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2026
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today strongly condemned the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for a deliberate and unfounded report on Lai Chee-ying's health condition in an attempt to fabricate facts to mislead the public by intentionally portraying him as a victim to cover up his offences and conviction by the court. In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government said the court's verdict was entirely free from any political considerations, noting that reasons for the verdict, including the court's analysis of the relevant legal principles and evidence, are fully open for public inspection. The court's verdict is well-founded and reasoned, fully demonstrating that its decision was made strictly in accordance with the law and evidence and free from any interference, the statement said. The court clarified that Lai Chee-ying's only intent, whether pre or post National Security Law, was to seek the downfall of the Communist Party of China, even though the ultimate cost was the sacrifice of the interests of the citizens of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Hong Kong. Additionally, the court found that Lai Chee-ying was the mastermind of the conspiracies charged in all three counts, and his actions showed his intent to pursue these conspiracies, which constituted a threat to the national security in the PRC and the city, the statement added. The Hong Kong SAR Government emphasised that Hong Kong is a society underpinned by the rule of law and has always adhered to the principle that laws must be obeyed and lawbreakers be held accountable, noting that Article 5 of the security law and section 2 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance clearly state that the principle of the rule of law shall be adhered to in preventing, suppressing and imposing punishment for offences endangering national security. Any suggestion that certain individuals or organisations should be immune from legal consequences for their illegal acts is no different from advocating a privilege to break the law, and is totally contrary to the spirit of the rule of law, it added. The statement dismissed the claims regarding Lai Chee-ying's health condition as reported by BBC, noting that the Hong Kong SAR Government has repeatedly insisted that the Correctional Services Department (CSD) handled the custodial arrangements for him in the same manner as other persons-in-custody. It said that Lai Chee-ying has received adequate and comprehensive medical attention. All correctional facilities, equipped with hospitals or sick bays, maintain 24/7 staffing by medical officers seconded from the Department of Health and correctional staff with professional nursing qualifications. The Hospital Authority and the Department of Health’s medical specialists visit correctional institutions regularly to give persons-in-custody specialist consultation and treatment, including dental treatment. Those with dental health issues are referred to dental specialists, and in serious cases are transferred immediately to a public hospital for treatment, the statement added. The statement noted that during the public court hearing in August 2025, the senior counsel representing Lai Chee-ying informed the court that he had consistently received appropriate treatment and care in prison. The statement said that daily medical check-ups were arranged for Lai Chee-ying, and he raised no complaints about the care he received. Consequently, the court commended the CSD for its medical arrangements. On December 15, 2025, when the court handed down its verdict, the senior counsel representing him stated in response to questions from the media that everyone in the court could clearly see his health condition, the statement added. The CSD provided dental treatment for Lai Chee-ying in 2021 and 2022 based on his needs. Since then, Lai Chee-ying has had no dental health problems and has made no further requests for dental treatment, the statement noted. Separately in 2025, Lai Chee-ying notified the CSD of problems with his fingernails. However, he fully recovered after treatment with ointment prescribed by the institution's medical officer, with no loss of fingernails as alleged in the media reports, the statement added. In August 2025, before the public hearing, the CSD arranged for him to wear a cardiac monitoring device and prescribed heart medication for heart palpitations, to be used as needed. The statement emphasised that since then, Lai Chee-ying has made no further complaints to the department about his heart palpitations. The statement stressed that the allegations made by Lai Chee-ying's daughter and relevant media reports, including those by BBC, are completely baseless. The Hong Kong SAR Government pointed out that individuals with ulterior motives, including Lai Chee-ying's family members and certain media, have ignored the facts and continue to spread lies and engage in despicable acts.
2025
The legal departments of Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Macao Special Administrative Region today officially launched the Greater Bay Area (GBA) Arbitrator Panel and the Greater Bay Area Mediator Panel 2025. According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), these panels, comprising 143 arbitrators and 233 mediators, will strengthen professional collaboration and dispute resolution expertise in the GBA. The DoJ stated that these panels will maximise regional resource advantages and align the arbitration and mediation regulatory frameworks across the three jurisdictions while establishing unified GBA standards. Ultimately, the DoJ intends for the panels to strengthen the region’s multifaceted dispute resolution mechanism. The panels were jointly established by the Hong Kong SAR Government’s DoJ, the Guangdong Province’s Department of Justice, and the Macao SAR Government’s Office of the Secretary for Administration & Justice. They were endorsed at the GBA Legal Departments Joint Conference.
The Water Supplies Department (WSD) today alerted members of the public to fraudulent WSD website addresses that encourage recipients to pay water bills via a hyperlink provided. The fraudulent websites are: “wsd.govi[.]qpon/hk”, “wsd[.]giov[.]lat/hk” and “wsd[.]pijhhsj[.]sbs”. The WSD stresses that these websites have no connection to the department, which has reported the cases to the Police. The department said that people who have registered for the WSD's electronic services account and e-billing service must complete verification on the department website before they can view their e-bills and obtain the Faster Payment System QR code on the bill to make payments. People who have provided personal information to these or other suspicious websites should contact the Police. Call 2824 5000 for enquiries.
