Customs officers in Wenzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Wednesday sent away a ship carrying 405.5 tons of electronic garbage to the United States.

Twenty-two 40-foot containers, dubbed "electronic products," arrived in Wenzhou on Sept. 11 this year from the United States, but nobody had claimed them even long after their arrival.

Customs officers grew suspicious. They opened the containers and found inside only scrap computer monitors, keyboards, copiers and color TV sets, which are harmful and, according to Chinese laws, are banned imports.

A Customs officer said they were determined to repatriate these wastes in line with the Chinese laws.

"As the address and telephone number on the shipping bills are fake, we believe this is most likely a deliberate move to transfer electronic garbage," said the officer.

(Xinhua News Agency September 26, 2002)