The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority: The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by EFG Bank AG relating to a fraudulent webs… read more
A 53-year-old woman was sentenced to immediate imprisonment for 14 days by the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts today (March 29) for violating the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) (the Regulation).
The woman was earlier issued a compulsory quarantine order stating that she must conduct quarantine at home for 14 days. Before the expiry of the quarantine order, she left the place of quarantine on September 4, 2020, without reasonable excuse nor permission given by an authorised officer. She was charged with contravening sections 8(1) and 8(5) of the Regulation and was sentenced by the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts today to immediate imprisonment for 14 days.
Pursuant to the Regulation, all persons who have stayed in the Mainland, Macao or Taiwan in the 14 days preceding arrival in Hong Kong, regardless of their nationality or travel documents, will be subject to compulsory quarantine for 14 days. Moreover, pursuant to the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E), starting from December 25, 2020, all persons arriving in Hong Kong (either via the airport or land boundary control points) who have stayed in places outside China on the day of arrival in Hong Kong or during the 21 days before that day have to undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in designated quarantine hotels. Breaching a quarantine order is a criminal offence and offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said the sentence sends a clear message to the community that breaching a compulsory quarantine order is a criminal offence that the Government will not tolerate, and solemnly reminded the public to comply with the Regulation. As of today, a total of 119 persons have been convicted by the courts for breaching compulsory quarantine orders and have received sentences including immediate imprisonment for up to 14 weeks or a fine of up to $15,000. The spokesman reiterated that resolute action will be taken against anyone who has breached the relevant regulations. read more
A 50-year-old woman was sentenced to 100 hours’ community service by the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts today (March 29) for violating the Prevention and Control of Disease (Disclosure of Information) Regulation (Cap. 599D) (the Regulation).
The woman was found to have provided false information to a medical practitioner about her travel history during a medical appointment at the Tuen Mun Hospital on April 2, 2020. She was charged with contravening section 4 of the Regulation and was sentenced by the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts today to 100 hours’ community service.
Under the Regulation, it is a criminal offence for any person to provide false or misleading information to health officers/medical practitioners acting in the course of professional practice. Offenders face a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for six months.
A spokesman for the DH said the sentence sends a clear message to the community that breaching regulations related to combating COVID-19 is a criminal offence that the Government will not tolerate, and solemnly reminds the public to comply with the regulations. As of today, a total of two persons have been convicted by the courts for breaching the Regulation. The spokesman reiterated that resolute actions will be taken against anyone who has breached the relevant regulations. read more
A male Mainlander was charged at the Sha Tin Magistrates’ Courts with one count of making false representation to an Immigration Department (ImmD) staff member, and was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment on March 26.
The 63-year-old defendant arrived in Hong Kong as a visitor. During his stay, the defendant submitted an application for an extension of stay (extension application) to the ImmD, and claimed his reason for the extension was to take care of his mother in Hong Kong. However, when processing the application, the ImmD found that the defendant’s mother had passed away prior to the application.
In the course of the investigation, the defendant admitted under caution that in order to have his extension application approved, he declared upon the application to Immigration staff that he needed to take care of his mother in Hong Kong, even though he clearly knew that his mother had passed away. The defendant was subsequently charged with one count of making a false representation to Immigration staff for the reason of an extension. The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment by the Sha Tin Magistrates’ Court on March 26.
“Under the laws of Hong Kong, any person who makes a 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
In response to media enquiries about an MTR fare adjustment, the Transport and Housing Bureau said today (March 29) that the existing Fare Adjustment Mechanism (FAM) is open, objective and transparent. Fares are adjusted in accordance with figures released by the Government in order to ensure that the adjustments reflect the economic situation. According to the FAM, MTR fares will be adjusted downwards by 1.7 per cent in late June this year. Based on the established mechanism, since there is a fare reduction this year, fare adjustment rates to be recouped shall be carried forward to next year.
The Government has all along requested the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) to respond to public concerns and offer more fare concessions, taking into account the overall economic environment, market conditions, the MTRCL’s operating situation, passenger needs, etc, in addition to adjusting its fares in accordance with the FAM. The Government noted that the MTRCL will offer various additional fare concessions to allow passengers to enjoy an actual fare saving of around 5 per cent for each trip from April 1 this year to January 1 next year.
With a view to further alleviating fare burdens of commuters travelling on different public transport modes, the Government announced earlier that the expiry of the temporary special measure under the Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme (i.e. providing a subsidy amounting to one-third of the monthly expenses in excess of $200) would be extended from June 30 till December 31 this year, and that the monthly subsidy cap would be temporarily raised from $400 to $500 during the period from April 1 to December 31 this year. read more