The General Assembly of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) has decided to establish its Asia-Pacific Liaison Office in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The office is expected to open in the second half of 2026, marking the first regional presence of UNIDROIT outside its seat in Rome in its 100-year history.Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said UNIDROIT or its members could have decided to set up the office in any of the member states as there are numerous choices, but ultimately it decided to set up the office in Hong Kong which is a very significant vote of confidence in the city. “The decision to set up the Asia-Pacific Liaison Office is a very important move to enhance the level of our co-operation, which is of critical importance in enhancing Hong Kong's status as an international legal service centre.”Hong Kong has already housed the Hague Conference on Private International Law Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific and the Department of Justice Project Office for Collaboration with United Nations Commission on International Trade Law. Also, the International Organization for Mediation has its headquarters in the city. Mr Lam believes that this will help solidify Hong Kong's position as an international legal hub. “If more and more international organisations are willing to do the same, by agreeing to have some sort of physical presence in Hong Kong, that would imply that more and more people are willing to cast their vote of confidence in Hong Kong. “Having regard to its status and function as an international legal service centre, that naturally will enhance Hong Kong's reputation in this respect, it will attract more people to come here to participate in different types of activities. “It is just sort of a snowball effect. Hopefully it can enhance Hong Kong's reputation. It can attract more people to come to Hong Kong to use our legal service. “I think in the long run, this is a very significant development and I am very confident that this would help to reinforce Hong Kong's position as a genuine international legal service and dispute resolution services centre.”
Police announced today that they have so far arrested 16 people on suspicion of manslaughter in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, including an external wall repair subcontractor’s male person-in-charge arrested yesterday, and 15 others from various construction companies who were arrested earlier. All arrestees have been released on bail. The possibility of further arrests has not been ruled out as Police gather evidence through various channels for a thorough and in-depth investigation. Regarding accommodation support for the affected residents in Tai Po, as of this morning, 489 residents are staying in hotel rooms through the co-ordination of the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau, and 551 residents are staying in youth hostels/camps. Another 3,591 residents are living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau, the Housing Society or Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun.
In view of New Year’s Eve countdown events, the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, led by the Chief Secretary, announced special boundary-crossing and corresponding public transport service arrangements during New Year’s Eve and the New Year holidays. Passenger clearance services at the Lo Wu Control Point will be extended to 2am on January 1. As such, the departure time of the last MTR East Rail Line train from Admiralty to Lo Wu will be 12.56am. Additionally, passenger and passenger vehicle clearance services at the Shenzhen Bay Port (SBP) will operate overnight on December 31. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) and the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port (LMC/HG Port) will maintain 24-hour operations as usual. The working group added that only cross-boundary private cars issued with Closed Road Permits for the LMC/HG Port are allowed to use the LMC/HG crossing. Cross-boundary private cars issued with permits for the SBP, LMC/HG, Heung Yuen Wai, Man Kam To Boundary Control Point (BCP) or Sha Tau Kok BCP can use the SBP during early-morning hours on New Year’s Day. For cross-boundary coaches, services using the SBP during early-morning hours on New Year’s Day, and services using the LMC/HG Port will be stepped up. To tie in with the special round-the-clock passenger clearance arrangements of the SBP on New Year’s Day, franchised bus operators will operate two special overnight bus routes, namely NB2 and NB3, to provide services to and from Yuen Long/Tin Shui Wai and Tuen Mun respectively. Furthermore, after the closure of the Lo Wu Control Point at 2am on January 1, travellers may take the specially arranged short-working bus service, route N73, from MTR Sheung Shui Station to Lok Ma Chau (San Tin) Public Transport Interchange, and transfer to the Yellow bus for their journey to Shenzhen. Members of the public may visit Easy Boundary to obtain useful information and plan their trips.
