Taiwan's customs clearance systems are expected to remain in operation on the eve of the millennium despite the Y2K bug.
Just 3 percent of customs-related agencies haven't finished Y2K testing, which will not have too significant an impact on customs clearance operations, an official from the Directorate General of Customs (DGOC) under the Ministry of Finance said yesterday.
"Despite the fact that some customs-related companies have not completed all tests, the customs clearance should remain in operation as normal since overall preparations are completed," the official said.
The official said the remaining 3 percent are mostly storage companies for marine transport, which are expected to finish the tests by the end of the year.
"Even if they don't complete the tests, some of which are internal tests -- not inter-agency tests -- it won't cause major disruptions in our operations," the official said.
The official said the DGOC had installed a standard computer program for customs clearance.
Since the standard system can operate smoothly in most customs-related companies, no major problems are anticipated, the official said.
"The problem will rest with individual company's internal computer conversion. Some are hesitating to do it for cost concerns, but if they have problems, they will lose business," the official said.
Otherwise, the Y2K preparations within the DGOC and links among the DGOC and customs-related companies, such as customs brokers, banks, and air and marine cargo companies, are all completed.
"We don't think there will be consequential disruptions," the official said.
Therefore, the official said the customs clearance operations on the eve of the millennium changeover are not expected to be suspended.
"They should remain in operation as normal. But we are still discussing whether to turn to manual operations or some other measures to avoid any likely problems."
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