Police today (April 22) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Chai Wan. Lin Dunyao , aged 69, went missing after he left his residence on Sau Kei Wan Ro… read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:
The Judiciary announced today (April 22) that the General Adjourned Period (GAP), which started on January 29, will end on May 3. From May 4, all court proceedings will generally resume as safely as circumstances permit. In the same way, court and tribunal registries will also start to re-open by stages from May 6, the first stage including the registries of the Court of Final Appeal and the High Court. Having regard to the public health situation and the need for social distancing, court business will initially be conducted under reduced capacity. This will be closely monitored and adjustments made where appropriate.
The Judiciary stresses that public health and safety, including that of court users, the Judiciary’s staff and Judges and Judicial Officers (JJOs), continue to be paramount considerations in the handling of court operations by the Judiciary. The Judiciary will however conduct as much court business as practicable, having regard to the prevailing public health situation. The extent of court operations will be contingent on a number of factors, including the need to adopt measures to facilitate social distancing, e.g. setting limits on the number of hearings to be held on each court floor on all Judiciary premises, etc.
Resumption of court proceedings
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From May 4, all hearings, both civil and criminal proceedings, including trials, will generally resume unless they are adjourned pursuant to specific directions by the court, but with reduced capacity. However, jury trials will only start after May. To ensure an orderly resumption of court proceedings, an appropriate buffer period will be provided before hearings, particularly trials, are resumed. Parties concerned, be they legally represented or litigants in person, will be given clear notification and directions on the mode of hearings with sufficient lead time for preparation. More details will be provided to court users in the stakeholders’ notifications to be issued in due course.
For civil proceedings, the court will continue to adopt a flexible and multi-pronged approach. JJOs will continue to proactively manage their cases and directions will be given to the parties as necessary. Where appropriate, JJOs will consider disposing the cases on paper as far as possible. JJOs may also invite parties to explore the use of Video Conferencing Facilities (VCF) or conduct hearings by telephone where appropriate.
Re-opening of court registries and accounts offices
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To coincide with the end of the GAP, the Judiciary will re-open court and tribunal registries and accounts offices by stages and in a staggered manner:
(a) May 6 (Wednesday) – Court of Final Appeal/High Court
(b) May 8 (Friday) – District Court
(c) May 13 (Wednesday) – Family Court
(d) May 15 (Friday) – Lands Tribunal
(e) May 19 (Tuesday) – Magistrates’ Courts/Coroner’s Court/Obscene Articles Tribunal
(f) May 21 (Thursday) – Small Claims Tribunal/Labour Tribunal.
The opening hours of the court registries and accounts offices will be reduced to from 9.30am to 12.30pm until further notice. Some registry business, such as search and inspection of case files, cause books and orders, will be conducted in the afternoon. More details will be announced closer to the time of the re-opening, and court users are advised to refer to the Judiciary website for details.
Re-opening of other offices of the Judiciary
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A staggered approach will also be adopted for the re-opening of other offices that provide services to court users and the public:
(a) May 4 (Monday) – Court Language Section’s Certification Counter in Wanchai Law Courts Building (WLCB); Bailiff Offices’ Public Counters at various court premises; Integrated Mediation Office in WLCB; High Court Library
(b) May 11 (Monday) – Resource Centre for Unrepresented Litigants at High Court Building
(c) May 15 (Friday) – Building Management Mediation Co-ordinator’s Office in Lands Tribunal
(d) May 25 (Monday) – Small Claims Tribunal Information Centre; Counter Services at Complaints Office at High Court Building
The opening hours of the offices are as follows: 2.30pm to 4.30pm for the High Court Library and 9.30am to 12.30pm for the remaining offices until further notice. Court users are advised to refer to the Judiciary website for the details.
The Canteen in the High Court Building and the Tuck Shop in the West Kowloon Law Courts Building will remain closed until further notice.
For offices on Judiciary premises operated by other government departments or outside organisations, court users should enquire with the relevant service providers direct for details relating to the re-opening of these offices.
Preventive and crowd management measures
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The Judiciary will continue to put in place appropriate preventive and crowd management measures. These measures include requiring all people entering Judiciary premises to undergo body temperature check, to wear face masks, and putting in place necessary queuing, ticketing and triage systems, designated entry and exit points, as well as admission control to limit the number of court users entering and remaining on Judiciary premises.
To maintain social distancing, chessboard seating arrangement will continue to be adopted in courtrooms and court lobbies with seating capacity reduced to half. Broadcasting of proceedings will be arranged on a need basis. Capacity limits will also be set for areas such as court registries and accounts offices to avoid crowding.
