Police today (June 15) appealed to the public for information on a woman who went missing in Hung Hom.
      
     Leung Tsui-ling, aged 48, went missing after she left her residence on Ha Heung Road on June 13 afternoon. Her family made a report to Police yesterday (June 14).
 
     She is about 1.6 metres tall, 40 kilograms in weight and of thin build. She has a pointed face with yellow complexion and short black hair. She was last seen wearing a light-coloured short-sleeved T-shirt, black trousers, black sport shoes and carrying a dark-coloured waist bag.
 
      Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing woman or may have seen her 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 National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force (NSD) arrested a 23-year-old woman in Sau Mau Ping on March 8. Investigation revealed that the arrested woman was suspected of publishing seditious posts and photos on her social media platform for multiple times, including content which provoked hatred towards the Central People’s Government or the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and incited Hong Kong independence.
 
     After seeking legal advice from the Department of Justice, NSD officially laid charge against the woman with one count of “doing an act or acts with seditious intention” today (June 15), for contravening Section 10(1)(a) of the Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 200).
 
     The case will be mentioned at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow morning (June 16).
 
     Police remind members of the public that “doing an act or acts with seditious intention” is a serious crime. Offenders shall be liable upon conviction to imprisonment for two years on first conviction. Members of the public are urged not to defy the law.

     Owing to the thunderstorm warning, the flag-lowering ceremony to be conducted at Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai at 6pm today (June 15) has been cancelled.

     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, today (June 15) met with leaders of cultural and tourism authorities from various Mainland provinces, cities and autonomous regions, who visited Hong Kong to join the International Travel Expo in Hong Kong, to exchange views on enhancing collaboration between Hong Kong and the Mainland on cultural and tourism fronts. Inspector at Level 2 of the Department of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China Ms Cui Suxiang and the Director of the Asia Tourism Exchange Center, Mr Zhang Dong, were also present.
     
     Mr Yeung said, "The country attaches great importance to the high-quality development of tourism, with the major direction of enhancing the country's economic structure, promoting Chinese culture and realising the principle of 'shaping tourism with cultural activities and promoting culture through tourism' via the development of tourism. We look forward to joining hands with cultural and tourism authorities on the Mainland in taking forward the exchanges and collaboration, demonstrating our country's cultural soft power as well as the appeal of Chinese civilisation, and telling the good stories of China and Hong Kong."
 
     Hong Kong is positioned as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange under the National 14th Five-Year Plan. The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region strives to strengthen cultural exchanges and co-operation with the Mainland and overseas bodies. The Government has allocated resources to further collaborate with governments and cultural organisations on the Mainland and overseas, with a view to better promoting Chinese culture to the world.
 
     Hong Kong has been promoting exchanges and collaboration with the Mainland in tourism and various areas of arts and culture. The 37th International Travel Expo commences today, bringing together leaders of cultural and tourism authorities from various provinces, cities and autonomous regions. Those who joined the meeting included representatives of the cultural and tourism authorities from Hebei Province, Liaoning Province, Jiangxi Province, Hubei Province, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sichuan Province and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

      

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs yesterday (June 14) raided a suspected illicit cigarette storage centre in Mong Kok and seized about 190 000 suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $700,000 and a duty potential of about $480,000.

     Customs officers intercepted a woman on Playing Field Road in Mong Kok yesterday in the early morning and seized about 7 000 suspected illicit cigarettes inside a shopping trolley and a recycling bag carried by her. The 82-year-old woman was subsequently arrested. Customs officers later escorted the woman to her home in the same area for a search and further seized about 180 000 suspected illicit cigarettes at the residential premises.

     An initial investigation revealed that the illicit cigarette storage centre involved in the case was mainly used to supply illicit cigarettes to residents in Yau Tsim Mong District. 

     An investigation is ongoing. Customs will continue to trace the source and the flow of the illicit cigarettes. The likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.

     Customs will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analysis for interception at source as well as through its multipronged enforcement strategy targeting storage, distribution and peddling to spare no effort in combating illicit cigarette activities.

     Customs stresses that it is an offence to buy or sell illicit cigarettes. Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

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