Shanghai's bid to build itself into an international shipping
center is facing a new challenge - more crimes involving
unauthorized cargo truck operators using fake licenses, a district
prosecutor's office said.
"The crimes have seriously affected the security of ports in the
city," Tan Jianqiu, a prosecutor with the Shanghai Hongkou District
Prosecutors' Office, said.
On March 8, the driver of a container truck at a cargo port in
Pudong knocked down a cyclist and fled. The cyclist died later in
hospital.
Zhang Lixuan was arrested on June 12, and investigations
revealed his driver's and business licenses were fake. He said he
had never received driving lessons.
On April 2, Hua Huiming and Hua Liming, equipped with fake
business licenses, stole brass pipes they were supposed to send to
Waigaoqiao Port. The pipes were worth more than $23,000.?
With ports in the city getting busier, more crimes are being
witnessed. Last year, Shanghai topped the world's import-export
cargo list and was the third largest container port.
In the first six months of this year, 103 people were arrested
for 97 crimes relating to the ports, a 203.1 percent increase
compared to the same period last year.
Fifty-two people were charged with trading in fake government
documents, mostly business and driving licenses, and 51 for the
purchase and use of fake certificates.
"All the 51 suspects were from outside Shanghai and hoped to
earn money in the container transport business," Tan said.
To be a container truck driver takes months of driving lessons
and can cost up to 8,000 yuan, another prosecutor, Chen Yijun,
said.
A fake license costs between 100 yuan and 400 yuan, he said.
Most fake licenses originate from Hunan and Henan provinces.
"The fact that most sellers are from other provinces makes
investigations more difficult," Chen said.
He said prosecutors will urge authorities in the two provinces
to take tougher measures against the racket.
(China Daily July 18, 2007)