Macau Customs Service (SA) Deputy Director-General Lei Iok Fai has said that customs officers have never carried out any strip searches in recent years, adding that customs officers mainly make use of surveillance equipment to determine whether border crossers are smuggling prohibited articles or are involved in parallel-trading activities.
Lei said: “There is a procedure for selecting border crossers for customs clearance. Firstly, we will check whether there are any suspicious items in their belongings. If there are, they will be requested to enter a room for a body search. The search must be done in line with personal dignity,” adding that the Macau Customs Service has continued to strengthen its equipment with updated technology by making use of X-ray machines and Terahertz security body scanners to pre-screen whether any border crossers are engaged in smuggling activities.
He reaffirmed: “No strip searches have been conducted in recent years.” He made the remarks in response to media queries about a Facebook user’s recent complaint about an alleged strip search by local customs officers.
Lei made the remarks on the sidelines of a promotional campaign yesterday commemorating the Macau Customs Service’s eighth anniversary of the establishment of its Community Counterfeiting Liaison Mechanism.
In his opening speech, Lei said that the Macau Customs Service has been maintaining close liaison with community organisations and has continued to organise seminars on intellectual property right (IPR) protection for them, thereby leveraging the impact and bridging role of these organisations, adding that the number of organisations that have joined the mechanism has increased from two to 17, covering different community groups and sectors such as youth, trade unions, tourism businesses, and property management.
According to Lei, since the setting up of the mechanism, the Macau Customs Service has received a raft of notifications about alleged IPR infringements via the mechanism, showing the effective functioning of the mechanism facilitating the joint efforts of local customs officers and members of the public in protecting intellectual property rights.
The Macau Customs Service organised a community promotion campaign in Iao Hon Market Park yesterday afternoon, with game booths and a string of performances, aiming to strengthen the general public’s awareness of intellectual property protection through diversified and multi-channel publicity activities.
Meanwhile, while speaking to the media, Lei admitted that he has recently noticed the involvement of students in parallel-trading activities. However, he was quick to add that it was not common for customs officers to discover students involved in parallel-trading, believing that the students involved have been taking advantage of their summer holidays to make “a quick buck” but by doing so have fallen inadvertently into a trap.
In this regard, according to Lei, the Macau Customs Service has already set up a liaison mechanism with the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) and local schools. As of last month, he noted, the Macau Customs Service had held five relevant seminars and other awareness-raising campaigns in schools, “whether it’s a primary school, secondary school or a tertiary education institution, we will continue to carry out such [awareness promotion] work”.
Kids and senior citizens queue up at game booths during yesterday’s awareness-raising campaign on intellectual property right protection in Iao Hon Market Park.
Macau Customs Service (SA) Deputy Director-General Lei Iok Fai speaks to the media on the sidelines of yesterday’s promotional campaign commemorating the Macau Customs Service’s eighth anniversary of the setting up of its Community Counterfeiting Liaison Mechanism, in Iao Hon Market Park. – Photos: Yuki Lei
