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Following is a question by the Hon Wong Ting-kwong and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, in the Legislative Council today (January 17):
Question:
Regarding the inflow of counterfeit Renminbi ("RMB") banknotes into Hong Kong, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the total number of counterfeit RMB banknotes seized by the Police last year, the major denominations of such notes, and how such data compare to the relevant data of the year before;
(b) of the measures taken by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority to eradicate the inflow of counterfeit RMB banknotes into Hong Kong, in addition to helping practitioners in the relevant industries to learn how to differentiate between genuine and counterfeit RMB banknotes through its web site, training programmes and seminars;
(c) of the measures taken by the Police to combat activities of counterfeiting RMB banknotes; and whether it has assessed the effectiveness of its joint efforts with the Guangdong Public Security Bureau to combat such activities; if it has, of the assessment results; and
(d) whether the authorities have compared the present situation with the past in terms of the techniques employed by criminal syndicates to print counterfeit RMB banknotes and the degree of resemblance of such notes to genuine ones; if they have, of the comparison results?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The total number of counterfeit Renminbi (RMB) banknotes seized by the Police in 2006 is 5,930, and the majority of them are 100 yuan in denomination. The figure for 2005 is 5,101, and the majority of them are also of a denomination of 100 yuan.
(b) The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), in conjunction with the Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) of the Police, has been conducting seminars on authentication of banknotes (including RMB notes) for retailers and bank staff. These efforts have helped enhance the awareness of industry practitioners on the security features of banknotes. In view of the increasingly widespread use of RMB by Mainland tourists in Hong Kong, the HKMA has also jointly organised similar seminars with the Quality Tourism Services Association specifically targeting at those retailers who routinely receive RMB in the course of their business. The above measures are useful in preventing the inflow of counterfeit RMB banknotes into Hong Kong.
Moreover, the HKMA has been in regular liaison with the Police on the situation of counterfeiting banknotes and, where necessary, it will issue alerts to the banking sector through the supervisory channel. The clearing bank for personal RMB business in Hong Kong also plays a role in providing support and training to participating banks on the identification and handling of RMB counterfeits.
(c) In addition to organising seminars, the CCB of the Police has explained to retailers and members of the public through the media (such as the television programme "Police Report", newspapers and magazines, and publicity leaflets) how to identify counterfeit RMB notes, as well as the various modus operandi of those using them. The aim is to enhance the alertness of the public to counterfeits and thwart counterfeiting activities of RMB.
The Police have spared no effort in combating crimes related to counterfeit RMB banknotes in their regular meetings and exchange of intelligence with the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Bureau as well as their close liaison with the HKMA and the banking industry. The effort has been quite effective in the fight against the counterfeiting of banknotes.
(d) The Police have been studying and investigating the techniques employed by criminal syndicates to make counterfeit banknotes, and it has been found that the counterfeiting of RMB notes nowadays is done with a much higher standard than that in the past. That said, the People's Bank of China has started issuing new RMB banknotes bearing additional security features in August 2005. This has made it easier to authenticate RMB banknotes.
Ends/Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Issued at HKT 14:21
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