Sugar, Petrol Smuggling Besets Vietnams Delta Region
HANOI, Aug 16 Asia Pulse - Smuggling of sugar into Vietnam and petrol out of the country across the Cambodian border has resumed after a few months lull, border authorities have reported.
Most of the smuggling takes place through the Mekong River Delta provinces of An Giang, Kien Giang, and Long An.
The An Giang Customs Department reported that in July it seized nearly 2,000 litres of petrol and 8.7 tonnes of sugar. Kien Giang customs seized more than 10.7 tonnes of sugar, 6,625 litres of petrol, and 9,628 cigarette packs.
Pham Ngoc Toan, an Giang Market Management Official, said contraband petrol was pouring into Cambodia again after smuggling had been controlled for two months. "Hot spots include Tan Khanh Hoa and Vinh Dieu communes in Kien Luong District, and Ben Xuong and Duong Chua communes in Ha Tien Town," he said.
"In these areas, the provinces anti-smuggling force seized 1,680 litres of petrol." Truong Buu Tai, head of An Giang customs anti-smuggling unit, said, "The situation in An Giang Province is complicated because smugglers employ cunning tricks. This makes it very hard for us to catch them." "Nevertheless, we recently confiscated 600 litres of petrol in Khanh Binh District [on the border], and 2,000kg of sugar in Vinh Nguon Commune," he said.
Independent observers agreed with him, pointing to Khanh Binh District, Khanh An Commune in An Phu District, and all bordering communes in Tinh Bien District as petrol smuggling hotbeds. They said sugar was smuggled in mainly through An Giang Province the focal points being Chau Doc towns Vinh Nguon Commune, and Tan Chau Districts Vinh Xuong Commune.
A person living near the Vinh Xuong check point in An Giang said smugglers often used bicycles to transport goods between Vietnam and Cambodia.
"When they see anti-smuggling forces on patrol, the smugglers melt away; but as soon as the police turn their backs, their activities resume," he said.
Tai, the An Giang customs official, said his department had recently confiscated about 5.1 tonnes of sugar from Malaysia found hidden aboard a Mongolian ship which had berthed at the My Thoi Port to load rice.
The market management agencies in Kien Giang and An Giang provinces attributed the recent surge in smuggling to the big differences in prices of petroleum and sugar in Vietnam and abroad.
Smugglers earned VND2,000 to 3,500 per litre of petrol transported from Vietnam to Cambodia, they said. A litre of premium petrol costs VND12,000 in Vietnam after last weeks price hike.
Nguyen Thanh Long, general director of the Can Tho Sugar Joint Stock Company, said sugar smuggled into the country was VND500-800 per kilogram cheaper than domestic produce. The latter retails at VND12,000.
"Every day, hundreds of tonnes of sugar pour into Vietnam from Cambodia, putting the domestic sugar industry in jeopardy," Long warned.
(VNA)
Most of the smuggling takes place through the Mekong River Delta provinces of An Giang, Kien Giang, and Long An.
The An Giang Customs Department reported that in July it seized nearly 2,000 litres of petrol and 8.7 tonnes of sugar. Kien Giang customs seized more than 10.7 tonnes of sugar, 6,625 litres of petrol, and 9,628 cigarette packs.
Pham Ngoc Toan, an Giang Market Management Official, said contraband petrol was pouring into Cambodia again after smuggling had been controlled for two months. "Hot spots include Tan Khanh Hoa and Vinh Dieu communes in Kien Luong District, and Ben Xuong and Duong Chua communes in Ha Tien Town," he said.
"In these areas, the provinces anti-smuggling force seized 1,680 litres of petrol." Truong Buu Tai, head of An Giang customs anti-smuggling unit, said, "The situation in An Giang Province is complicated because smugglers employ cunning tricks. This makes it very hard for us to catch them." "Nevertheless, we recently confiscated 600 litres of petrol in Khanh Binh District [on the border], and 2,000kg of sugar in Vinh Nguon Commune," he said.
Independent observers agreed with him, pointing to Khanh Binh District, Khanh An Commune in An Phu District, and all bordering communes in Tinh Bien District as petrol smuggling hotbeds. They said sugar was smuggled in mainly through An Giang Province the focal points being Chau Doc towns Vinh Nguon Commune, and Tan Chau Districts Vinh Xuong Commune.
A person living near the Vinh Xuong check point in An Giang said smugglers often used bicycles to transport goods between Vietnam and Cambodia.
"When they see anti-smuggling forces on patrol, the smugglers melt away; but as soon as the police turn their backs, their activities resume," he said.
Tai, the An Giang customs official, said his department had recently confiscated about 5.1 tonnes of sugar from Malaysia found hidden aboard a Mongolian ship which had berthed at the My Thoi Port to load rice.
The market management agencies in Kien Giang and An Giang provinces attributed the recent surge in smuggling to the big differences in prices of petroleum and sugar in Vietnam and abroad.
Smugglers earned VND2,000 to 3,500 per litre of petrol transported from Vietnam to Cambodia, they said. A litre of premium petrol costs VND12,000 in Vietnam after last weeks price hike.
Nguyen Thanh Long, general director of the Can Tho Sugar Joint Stock Company, said sugar smuggled into the country was VND500-800 per kilogram cheaper than domestic produce. The latter retails at VND12,000.
"Every day, hundreds of tonnes of sugar pour into Vietnam from Cambodia, putting the domestic sugar industry in jeopardy," Long warned.
(VNA)
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