The Secretary for Security, Mr Lai Tung-kwok, said today (February 28) that Hong Kong and Guangdong would continue to join together in combating the smuggling of illegal immigrants across the boundary.

     The fourth Guangdong-Hong Kong meeting on combating the smuggling of illegal immigrants across the Hong Kong-Guangdong boundary was held in Hong Kong today. Jointly chaired by the Secretary for Security, Mr Lai Tung-kwok, and the Director-General of the Border Control Department of the Ministry of Public Security, Mr Chen Dingwu, the meeting reviewed achievements made during joint operations against the smuggling of non-ethnic Chinese illegal immigrants (NECIIs) into Hong Kong in the past year, and discussed the strategies to be deployed next. Both sides agreed that joint operations combating the smuggling of NECIIs across the boundary must continue and be strengthened, including to stepping up interception at source, investigation, intelligence exchange and law enforcement co-operation, with a view to cracking down on illegal activities by syndicates.

     Mr Lai thanked the Ministry of Public Security for its support in the mounting of special operations in combating the smuggling of NECIIs, which were jointly conducted by various border control departments of the Mainland law enforcement agencies. Since the commencement of the special operations in mid-February 2016, the relevant Mainland law enforcement agencies in various provinces have arrested more than 40 000 NECIIs, and cracked down on 21 human smuggling syndicates involving over 3 200 suspects in 260 cases of attempted smuggling. Meanwhile, the number of NECIIs intercepted in Hong Kong has dropped, especially during the second half of 2016, with on average 110 NECIIs arrested per month, a 65 per cent drop compared to the monthly average of 320 in 2015. During the same period, the Immigration Department received 3 838 non-refoulement claims, a 36 per cent drop compared to 2015.

     Mr Lai said that both Hong Kong and the Mainland law enforcement agencies must continue to work closely together to crack down on the syndicates in order to combat the smuggling of illegal immigrants. The trend of NECII smuggling has slowed down since the Immigration (Unauthorized Entrants) (Amendment) Order 2016 came into force on May 20, 2016. The first prosecution on arranging unauthorised entrants to Hong Kong since the amendment of the Order is being heard at the District Court at this moment. Mr Lai stressed that it is a serious offence to arrange or assist unauthorised entrants to enter Hong Kong, liable to a maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment and a fine of $5 million. Experience suggests that syndicates might change tactics, including changes of smuggling routes and modes of operation, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government and Mainland law enforcement agencies need to continue to work closely together, with a view to cracking down on the smuggling of illegal immigrants and illegal activities organised by the syndicates.

     The HKSAR Government will continue the comprehensive review of the strategy of handling non-refoulement claims, with a view to tackling the problems in a holistic manner. Apart from combating illegal immigration activities, the Immigration Department has implemented the online pre-arrival registration requirement for a certain country to minimise the chances of high-risk visitors entering Hong Kong under visa-free arrangements. In the coming year, the Government will focus on efforts to amend the Immigration Ordinance to improve screening procedures. Meanwhile, the screening of claims to reduce the backlog will be expedited as far as possible before the revamped statutory screening mechanism is in place. Moreover, law enforcement agencies will continue to strive to step up on investigation, detention and removal, in order to combat illegal immigration and overstaying.

     Participants at today's meeting included representatives of the Border Control Department of the Ministry of Public Security; the Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs Office of the Ministry of Public Security; the Bureau of Exit and Entry Administration and law enforcement agencies of Guangdong, Guangxi and Yunnan as well as the Security Bureau, the Hong Kong Police Force and the Immigration Department.

Ends/Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Issued at HKT 19:16

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