In light of positive test results for the COVID-19 virus from some sewage samples collected in North District, the Home Affairs Department (HAD) said today (May 7) that the North District Office (NDO) have distributed a total of abo… read more
The “Key to the Future” Short Video Competition Award Presentation Ceremony organised by the Department of Justice (DoJ) was successfully held today (May 7). It is the first short video competition designated for secondary students in the “Rule of Law Enlightenment” Programme under the DoJ’s “Vision 2030 for Rule of Law” initiative.
Addressing the award presentation ceremony for the competition, the Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, said that, “Through the competition, we hope that students would be enlightened to share their thoughts on the meaning of the rule of law from different perspectives, with a view to strengthening the proper understanding and practice of the rule of law.”
Renowned director Dante Lam, one of the judges of the competition, presented prizes to the winners at the ceremony as a special guest and shared his filmmaking experience with the participants. Other prize presenters included the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Commissioner of Police, Mr Raymond Siu; and the President of the Hong Kong Association of Youth Development, Ms Lisa Lau.
The competition received an encouraging response of 70 video entries. Most video entries focused on the law-abiding spirit, showing that the students are aware of the utmost importance of lawabiding for the rule of law in a society. Through making a three-minute short video, participants demonstrated their creativity to promote the rule of law and shared their thoughts on the future development of the rule of law.
The “Rule of Law Enlightenment” Programme was launched in August last year to nurture and enhance the rule of law awareness among the youth. School talks and “Rule of Law Journey” have been arranged to share with schools topics including the understanding of the rule of law, the Constitution and the Basic Law, as well as the basic concepts of national security. The “Key to the Future” Short Video Competition is one of the highlights in this school term under the Programme. The DoJ will continue to roll out different activities for schools and students to put into practice the department’s motto “Rule of Law and Justice for All”.
The award presentation today was held in hybrid mode. Please visit the dedicated webpage of the “Key to the Future” for the list of winners. read more
The Yau Tsim Mong District Office together with the Mong Kok Police District and the Department of Health (DH) conducted an enforcement operation today (May 7) at a building in Mong Kok, which was included in a compulsory testing no… read more
​Hong Kong Customs on April 28 mounted an operation codenamed “Eagle Net” and detected a suspected money laundering case. Four persons suspected to be connected with the case were arrested. They were suspected of using personal bank accounts since 2020 at various banks in Hong Kong (including virtual banks) to launder a total of about $600 million from unknown sources. Customs has arranged to freeze a total bank balance of $1.7 million held by the arrested persons.
Acting upon intelligence, Customs officers targeted four local persons whose background and financial status were highly incommensurate with the large amount of suspicious transactions recorded in their personal bank accounts. Apart from dealing with a large amount of money from unknown sources through local bank accounts, they also opened accounts at an overseas cryptocurrency exchange trading platform to deal with cryptocurrencies from unknown sources. Then they converted the cryptocurrencies into fiat currencies and remitted the suspicious funds out via local banks. They were suspected of engaging in money laundering activities.
Following in-depth investigations, Customs raided four residential premises, five offices and two licensed money changers on April 28. Two men and two women, aged between 32 and 54, were arrested for “dealing with property known or reasonably believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence” (commonly known as money laundering) under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (OSCO).
An investigation is ongoing. The four arrested persons have been released on bail pending further investigation and the likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.
Under the OSCO, a person commits an offence if he or she deals with any property knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that such property in whole or in part directly or indirectly represents any person’s proceeds of an indictable offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and imprisonment for 14 years while the crime proceeds are also subject to confiscation.
Customs appeals to members of the public that they risk committing the crime of money laundering if they use personal bank accounts to deal with money from unknown sources, regardless of whether monetary reward is involved.
Members of the public may report any suspected money laundering activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk). read more
A Government spokesman announced today (May 7) that the supply of fresh food from the Mainland yesterday (May 6) was sufficient and stable.
According to the latest information, the quantity of vegetables supplied from the Mainland to Hong Kong yesterday (as of midnight) by land and water transportation was over 2 600 tonnes, comparable to the average daily supply from the Mainland on a normal day. The volume of vegetables supplied from the Mainland to Hong Kong sold through the wholesale markets of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and the Vegetable Marketing Organization was about 770 tonnes. The average wholesale prices of choi sum and pak choi stood at $6.60 and $4.80 per catty respectively yesterday, largely comparable to the levels of a normal day. The supply of eggs to the wholesale market remained steady, with the average daily supply standing at over 3.2 million for the past week, comparable to the average daily supply on a normal day last year.
The total supply of chilled meat from the Mainland yesterday was about 43 tonnes. The supply of live pigs was plentiful.
The supply of chilled poultry from the Mainland was about 160 000 head yesterday, and over 12 000 live chickens were slaughtered locally. The supply was abundant.
Regarding the rice supply, in compliance with the requirement by the Government, stockholders of rice have to maintain the reserve stock of rice at a level sufficient for consumption by the local population for 15 days. The trade generally stocks double the required amount, which is sufficient for one month’s consumption by Hong Kong citizens. In recent years, the import and consumption of rice in Hong Kong has stood at a steady level of around 320 000 to 330 000 tonnes per year. The import quantity (including reserve stock) as of end-March 2022 was 27 300 tonnes. Suppliers also maintain a reserve for food that can be stored, such as frozen meat, for around three months’ stock generally.
The Government will continue to maintain close liaison with the Mainland authorities and major food suppliers to ensure a stable food supply.
The AFCD updates and publishes the fresh food supply information daily. Members of the public may visit the AFCD website for updates on daily supplies and wholesale prices of fresh food (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/agriculture/agr_fresh/agr_fresh.html). read more