An anti-smuggling non-governmental group called the North District Parallel Imports Concern Group staged a protest on Sunday afternoon, during which they took the train from Sheung Shui Station and crossed the border into the mainland at the Lo Wu control point.
Oriental Press Group reports that two protests participants were detained by customs officials for a little over an hour. The group claims that the two detained people had their documents and phones confiscated temporarily by mainland customs officers. After having their documents photocopied and being forced to delete photos they took during the protest, they were escorted back to Hong Kong by three police officers.
The North District Parallel Imports Concern Group was formed in 2012, with the mission of urging the Hong Kong government to strengthen law enforcement against parallel trading, where mainland merchants take advantage of their multiple-entry visas to bring primarily household goods out of Hong Kong to sell in mainland China. Parallel trading has caused a shortage of certain goods in the Northern District, which borders the mainland, and can be thanked for the government cap on how much milk formula anyone can take out of Hong Kong.
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Photo: North District Parallel Imports Concern Group via Facebook
