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Stripped fighter jet seized (Hong Kong Customs seized smuggled MIG-29 *no import license)
The Standard (Hong Kong) ^ | Apr 4 2006 | Leslie Kwoh

Posted on 04/04/2006 6:17:28 PM PDT by Republican Party Reptile

Stripped fighter jet seized

Hong Kong customs authorities have seized an aircraft believed to be a Soviet-made Mig-29 Fulcrum fighter jet at the Kwai Chung Container Terminal after a routine check revealed the shipment was missing an import license.

Leslie Kwoh

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Hong Kong customs authorities have seized an aircraft believed to be a Soviet-made Mig-29 Fulcrum fighter jet at the Kwai Chung Container Terminal after a routine check revealed the shipment was missing an import license. The aircraft did not carry any weapons and had been stripped of its engine and other parts when it was discovered by officials Sunday, Commissioner of Customs and Excise Timothy Tong said Tuesday. The shipment had arrived from Ukraine and was destined for the United States.

"The department will continue investigating into the matter, but there is no sign that it involves serious crime, violence, or terrorist activities," Tong said. "So far there's no indication the shipment is connected with smuggling."

Tong refused to reveal the shipping company's name but said the incident might have been caused by "misunderstanding or a lack of time to follow correct procedures."

"From time to time, we have had shipments of strategic commodities pass through Hong Kong where shippers were negligent and did not apply for licenses, but there have been no serious cases where Hong Kong has been threatened," he said. "This [indicates] our strategic goods regulation and monitoring system is very good."

But Democratic Party lawmaker James To warned against complacency, saying he was particularly alarmed by the discovery as "Hong Kong is not known to be a hub for the transfer of such commodities."

He urged the government to fulfill its "responsibility to the international community" and look into the motive behind the shipment and background of the shipping company.

Designed in the early 1970s, the Mig-29 continues to be used by the Ukrainian Air Force and in other countries. The aircraft can reach a maximum speed of 2,450 kilometers per hour, destroy air targets at distances up to 200km and carry up to 3,500 kilograms of weapons.

This is not the first time military shipments have appeared illegally in Hong Kong. In May 2004, customs officials seized about 2,900 sub- machine guns and 25,000 unloaded magazines in transit from Malaysia to California. In March 2000, customs officials seized five armored vehicles en route to Tianjin from Italy.

Under the Import and Export Ordinance, items with potential military or nuclear uses - such as weapons, fissionable materials, nuclear reactors and supercomputers - are considered strategic commodities and must be covered by locally issued import licenses in order to pass through Hong Kong.

Persons who breach the ordinance are subject to a maximum penalty of HK$500,000 fine and two years' imprisonment.


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; fighter; hongkong; mig; russia; smuggle; ukraine
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Ok, which one of you were trying to smuggle an unlicensed MIG-29 from Ukraine into the U.S.?
1 posted on 04/04/2006 6:17:31 PM PDT by Republican Party Reptile
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To: Republican Party Reptile

Weren't me. I'm still waiting for my submachine guns.


2 posted on 04/04/2006 6:21:42 PM PDT by jordan8
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To: Republican Party Reptile

well if it was me it would have had the engine and flight instuments in it. the way it is now its just a pole sitter.


3 posted on 04/04/2006 6:23:31 PM PDT by HANG THE EXPENSE
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To: Republican Party Reptile

So THAT's why the package hasn't arrived from FedEx...


4 posted on 04/04/2006 6:30:20 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (The UN 1967 Outer Space Treaty is bad for America and bad for humanity - DUMP IT)
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To: Republican Party Reptile
The aircraft did not carry any weapons and had been stripped of its engine and other parts when it was discovered by officials Sunday,...

OK, where the hell are the engines and avionics?! I paid for the engines and the avionics too! Chinese custom agents are a bunch of farking iceholes.

5.56mm

5 posted on 04/04/2006 6:30:50 PM PDT by M Kehoe
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To: Republican Party Reptile
Just one of the many things I ordered with the money I have coming from Nigeria. This was to replace my pink flamingos that get buried under the snow for 7 months a year.

mc :-)
6 posted on 04/04/2006 6:31:20 PM PDT by mcshot (Rusty but trusty or vice versa.)
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To: King Prout; Darksheare

Pingaroo


7 posted on 04/04/2006 6:31:23 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (The UN 1967 Outer Space Treaty is bad for America and bad for humanity - DUMP IT)
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To: M Kehoe
They will arrive in a separate shipment.
8 posted on 04/04/2006 6:32:13 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (The UN 1967 Outer Space Treaty is bad for America and bad for humanity - DUMP IT)
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To: Army Air Corps
They will arrive in a separate shipment.

Sure, that's what my squad leader said about the M16s and the 30 round magazines...never mind the ammo...

5.56mm

9 posted on 04/04/2006 6:35:17 PM PDT by M Kehoe
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To: Republican Party Reptile
The page cannot be found
The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is unavailable.

The donation message on this thread makes me think of the latest PHISHING email I get. But of course, it is not PHISHING!

10 posted on 04/04/2006 6:37:53 PM PDT by Buddy B (MSgt Retired-USAF)
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To: Republican Party Reptile

Hey don't look at me, I'm the one who ordered the Armored Vehicles. It's not like I committed a crime.


11 posted on 04/04/2006 6:38:06 PM PDT by Petey139
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To: M Kehoe

Well, another carrier offers a better rate on ammo, so that comes in another shipment. I hope that you bought the shipping insurance.


12 posted on 04/04/2006 6:39:21 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (The UN 1967 Outer Space Treaty is bad for America and bad for humanity - DUMP IT)
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To: jordan8
I'm still awaiting the old Estonian Makarovs
13 posted on 04/04/2006 6:39:52 PM PDT by mylife ( The roar of the masses could be farts)
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To: Republican Party Reptile
To hell with the plane and avionics, I ordered two engines but only received one. What the happened to the other one?
14 posted on 04/04/2006 6:46:48 PM PDT by fso301
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To: Republican Party Reptile

Not me, I ordered a case of Russian MRE's (for when my mother-in-law comes to visit ;)



15 posted on 04/04/2006 6:46:59 PM PDT by DemforBush
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To: jordan8
"SK's FOR ALL MY FRIENDS!!!"
16 posted on 04/04/2006 6:55:54 PM PDT by Cheapskate (America , -- -- -- -- Yeah!)
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To: Republican Party Reptile
Ok, which one of you were trying to smuggle an unlicensed MIG-29 from Ukraine into the U.S.?

I confess. I was gonna get a fully-loaded Sukhoi-37 but it would have maxed out my Mastercard.

17 posted on 04/04/2006 6:58:52 PM PDT by Heatseeker (Never underestimate the left's tendency to underestimate us.)
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To: fso301

"To hell with the plane and avionics, I ordered two engines but only received one. What the happened to the other one?"

Well, the other one was retained to "pay fees related to processing your order".


18 posted on 04/04/2006 7:12:30 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (The UN 1967 Outer Space Treaty is bad for America and bad for humanity - DUMP IT)
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To: Republican Party Reptile

At existing fuel costs??? You must be joking.


19 posted on 04/04/2006 7:14:24 PM PDT by GSlob
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To: Republican Party Reptile

this is bizarre. What private citizen in the US has the money to pay for this, the connections to get it shipped, the technical know-how to reassemble a MiG-29, and the facilities to operate and maintain it?

My best guess is that it was acquired either by a government agency or someone like Larry Ellison.


20 posted on 04/04/2006 7:19:17 PM PDT by stormlead
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