Hong Kong's Immigration officers will be bolstered at boundary checkpoints September 17 to 19 to handle a visitor surge during the Mid-Autumn Festival, a government official said Saturday.

Assistant Director of Immigration Simon Peh said on a radio talk show that over 500,000 daily passengers are expected. September 17 morning will be the peak period for departures and arrivals, while September 19 evening will be the arrival peak. As queuing time during peak hours will be longer than usual, Peh called on people to avoid these periods.

Almost 190 immigration officers will be redeployed from other divisions to reinforce air, land and sea control points, Peh said. Among them, 152 will be deployed to land checkpoints.

He added that a review of staff deployment at checkpoints will be conducted after October 1 to devise a long-term deployment plan.

(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2005)