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Author Archives: hksar gov

Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected illicit cigarettes worth about $52 million (with photos)

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs on January 3 and today (January 6) seized a total of about 19 million suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $52 million and a duty potential of about $36 million at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound.

     Through intelligence analysis, Customs officers on January 3 selected for inspection a 20-foot seaborne container, declared as carrying plastic products, arriving in Hong Kong from Ningbo, the Mainland. Upon inspection, Customs officers seized about 4 million suspected illicit cigarettes inside the container.

     Today, Customs officers also selected for inspection through intelligence analysis a 20-foot seaborne container, declared as carrying mobile phone accessories, arriving in Hong Kong from Ningbo, the Mainland, and a 40-foot seaborne transshipment container, declared as carrying household products, arriving from Ningbo, the Mainland, en route to Malaysia via Hong Kong. Upon inspection, Customs officers seized about 15 million suspected illicit cigarettes inside the two containers.

     Investigations of the above-mentioned cases are ongoing.

     Customs has all along striven to combat different kinds of illicit cigarette smuggling activities and will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analysis for stepping up enforcement before the Lunar New Year.

     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.

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

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Government makes “restriction-testing declaration” and issues compulsory testing notice in respect of specified “restricted area” in Ap Lei Chau

     The Government today (January 6) exercised the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) to make a “restriction-testing declaration” (declaration) effective from 7pm, under which people (hereafter referred to as “persons subject to compulsory testing”) within the specified “restricted area” in Ap Lei Chau (i.e. Pik On House (Block C), Yue On Court, Ap Lei Chau. See Annex) are required to stay in their premises and undergo compulsory testing. Persons subject to compulsory testing are required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the “restricted area” have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertained. The Government aims at finishing this exercise at about 7am tomorrow (January 7).

     A Government spokesman said, “Under Cap. 599J, the Government can, according to the needs of infection control, make a ‘restriction-testing declaration’. As a preliminary tested positive case who has lived in the abovementioned building was detected today, and the preliminary test result involved a mutant strain, the risk of infection in the relevant area is assessed to be likely higher, so the Government decided to make a ‘restriction-testing declaration’ for the relevant area after the test result was found to be positive.”
      
     The Government will set up temporary specimen collection stations at the “restricted area” and request persons subject to compulsory testing to undergo testing before 12am tomorrow. Arrangements will be made for persons subject to compulsory testing to undergo a nucleic acid test at specimen collection stations where dedicated staff will collect samples through combined nasal and throat swabs. Persons subject to compulsory testing must stay at their place of residence until all test results are ascertained to avoid cross-infection risk. The Government will arrange for door-to-door specimen collection for people with impaired mobility and elderly persons.

     The Government spokesman said, “We understand that this exercise will cause inconvenience to the public. The Government has made arrangements to carry out testing for all persons present in the ‘restricted area’ as soon as possible. The aim is to strive to complete testing of all identified persons subject to compulsory testing and confirm the results, and finish the exercise at around 7am tomorrow. The Government will make a public announcement when the declaration expires officially. In the cases in which employees are unable to go to work because of the declaration, the Government hopes their employers can exercise discretion and not deduct the salaries or benefits of the employees.”

     If staying in the “restricted area” will cause unreasonable hardship to individuals who are not residents in the area when the declaration takes effect, government officers may exercise discretion and allow that person to leave the area after considering the individual circumstances. That person must have followed the instructions to undergo testing and leave his/her personal information for contact purposes.

     Persons in the “restricted area” who have undergone testing from January 4, 2022 to January 6, 2022, and are able to provide the SMS notification through a mobile phone or related certification containing the test results, are not required to take the test again. However, they are required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the area have undergone testing and the test results are mostly ascertained. Also, according to the compulsory testing notice to be issued today, any person who had been present at the above building for more than two hours from December 30, 2021 to January 6, 2022, even if they were not present in the “restricted area” at the time when the declaration took effect, must undergo compulsory testing on or before January 8, 2022. As a mutant strain is involved, for prudence’s sake, vaccinated persons are also required to undergo testing.

     In addition, in accordance with the latest arrangement, persons who resided in the same building as the preliminary tested positive case carrying variant of concern suspected to be Omicron are required to undergo compulsory testing on days 2, 3, 4, 7, 12 and 19 counting from the day subsequent to that when the relevant confirmed case last stayed in that building before being admitted to hospital for treatment or leaving Hong Kong.

     The Home Affairs Department has set up a hotline (Tel: 2835 1473) which starts operation at 7pm today for residents restricted by the declaration to make enquiries and seek assistance. The Social Welfare Department will also provide assistance to the affected persons.

     The Government appeals to persons subject to compulsory testing for their full co-operation by registering and undergoing testing, and waiting for the results patiently at home. The Government will strictly follow up on whether the persons concerned have complied with the compulsory testing notices and “restriction-testing declaration”. Any person who fails to comply with the compulsory testing notices commits an offence and may be fined a fixed penalty of $5,000. The person would also be issued with a compulsory testing order requiring him or her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the compulsory testing order or the “restriction-testing declaration” is an offence and the offender would be liable to a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months. read more

Mainlander jailed for making false representation, making and using false instruments

     â€‹A male Mainlander charged with two counts of making false instruments, two counts of using false instruments and one count of making false representation to an Immigration Department (ImmD) staff member was sentenced to a total of 30 months’ imprisonment yesterday (January 5) at the Shatin Magistrates’ Court. 
      
     The 26-year-old defendant submitted an application for extension of stay to the ImmD in June 2020 and claimed that he was still under the employment of a local company with employment proof submitted. Upon inspection, doubt was cast on the authenticity of the submitted documents and the defendant was further investigated.
      
     In the course of the investigation, the defendant admitted under caution that he was no longer employed by the company. As he wished to continue to stay in Hong Kong, he forged the employment proof and made false representation to the ImmD in order to have his application approved. The defendant was subsequently charged with the offences of making and using false instruments and making false representation to Immigration staff upon the application for extension of stay. At the trial, the defendant was convicted and sentenced to a total of 30 months’ imprisonment by the Shatin Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
      
     “Under the laws of Hong Kong, any person who makes, uses or has in his custody a false instrument commits an offence and is liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, subject to imprisonment for 14 years. Moreover, any person who makes false representation to an Immigration officer commits an offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, subject to the maximum penalty of a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalty,” an Immigration spokesman said. read more