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BEIJING - CHINA has confiscated thousands of fake military vehicles and number plates in its latest crackdown on citizens masquerading as privileged members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
In China, cars with the distinctive plates of the PLA or one of the country's elite Communist Party bodies have a virtual licence to scoff at road and parking rules and ignore tolls.
This division of privilege has nurtured an energetic industry of people who pretend to be officials or military officers.
'Police officers are also reluctant to pull over drivers of military vehicles even if the drivers are breaking the law,' reported the Xinhua news agency on Friday, when it revealed authorities' catches from their latest crackdown on the fakes.
From July 2006, investigators confiscated 4,112 fake military vehicles and 6,373 fake or stolen military number plates, and 'seized' 95 crime gangs and underground workshops involving more than 5,000 people, the report said.
In years past, Chinese counterfeiters have also used fake military vehicles to ship bootleg cigarettes and other goods, according to previous reports. -- REUTERS
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