The number of crimes committed by mainland commercial-visit permit holders this year has attracted the attention of both the mainland and Hong Kong police authorities.

Police Commissioner Tsang Yam-pui made the comments Monday in a meeting with delegates from the Public Security Ministry headed by Assistant Minister Meng Hongwei during the 12th bilateral talks between the mainland and Hong Kong police authorities.

Tsang said the recent introduction of the "individual visitors’ scheme" had not produced any significant problems for Hong Kong but admitted that some people coming to Hong Kong on commercial-visit permits have been involved in illegal activities, fostering certain crimes and social problems.

During the first 10 months of this year, Hong Kong police arrested 12,054 mainland criminals. Of that figure, 6,000 to 7,000 were commercial-visit permit holders.

Hong Kong police will liaise with permit-issuing authorities on the mainland in an effort to reduce the crime rate. Local police are focusing their enquiries on companies suspected of arranging illegal dealings for commercial-visit permit holders. Mainland law enforcement authorities, meanwhile, will carefully observe those companies that may not truly exist or may be a cover for illegal operations, Tsang said.

Meng Hongwei also discussed the law and order situation in the mainland. He reviewed the police cooperation arrangement between the mainland and Hong Kong and agreed to maintain the relationship under the present framework.

Meng said that even though the current international situation was unstable, especially in the Middle East, terrorist threats to the mainland and Hong Kong were quite low at the moment. This being the case, the mainland and Hong Kong would continue to exchange information and cooperate further through training programs.

(China Daily HK Edition December 2, 2003)