The 'Human Flood'

Over two million tourists visit Hong Kong each year. They have a choice of accomodation from simple guest houses to luxury hotels, where the conditions are equal to the best anywhere in the world. However imagine that you are living comfortably in a village with about a thousand inhabitants. Suddenly a thousand visitors arrive, then another thousand until it becomes a continual stream. But these visitors are different to the tourists they are illegal immigrants who have entered Hong Kong without permission. Immigration officers have a difficult job, keeping these people out of Hong Kong as many of them are Chinese and family ties are very strong. The Hong Kong immigration department had a law passed by the government that states an illegal immigrant will be punished with a fine of 49,929 Hong Kong dollars and imprisonment of up to three years. The immigrants flood in by boat often called snake boats from the way they twist and turn to get away from the police patrol boats.

The Aberdeen Marine Police capture two illegal immigrants during a routine inspection.