Tag Archives: China

     The registration for 2023 Consumption Voucher Scheme (CVS) 2nd Instalment will close next Tuesday (June 27). A Government spokesman today (June 23) reminded eligible persons who have never registered and existing registrants who wish to change their stored value facility (SVF) accounts to receive the second instalment voucher to complete the procedures in time through the electronic registration portal on the Scheme website (www.consumptionvoucher.gov.hk) or at the temporary service centres (Note).

     Existing registrants who do not wish to change their SVF accounts need not go through any procedures.

     The Government will conduct eligibility check for all registrants. In the course of checking, the CVS Secretariat and its contractors will perform verification and contact registrants. In view of the recent public concerns about receiving calls or SMS messages that might be sent by fraudsters impersonating the CVS Secretariat or its contractors to collect personal data, the spokesman reminded the public to pay particular attention to the following:
 

• the calls will not be recorded messages;
• the SMS messages will not provide any hyperlinks;
• no personal information will be obtained from the registrants directly; and
• the Government or its contractors will only use the following designated telephone numbers to call or send SMS messages:

        (I) calling the registrants

	Designated telephone number
CVS Secretariat	3852 7500 or 2241 9400
Contractor appointed by the Government to conduct checks on the registrant’s eligibility Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu	2852 1009

        (II) sending SMS messages to the registrants

	Designated telephone number
CVS Secretariat	852-6059 1120 or 852-2241 9400
Contractor appointed by the Government to conduct checks on the registrant’s eligibility Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu	852-5567 3873
Contractors appointed by the Government to process/check forms SPS UK&I Limited Toppan Forms (Hong Kong) Ltd.	852-6115 1226 34849 852-6522 4964

     All registrants will be notified of their checking results by SMS messages issued through the specified telephone number (852 6059 1120). People can also enquire about their checking results through the interactive voice response system of hotline 18 5000.

     For registrants who are notified that they do not meet the eligibility criteria, if they do not agree on the result and wish to apply for review, they can download the “Application Form for Review” from the Scheme website or obtain it through the Scheme hotline 18 5000, and return the completed form together with relevant documents through the following channels within 14 days after receipt of the SMS notification:

(1) by post to the Consumption Voucher Scheme Secretariat at P.O. Box 185000, General Post Office, Hong Kong;
(2) by fax (3106 0701); or
(3) by email (enquiry@consumptionvoucher.gov.hk).

     The Secretariat will issue SMS messages to confirm receipt of the review applications. Under normal circumstances, the Secretariat will notify applicant of the review result within six weeks.

     For details of the Scheme, please visit the Scheme website or call the hotline 18 5000.

Note:
Locations of the nine temporary service centres:

Hong Kong Island
1. 34/F, Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai 
(MTR Wan Chai Station Exit A5/MTR Exhibition Centre Station Exit B3)
2. Unit 1202, 12/F, Olympia Plaza, 255 King’s Road, North Point
(MTR Fortress Hill Station Exit B)

Kowloon
3. Units 1834 – 1838, 18/F, Pioneer Centre, 750 Nathan Road, Mong Kok
(MTR Prince Edward Station Exit B2)
4. Unit D, 30/F, Legend Tower, 7 Shing Yip Street, Kwun Tong 
(MTR Kwun Tong Station Exit B1)

New Territories
5. Units 906 – 907, 9/F, The Octagon, 6 Sha Tsui Road, Tsuen Wan
(near MTR Tsuen Wan West Station)
6. Leung King Estate Community Centre, Leung King Estate, Tuen Mun 
(LRT Leung King Stop)
7. Tin Ching Community Hall, Tin Ching Estate, Tin Shui Wai, Yuen Long 
(LRT Tin Yuet Stop)
8. Unit 2310, 23/F, Metropole Square, 2 On Yiu Street, Shek Mun, Sha Tin 
(MTR Shek Mun Station Exit C)
9. Conference Room, Kwong Fuk Community Hall, Kwong Fuk Estate, Tai Po
(MTR Tai Po Market Station, take shuttle bus K18 to the terminus)

     The temporary service centres will provide service from 9am to 6pm until June 27 and close on Sunday. To avoid waiting, people may call the Scheme hotline 18 5000 to make appointments in advance. read more

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs conducted an enforcement operation today (June 23) and detected a case of selling suspected counterfeit goods through live webcasts on social media platform. Preliminary figures show that about 1 000 items of suspected goods, including leather goods, clothes and accessories, with an estimated market value of about $1 million were involved in the case.   

