16.—(1) The proper officer of customs may lock, seal or otherwise secure a container containing any goods at any place, including any free trade zone, in such manner as he thinks fit.
(2) [Deleted by S 642/2013 wef 31/10/2013]
(3) All costs and expenses incurred —
(a)
under paragraph (1), shall be borne by the owner of the container or the agent appointed by the owner to take charge of or to manage the container; and
(b)
[Deleted by S 642/2013 wef 31/10/2013]
(4) No person shall, without prior permission of the proper officer of customs, tamper with, open, break, alter or remove any lock, seal or other safeguards used in respect of a container under paragraph (1).
[S 642/2013 wef 31/10/2013]
(5) No person shall, without the written permission of a proper officer of customs —
(a)
possess a seal, which is to be or is issued by the Customs and Excise Department for the purpose of securing a container; or
(b)
use or re-use such a seal for that purpose.
(6) No person shall possess a seal which that person knew or had reason to believe at the time when he possessed it to be a counterfeit of a seal issued by the Customs and Excise Department for the purpose of securing a container or use that counterfeit seal to secure a container.