The Fire Services Department started a two-day citywide special fire safety inspection and enforcement operation yesterday on commercial buildings with a high fire risk to ensure public safety. In regulating the fire safety of licensed premises such as restaurants, the department specified relevant fire safety requirements to licence applicants and conducted inspections to ensure the premises complied with fire safety standards. Inadequate management of buildings and individual premises may give rise to potential fire hazards, such as smoke stop doors being wedged open, means of escape obstructed or locked, the depositing of combustible articles in the means of escape, or fire service installation or equipment (FSIs) not in efficient working order. Anticipating a significant increase in the number of people visiting commercial buildings with a higher number of licensed premises, the department targeted 132 such commercial buildings in its special fire safety inspection and enforcement operation. A total of 376 fire hazard abatement notices were issued for various fire hazards, and 53 prosecutions were initiated. Among the buildings, 57 were suspected of lacking annual inspections for FSIs which the department has followed up in a serious manner.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today expressed opposition to the unfounded comments by so-called “human rights experts” after the Hong Kong SAR court had convicted Lai Chee-ying, in strict accordance with the law and evidence, of offences of endangering national security. In a statement, the Government said these “human rights experts” had entirely no respect for the court’s independent judgment of the case, refused to acknowledge the evidence set out in the reasons for verdict, and refused to understand the court’s considerations and the reasons for verdict. Instead, they wantonly launched attacks, slandered and attacked the Hong Kong SAR Government, with despicable political manipulations to demand the immediate release of Lai Chee-ying, overriding the rule of law with politics and confounding right and wrong. Any suggestion that certain individuals or organisations should be immune from legal consequences for their illegal acts is no different from advocating a special privilege to break the law, and this totally runs contrary to the spirit of the rule of law, the Government stressed. Moreover, it said the “experts” conflated the criminal acts in this case with freedom of speech and of the press, with the purpose of misleading the public and defaming Hong Kong, pointing out that the Lai Chee-ying case has nothing to do with freedom of speech and of the press at all, and remarked that the defendants, over the years, were using journalism as a guise to commit acts that brought harm to China and Hong Kong. The Government further noted that the public trial of the Lai Chee-ying case revealed his hands-on control of Apple Daily’s editorial direction. Lai Chee-ying had repeatedly and personally colluded with foreign forces, begging for sanctions and hostile actions against the central authorities and the Hong Kong SAR Government. The court also clearly pointed out that Lai Chee-ying’s only intent, whether pre or post-Hong Kong National Security Law, was to seek the downfall of the Communist Party of China, even though the ultimate cost was the sacrifice of the interests of the people of the People’s Republic of China and the Hong Kong SAR. Anyone who vilifies the rule of law and human rights situation in Hong Kong using this case is fact-twisting and has no integrity at all, the Government stated. It urged the so-called “human rights experts” should understand the facts clearly and stop making any unfounded criticisms.
The Immigration Department (ImmD) estimates that around 11.52 million passengers, including Hong Kong residents and visitors, will pass through Hong Kong's sea, land and air control points during the upcoming Christmas and New Year festive periods. Releasing the information today, the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, led by the Chief Secretary, noted that the period ranges from December 24 to 28, December 31, 2025 to January 4, 2026. The ImmD, in consultation with the Shenzhen General Station of Exit & Entry Frontier Inspection and other Mainland authorities, estimates that around 9.65 million passengers will pass through land boundary control points. The number of outbound and inbound passengers using land boundary control points (BCPs) will be relatively higher this Thursday and coming Sunday, with around 689,000 passengers and 695,000 passengers respectively. The ImmD estimates that passenger traffic at the Lo Wu Control Point, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point and the Shenzhen Bay Control Point will be heavy, with a daily average forecast of about 225,000, 201,000 and 161,000 passengers respectively. Residents and visitors may also visit Easy Boundary, a one-stop information platform on immigration clearance launched by the Security Bureau, to obtain useful information in one go, including the respective average waiting time for passengers and private cars at land BCPs, as well as for the HZMB cross-boundary shuttle bus and the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus.
The Fire Services Department today clarified that a media commentary claiming the trade doubts whether the department's suggestion to shut down fire service installation and equipment (FSI) by phases during building maintenance works is feasible, does not fully reflect the facts. According to the Fire Service (Installations & Equipment) Regulations, no person other than a registered fire service installation contractor shall maintain, inspect or repair any FSI in any premises. Any person contravening the regulations is liable upon conviction to a fine of $50,000. Any person who is not a registered fire service installation contractor who attempts to interfere with FSIs may be in breach of the law and the department will follow up stringently. Maintenance, repair or inspection of FSIs must be carried out by registered fire service installation contractors, who will exercise professional judgement and carry out the relevant work in accordance with the department's instructions. Personnel responsible for building maintenance works have no authority to shut down FSIs and it is extremely irresponsible for any frontline personnel to shut down FSIs in order to avoid false alarms triggered by the works. The department’s Circular Letter No. 1/2021 stipulates that disruption to the normal operation of FSIs caused by its shutdown should be kept to the minimum. When carrying out the works, the contractor concerned should adopt a systematic approach in shutting down the affected FSI by phases and resume normal operation as soon as practicable. If the affected portion of the system could not be reinstated to normal working condition by the end of a working shift, arrangements should be made for the portion to be isolated with the remainder of the system to be reinstated. Upon completion of the relevant works, the contractor shall issue the Certificate of Fire Service Installations & Equipment in due course. The department earlier held a meeting with the Association of Registered Fire Service Installation Contractors on the matter, and the trade expressed its full support and willingness to implement the relevant measures in accordance with the statutory requirements and guidelines.