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Hong Kong Arrests 23 Mainlanders in Prostitution Raid

Posted: 08/29/2014 8:31 am

Picture from a story that took place in September, 2001.

Hong Kong Police along with Hong Kong immigration agents, arrested 23 Chinese mainland citizens in a prostitution raid, reports Sina.

The arrests were made in Yuen Long on August 27, located in the northwest of Hong Kong’s New Territories. The raid happened on Onning Road, Tunglok Street, Saufuk Street, and Chingsaan Road.

The arrested, aged 18 to 46, are suspected of staying in Hong Kong too long in violation of their visas.

All arrested parties have been detained and are being questioned by customs agents.

Photo: CCTV

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Ebola Test Kit Officially Approved for Production in Shenzhen

Posted: 08/21/2014 2:14 pm

A test kit that can positively identify the Ebola virus has been approved for production with manufacturing set to begin soon in Shenzhen. The kit was invented by China’s Academy of Military Medical Sciences, and is to be manufactured by Shenzhen Puruikang Biotech. It gained final official approval from the military’s logistics approval department and health department.

The test is able to identify the virus by using the virus’ gene sequence by means of a nucleic acid detection kit that utilizes a “compound probe”. That sounds quite confusing, so here’s all you need to know: it’s using the same technology previously used to develop test kits for the H1N1, H7N9 and NDM-1 viruses.

Because there is no vaccination for Ebola, doctors say early diagnosis is important for controlling the spread of the disease.

More than 1,300 people have been infected with the Ebola virus so far this year

Photo: International Business Times

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Xinjiang Has Shunned Muslim Dress as “Not Normal” For Months

Posted: 08/7/2014 3:39 pm

The ban on Muslim dress on public buses in Karamay City in Xinjiang was designed to help combat terrorism. But it turns out traditional clothes have been shunned for months.

The latest Karamay City ban, which we detailed yesterday, calls for an end to what it refers to as the “five types of people” who wear burqas, hijabs, face veils, any clothing that features the Muslim crescent moon and star, as well as long beards. And yet, this appears to be merely an extension of an existing policy.

As early as June 4 of this year, authorities in Xinjiang began pressuring the public to stop wearing traditional Muslim dress not just for reasons to combat terrorism, but also because it is “not normal”.

On June 19 of this year, the official website for the government of the Baijiantan District of Karamay announced that through a variety of measures, authorities will be initiating a crackdown on the ”five abnormal appearances”.

These “five abnormal appearances” are the same five banned from public buses in Karamay. Xinjiang authorities say the crackdown is necessary to preserve the safety of society, to facilitate better cooperation between ethnic groups, and to strengthen resistance against religious extremism. In addition to the Muslim dress ban, police are asking the public to resist the ‘three illegals’ (those who enter, work, or reside in China illegally), become civilized, and revere science.

Police engaged in a “stop and correct” inspection on June 12, in which they confronted citizens on the street for violating the ban. The next day the police substation in Sanping County met workers and residents of the Wuxin and Yucheng communities. There, they put up posters and informed residents that the five kinds of Muslim dress are not in fact tradition, but represent the “three illegals”.

The following is the poster that warns the public against the “five abnormal appearances”. A translation follows.

The Five Types of Abnormal Dress

Burqas
Note: It is forbidden for women of any age to wear burqas.

Hijab
Note: It is forbidden for youths, and young and middle-aged women to wear the hijab.

Face Veils
Note: It is forbidden for females of any age to wear a face veil.

Young Adults with Long Beards
Note: It is forbidden for young adults to grow long beards.

Crescent Moon and Stars
Note: It is forbidden for anyone to wear clothing featuring the crescent moon and stars.

[h/t reddit]

Photo: e23.cn, bjtq.gov.cn, tieba

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Chinese Guy Dresses Up As Laowai To Sneak Through Customs

Posted: 07/16/2014 5:40 pm

A still from the film, “Death Ray on Coral Island” (1980).

A Chinese citizen who attempted to sneak past customs by dressing up as a “laowai” was busted by police because his English was so poor, reports Sohu.

Chengdu border police officer Xiao Liu first had doubts about the suspect when he saw a discrepancy between the suspect and the suspect’s passport picture. Xiao Liu’s suspicions were confirmed when the suspect displayed an incredibly poor English ability.