Parties, legal representatives and other court users who are subject to any quarantine requirements or medical surveillance should not come to the Judiciary premises. They should as soon as practicable apply to the court for permission of absence or inform the court with reasons for absence as appropriate.
Information on detailed arrangements will be uploaded onto the Judiciary website. Court users are strongly advised to check the updated information on the Judiciary website, and follow the advice of the Judiciary staff and security personnel when they attend for court business. The cooperation of court users is necessary and is appreciated.
For enquiries regarding general arrangements for court business, the following hotlines are being operated from Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4pm:
Police today (April 22) laid a holding charge against two men, aged 16 and 17 respectively, jointly with one count of murder, one count of wounding and one count of taking part in a riot. T… read more
Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, at a media session before attending the meeting of the Legislative Council this morning (April 22): Reporter: Secretary, do you feel relief that y… read more
Following is a question by the Hon Claudia Mo and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, in the Legislative Council today (April 22):
Question:
Chi Ma Wan Correctional Institution and the adjacent Chi Sun Correctional Institution ceased operation in 2010. I have learnt that the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) and the Correctional Services Department (CSD) parked a number of their vehicles in the vicinity of the aforesaid correctional institutions on the 5th of last month. In reply to my enquiry, HKPF confirmed that it had conducted a joint response exercise together with CSD at the aforesaid location on that day. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the following information on the aforesaid two correctional institutions since they ceased operation in 2010:
(a) the government department(s) responsible for the management of them, and the amount of expenditure and manpower involved each year;
(b) whether they have been on loan to government departments or public and private organisations; if so, set out, by date in a table, the following information: (i) the name of the government department or public and private organisation, (ii) the reason for the loan, and (iii) the number of persons using the premises;
(c) whether they have been used for law enforcement purposes (such as detention of arrestees); if so, set out, by date in a table, the following information: (i) the name of the law enforcement agency, (ii) the purpose of use, and (iii) the number of persons involved; and
(d) whether they have been used to store the vehicles, ammunition or accoutrements of the HKPF;
(2) of the details of the aforesaid joint response exercise, including (i) the purpose and (ii) the respective numbers of officers deployed by various government departments to participate in the exercise; and
(3) of the respective numbers of joint response exercises that the HKPF co-ordinated and joined in each of the past five years, and set out the following information by date: (i) the location, (ii) the purpose, and (iii) the respective numbers of officers deployed by various government departments to participate in the exercise?
Reply:
President,
Law and order is the bedrock of Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability. Our disciplined services have been discharging their duties, striving for excellence, maintaining the law and order, upholding justice and serving members of the public.
My reply to Hon Claudia Mo’s question is as follows:
(1) & (2) On March 5, the Hong Kong Police Force (Police) and the Correctional Services Department (CSD) conducted a joint exercise at Chi Ma Wan Correctional Institution (CMWCI) and Chi Sun Correctional Institution (CSCI). The joint exercise is a regular training, aiming to enhance the readiness and capabilities of the Police and the CSD in handling emergency situations together.
Section 10 of the Police Force Ordinance (Cap 232) stipulates that the duties of the police force include taking lawful measures for preserving the public peace, preventing and detecting crimes and offences, as well as preventing injury to life and property, etc. To strengthen police officers’ abilities in responding to highly volatile situations, the Police will regularly arrange trainings at different locations and conduct joint exercises to test and strengthen the responsiveness and co-ordination capabilities of different departments, as well as accessing the effectiveness of relevant contingency plans.
CMWCI and CSCI ceased operation in 2010. The CSD uses the two vacant institutions for internal scenario-based training, tactical exercises and contingency training, etc. The management of the two correctional institutions is part of the routine management work of Tong Fuk Correctional Institution, and the CSD does not maintain a breakdown of the relevant manpower and expenditure.
In the past five years (2015-2019), CMWCI and CSCI had been on loan by the CSD to other disciplined services (the Police and the Customs and Excise Department) on 24 occasions for operational and training purposes, details of which are at Annex. The CSD does not keep a record of the number of participating personnel in other disciplined services in those occasions.
Apart from the above-mentioned purposes, the two institutions have not been used for other purposes or as warehouses for storing supplies.
(3) In the past five years (2015-2019), the Police conducted a total of 402 counter-terrorism and major incident contingency exercises, most of which were joint exercises with the participation of other government departments and public organisations. These large-scale joint exercises usually include handling of major incidents, intelligence gathering and analysis, as well as simulation of serial terrorist attacks. These exercises aim to test the responsiveness and contingency plans of participating government departments and organisations, enhancing their co-ordination and responsiveness in light of the experience gained, as well as heightening public vigilance through relevant education and publicity efforts.
The Police do not maintain the breakdown requested in the question other than the number of exercises. read more