Chairing the 41st Intelligence Exchange on Illegal Immigration was Assistant Commissioner (Operations) Wong Chi-hung. Other Force members at the exchange session were representatives from the Operations Wing in Police Headquarters, Marine Region, Border District and Yuen Long District.

Representing Guangdong Border Defence Bureau were 14 officials led by their Deputy Director, Mr Zhou Guoqing.

At the meeting, both parties first reported on the illegal immigration activities and related intelligence in 2008 as well as in the first half of this year, and then had an in-depth discussion on the strategies to deter and combat illegal immigration.

Both parties agreed to strengthen the existing mechanism for co-operation and to continue with joint operations as the emphases for future efforts to battle illegal immigration. The strategies to be taken will include perfecting and strengthening boundary liaison, exchanges of intelligence and co-ordination of joint operations, as well as further enhancing the capability to deal with emergency and maintain law and order at the boundary.

During the meeting, Mr Wong once again thanked the Guangdong Border Defence Bureau for providing support and assistance for boundary defence in the run-up to and during the Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events in Hong Kong last year. The assistance had contributed to a significant drop in illegal immigrants and the successful policing of the events. In view of this, Mr Wong called on the Defence Bureau to provide similar assistance for the upcoming East Asian Games by stepping up intelligence exchanges and defence at the boundary to combat illegal immigrants. The Bureau pledged to do their best to coordinate with the Force.

Summing up, Mr Wong noted that security at the boundary hinged on the co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangdong. "The exchange session is very fruitful and has further intensified the existing mechanism for co-operation in the interest of combatting illegal activities at the boundary and maintaining the long-term stability of Guangdong and Hong Kong," he said.

Another fruitful exchange on boundary security