This year, policemen in the coastal province have focused their efforts on bringing those human traffickers at large to justice. A task force seized seven human traffickers on October 1, the National Day.

Using high-tech means, the police in the Pingtan County's sea area intercepted a vessel bound for Taiwan on the evening of October 8, finding that there were 15 stowaways and human traffickers inside.

"Stowaways have adopted new methods to illegally cross the border," said a police source.

The source said that stowaways are now trying to illegally immigrate to other countries under the guise of tourists or businessmen and they change photos on passports or forge documents to pass them off.

To deal with this situation, the police have transferred their task forces and investigation teams to new areas.

On September 3, police officers in the city of Fuqing cracked a major case in which stowaways attempted to use forged passports to head for Italy, seizing six human traffickers.

"This deal is a heavy blow at human traffickers," said a senior police official in the province.

The province has also carried out publicity campaigns against illegal immigration and urged human traffickers at large to surrender themselves to the police.

(People's Daily 10/21/2000)