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Stripped fighter jet seized
Hong Kong customs authorities have seized an aircraft believed to
be a Soviet-made Mig-29 Fulcrum fighter jet at the Kwai Chung
Container Terminal after a routine check revealed the shipment was
missing an import license.
Leslie Kwoh
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Hong Kong customs authorities have seized an aircraft believed to
be a Soviet-made Mig-29 Fulcrum fighter jet at the Kwai Chung
Container Terminal after a routine check revealed the shipment was
missing an import license.
The aircraft did not carry any weapons and had been stripped of its
engine and other parts when it was discovered by officials Sunday,
Commissioner of Customs and Excise Timothy Tong said Tuesday. The
shipment had arrived from Ukraine and was destined for the United
States.
"The department will continue investigating into the matter, but
there is no sign that it involves serious crime, violence, or
terrorist activities," Tong said. "So far there's no indication the
shipment is connected with smuggling."
Tong refused to reveal the shipping company's name but said the
incident might have been caused by "misunderstanding or a lack of
time to follow correct procedures."
"From time to time, we have had shipments of strategic commodities
pass through Hong Kong where shippers were negligent and did not
apply for licenses, but there have been no serious cases where Hong
Kong has been threatened," he said. "This [indicates] our strategic
goods regulation and monitoring system is very good."
But Democratic Party lawmaker James To warned against complacency,
saying he was particularly alarmed by the discovery as "Hong Kong
is not known to be a hub for the transfer of such
commodities."
He urged the government to fulfill its "responsibility to the
international community" and look into the motive behind the
shipment and background of the shipping company.
Designed in the early 1970s, the Mig-29 continues to be used by the
Ukrainian Air Force and in other countries. The aircraft can reach
a maximum speed of 2,450 kilometers per hour, destroy air targets
at distances up to 200km and carry up to 3,500 kilograms of
weapons.
This is not the first time military shipments have appeared
illegally in Hong Kong. In May 2004, customs officials seized about
2,900 sub- machine guns and 25,000 unloaded magazines in transit
from Malaysia to California. In March 2000, customs officials
seized five armored vehicles en route to Tianjin from Italy.
Under the Import and Export Ordinance, items with potential
military or nuclear uses - such as weapons, fissionable materials,
nuclear reactors and supercomputers - are considered strategic
commodities and must be covered by locally issued import licenses
in order to pass through Hong Kong.
Persons who breach the ordinance are subject to a maximum penalty
of HK$500,000 fine and two years' imprisonment.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=15849&sid=7372964&con_type=1&d_str=20060405
