The Labour Department (LD) is investigating a fatal work accident that occurred at a construction site at the Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, this afternoon (June 30), in which a man died. &n… read more
A woman was fined $7,000 at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts today (June 30) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
The court heard that in July last year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department, when searching the Internet for intelligence about unlicensed guesthouse activities, identified a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on King’s Road in North Point. The OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse on a daily basis through an Internet platform.
According to the OLA’s records, the guesthouse did not possess a licence under the Ordinance on the day of lodging. The woman responsible for operating the premises was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and can lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years’ imprisonment. Guesthouse licensees may advertise or offer to provide sleeping accommodation on the Internet. To assist the public and the tourists to identify licensed guesthouses, the licensees should indicate clearly “Licensed guesthouse” in all promotional advertisement materials or advertisements related to the guesthouse.
The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA by the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application “Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses”. read more
A 28-year-old woman was sentenced to immediate imprisonment for seven days by the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts today (June 30) for violating the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C).
The woman was earlier issued a compulsory quarantine order stating that she must conduct quarantine at home for 14 days. Before the expiry of the quarantine order, she left the place of quarantine without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorised officer and was stopped by staff of the Immigration Department at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Point on March 22. She was charged with contravening sections 8(1) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was sentenced by the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts today to immediate imprisonment for seven days.
Pursuant to the Regulation, save for exempted persons, all persons who have stayed in the Mainland, Macao or Taiwan in the 14 days preceding arrival in Hong Kong, regardless of their nationality or travel documents, will be subject to compulsory quarantine for 14 days. Moreover, pursuant to the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E), starting from March 19, all persons arriving from countries or territories outside China would also be subject to compulsory quarantine for 14 days. Breaching a quarantine order is a criminal offence and offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months. The Department of Health (DH) solemnly reminds persons under quarantine to comply with the statutory requirements and conduct quarantine for 14 days.
A spokesman for the DH said the sentence sends a clear message to the community that breaching the Regulation is a criminal offence and that the Government will not tolerate such actions. As of today, a total of 23 persons have been convicted by the courts with imprisonment sentences of up to three months or a fine of $10,000. The spokesman reiterated that resolute actions will be taken against anyone who has breached the Regulation. read more
A member of the public made a report on illegal disposal of construction waste from a vehicle with a video produced by a dashcam. The vehicle owner involved was convicted and fined $6,000 at Fanling Magistrates’ Courts today (June 30) for contravening the Waste Disposal Ordinance (WDO).
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) received a report with a video produced by a dashcam from a member of the public in January about waste being illegally disposed of on Tsing Wun Road, Tuen Mun. The video clearly showed the whole process of the non-compliant activity and the relevant vehicle registration number, which helped the EPD successfully trace the vehicle owner involved. The renovation waste disposed of not only created obstructions in a passage, but also adversely affected environmental hygiene. After collecting evidence, the EPD prosecuted the goods vehicle owner involved in accordance with the WDO. The EPD commended members of the public for taking up their civic responsibility and assisting the Government in combating illegal disposal of waste.
A spokesman for the EPD said that the department has installed round-the-clock surveillance camera systems at various construction waste fly-tipping black spots across Hong Kong. In addition, the upgrading and popularity of equipment, including personal mobile phones and various types of dashcams, also help members of the public to come forward and report illegal disposal of waste. This situation is conducive to achieving the result of community-wide surveillance with the message of “Stop illegal dumping. Someone is watching”. The spokesman reminded all practitioners of the renovation, construction and transportation sectors that they must properly deliver commercial and industrial waste as well as construction waste to the government waste management facilities in accordance with the law. It is unlawful to dispose of waste in public places and on the roadside. Under the WDO, offenders may be liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months’ imprisonment on first conviction. A maximum fine of $500,000 and six months’ imprisonment may be imposed on subsequent conviction.
