Advertisement

Hong Kong customs bans model of laser pointer after tests find device is unsafe

  • Gadget is a favourite tool of anti-government demonstrators but Customs and Excise Department says testing launched months before start of protests
  • Tests find model is not equipped with safety control device required under regulations

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
0
Laser pointers are used during a rally to demonstrate against the arrest of people caught in possession of such gadgets. Photo: AP

Hong Kong customs has banned the sale of a model of laser pointer, a handheld tool often used by demonstrators to flash at police in street protests, after tests found the device was unsafe.

But the Customs and Excise Department said the move was not related to the ongoing protests, as its testing operation was launched three months before the mass extradition bill demonstrations started in early June.

“Our test-buy operation was conducted in March. It was only a coincidence that we finished the testing and took action recently. The customs operation is not related to the recent protests,” a spokesman said.

Officers bought a laser pointer from a retailer in Sham Shui Po in March for testing during a regular product safety check operation, after finding the model did not carry bilingual warnings or cautions in specified places as required by goods safety regulations.

The model of laser pointer seized by customs. Photo: Handout
The model of laser pointer seized by customs. Photo: Handout

The retailer was asked not to sell its other 13 laser pointers of the same model and to store them while the test was being conducted.

Subsequent test results showed the mainland China-made product was not equipped with the safety control device required under the relevant safety standard. The model was not named.

Advertisement