The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of operations yesterday and today (April 15 and 16). A total of four Indonesian foreign domestic helpers, age from 31 to 35, were arrested for breaching of their conditions of … read more
The Transport Department (TD) said today (April 16) that in response to the developments of COVID-19, the Governments of Guangdong Province and Hong Kong have implemented anti-epidemic measures under the co-operation mechanism on joint prevention and control of COVID-19 to ensure the stable supply of goods and essential commodities to Hong Kong and to facilitate the smooth arrangement of immigration clearance and operation of cross-boundary goods vehicles. As the Chief Executive stated on April 12, in light of the gradual stabilisation of the epidemic situation, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will adjust the anti-epidemic measures with the vaccine bubble concept as the basis, including the implementation of facilitation measures for cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers who have received two vaccine doses for 14 days. To this end, the HKSAR Government has gained consent from the Guangdong Provincial Government to allow cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers who have completed two vaccine doses for 14 days to continue to be exempted from quarantine and relax the daily nucleic acid test requirement gradually.
As informed by the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province, starting from 0.00am on April 23, cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers who have received two vaccine doses for 14 days, and received a message in the mini-program of WeChat on the system of the Yuekang Code (粵康碼) at the Yueshengshi (ç²µçœ�事) issued by Guangdong Province based on the information provided by the TD, are only required to possess proof of a negative result of a nucleic acid test conducted within 72 hours when entering Shenzhen and Zhuhai, and they are not required to undergo a nucleic acid test once every day. For those cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers who have not been vaccinated, have not received two vaccine doses or have received two vaccine doses for less than 14 days, or have not yet received a notification message on the system of the Yuekang Code, they are still required to possess proof of a negative result of a nucleic acid test conducted within 72 hours when entering Shenzhen and Zhuhai and undergo a nucleic acid test when they first enter Shenzhen and Zhuhai daily.
According to the registration records of the TD, there are currently about 11,000 cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers, among which about 7,000 are active as shown in the relevant information. As of April 15, about 6,700 cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers have received the first vaccine dose and about 5,700 have received their second dose, representing over 90 per cent and 80 per cent of active cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers respectively.
The TD encourages cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers to get vaccinated early, and appeals to the trade to pay attention to the latest announcements by the two Governments. Cross-boundary goods vehicles drivers who have any enquiries on the latest arrangements of cross-boundary nucleic acid testing may call the TD’s hotline at 2399 6925. read more
In response to the comments from overseas politicians concerning the sentences imposed by the District Court today (April 16), the Department of Justice (DoJ) made the following statement:
The case in question involves nine defendants who were jointly charged with organising and knowingly taking part in an unauthorised assembly. Two of the defendants pleaded guilty before trial while the remaining seven were convicted of all the charges by the court on April 1. The judge set out the reasons for the verdict in her judgment on the same day, which is publicly available at the Judiciary’s website. In imposing the sentences today, the judge also stated the sentencing principles in court.
The Government has repeatedly pointed out that where a defendant pleads guilty or is found guilty after trial, it is the court’s duty to impose a just and appropriate sentence, applying the relevant principles to the circumstances of the crime and those of the offender. It is crucial that where there is any dissatisfaction over the sentences imposed by the courts, any redress ought to be taken up by means of an appeal or review.
We are appalled by open demands for the immediate release of the defendants who admitted to their wrong doing by either pleading guilty to their criminal act or were convicted after trial by the court. Such demands, absurd and menacing as they are, are in blatant violation of international laws and basic principle of non-intervention. Baseless attacks on sentences imposed by the court, which properly and aptly exercises judicial power independently as guaranteed under the Basic Law, manifest a total disrespect to the rule of law. Statements that create a real risk of prejudice to court proceedings in that the public confidence in the due administration of justice is undermined may amount to contempt of court.
The DoJ also reminds members of the public that no one should comment arbitrarily on cases in respect of which legal proceedings are still ongoing as the matter is sub judice. read more
The Department of Health (DH) today (April 16) appealed to members of the public to stay alert to fraudulent phone calls and emails purporting to be made by the DH. The DH recently received a number of public enquiries about receiving phone calls from +852 2961 8989, which is the same number as the DH’s enquiry hotline (2961 8989). The public also expressed that they received emails from a sender who claimed to be “dh.gov.hk”, a name which is similar to the DH’s enquiry email (enquiries@dh.gov.hk).
The concerned members of the public pointed out that the caller claimed to be a DH staff member and instructed the called party to go to a quarantine centre in some cases. The contents of the fraudulent emails are related to an electronic refund form. Both the calls and the emails asked the members of the public concerned for personal information.
A spokesman for the DH clarified, “We have not made the calls nor sent the emails in question. If DH staff need to contact members of the public through the hotline or email, we will provide relevant information to verify the identity of both parties, but will not request the public to provide sensitive personal information. The DH has reported these matters to the Police.”
The spokesman reminded members of the public that the Centre for Health Protection, through its hotlines (2125 1111/2125 1122), allows members of the public to verify the identity of authorised officers if necessary. The public should stay alert and should not follow the caller’s instructions if they receive suspected fraudulent calls. If they have any doubts, they should report the matter to the Police. read more
The Immigration Department (ImmD) announced today (April 16) that children born in 2005 to 2007 or 2012 to 2018 and holding the old form of smart identity cards should apply for new smart identity cards in the company of either… read more