The spokesman urged members of the public to make reports with videos or photos to the EPD through the department’s hotline (Tel: 2838 3111) or by email (enquiry@epd.gov.hk) if they witness any illegal disposal of waste with a view to working together to combat these illegal activities. read more
Following is the full text of the video message by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the United Nations Human Rights Council meeting today (June 30):
Madam President,
As Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, I welcome this opportunity to state our position on the enactment of national security legislation for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
National security is invariably under the purview of the central authorities, be it in China or any other countries. In all countries, the power to legislate on national security rests solely with the central government. Hong Kong is an inalienable part of China – a special administrative region enjoying a high degree of autonomy which comes directly under the Central Government. As an exceptional arrangement under the policy of “One Country, Two Systems”, the Basic Law governing the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao obliges the SAR to enact local legislation on its own to safeguard national security. Macao has successfully completed this task in 2009. Hong Kong, after a failed attempt in 2003, has not been able to fulfil its constitutional duty. For the sake of not only the 7.5 million Hong Kong residents, but also the 1.4 billion people in the Chinese mainland, the question of how long we could tolerate such a gaping hole in national security has to be asked, and answered.
Legislation to safeguard national security is now urgently needed. Since last June, Hong Kong has been traumatised by escalating violence fanned by external forces. The threats of terrorist acts posed by illegal possession of explosives and firearms and the horrible menace faced by innocent Hong Kong people were recapped by my senior Police colleague Oscar Kwok and a prominent businesswoman Pansy Ho respectively when they spoke at this forum in March this year and September last year. Once rated as one of the safest cities in the world, security and stability have become relevant concerns.
During this period, groups advocating “Hong Kong independence” and “self-determination” incited protesters, very often radicalised young people, to desecrate and burn the national flag, vandalise the national emblem and storm the Central Government’s office in Hong Kong. Further, some local politicians proclaimed that they would paralyse the Hong Kong SAR Government while others campaigned for foreign governments to interfere in Hong Kong’s affairs or even to impose sanctions on Hong Kong. No central government could turn a blind eye to such threats to sovereignty and national security as well as risks of subversion of state power. All in all, these acts have crossed the “One Country” red line and called for resolute action.
As the highest organ of state power in China, the National People’s Congress has the constitutional power and the duty to enact national security legislation for the Hong Kong SAR. The national law to be enacted has taken into account Hong Kong’s actual situation and will be applied in Hong Kong by way of promulgation in accordance with the Basic Law.
The legislation aims to prevent, curb and punish acts of secession, subversion of state power, terrorist activities, and collusion with foreign or external forces to endanger national security. These crimes will be clearly defined in the law. It will only target an extremely small minority of people who have breached the law, while the life and property, basic rights and freedoms of the overwhelming majority of Hong Kong residents will be protected.
The legislation upholds important legal principles such as presumption of innocence and protection of the rights of the suspect. It will have no retrospective effect. Except in rare specified situations, the Hong Kong SAR shall exercise jurisdiction over offences under the law. Investigation, prosecution and adjudication will be undertaken by the Hong Kong Police and the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong SAR Government and the independent Judiciary including that of final adjudication. The law will not affect Hong Kong’s renowned judicial independence. It will not affect legitimate rights and freedoms of individuals which are protected under the Basic Law and the relevant provisions of international covenants as applied to Hong Kong. They include, among others, the freedom of speech, of the press, of assembly, of demonstration, and of procession. In short, the legislation will not undermine “One Country, Two Systems” and Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.
Hong Kong is a free and diversified society. We respect differences in opinion and thrive on reaching consensus. But the “One Country” principle is non-negotiable and could not be compromised as without “One Country”, “Two Systems” will stand on shaky ground and Hong Kong’s stability and prosperity will be at risk. For those foreign governments or politicians raising objections to the legislation, one could only lament the “double standards” they are adopting. All those countries which have pointed their fingers at China have their own national security legislation in place. We could think of no valid reason why China alone should be inhibited from enacting national security legislation to protect every corner of its territory and all of its nationals.
Madam President, when I took office three years ago, I pledged to implement the “One Country, Two Systems” policy, uphold the Basic Law, defend the rule of law, and promote a deep and positive relationship between the Central Government and the Hong Kong SAR. Despite the escalating tensions in society in recent years, I remain hopeful that, with full conviction in “One Country, Two Systems” and upon implementation of the national security legislation, Hong Kong will ride out the political storm since last June and emerge stronger with stability restored. I and the Hong Kong SAR Government are determined to capitalise on our strengths, harness the opportunities presented by our country’s development and provide Hong Kong people with brighter prospects.
I urge the international community to respect our country’s right to safeguard national security and Hong Kong people’s aspirations for stability and harmony. Thank you. read more