Amendments to Customs Law Tighten SupervisionThe just-passed Amendments to the Customs Law considerably expand the power of the customs to crack down on smugglers, but at the same time it tightens the supervision of the customs service, especially that of senior customs officers.The Amendments were passed in Beijing Saturday at the 16th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC), which closed Saturday afternoon. The Amendments, which consist of 71 articles, will go into effect January 1, 2001. The Amendments entitle customs officers to the same rights as public security bodies regarding investigation, detention, arrest and preliminary hearing. Chinese lawmakers voiced concern that the actions of customs officers should be more closely monitored when deliberating the draft of the Amendments. "Of the most serious smuggling cases uncovered so far, some involved senior customs officers," said Tao Siju, a member of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, citing a recent notorious case in Zhanjiang, a coastal city in south China. "Many customs officials have participated in smuggling or colluded with smugglers," said Tao, who is a former minister of public security. The anti-smuggling fight necessitates not only adequate power and equipment, but also more qualified customs officials, he warned. The Amendments lay down that a system of regular exchange and assessment of senior customs officers as well as a system of enrollment of new customs staff through examinations be established. In his closing speech, NPC Chairman Li Peng said that the passage of the Amendments facilitates the crackdown on smuggling activities and the supervision of the customs. |
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