Interpol meeting
CP addresses 3-day Interpol conference of Asian contact officers
Welcoming the delegates, as well as foreign law enforcement officers and consular staff in Hong Kong, to a cocktail reception after the conference, ACP (Crime) Gordon Fung Siu-yuen said: "Hong Kong's future is guaranteed by the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which is an internationally accepted agreement. I am confident that Hong Kong will continue to prosper, that law and order will be steadfastly maintained and that the relationships with overseas law enforcement agencies which the RHKP has developed in the past will be maintained."
The Interpol Asian contact officer delegates, as well as the international law enforcement officers and consular members in Hong Kong at the reception certainly shared the ACP's views.
Commented Jim Wong of the FBI: "The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been working with the Hong Kong Police for over 30 years. The best way to describe the two Forces in terms of co-operation is 'two countries, one-system'. We don't expect anything to change after July 1. It's business as usual. My office, which is housed in the US Consulate will remain. We still have over 175 ongoing cases between the Hong Kong Police and the FBI - and they will continue to do so. All the legal documents (like the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty), are in place to make everything work between Hong Kong and the US. So, legally, and also in terms of rhetoric from China, everything will remain the same. We are very confident."
Mr Wong's sentiments were also echoed by his fellow countryman, Alan J Zygowicz of the US Secret Service, as well as Paul Brown of the RCMP and a liaison officer with the Commission for Canada in Hong Kong.
Said Alan Zygowicz: "There's close to 30,000 police officers in Hong Kong -Ð all very professional, all dedicated. Nothing is going to change come July 1, 1997. They will be the same officers -Ð the same Force -Ð whose attention will be focused on policing Hong Kong and, in terms of law and order, keeping it one of the safest places in the world."
Said Mr Brown: "The Canadian stance is that we don't expect any change. We think that things are going to run as they are now. We have a lot of things ongoing between Canada and Hong Kong in terms of training and personnel exchanges. We're looking to continue as we are. There may be minor changes that come about, but we are very optimistic. We're looking at the handover from a very positive point of view."
Interpol delegate from China, Hu Xin, Deputy Division Chief, Public Security Ministry: "As with the rest of the officers from various Asian Interpol bureaus, we look forward to working with Interpol Hong Kong in the future as we have done in the past. Our communication in terms of the exchange of information on criminals and crime will only get better."
Interpol Asian contact officer, Police Superintendent Yoichi Furuya, Second International Affairs Division in Tokyo, was equally confident in the future of "Interpol Hong Kong, China", which the sub-bureau will be renamed after the change in sovereignty. "Hong Kong will maintain its capabilities to liaise with Japan," he said. "We have a very good relationship with Interpol Hong Kong and intend to maintain and improve that relationship -Ð to strengthen our ties -Ð after the handover."
Said Interpol delegate Kim Byung Hwa of Korea: "This conference was very well organised and it was important in terms of international (especially Asian) co-operation. I don't think there will be any problem in Interpol Hong Kong/Seoul relations. It's already very, very good. We expect it to get better."
With respect to the new status of Hong Kong Interpol after the handover, the Second Interpol Meeting of Asian Contact Officers was extremely important in terms of establishing the sub-bureau's basically unchanged status to international delegates.
Said the conference's chairman, Mohammad Zahid Mahmood: "If any of the 29 Interpol delegates from the 17 Asian countries represented during this meeting had any doubts as to what the post handover Interpol Hong Kong would be like, we go away with confidence that in the future for the Hong Kong Police and its Interpol Bureau it's basically business as usual. And in terms of fighting international crime -Ð that's very good news."
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