The illegal emigrants from Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning provinces gathered at a local village and tried to leave to go abroad, said Liu Baoping, an officer with the border police.

Dalian is a city with a coastal line of 1,906 kilometres and is located near Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Illegal organizations that smuggle people abroad have taken advantage of the location, said Liu.

Since January, the police have captured at least 20 people involved in smuggling cases, and more than 60 smuggling organizers and 800 illegal emigrants have been captured.

Certain crime organizations have even gone so far as to place advertisements in the media and have smuggled people out through false travel services, he added.

However, as police efforts have intensified, the scale of illegal emigration has greatly decreased in recent years.

"It is thanks to the strategy of co-operating with local people," said Liu.

The border police adopted a new strategy of involving residents that live in the coastal areas to help guard land and sea areas.

"Success in stopping many of the illegal activities is largely due to the good timing of the public," said Liu.

(China Daily December 18, 2001)