     Customs earlier received information alleging that suspected counterfeit goods were put on sale through a social media platform. Upon initial investigation, Customs officers found that a seller had set up a dedicated page on a social media platform to sell suspected counterfeit goods through live webcasts. 

     Each live webcast session would last for about four to six hours and was mostly conducted during late-night periods in order to evade Customs’ detection. The transactions were made in an interactive mode with customers. Upon receiving orders and payments from the customers, the seller would deliver the goods to them via couriers.

     After an in-depth investigation, and with the assistance of trademark owners, Customs officers took enforcement action today and raided a residential unit in Sheung Shui where the batch of suspected counterfeit goods were seized. A 30-year-old woman suspected to be connected with the case was also arrested.

     An investigation is ongoing.

     Customs reminds consumers to procure goods at reputable shops or websites, and to check with the trademark owners or their authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt.

     Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who sells or possesses for sale any goods with forged trademark 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 infringing activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

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     Chaired by the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, the Department of Justice’s Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Task Force held its second meeting today (June 23) to examine in detail various recommendations raised by the Task Force members on facilitating the interface of the legal systems and rules as well as the connection of talent in the GBA, and to implement its future work plan.

     During the meeting, the Task Force discussed and agreed to take forward a number of specific recommendations. The key ones include: (1) the establishment of an information platform to facilitate the easy access by the people and businesses to information on legal and dispute resolution services in the GBA and other related areas; and the setting up of a high-level platform to facilitate the conduct of regular exchanges and research on mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters, etc; (2) actively seeking the expansion to Mainland cities in the GBA the measures for Hong Kong-invested enterprises to choose Hong Kong law as applicable law and to choose Hong Kong as the seat of arbitration, and enhancing the promotion of the measures’ advantages and benefits for the development and construction of the GBA; (3) the enhancement of the existing arrangements for mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters, including the improvement of the mechanism for the service of judicial documents in civil or commercial cases, so as to provide further convenience and benefits to the people and businesses; and (4) the establishment of a mediator panel for the GBA and the setting up of an online mediation platform for use in the GBA, thereby facilitating collaboration in mediation.

     Mr Cheung thanked the Task Force members for their valuable suggestions. He pointed out that the GBA is the only place in the world that enjoys the unique advantages of “one country, two systems and three jurisdictions”, and that Hong Kong’s common law system and its rule of law are widely acclaimed by international communities. Enhancing the interface of the legal systems and mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters in the GBA not only facilitates interactions among the people and businesses, but also provides strong legal support for the advancement of the GBA’s high-quality development.

     He said that the Department of Justice will proactively follow up on the Task Force’s recommendations and work closely together with the relevant Mainland authorities and stakeholders of the legal and other sectors, so as to take forward and implement the relevant work.

     The establishment of the Task Force was one of the initiatives in the 2022 Policy Address to dovetail with the national strategies to create strong impetus for growth. Led by the Deputy Secretary for Justice, the Task Force comprises representatives from the legal and business sectors, the academia and Hong Kong residents on the Mainland as well as the Department of Justice.

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     The Buildings Department (BD) announced today (June 23) that a telephone hotline 3842 5375 has been set up for members of the public to make enquiries about possible alteration and addition works that have been carried out in their residential flats. The BD will also co-organise a public seminar on the important issues concerning such alteration and addition works with professional institutes.

     A spokesman for the BD said that in response to the many recent enquiries received from the public on how to check approved plans to ascertain the location of structural walls; or whether the building structure or safety would have been affected due to the alteration and addition works carried out in their residential flats, the BD has set up a telephone hotline to receive and answer such enquiries.

