Chief Secretary Carrie Lam chaired an inter-departmental meeting today on the Government's actions to curb parallel trading.
The meeting was held after the Central Government introduced a one-trip-per-week cap for Shenzhen residents visiting Hong Kong.
The meeting heard the Lands Department inspected 26 lots in San Tin and issued nine warnings against lease breaches. It has also conducted large-scale inspections of more than 2,400 units in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and North districts since early February, and issued 41 warnings to unit owners who breached lease conditions.
The Fire Services Department had carried out more than 826 inspections at buildings suspected of being used for parallel trading activities in Sheung Shui, Fanling, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun as at mid-April. Twenty-four fire hazard abatement notices were issued and prosecution was initiated in six cases.
Police and Immigration officers arrested 304 Mainlanders for parallel trading in the first quarter. The Immigration Department also refused entry to more than 6,300 people.
Together with Shenzhen authorities, the Customs & Excise Department cracked 70 smuggling cases involving parallel traders and seized goods worth $1.22 million. Officers also discovered 1,364 cases of attempting to export unlicensed powdered formula, involving 11,453kg of milk powder.
To minimise nuisance and obstruction caused by parallel traders and stores, Police and the Food & Environmental Hygiene Department jointly stepped up enforcement action at black spots, issuing 55 summonses. More than 633 fixed penalty notices were handed out to litterers.
Police also cracked down on road obstructions caused by illegal parking, and the loading or unloading of goods for parallel trading. More than 4,100 fixed penalty tickets were issued for those offences, six times more than last year.
