Customs cracks down on HK travel permits

Shenzhen officials plan to deny multiple-entry permissions to those convicted of smugglingIn what could be a heavy blow to cross-border traders between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, Guangdong authorities are planning to deny travel permits to Shenzhen residents found to have been involved in smuggling.儲存倉Officials from the Guangdong branch of the General Administration of Customs were working with the Ministry of Public Security in hammering out the details of new measures aimed at controlling rampant smuggling activities between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the Southern Metropolis Daily quoted unidentified customs officials as saying.The new rules would include "restrictions" on multiple-entry Hong Kong travel permits to Shenzhen residents who had been fined twice for smuggling, the newspaper said.Residents who had previously been convicted of offences related to smuggling and those who resisted checks at customs checkpoints could also be denied permits, the report said.The special travel permit, launched in 2009, grants Shenzhen residents an unlimited number of visits to Hong Kong over a year.The move is the latest attempt by迷你倉沙田Guangdong authorities to crack down on rampant parallel trading across the border.In July, Shenzhen customs upgraded checkpoints to detect smugglers. A green light flashes whenever the system detects someone crossing the border for the third time on any given day.Up to 95 per cent of those who cross the border multiple times per day were smugglers, the Guangdong paper said, citing local customs figures.Earlier this year, Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok said that 60 per cent of all parallel-goods traders were Hong Kong residents, while the rest came from the mainland.Hong Kong border residents have complained about increased congestion and rising prices, as smugglers transit through their communities to sell goods bought tax-free in the city on Shenzhen's black market.On Thursday, Shenzhen customs officers caught a man with 66 iPhones strapped to his body, according to reports in the Shenzhen Evening News.Last year, the Tourism Commission said Hong Kong registered some 48.6 million tourist arrivals, a 16 per cent increase on 2011 figures.Of the 34.9 million mainland tourists, 19.8 million were same-day visitors.迷你倉價錢