     The BD’s hotline will come into service from June 23 and last until July 21. Members of the public may call the hotline during office hours (between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Friday, except public holidays) for relevant enquiries. The service period of the hotline may be extended on an as-needed basis. Members of the public may also send enquiries via email to enquiry@bd.gov.hk. Moreover, a set of frequently asked questions and answers on “Alteration and Addition Works in Domestic Premises” has also been uploaded to the BD’s website for public reference.

     The BD also welcomes members of the public to visit the Building Information Centre (BIC), located on the second floor of the BD Headquarters, North Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, during office hours by appointment via the hotline or by email to learn more about how to obtain relevant building plans and to understand the basic information on the plans, including how to distinguish between structural and non-structural walls.

     In addition, the BD, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Institute of Architects (HKIA), the Structural Division of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS), will hold a seminar on “Important Notes to Interior Alteration and Addition Works in Domestic Premises” in the BIC at 6.30pm on July 11 (Tuesday). The seminar will be conducted in Cantonese in both physical and online modes and is free of charge. Seats may be reserved through the BD’s thematic website until Monday, July 10. Seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. A video recording of the talk will also be uploaded to the BD’s E-learning Centre in due course.

     Meanwhile, the three building professional institutes mentioned above have also updated their websites including the compilation of their lists of members/companies for professional services relating to alteration and addition works. Members of the public who suspect that the structural elements of their residential flats have been illegally altered, or who intend to carry out alteration and addition works, may seek professional advice by engaging the professionals from the relevant lists. For details, please visit the websites of HKIA, HKIE Structural Division and HKIS.

     The spokesman stressed that it is the responsibility of owners to keep their buildings free of unauthorised building works. Any person who intends to carry out alteration and addition works is advised to consult a building professional for advice, including the feasibility of the proposed works, and where necessary, apply for approval and consent from the BD to ensure building safety and compliance with the Buildings Ordinance (BO). Building professionals and contractors are also required to carefully examine the approved plans and other relevant documents, to observe the relevant requirements under the BO, and to ascertain whether prior approval from the BD should be obtained before commencement of the works to ensure safety of occupants and buildings. read more

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (June 23) urged the public not to consume a batch of prepackaged dry sausage due to possible contamination with Listeria monocytogenes, a pathogen. The trade should stop using or selling the batch of the product concerned immediately if they possess it.

     Product details are as follows:

Product name: Saucisson Sec 
Brand: Maison Duculty 
Place of origin: France 
Importer: Noja Fine Trade Limited
Pack size: 300 gram
Best before date : August 26, 2023
Lot number: 2310801

     “The CFS received a notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed of the European Commission that the above-mentioned batch of product might have been contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and is being recalled. Upon learning of the incident, the CFS immediately contacted the local importer for follow-up. A preliminary investigation found that the above-mentioned importer had imported into Hong Kong the affected batch of the product concerned,” a spokesman for the CFS said.

     As a precautionary measure, the above-mentioned importer has stopped sales, has removed the affected product from shelves and has initiated a recall according to the CFS’s instructions. Enquiries about the recall can be made to the importer’s hotline at 2178 2229 during office hours.

     “Listeria monocytogenes can be easily destroyed by cooking but can survive and multiply at refrigerator temperature. Most healthy individuals do not develop symptoms or only have mild symptoms like fever, muscle pain, headache, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea when infected. However, severe complications such as septicaemia, meningitis or even death may occur in newborns, the elderly and those with a weaker immune system. Although infected pregnant women may just experience mild symptoms generally, the infection of Listeria monocytogenes may cause miscarriage, infant death, preterm birth, or severe infection in newborns,” the spokesman said.

     “In order to reduce the risk of listeriosis, susceptible populations such as pregnant women should consume freshly prepared hot food where possible, reheat chilled food until it is hot all the way through, and avoid high-risk foods, including ready-to-eat food such as cold cuts, cold smoked seafood, soft cheeses, salads, etc, or cook them thoroughly before consumption, even if they are presented as part of a dish.”

     The spokesman urged consumers not to consume the affected batch of the product if they have bought any. The trade should also stop using or selling the product concerned immediately if they possess it.

     The CFS will alert the trade to the incident, and will continue to follow up and take appropriate action. The investigation is ongoing. read more