â€‹Hong Kong Customs yesterday (August 20) seized about 2 400 kilograms of suspected duty-not-paid water pipe tobacco with an estimated market value of about $6.4 million and a duty potential of about $5.5 million at Hong Kong International Airport.

     Through risk assessment, Customs officers inspected an air consignment, declared to be carrying molasses, arriving in Hong Kong from the United Arab Emirates via Singapore. Upon inspection, Customs officers found the batch of suspected duty-not-paid water pipe tobacco in 100 carton boxes.

     An investigation is ongoing.

     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying duty-not-paid tobacco commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected illicit tobacco activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk). 

  

     The Social Welfare Department (SWD) will make a one-off grant to students who are receiving Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) starting from this Friday (August 23).
          
     A spokesman for the SWD said today (August 21) that the arrangement was one of a series of relief measures announced by the Financial Secretary in the 2019-20 Budget on February 27 this year. Students from child care centres, kindergartens, and primary and secondary schools who are eligible for a flat-rate grant for selected items of school-related expenses under the CSSA Scheme in the 2019/20 school year will each be provided a one-off grant of $2,500. 
      
     The grant will be paid through the existing CSSA payment method, i.e. through autopay to the designated bank accounts in general. Recipients are not required to make an application. 
                
     For enquiries, recipients may call the SWD hotline at 2343 2255 or contact the respective Social Security Field Unit.

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Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (August 21) that due to big waves, the red flag has been hoisted at Shek O Beach in Southern District, Hong Kong Island.  Beach-goers are advised not to swim at the beach.

     Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (August 21). They are, on Hong Kong Island, Giving Love Elderly Charitable Limited; in Kowloon, Hong Kong Rehabilitation Power; and in the New Territories, Pok Oi Hospital, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.

     Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people distinguish between the three flag-selling activities.

     Information on the three flag-selling organisations on August 21 is as follows:
 

     For enquiries, please call the SWD's hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678. Information on flag days is available at the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_whatsnew) and the GovHK portal (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing contact information of the flag-selling organisations and information on the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_controlofc/sub_recentlyap). For enquiries about the detailed flag-selling arrangements, please contact the individual flag-selling organisations.

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities covered by the Public Subscription Permit issued by the SWD have also been uploaded to the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/fundraising).

     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.

     Police today (August 20) appealed to the public for information on a woman who went missing in Tsuen Wan.

     Tsang Chun-mui, aged 44, went missing after she was last seen at MTR Tsuen Wan Station on June 29 afternoon. Her family made a report to Police on July 1.

     She is about 1.58 metres tall, 55 kilograms in weight and of medium build. She has a round face with yellow complexion and long black hair. She was last seen wearing a pink short-sleeved shirt and blue jeans.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing woman or may have seen her is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of Kowloon West on 3661 8038 or email to rmpu-kw@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.