The suspects include 46 from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

The action has dealt a heavy blow to secret societies active in the southern Chinese region. Police have detained a total of 849 suspects linked to 39 criminal cases which involved secret societies from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. The wave of arrests in Guangdong have taken place in a major police campaign, Operation Fox, launched in mid-November.

Seven of those arrested had been on the police wanted lists of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, said Zheng Shaodong, deputy director-general of Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Public Security on Saturday. He said this at a press conference in the provincial capital.

Guangdong police during the raids seized nine guns, 75 bullets, 139 kilograms of heroin, 117.11 kilograms of "ice", 2,710 Ecstasy tablets, 74 four-wheel vehicles, 329 motorcycles and a quantity of criminal tools.

Operation Fox will continue throughout this year as the police aim to crack down on illegal activities of secret societies and organized criminals throughout the region. The move will ensure a good and stable social order for the first anniversary celebration of Macao's return to the motherland.

The celebration ceremony which will take place in Macao on Wednesday is expected to attract Chinese President Jiang Zemin and various senior Chinese officials.

Zheng said the campaign also shows that Guangdong and other provinces and regions on the mainland were not havens for criminals from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.

Guangdong police have never relaxed their vigilance in fighting secret societies and, organized and cross border crimes in recent years, Zheng said.

"According to Chinese laws, the mainland authorities will have every right to detain, arrest, try and punish those who had involvement in any crimes on the mainland," he said.

Guangdong police have the ability and capacity to ensure stable social order to help economic growth, Zheng said.

He also promised to further co-operate with his Hong Kong and Macao counterparts to fight cross-border crimes and organized gangs in the years ahead.

The number of secret society activities and organized criminals has declined thanks to the joint efforts of police in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao since the beginning of the year.

But criminal activities organized by secret societies and gangs from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan still take place in this prosperous southern Chinese province, threatening its social order and threatening the economy from flourishing, Zheng said.

These criminal activities have included operating secret private banks, cross-border drug-trafficking, gambling in Hong Kong's horse racing and its lottery, organized illegal immigration, robbery, loan sharking, kidnapping and prostitution.

Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Public Security cracked down on a secret private bank in the city's Rongtailu on December 1. The bank mainly engaged in exchanges of foreign currencies for Taiwan investors who have established projects on the mainland.

Four Taiwan suspects and another five from the mainland were detained for further investigation. More than 58 million yuan (US$7 million) worth of foreign currencies and renminbi were confiscated.

In previous years, Guangdong police have worked well with Hong Kong and Macao to crack down on cross-border crimes and gangs, Zheng said.

The co-operation between Guangdong and Hong Kong in fighting cross-border crimes began as early as 1981.

Both sides have now established a special liaison officer system and a 24-hour hotline to strengthen bonds.

Senior police officers from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao meet each year to discuss how to work together even more to further the fight against crime.

(China Daily 12/18/2000)