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Hong Kong people, worried about the city's worsening illegal-immigrant problem, are certain to take heart in the news that the police have busted a major human trafficking syndicate.

A joint operation by Hong Kong police and their counterparts in Guangdong since October last year has led to the arrest of 80 people, including 19 believed to be core members of a major cross-border people smuggling ring, Organized Crime and Triad Bureau Superintendent Kwan King-pan told a news briefing on Sunday.

The surge in the number of illegal immigrants landing in the SAR, particularly in recent weeks, has stoked fears that the city could repeat one of its most dreadful nightmares. Up to 45 illegal immigrants were arrested over a weekend in Sai Kung last month and, on March 9, marine police intercepted a boat carrying 21 illegal immigrants, including a three-year old child, in waters near Lantau Island.

The influx of illegal immigrants in recent months suggests that more than one crime syndicate is at work. The police have a daunting task in trying to cut off the routes for human smuggling. Given the fact that most of the illegal immigrants, mostly of South Asian origin, have entered Hong Kong via the mainland, particularly Shenzhen, closer cooperation between law enforcers on both sides is necessary. It is also, understandably, an effective strategy, as indicated by the latest joint operation, in busting human trafficking rings operating across the boundary.

Still, a better strategy is to build up deterrence harsh enough to prevent people from entering the human smuggling trade in the first place. The SAR government is moving in the right direction by seeking tougher penalties against those engaged in human trafficking as part of efforts to stamp out the problem. It is reportedly on track to table a bill to amend the current Immigration Ordinance to impose harsher penalties on those smuggling illegal immigrants into the city.

All these efforts will help ease the illegal-immigrant problem. But a fundamental solution won't emerge until Hong Kong eliminates the incentive for potential illegal immigrants to come here. Many illegal immigrants applied for refugee status immediately after arriving in Hong Kong. They take advantage of the procedural loopholes that allow people to remain here for years while their refugee applications are being vetted, and work illegally or even join criminal gangs as hired thugs. By accelerating the vetting process and sending them back home as soon as possible, the incentive for potential illegal immigrants to come here will be removed.

(HK Edition 03/21/2016 page9)