Two companies were convicted and fined a total of $3,000 at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (September 3) for contravening the Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances Regulation as their vehicles were involved in cases of illegal disposal of waste. In addition to the above convictions, 28 other cases of the same kind are scheduled for hearings in Magistrates' Courts in different districts.

     In January 2019, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) traced two cases of illegal disposal of waste on Lok Shan Road, To Kwa Wan, based on video recorded by the department's surveillance camera systems. After collecting evidence, the EPD issued summonses to the registered companies of the two goods vehicles involved in accordance with the law.

     An EPD spokesman reminded all practitioners of the renovation, construction and transportation sectors, including persons-in-charge of construction sites, workers and drivers as well as owners of goods vehicles, that they must properly deliver 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. According to the Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances Regulation, it is an offence to dispose of waste on the streets or in public places from vehicles, including goods vehicles, private cars and motorcycles. The registered owners concerned may be prosecuted. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $25,000 and six months' imprisonment on first conviction.

     The EPD urges members of the public to make a report to the department if they witness any illegal disposal of waste. They can record videos or take photos and call the EPD hotline at 2838 3111.

A man who went missing in Kwun Tong has been located.

Choi Shui-yick, aged 81, went missing after he was last seen on Cha Kwo Ling Road on August 25 morning. His family made a report to Police on the same day.

The man was located outside a school in Yau Ma Tei in the small hours of today (September 3). He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs conducted a cross-boundary anti-counterfeiting operation codenamed "Adam" in August, smashing a suspected counterfeit mobile phone and accessories storehouse and seizing three export consignments containing suspected counterfeit mobile phones. A total of about 15 000 suspected counterfeit mobile phones and accessories with an estimated market value of about $1.9 million were seized.

     Customs earlier received information alleging that a logistics company in Sha Tin exported suspected counterfeit mobile phones and accessories to overseas. After an in-depth investigation with the assistance of the trademark owner, Customs officers first intercepted two export consignments, destined for European countries, containing suspected counterfeit mobile phones. Customs then raided the company's storehouse inside an industrial building in the district and seized another batch of suspected counterfeit mobile phones and accessories on August 30.

     During the operation, a 30-year-old male manager of the company was arrested. Investigation is ongoing.

     Hong Kong Customs will continue to monitor suspicious logistics companies and strengthen co-operation with the Mainland and overseas law enforcement agencies to curb cross-boundary counterfeit goods activities.

     Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who imports or exports any goods to which a forged trademark is applied commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

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

  

     A man and a woman were fined $7,000 and $5,500 respectively at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (September 3) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.

     The courts heard that in March this year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an inspection at a club on Elgin Street in Central, which had been operating with a certificate of compliance (CoC).

     During the investigation, the OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for food and drinks without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club as members. Also, the club's staff failed to show a copy of the certificate of fire service installation and equipment, the registered drawing and the updated membership register upon the OLA officers' request. Moreover, the CoC, or its certified true copy, was not displayed at a prominent position at the club. Conditions 2, 10, 12, 13 and 14 of the CoC were breached.

     The woman and the man, being the manager of the club and the CoC holder of the club respectively, were charged with contravening section 21(1) (a) and section 21(2) of the Ordinance.

     A spokesman for the department reminded all CoC holders to comply with the conditions as stipulated therein. Enforcement actions will continue to be taken against illegal club operations.

     As the sea surface temperature over the northern part of the South China Sea was warmer than normal, August 2019 was hotter than usual in Hong Kong. The monthly mean temperature of 29.0 degrees was 0.4 degrees above the normal figure of 28.6 degrees. Moreover, the summer of this year from June to August was exceptionally hot. The mean minimum temperature of 27.2 degrees, mean temperature of 29.2 degrees and mean maximum temperature of 31.8 degrees were respectively the second, third and fourth highest on record for the same period. Due to the heavy rain brought by tropical cyclones Wipha and Bailu, the month was wetter than normal with the monthly total rainfall amounting to 596.4 millimetres, about 38 per cent above the normal figure of 432.2 millimetres. The accumulated rainfall recorded in the first eight months of the year was 2 034.3 millimetres, a surplus of 7 per cent compared to the normal figure of 1 905.5 millimetres for the same period.
 
