Moving up: Lawrence Wong will take up the post of Deputy Commissioner of Customs & Excise after more than 30 years of service.

Assistant Commissioner of Customs & Excise Lawrence Wong will take up the post of  Deputy Commissioner of Customs & Excise beginning tomorrow, when Deputy Commissioner Raymond Li begins his pre-retirement leave.

Mr Wong joined the Customs and Excise Department as a Revenue Inspector in 1973. He was promoted to Superintendent in 1989, Senior Superintendent in 1992, Chief Superintendent in 1996, and Assistant Commissioner in 1999.

Commenting on Mr Wong's promotion, Commissioner of Customs & Excise Raymond Wong said he had full confidence in Mr Wong as he had already gained more than 30 years of experience in a range of customs and excise work.

His past postings included Intellectual Property Investigation Bureau, Drug Investigation Bureau, Airport Command, the former Cooperation & Intelligence Branch and, more recently, Administration & Excise Branch, and Boundary & Ports Branch.

Outgoing Deputy's contributions lauded

The Commissioner also praised the contributions that the outgoing Mr Li had made towards law enforcement and trade facilitation.

"In his 37 years of service in Customs, Mr Li has made significant contributions to customs-related law enforcement in Hong Kong, and the promotion of integrity within the Department," Mr Wong said.

In recognition of Mr Li's outstanding performance, the Chief Executive awarded Mr Li the Customs & Excise Medal for Distinguished Service in 2000. The World Customs Organisation also awarded him a Certificate of Merit and a Medal of Honour in 2002.

Customs Chief Superintendent Chan Hon-kit will take up Mr Wong's post as Assistant Commissioner of Customs & Excise (Boundary & Ports) beginning tomorrow.