Border police busted nearly 2,000 drug-smuggling cases, arrested more than 2,000 criminal suspects and seized about 1.9 tons of drugs in the first half of this year, a top border police official said yesterday.

Also, police stopped about 4,500 attempts to smuggle drugs across China's borders, arrested about 5,100 suspects and seized 4.5 tons of drugs in 2005, Chen Weiming, director of the Ministry of Public Security's frontier management bureau, told reporters.

The value of the drugs seized in 2,500 cases since July 2005, Chen said, was 240 million yuan (US$30 million).

He also said more than 1,100 Chinese were caught trying to leave the country illegally in the first six months of the year, a decrease of 28 per cent compared with the same period of last year.

"Border police also effectively stemmed Chinese citizens crossing borders for gambling and logging," Chen said.

In addition, more than 1,300 Chinese were caught trying to cross the border illegally in the second half of last year, a 15 per cent decrease year-on-year, he said.

"The trend of high incidence of Chinese citizens' illegal emigration was effectively stopped," Chen said.

Police along China's 22,000 kilometres of land borders with 14 neighbouring countries and along more than 18,000 kilometres of coastline are on constant guard against those who might try to cross the border illegally, he said.

At the press conference, Chen said that the policy - called "love the people, consolidate the borders" - made perfect sense, as having a happy populace that trust the authorities helps make China's frontiers safer.

Chen said: "It provides a protective screen for the social and economic development of the country in this important strategic period."

Source: China Daily