Checked luggage is not always safe....

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Feb 17, 2013
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It was just related to me that traveling with knives of ANY SORT in your checked baggage is forbidden in Hong Kong - EVEN IF YOU ARE JUST PASSING THROUGH HONG KONG.

A friend of mine was returning home from the Philippines on a flight from Manila to the US, with a connecting flight in Hong Kong.

The Manila International Airport police have started searching all out-bound bags on all flights going through Hong Kong because 7 Filipinos have (to date) been thrown in jail and heavily fined when they landed in Hong Kong.

My friend's personal knives, a Hogue EXF01 and a SOG Trident, were confiscated from his checked luggage. IF he had had time to ride a shuttle to another terminal, wait for the airport satellite post office to open and pay exorbitant shipping fees, he could have sent the knives home. Since his flight to Hong Kong was at 06:30 and the post office didn't open until 0900, the knives had to be left in the PI.

So everyone beware that the Chinese Government running Hong Kong doesn't care if you are just passing through - you will be arrested and you will be heavily fined.

The Filipino Government is doing searches at "home" to keep Filipino's from "violating" Chinese law, even if they are just passing through and not staying.

I wonder how many Americans will be tagged in HK for their checked luggage before US TSA officials start enforcing Chines law in the US?
 
I travelled to Germany last year and wasn't checking in luggage on my flights there and back, so I obviously didn't try to bring home any knives. I know people have brought switchblades home from France and Italy by putting them in checked luggage which seems to work, but I guess it doesn't always work with some places. Thanks for the info about Hong Kong. That's important for people to know.
 
In general its always a good plan to check your countries foreign services office for advice when traveling, including the stops between destinations. They will likely have the most up to date info on what concerns those countries have, any travel advisories, or any other details that you may want. Its not something that most people think about, but traveling through some places with as little as 500USD can raise red flags, as can other seemingly innocuous items.
 
It was just related to me that traveling with knives of ANY SORT in your checked baggage is forbidden in Hong Kong - EVEN IF YOU ARE JUST PASSING THROUGH HONG KONG.

A friend of mine was returning home from the Philippines on a flight from Manila to the US, with a connecting flight in Hong Kong.

The Manila International Airport police have started searching all out-bound bags on all flights going through Hong Kong because 7 Filipinos have (to date) been thrown in jail and heavily fined when they landed in Hong Kong.

My friend's personal knives, a Hogue EXF01 and a SOG Trident, were confiscated from his checked luggage. IF he had had time to ride a shuttle to another terminal, wait for the airport satellite post office to open and pay exorbitant shipping fees, he could have sent the knives home. Since his flight to Hong Kong was at 06:30 and the post office didn't open until 0900, the knives had to be left in the PI.

So everyone beware that the Chinese Government running Hong Kong doesn't care if you are just passing through - you will be arrested and you will be heavily fined.

The Filipino Government is doing searches at "home" to keep Filipino's from "violating" Chinese law, even if they are just passing through and not staying.

I wonder how many Americans will be tagged in HK for their checked luggage before US TSA officials start enforcing Chines law in the US?
Just to add to this the same thing can and does take place via Singapore at Changi. I know from personal experience. Make sure one is NOT carrying any illegal weapons withine their suitcases. The checks are random.
 
I also know if planning to visit Australia and bring your knives for hunting/camping, it's a good idea to check with authorities there for confirmation about what knives can and can not be brought into the country and then what state as the rules a re a bit different dependent upon the state of entry. I always carry the documentation from the relevant police dept and then it's no problemo! BTW anything that even looks like it has a double edge will cause you grief.
 
Things sure have changed. Back in the mid-'80s to early '90s, I used to go to Hong Kong every six months for my visa stamp trips from Taiwan. Back then, airport security in HK never paid my Victorinox Spartan SAK even a glance. However, back then, HK was still a British colony. Not sure if that was the difference-maker, or simply the post-9/11 restrictions.

Jim
 
Given the way HK has been the last few weeks, wouldn't be shocked if there was a link there. Could just be a reaction to keep in the mainland China good book.
 
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