When confronted, the man admitted he bought the passport. The man said he had dyed his beard and gotten a perm in order to disguise himself as a foreigner in order to sneak through customs.

Photo: Asia Obscurra

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Hong Kongers May Get Reprieve If Special Mall For Mainland Shoppers Opens in Shenzhen

Posted: 06/25/2014 12:54 pm

qianhai economic zoneHong Kongers have long complained of Mainland shoppers clogging streets and crowding the city’s famous MTR subway system, but it looks like some hope may be on the horizon.

Qianhai, a special economic zone in northwestern Shenzhen, may be home to a “mini Hong Kong” featuring a special shopping mall with Hong Kong brands,  reports The Standard.

The Qianhai Management Authority revealed they are currently negotiating with Hong Kong merchants as they showed off the proposed area to Hong Kong and mainland media.

The report states that the Qianhai Management Authority plans to have the shopping mall developed and operational by the end of this year. However, the same report quotes Qianhai authority spokesman Wang Jinxia pouring a bit of cold water on the plan.

“The concept of setting up a shopping center in Qianhai to provide another choice for mainlanders is purely exploratory at this stage.”

The Qianhai Management Authority said the shopping center will be able to ease pressure on Hong Kong from the flood of visitors under the individual travel scheme. However, data shows that mainland visitors to Hong Kong dropped during the Labor Day long weekend, the first such drop since 2003. From May 1 to 3, there were only 388,070 visitors to Hong Kong, a drop of 1.7%.

And yet, others have been suggesting that mainland visitors who want to shop for Hong Kong goods be able to do so without having downtown Hong Kong involved in the process. The Heung Yee Kuk, a rural Hong Kong group, has recommended the establishment of a shopping center in Sha Tau Kok to divert mainland shoppers from the cool parts of town that Hong Kongers frequent.

This all sounds like a good idea that should have been implemented years ago, but one factor still remains unresolved. Wang stated that the Qianhai Management Authority has still has not yet decided whether the sales of Hong Kong products in the new “mini Hong Kong” will be tax-free.

For that, we may have to wait until the end of the year when the mall is finally completed or exploratory plans have been confirmed.

Photos: Hexun

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Huge Shipment of Khat Seized in Guangdong

Posted: 06/23/2014 5:54 pm

khat bustGuangzhou customs recently announced that they have seized 2,069 kg of smuggled drugs since October of last year. As impressive as that is, it pales in comparison to the recent one-day haul made by Huangpu custom agents who say they have seized a shipment of khat that weighs an amazing 3,531 kg, reports the Dongguan Times.

If you’re unfamiliar with khat, which is also known by the names “Arabian Tea” or “Bushman’s Tea”, the Guangzhou police want you to be aware that this drug is equivalent to heroin and has a euphoric high that lasts for two days.

Described as relatively new to China, the emergence of khat is troubling to local law officials because the drug looks like amaranth greens when fresh, and like dried tea leaves when dried.

READ: Meet the New Drug on the Streets of Guangzhou: Khat, the “Arabian Tea”

Khat received lots of attention recently when it was reported the drug was being packaged in orange drink powder packages with cartoon images on the front.

Khat is considered a way of life for some cultures though it is considered a prohibited substance in countries like the USA and the UK. The World Health Organization does not consider khat to be seriously addictive.

khat bust

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Photo: Dongguan Daily Report

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Macau Tightens Visa Rules For Mainland Visitors

Posted: 06/19/2014 5:01 pm

macau customsIf you’re a Chinese mainlander and want to go gamble in Macau, one surefire way to circumvent existing entry requirements is by entering as a transit visitor on your way to a third country—but actually have no intention of going anywhere else but the craps table.

Sorry, Danny Ocean with Chinese characteristics: the gig is up.

Macau has just announced changes to its entry requirements to deter mainland high-rollers from coming to the territory. Starting on July 1, mainland visitors holding a Chinese passport in transit will only be allowed to stay a maximum of five days, down from an original seven, according to Bloomberg.

READ: Guangdong Residents Can Now Visit
Hong Kong and Macau with Their Fingerprints

However, some critics of the plan point out that the change won’t actually succeed at what it’s supposed to accomplish. Jose Pereira Coutinho, a directly elected legislator in the 33-member Legislative Assembly, said, ”It won’t help resolve the existing problem for some mainland visitors to travel to Macau without traveling to another destination.” In other words, they can still get a lot of gambling done in the new five-day period.

