Tag Archives: China

     A Mainland woman was charged at the Sha Tin Magistrates’ Courts with six counts of making false representation to an Immigration Department (ImmD) staff member, and was sentenced to 26 weeks’ imprisonment today (January 27).

     The 53-year-old defendant arrived in Hong Kong as a visitor. During her stay, the defendant submitted applications for an extension of stay to the ImmD, and claimed her reason for the extension was visiting her husband in Hong Kong. The ImmD later found out that the defendant’s husband was out of Hong Kong when the defendant submitted the applications and thus began an investigation against the defendant.

     In the course of the investigation, the defendant admitted under caution that when submitting the extension applications, she declared to Immigration staff that she was to visit her husband in Hong Kong although she clearly knew that her husband was not in Hong Kong. The defendant was subsequently charged with the offence of making false representation to Immigration staff for the reason of extension. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 26 weeks’ imprisonment by the Sha Tin Magistrates’ Court today.

     “Under the laws of Hong Kong, any person who makes false representation to an Immigration officer commits an offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, subject to the maximum penalty of a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years,” an ImmD spokesman said. read more

     The new legislative control of cannabidiol (CBD) will come into effect on February 1. CBD will be under the same strict control as other dangerous drugs under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (DDO) from that day. With the commencement of the new regulation, Hong Kong Customs will take vigorous enforcement action to fiercely combat the related drug trafficking activities.
 
     Under the DDO, trafficking (including importing and exporting) and illicit manufacturing of CBD is liable to a maximum penalty of a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment. Possession and consumption of CBD in contravention of the DDO will be subject to a maximum penalty of a fine of $1 million and imprisonment of seven years.
 
     From February 1 onwards, importation of products (including food or drinks) containing CBD into Hong Kong is prohibited unless the relevant provisions in the DDO are complied with.
 
     Customs will step up enforcement action to intercept the import and transit movements of CBD products in various channels. At the same time, Customs will continue to apply risk assessment strategy to select passengers, cargoes and postal packets for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
 
     Customs reminds members of the public not to bring any cannabis products or products containing CBD into Hong Kong. To avoid breaching the law inadvertently, they should also refrain from buying any CBD products, and pay attention to whether the products’ packaging and labels contain wordings of CBD or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) when making any purchase. When in doubt, members of the public should not take the risk of buying these products or bringing them back to Hong Kong.
 
     Customs appeals to members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people, nor to release their personal data or home address to others for receiving parcels or goods.
 
     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

  

     To commemorate the first anniversary of the passing of renowned director and actor Chor Yuen, the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), in its first collaboration with the Hong Kong Film Directors’ Guild (HKFDG), will launch a screening programme entitled “Chor Yuen – Master of His Time” and select 13 of Chor’s emblematic works for screening at the HKFA Cinema from February to March, enabling audiences to review his classics. 

     Chor (1934 – 2022) was born Cheung Po-kin. He joined Kong Ngee Motion Picture Production Company in 1957 where he learned directing from Chun Kim and directed his first movie in 1959. He had directed over 120 films throughout his life, and participated in various movies and television dramas as an actor. With his sterling contribution to the industry, Chor was awarded the Professional Achievement Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 17th (1998) and the 37th (2018) Hong Kong Film Awards respectively. 

     The films directed by Chor addressed diversified themes with a wide variety of topics and a distinctive style. He directed a number of melodramas and romance stories, including “Rose in Tears” (1963) which is a love story of youngsters; “Winter Love” (1968), a movie filled with European cinematic styles; “The Violet Girl” (1966) which focuses on amnesia and an analysis of human psychology; and the outrageously funny love comedy “The Pregnant Maiden” (1968).

     Many of his works also reflected the situation of society and familial relationships of the time. “The Natural Son” (1959) and “The Great Devotion” (1960) both focus on family, with the former exploring the relationship between family and blood ties, while the latter depicts the tough life endured by the ordinary people in Hong Kong in the early 1960s. “The Diary of a Husband” (1964) features the life of white collar workers and small urban families. “Black Rose” (1965) tells the story of a heroic outlaw who robs the rich to help the poor, reflecting how individuals’ strength can change the environment. “The House of 72 Tenants” (1973) is a widely acclaimed situation comedy which lays out the social problems of the time. 

     Chor also created the uniquely romantic and elegant “Chor’s style” of cinematography in the martial arts movies that he directed. The cinematic aesthetics that emerged from his first wuxia film, “Cold Blade” (1970), was furthered in the “Duel for Gold” (1971), a movie exploring the dark side of humanity. “Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan” (1972), a poignant and romantic story, is a rare wuxia film with female protagonists front and centre. “Killer Clans” (1976) triggered a wave of adapting Gu Long’s novels into movies, making martial arts films one of the mainstream movie genres.

     All screenings will be complemented by post-screening talks. Members of the HKFDG, including Mabel Cheung, Kearen Pang, Stanley Kwan, Wong Chun, Philip Yung, Shu Kei, Joe Ma, Lawrence Cheng, Ann Hui, Teddy Robin, Wong Jing and Kenneth Bi, will be the speakers, while Manfred Wong, Sam Ho and Joyce Yang will be the moderators. The talks will be conducted in Cantonese and admission is free.

     “Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan”, “Cold Blade”, “Duel for Gold” and “Killer Clans” are in Mandarin while the others are in Cantonese. “Intimate Confessions of a Chinese Courtesan”, “The House of 72 Tenants”, “Duel for Gold” and “Killer Clans” have Chinese subtitles, “Cold Blade” and “The Pregnant Maiden” have Chinese and English subtitles, while the others are without subtitles. 

     Tickets priced at $45 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme details, please visit www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en_US/web/hkfa/pe-event-2023-cy.html or call 2739 2139.

     To safeguard public health, all persons entering indoor venues under the management of the LCSD must wear their own masks.

                

     â€‹The Commissioner for Labour today (January 27) gave notices in the Gazette under section 16(1A) and/or section 18(2) of the Protection of Wages on Insolvency Ordinance (Chapter 380) for cases with ex gratia payment… read more

     Police are investigating a Police open fire case happened in Peng Chau yesterday night (January 24).             At about 10.41pm, Police received a noise nuisance r… read more