     After making an anti-clockwise loop around the northeastern coast of Hainan Island in the early morning of August 1, Tropical Storm Wipha tracked northwards in the morning and then moved westwards across the Leizhou Peninsula that night. Wipha moved across the coast of Guangxi and the vicinity of Beibu Wan on August 2 and weakened gradually. It made landfall over the coast of Guangxi and further weakened into an area of low pressure over the northern part of Vietnam on August 3.
 
     Under the influence of Wipha, it was windy in Hong Kong with occasional gale force winds offshore and on high ground at first on August 1. Heavy squally showers and thunderstorms associated with the rainbands of Wipha brought more than 100 millimetres of rainfall to most parts of the territory on August 1 and 2, and rainfall even exceeded 150 millimetres over parts of Lantau Island in these two days.
 
     Affected by upper-air disturbances, local weather remained showery on August 3. With the departure of the upper-air disturbances, showers abated gradually with sunny intervals the next day. Dominated by an anticyclone aloft, the weather became generally fine and very hot on August 5. A broad area of low pressure over the central part of the South China Sea brought some showers and isolated thunderstorms to the territory on August 6.
 
     Over the western North Pacific, Super Typhoon Lekima moved northwestward across the sea areas to the east of Taiwan from August 7 to 9 and made landfall over eastern China on August 10. Under the influence of the outer subsiding air of Lekima, the weather of Hong Kong was very hot with haze from August 7 to 9. The high temperature also triggered thundery showers in the night of August 8. With plenty of sunshine, the maximum temperature at the Hong Kong Observatory soared to 35.1 degrees on August 9, the highest of the month.
 
     With the prevalence of a southwesterly airstream, it was hot with a mixture of sunshine and thundery showers in Hong Kong from August 10 to 18. The showers were particularly heavy on August 14 and August 17 with more than 30 millimetres of rainfall generally recorded over Hong Kong on both days. Under the influence of a trough of low pressure lingering over the northern part of the South China Sea, there were sunny periods and some showers in Hong Kong on August 19 and 20. With the departure and weakening of the trough of low pressure, local weather became generally fine and very hot apart from isolated showers on August 21 and 22. It was mainly cloudy with light winds, isolated heavy showers and thunderstorms on August 23.
 
     Meanwhile, an area of low pressure to the east of the Philippines intensified into a tropical depression and was named Bailu on August 21. Bailu further intensified into a severe tropical storm on August 22 and moved generally northwestward across the western North Pacific. It skirted past the southern tip of Taiwan and entered the Taiwan Strait on August 24. Bailu made landfall over the coast of southeastern China on August 25 and weakened progressively into an area of low pressure over inland Guangdong.
 
     Affected by the outer subsiding air of Bailu, it was generally fine and very hot with haze in Hong Kong on August 24. The outer rainbands associated with Bailu brought occasional heavy squally showers and thunderstorms to Hong Kong on August 25 and 26. More than 150 millimetres of rainfall were recorded over many places, and rainfall even exceeded 200 millimetres in the urban areas and parts of New Territories in these two days. During the incessant downpour in the early morning of August 26, the temperature at the Hong Kong Observatory dropped to a minimum of 22.9 degrees, the lowest of the month.
 
     With the strengthening of an anticyclone over southeastern China, the showers eased off gradually on August 27 and the weather became mainly fine and very hot on August 28. Meanwhile, an area of low pressure developed into a tropical cyclone over the seas east to the Philippines on August 27 and was named Podul. It moved generally westward and entered the South China Sea on August 28. With Podul moving across the central part of the South China Sea towards the vicinity of the southern part of Hainan Island, local weather turned mainly cloudy and windier with a few showers and thunderstorms on August 29. Under the influence of the outer rainbands associated with Podul, local weather was unsettled with occasional showers and thunderstorms on August 30. A broad trough of low pressure over the south China coast continued to bring thundery showers to the territory on the last day of the month. Heavy showers in the morning brought more than 50 millimetres of rainfall to Sha Tin, Sai Kung and Tseung Kwan O.
 
     Six tropical cyclones occurred over the South China Sea and the western North Pacific in August 2019.
 
     Details of issuance and cancellation of various warnings/signals in August are summarised in Table 1. Monthly meteorological figures and departures from normal for August are tabulated in Table 2.