About 1.7 million people are expected to cross the boundary between the mainland and Hong Kong during the Mid-autumn Festival holiday, up 23.5 percent over last year.

The Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region expects cross-boundary traffic to peak between Sept 11 and 14.

About 1.22 million passengers are expected to cross at Lo Wu checkpoint -- a daily average of about 305,000 -- representing 72 percent of the total cross-boundary passenger traffic and an increase of 10.1 percent on last year.

The number of departing passengers at Lo Wu is expected to reach a peak of 210,000 on Sept 11, while the peak for arrivals will be Sept 14 with 220,000 people returning to Hong Kong. The highest daily traffic is expected to reach 330,000 on Sept 11.

To cope with heavy traffic, the department and Shenzhen authorities will strengthen cooperation and liaison to ensure smooth and orderly movement across the boundary. If necessary, Lo Wu will also implement the Contra-Flow Scheme to relieve congestion.

To ensure the smooth entry of mainland group visitors, the department has met with tour operators to discuss cooperative measures. It will deploy more staff to expedite the clearance of these visitors.

(Xinhua News Agency September 11, 2003)