The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, commenced his visit programme to three countries (Brunei, Vietnam and Malaysia) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) today (September 23) after arriving in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, yesterday.

     Mr Lam first had lunch with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam, Dato Seri Paduka Steven Chong Wan Oon, to exchange views on further co-operation opportunities for facilitating development of the dispute avoidance and resolution services in Brunei and Hong Kong, pursuant to the Memorandum of Cooperation signed by the Department of Justice and the Supreme Court of Brunei Darussalam last year.

     In the afternoon, Mr Lam attended a meeting with the Attorney General of Brunei Darussalam, Datin Paduka Dayang Hajah Nor Hashimah binti Haji Mohammed Taib, to discuss issues of mutual interest.

     Mr Lam went on to meet with the President of the Law Society of Brunei Darussalam, Ms Nur 'Azizah Ahmad, to explore opportunities to foster legal collaboration and other exchange activities for the legal professions of the two places.

     This was followed by a meeting with the Chairperson of Brunei Darussalam Arbitration Centre, Mr Radin Safiee bin Radin Mas Basiuni, to have a better understanding of the dispute resolution services provided there and discuss potential co-operation between the two sides.

     Mr Lam will attend a dinner with the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to Brunei Darussalam, Mr Xiao Jianguo, in the evening to brief him on the latest legal developments in Hong Kong.

     During his visit to Brunei, Mr Lam visited the Royal Regalia Museum to learn more about the history and development of Brunei, and Brunei's newest museum, Balai Khazanah Islam Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, to better understand the rich Islamic heritage and culture. Mr Lam will also visit the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien mosque.

     Mr Lam will depart for Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, tomorrow morning (September 24) to continue his visit to the ASEAN countries.

          

     Police today (September 23) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Sham Shui Po.

     Tam Kwok-on, aged 53, went missing after he left his residence in Shek Kip Mei Estate on September 21 evening. His family made a report to Police yesterday (September 22).  
     
     He is about 1.6 metres tall, 90 kilograms in weight and of medium build. He has a long face with yellow complexion and short grey hair. He was last seen wearing brown slippers.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Persons Unit of Kowloon West on 3661 8036 or 9020 6542 or email to rmpu-kw@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.
 

  

     The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, will depart for a visit to Wuhan in Hubei Province tomorrow morning (September 24) to learn more about Hubei Province's efforts in promoting the development of innovation and technology, and new industrialisation.
 
     During his visit, he will tour advanced manufacturing and microelectronics enterprises, and key scientific research institutes and facilities. He will also meet and engage in exchanges with senior officials of local universities, leaders of high-tech enterprises and technology experts, as well as call on leaders of the People's Government of Hubei Province.
 
     Professor Sun will attend the 2024 China Automotive Supply Chain Conference and the Third China New Energy Intelligent Networked Vehicle Ecological Conference organised by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Dongfeng Corporation.
 
     The Commissioner for Industry (Innovation and Technology), Dr Ge Ming, will join the visit.
 
     Professor Sun will return to Hong Kong on the evening of September 25. During his absence, the Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lillian Cheong, will be the Acting Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry.

     â€‹Hongkong Post announced today (September 23) that with the gradual scaling up of air freight capacity and provision of transit assistance by other postal administrations, postal services of the following destinations will resume from September 24. Details are given below:
 

 
     Additional conveyance time may be required for mail items destined for Bahamas, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, French Guiana, French West Indies (Guadeloupe), Iraq, Malawi and Tortola, as mail items to these destinations have to be transited via other postal administrations.

     Members of the public may visit the webpage of Hongkong Post at www.hongkongpost.hk/en/about_us/whats_new/notices/index_id_1421.html on the service availability for various destinations.

     â€‹A woman was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for 12 months at the District Court today (September 23) for illegally importing fins of endangered sharks.

     The 39-year-old female passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Brazil via Ethiopia on November 23 last year. Upon interception and referral by Customs, officers of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) inspected her 15 pieces of checked-in baggage and found dried fins regulated under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586). The person did not possess any valid Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) documents. AFCD officers seized over 450 kilograms of dried fins from the baggage for further investigation. Upon detailed examination, those dried fins were confirmed to belong to several species, among which about 100 kilograms were from silky sharks, oceanic whitetip sharks and hammerhead sharks, which are CITES Appendix II species and valued at about $440,000. Charges were laid against the woman by the AFCD for the illegal import of endangered species. The woman was convicted at the District Court today, and the court adopted a starting point of 18 months' imprisonment for sentencing. A one-third reduction was given for her guilty plea, and the defendant was sentenced to imprisonment for 12 months.

     A spokesman for the AFCD said, "The rest of the seized fins also consisted of CITES-listed species. However, those species were not yet regulated under CITES or the Ordinance at the time. Given that the criminal act also involved such fins, the AFCD applied to the Court to forfeit those fins in accordance with the Ordinance. The application was approved."

     CITES Appendix II species are regulated under the Ordinance in Hong Kong. Unless exempted or otherwise specified, the import, export, re-export, introduction from the sea, or possession of scheduled species, including their parts and/or derivatives, is subject to control under a licensing system. Any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.

     The spokesman noted that more shark species have been regulated under the Ordinance since December last year to reflect the latest regulations of CITES. The public is reminded to observe the law.

     Recently, crime syndicates have not only attempted to use invalid documents but have also mixed unregulated specimens with scheduled ones in an attempt to make detection more difficult. The AFCD will continue to work closely with Customs to combat illegal activities involving endangered species.

     For information on the regulation of endangered species under the Ordinance, visit www.cites.hk. Members of the public may report any suspected irregularities to the AFCD by calling 1823.