The last time Macau made changes to its entry requirements was in 2008 when it shortened the maximum stay from 14 days to seven. As well, mainland tourists that re-enter Macau within 30 days of their previous stay will only be allowed to stay one day, down from two days.

Additionally, China UnionPay has promised to clamp down on illegal payments made with handheld devices in Macau gambling establishments, an amount analysts say was worth billions last year.

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Photo: deltabridges

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Guangdong Residents Can Now Visit Hong Kong and Macau With Their Fingerprints

Posted: 05/20/2014 8:00 am

Guangdong is issuing a new generation of Hong Kong and Macau travel passes for its residents. From today onwards, residents can apply for an e-pass which is expected to reduce the time required to cross the border through the use of self-serve e-channels, Yangcheng Evening News reported.

Different from the traditional paper booklets, the new e-pass is the size of an ID card. Residents can cross the border in about 10 seconds by pressing one’s finger on a fingerprint scanner. About 30% of the self-serve e-channels have been installed and finished testing, the report said.

The new travel pass (left)

Policies regarding the HK and Macau travel pass still remain the same, and so do the fees. The old paper booklet is eligible for use as long as it it within the expiration date, the report said.

The e-pass for adults is valid for 10 years from the start of the issue day, and for children under age 16, the e-pass is valid for five years. When applying for the new e-pass, applicants have to submit finger print samples. Application for the new travel pass takes seven working days at a local public security immigration office and upgrading the old travel pass to the new version takes 10 working days.

Home page and content page photo credit: Yangcheng Evening News

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Corruption crackdown hits two officials in Shenzhen

Posted: 01/16/2014 11:00 am

Xi Jinping said this week that efforts to fight corruption need to be doubled. Shenzhen’s government appears to be listening after some noteworthy arrests were made.

Two Shatoujiao Customs officials were arrested Jan. 10 by Yantian People’s Procuratorate on suspicion of bribery, Xinhua reports.

Mr. Wu (51), who is head of customs and excise was arrested Jan. 10 along with the allied party secretary Mr. Chen on Jan. 10 after an investigation that commenced at the beginning of the month, Shenzhen Municipal People’s Procuratorate told reporters. Seven customs officials have been placed under investigation for corruption this week.

Shatoujiao Customs has jurisdiction over both Zhongying Street checkpoint and Daya Bay checkpoint. Wu earlier served as head of customs and excise at Luohu Checkpoint and was appointed to his current role in 2010.

Gan Xiaojuan allegedly used fake identities, image courtesy of Nandu Daily

In another, more bizarre case, somebody else may fall after the retired head of the Luohu District Housing Authority Gan Xiaojuan was accused by her ex-lover of using dual identities to purchase multiple properties. Luohu CPPCC member Chen Zhilan lived with Gan for 10 years and also claims she cheated him out of money, according to 163.

Chen claims that Gan owns five apartments in Luohu alone and between 2004 and 2009 took him on holiday to a number of countries including Vietnam, Myanmar, Australia, Finland, and Germany. Gan stands accused of spending public money on herself.

Gan denies any wrongdoing and has welcomed the investigation. The date of the court hearing is yet to be confirmed.

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Two Middle Eastern men swallow RMB2.25 million worth of drugs, arrive in Shenzhen

Posted: 10/30/2012 1:00 pm

A Palestinian and a Jordanian were caught in possession of 3,053 grams of heroin upon arriving at Shenzhen Airport from a Southeast Asian Country, Shenzhen Daily reports.

Their method of smuggling the 2.25 million yuan-worth of drugs? In their bowels. Customs officials said both men still have drug capsules inside their bodies but haven’t passed them yet.

Suspicion was raised when the Palestinian refused to go through an X-Ray scanning machine. When he eventually complied, the capsules were found.

Airport customs officials think the men were being paid to transport the drugs to Guangzhou via Shenzhen.

Earlier this year, 44.9 kilograms of drugs were found in the luggage of two outbound Malaysians at the airport.

The investigation is continuing. If convicted, the men face pretty severe penalties. In 2009, China executed a mentally handicapped British man for drug smuggling.

Considering the history of foreigners and drugs in China, it is advisable to stay well away from such things.

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