Tag Archives: China

     â€‹A vegetable chain stall operated by Bonnie Vegetables and Fruit Wholesale Limited at San Tsuen Street and a butcher’s shop at Ho Pui Street in Tsuen Wan, caused noise nuisance to nearby residents by persistently using loudspeakers to play promotional recordings at front doors. They were fined a total of $10,500 by Fanling Magistrates’ Courts today (September 18) for contravening the Noise Control Ordinance (NCO). The director of Bonnie Vegetables and Fruit Wholesale Limited was also convicted and held criminally liable for her stores’ repeated offences. She was fined $5,000.
      
     An Environmental Protection Department (EPD) spokesman said that since last year, the department received complaints continuously from members of the public about the noise nuisance caused by a vegetable chain stall and a butcher’s shop in the vicinity of San Tsuen Street and Ho Pui Street in Tsuen Wan. The shops persistently played promotional recordings by using loudspeakers, which adversely affected nearby residents. The EPD conducted various inspections and enforcement operations and raided the vegetable stall and the butcher’s shop concerned in March and April respectively. It was found that their loudspeakers generated excessive noise and caused annoyance, and the EPD subsequently prosecuted the stalls concerned under the NCO. Separately, six outlets operated by the vegetable chain stall company concerned, which are located in Tsuen Wan, Yuen Long, Tai Po, Shau Kei Wan and Yau Ma Tei, had been convicted a total of 12 times since last September for contravening the NCO by causing noise nuisance to nearby residents with their loudspeakers persistently playing promotional recordings. Their director was also convicted for the second time on a similar case.
      
     After a series of enforcement actions, the situation of the aforementioned stalls improved. The EPD is highly concerned about the noise nuisance caused by chain stalls in various districts. The department will continue to closely monitor and conduct stringent enforcement action to combat repeated contraventions by these stalls and consider prosecuting the responsible person of the operating company.
      
     The spokesman reminded persons responsible for retail shops and market stalls that when they play promotional recordings to sell goods, they should contain the noise level within their shop area and should not cause annoyance to other people outside their shops or nearby residents. Otherwise, it constitutes an offence, and offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $10,000. For stores with repeated contraventions, the operator himself will also be criminally liable for the offence once convicted. read more

     The Government announced today (September 18) that the immigration policy on applications for entry of non-local dependants(Policy) has been revised so that with effect from September 19, 2018, a person who has entered into a same-sex civil partnership, same-sex civil union, “same-sex marriage”, opposite-sex civil partnership or opposite-sex civil union outside Hong Kong with an eligible sponsor in accordance with the local law in force of the place of celebration and with such status being legally and officially recognised by the local authorities of the place of celebration will become eligible to apply for a dependant visa/ entry permit for entry into Hong Kong.  Apart from the above, all other original eligibility criteria of the Policy remain unchanged. 
 
     A spokesman for the Government said that the Government decided to revise the Policy upon the completion of a review of the Policy conducted in view of the judgment handed down by the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) on July 4, 2018 in QT v Director of Immigration (FACV No. 1 of 2018) (QT case), having careful regard to the objective of the Policy and the principles laid down in the judgment.
 
     Under the revised Policy, the Director of Immigration (Director) will favourably consider an application from a person who is the other party to one of the above relationships for entry for residence as a dependant in Hong Kong if the person meets the normal immigration requirements and the following original specific eligibility criteria of the Policy:
 
 (i) there is reasonable proof of a genuine relationship between the applicant and the sponsor;
 (ii) there is no known record to the detriment of the applicant; and
 (iii) the sponsor is able to support the dependant’s living at a standard well above the subsistence level and provide him/her with suitable accommodation in Hong Kong.
 
     The Immigration Department (ImmD) will process outstanding applications and any new application received according to the revised Policy.  As for persons who have earlier been granted permission to remain in Hong Kong by the Director under the interim arrangement put in place by the ImmD pending the completion of the review of the Policy, the permission will remain valid.  Before the expiry of the permitted limit of stay, they may apply to the ImmD for extension of stay to remain in Hong Kong as dependants.  The ImmD will process the applications according to the revised Policy.
 
     The spokesman stressed that the revision concerns the immigration policy on applications for entry of non-local dependants only and it does not affect the meaning of “spouse” under this Policy.  It does not affect any other policies of the Government or any other rights under the existing law in Hong Kong.
 
     “As the CFA recognised in its judgment in the QT case, a valid marriage under Hong Kong law is heterosexual and monogamous and is not a status open to couples of the same sex.  The revision has nothing to do with legal recognition of same-sex civil partnership, same-sex civil union, ‘same-sex marriage’, opposite-sex civil partnership or opposite-sex civil union in Hong Kong.  Nor should there be any expectation of such plan by the Government.  The revision does not compromise the Government’s position in any legal proceedings,” he said.
 
     The Policy allows those who are able to provide care and financial support to their dependants to sponsor their non-local dependants to come to reside in Hong Kong.  The Policy also ensures that Hong Kong will continue to attract and retain people with the right talent and skills to come to and remain in Hong Kong by giving them the choice of bringing in their non-local dependants to live with them in Hong Kong. read more

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (September 18):

Reporter: Your decision not to make yesterday as a holiday has made many citizens suffer or even get injured on their way to work, and legally, people said you have mechanism to make yesterday as a holiday, like General Holidays Ordinance or the Emergency Regulations Ordinance. So, will you apologise for not making yesterday as a holiday as people have criticised on your Facebook that you have put their life at risk?

Chief Executive: I don’t think the Government has put any citizen’s life at risk. We have done all we could to respond to this super typhoon, and afterwards we have been trying very hard to restore the city to normal as quickly as possible. But, as I have said in my introductory remarks, the magnitude of this typhoon was huge and the impact was very serious, so the disruptions to public transport, especially the East Rail and the franchised bus services are very serious. We have made repeated, I have personally made repeated appeals to employers that this is the sort of situation that we need more understanding, accommodation and mutual support. So, for individuals who have difficulties in going back to work because of the traffic disruptions, the employers should express understanding, and as I have said, yesterday I received feedback from many employer associations and sector representatives that they are exercising that flexibility in order to accommodate the difficulties faced by the employees in travelling to work. Having said that, every time we have a major incident, we will review the arrangements, so I have asked the Secretary for Security to conduct an overall review of the various arrangements in coping with major typhoon like this one.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)   read more

     The Education Bureau (EDB) has announced that classes will resume tomorrow (September 19) as schools are generally ready after the cleaning and repair works of their premises and facilities in the past two days.
 
     If individual schools consider that it is necessary to continue to suspend their classes tomorrow because of the conditions of the school premises or other reasons, they may proceed after consulting the respective District School Development Sections/Joint Office for Kindergartens and Child Care Centres of the EDB. Schools are required to inform all school staff, parents, students and relevant parties of the decision and related arrangements as soon as possible in accordance with their school-based contingency plans. Schools should also make suitable arrangements to cater for the learning needs of students during the extended class suspension period.
 
     Parents should pay attention to the safety of their children. If the road and traffic conditions in the vicinity have yet to return to normal, they may let their children stay at home. For students who are late for school because of traffic problems and/or those who are temporarily absent because of their parents’ decisions, schools should exercise discretion in handling these cases and the students concerned should not be penalised. read more

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (September 17) seized about 2.2 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine and about 270 grams of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of about $1.3 million in Cheung Sha Wan.  … read more