As many as 10,670 entertainment businesses were inspected by law enforcement and government agencies during the three-month drive to flush out illegal activities in Guangdong Province.

"Of those inspected, 1,651 have been shut down permanently, while the rest have been required to cease trading and make improvements to business practices," said He Guifu, director of the Social Security Department of the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Public Security.

The campaign was launched on May 10 and involved eight major cities Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Huizhou, Foshan, Zhongshan and Jiangmen. All are situated in the prosperous Pearl River Delta which borders the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions.

He told a press conference over 24,000 were detained and hundreds of arrests were made. Among those detained were prostitutes and their clients many of whom hold Hong Kong and Macao resident permits, and some are senior gang members.

Zhuhai police arrested nine gang members and 13 prostitutes during a June raid. Key members of the gang were brothers and sisters from the same family. More than 100,000 yuan (US$12,000) was confiscated.

He said the special campaign has struck heavy blow to local prostitution and illegal gang-related activities

He urged local residents and tourists to the province to avoid visiting prostitutes.

Police will continue to crackdown, He said.

Government departments will forge closer ties to expand regular inspection of entertainment venues.

(China Daily August 26, 2004)