Tag Archives: China

     Two property owners were convicted and fined about $210,000 and $160,000 last week at the Fanling Magistrates’ Courts and Eastern Magistrates’ Courts, respectively, for failing to comply with removal orders issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123).
 
     The first case involved two adjacent domestic units in a composite building at On Fu Road, Tai Po. Two removal orders were served in respect of several unauthorised flat roof structures of about 120 square metres for rental purposes. The removal order in the second case involved unauthorised building works (UBWs) carried out in a single family house on Perkins Road, Hong Kong Island. These UBWs include several unauthorised structures of about 80 sq m in total at the rear, and on the roof and stair hood of the house.
 
     As the above UBWs were carried out without prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), removal orders were served on the owners under section 24(1) of the BO.
 
     Failing to comply with the removal orders, the owners were prosecuted by the BD. The owner in the first case was convicted at the Fanling Magistrates’ Courts on May 25. The magistrate, after taking into account the size and usage of the unauthorised structures of the two orders, heavily fined the owner $209,430 in total. 
 
     The owner in the second case was prosecuted by the BD in 2017 and fined over $80,000 upon conviction at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts. However, the owner persisted in not complying with the order and the BD instigated prosecution against the owner for the second time. The owner was convicted at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts again and fined $158,400 on May 26.
 
     “UBWs may adversely affect the structural and fire safety of a building, leading to serious consequences. Owners must comply with the removal orders without further delay. The BD will continue to take enforcement action against owners who have failed to comply with the removal orders (including instigation of prosecution) so as to achieve a deterrent effect”, a spokesman for the BD said today (May 31).
 
     Pursuant to section 40(1BA) of the BO, any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with the removal order served on him or her under section 24(1) of the BO commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of $200,000 and to imprisonment for one year, as well as a further fine of $20,000 for each day that the offence continues. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     US Dollar Liquidity Facility tender notice:
 

Tender date	:	June 2, 2021 (Wednesday)
Tender submission time	:	9am to noon
Settlement date	:	June 3, 2021 (Thursday)
Repayment date	:	June 10, 2021 (Thursday)
Tenor	:	Seven days
Amount on offer	:	US$10,000 Million

 
Note: Licensed Banks interested in participating in the tender for the first time are encouraged to provide US dollar settlement instructions by email (settlementsection@hkma.gov.hk) to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Settlement Team in advance, preferably two days prior to the tender. Required information includes name of corresponding bank, name of final beneficiary (must be the Licensed Bank participating in the tender), and account or CHIPS number of a US dollar bank account to be settled in the United States. Such information needs to be provided once only, unless there is further change. read more

     The Improving Electoral System (Consolidated Amendments) Ordinance 2021 (the Ordinance) has been published in the Gazette and comes into effect today (May 31).
 
     On March 11, 2021, the National People’s Congress (NPC) passed the Decision of the NPC on Improving the Electoral System of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (the Decision) and authorised the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) to amend Annex I to the Basic Law on Method for the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Annex II to the Basic Law on Method for the Formation of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Its Voting Procedures. The NPCSC on March 30 adopted the amended Annex I and Annex II to the Basic Law. Pursuant to Article 7 of the Decision, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government shall, according to the Decision and the amended Annexes I and II to the Basic Law, amend the relevant local legislation and organise and regulate the relevant electoral activities in accordance with the law. The HKSAR Government has fulfilled its constitutional responsibility to implement the improved electoral system by way of local legislation.
 
     A Government spokesman said, “The Ordinance serves to implement the Decision adopted by the NPC and the Annexes I and II to the Basic Law amended by the NPCSC, as well as a host of improvement measures for public elections. Improving the electoral system can put in place institutional safeguards to ensure a full application of ‘patriots administering Hong Kong’, thereby getting Hong Kong back on the right track, ensuring the steadfast and successful implementation of ‘one country, two systems’ as well as the long-term prosperity and stability of the city.”

     The spokesman also said, “The HKSAR Government will properly organise and conduct the upcoming Election Committee Subsector Elections, the Legislative Council General Election and the Chief Executive Election in accordance with the relevant amended electoral legislation. As in the past, the Government will work closely with the Electoral Affairs Commission and the Registration and Electoral Office to ensure that elections are conducted in a fair, just and open manner.” read more

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (May 31) launched a number of new services to expand the functions of the Food Trader Portal (FTP), allowing traders to apply for import permission for eggs; report the arrival of food consignments of eggs, meat, poultry and game as well as consignments of other food types imported by air; and handle matters concerning the release of the consignments online.

     A CFS spokesperson said, “The CFS has been rolling out different online services at the FTP in phases since December 2019. Together with the new services launched today, the service scope of the FTP at present covers trader registration and renewal, applications for all import licenses and import permissions issued by the CFS, and handling of the arrival reporting and release of consignments of eggs, meat, poultry, game, milk and frozen confections and consignments imported by air containing other food types.”

     In tandem with the roll-out of the new online services, the CFS has implemented a series of enhancement measures, including rearranging the format of the import permission and its application form to clearly set out the name of the issuing entity of the country/place of origin and types of the eggs to be imported, along with detailed import conditions, including the documents required and contact information of the relevant CFS offices.

     The spokesperson said, “If reporting of consignment arrival is required, importers may submit the report online through the FTP. After receiving the report, the FTP will, according to the specific operational flow based on food type and mode of transport, issue instructions or notices to the importers for completion of the consignment release procedures. As most of the food consignment information has been provided through the FTP in advance, the time spent on consignment release at the border food control offices of the CFS can be shortened.”

     The spokesperson added, “Importers can continue to submit various applications and report arrival of consignments on paper having regard to their operational needs. The CFS has provided a new unified paper form for reporting consignment arrival to the food control offices at sea, land and air borders. For importers who wish to enjoy various kinds of online services at the FTP, they should actively consider opening their user accounts as soon as practicable.”

     To enable food traders to know more about the operation of the FTP and the above new measures, the CFS held an online briefing on May 3, followed by a number of training workshops to provide hands-on experience in operating the FTP for food traders. Presentation notes, training manuals and frequently asked questions on the new measures were also produced and posted on the website for traders’ reference.

     For more details, please visit the FTP at www.ftp.cfs.gov.hk. read more

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 31) that due to big wav… read more