Hong Kong – Government spares no effort to combat black spots of parallel trading activities (with photo)

     The Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, chaired an interdepartmental meeting today (February 10) to review the situation in various districts after the full resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland and plan multiple operations to stringently combat black spots of parallel trading activities in its early stage, in order to safeguard social order and maintain environmental hygiene.
 
     The Government has all along been concerned about the nuisance caused by parallel trading activities to the daily lives of local residents and its impact on environmental hygiene. Since the resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland on January 8 this year, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) have been taking a precautionary approach and stepping up patrols and monitoring suspected black spots of parallel trading activities, including the North District, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun and Yau Tsim Mong. Joint operations were mounted to prevent parallel traders from causing nuisance by gathering at public places and obstructing streets by the placing of articles.
 
     In response to recent resurgence of parallel trading activities outside Sheung Shui Station, and to prevent the spread of black spots of parallel trading, the meeting decided to take the following enhanced actions:
 

• The Police and the FEHD will conduct more frequent patrol duties along the black spots. They will conduct joint operations when necessary for effective law enforcement, in accordance with the Summary Offences Ordinance, the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance and the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction) Ordinance, against street obstructions and other environmental hygiene problems caused by parallel traders and shops illegally placing articles in public places;

• The FEHD will install CCTVs outside Sheung Shui Station to enhance the monitoring of environmental hygiene, thereby facilitating government departments’ planning of law enforcement actions. Such measure is also applicable to other black spots of parallel trading; and

• The FEHD will also step up efforts in street cleansing, targeting black spots of parallel trading to maintain the cleanliness of streets.

     Officials attending today’s meeting included representatives from the Security Bureau, the Customs and Excise Department, the FEHD, the Home Affairs Department, the HKPF, the Immigration Department and the Department of Justice.