Smugglers caught because they got their Chinese characters the wrong way round
Language blunder gives sugar carriers a bitter lesson after it attracts coastguards’ suspicions
PUBLISHED : Tuesday, 05 September, 2017, 2:19pm
UPDATED : Tuesday, 05 September, 2017, 2:19pm
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2109812/smugglers-caught-because-they-got-their-chinese-characters-wrong
A foreign ship was caught with smuggled cargo last week because the crew did not know Chinese and put the wrong characters on the front of the vessel.
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But they raised the eyebrows of Chinese coastguards because they were painted the other way round. The paint was much fresher than that on the rest of the ship, which was docking at the Yancheng harbour on Thursday, according to the report.
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Officers found 1,300 tonnes of sugar in the cargo bay, held in plastic bags with wording that suggested the origin of production was in Thailand.
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The crew lowered the Panamanian flag and painted the Chinese characters on the bow, because Chinese authorities were less likely to inspect domestic ships.
But the painters did not speak Chinese and held the template in the wrong direction, getting the characters back-to-front.
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I love the unmatched paint, too. Not sure I believe the story, but it's amusing to think about.