. She was among the 12 mainlanders carrying such products who were mistakenly nabbed for flouting the new rule that allows adults to carry only two tins, or 1.8kg, of infant milk formula out of the city. It was discovered only later that the cereal was not on the list of restricted products. The woman, Huang Xuejiao, said she was seeking 1,325 yuan (HK$1,640) in compensation for the unpleasant experience she was made to go through. "I don't need the money, but it's the right thing for me to do," she said. She said she wanted 1,000 yuan for the infliction of mental disturbance on her, while the remainder was for expenses she incurred because of the arrest. They included administrative fees for changing an air ticket and withdrawing money for bail from an automated teller machine outside the mainland. Solicitor and lawmaker Paul Tse Wa-chun, who was assisting Huang in her claim, said he had sent a legal letter to customs. If the department refused to compensate Huang, he said, he would do so himself. "It's just about HK$1,000. Maybe I can pay her on behalf of the Hong Kong people just to pacify her," he said. Huang would not reveal whether she planned to take further legal action over the wrongful arrest, saying only that "it depends on our negotiation". But Tse said it was hard to take the matter to court as law enforcement agencies were usually immune from claims unless they made malicious prosecutions. A department spokeswoman said it would not comment on individual cases.
