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2026
The Immigration Department estimates that around six million passengers will pass through Hong Kong’s sea, land and air control points during the Mainland's Labour Day Golden Week from May 1 to May 5. In consultation with the Shenzhen General Station of Exit & Entry Frontier Inspection and other Mainland authorities, the department estimates that around five million passengers will pass through land boundary control points. Releasing the information in a statement today, the department said the number of outbound and inbound passengers using the boundary control points will be highest on May 2 and May 3, with around 636,000 passengers and 688,000 passengers anticipated on those days respectively. The department also expects passenger traffic at the Lo Wu Control Point, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point and the Shenzhen Bay Control Point to be heavy, with daily average forecasts of about 246,000, 227,000 and 172,000 passengers respectively. To cope with the anticipated heavy traffic, the department has minimised leave for frontline officers to allow flexible deployment and operation of additional counters, temporary counters and channels. To ensure smooth passenger traffic flows, the department, the Police Force, Customs and the MTR Corporation will set up a joint command centre at the Lo Wu Control Point. The department will also establish close communication with Mainland authorities including the Shenzhen General Station of Exit & Entry Frontier Inspection. Residents and visitors can access Easy Boundary, a one-stop information platform on immigration clearance launched by the Security Bureau, to obtain useful information. This includes average waiting times for passengers and private cars at land boundary control points, as well as for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge cross-boundary shuttle bus and the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus.
The phased return of residents to Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po entered its seventh day today, with the reopening of five middle-zone floors at Wang Cheong House and 10 low-zone floors at Wang Tao House. Supported by the “one social worker per household” service, 424 residents from 116 households returned to their units – slightly exceeding the 418 individuals initially registered. The Government described the access arrangements as orderly. Residents spent an average of two hours and 26 minutes on-site. Recorded stays ranged from a minimum of 21 minutes to a maximum of nearly four hours. Approximately 77% of residents completed their visits in under three hours, while 26% stayed for less than two hours and 4% left within an hour. Regarding movement, 151 individuals from 62 households made multiple trips to their units. Most made one or two additional entries, while a small group of nine people from six households made up to seven trips. The integrated enquiry counter handled nine requests for assistance today, including seven cases requiring police attention, one report of physical discomfort, and one request for psychological counselling services. The police cases primarily concerned suspected property loss, involving items such as watches, jewellery, cash and gold. Officers were immediately deployed to assist with searches, successfully recovering lost property in five cases. The remaining two cases are under further investigation. The Government noted that over 1,000 personnel are deployed daily to support residents returning to their units. This multi-departmental team includes staff from Police, the Civil Aid Service, the Fire Services Department, the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Home Affairs Department, the Social Welfare Department, the Housing Department and the Housing Bureau, alongside members of District Services & Community Care Teams. Additionally, under the Government-wide Mobilisation mechanism, the Civil Service Bureau co-ordinated nine departments to form the Government Quick Response Unit to facilitate access arrangements. Civil servants mobilised today were drawn from the Lands Department and the Water Supplies Department.
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam today inspected a passing-out parade for 34 probationary inspectors and 165 recruit police constables at the Police College. Addressing the ceremony, Mr Lam described the rule of law as the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s success and hailed the Police Force as the first line of defence in its preservation. He emphasised that policing extends beyond mere law enforcement; it is fundamentally about providing public assurance fostering a safer society through professional operations. Mr Lam noted that policing has become increasingly complex, citing challenges such as safeguarding national security, combating technology crimes and managing large-scale events. He stressed that police officers must possess robust legal knowledge and the ability to make sound decisions in dynamic environments, adding that maintaining such high levels of professionalism is a demanding task. Highlighting that a harmonious society relies on mutual trust between Police and the community, Mr Lam expressed his hope that graduates would discharge their duties with fairness and impartiality. He urged them to safeguard the rule of law while remaining attentive to the needs of the public. In conclusion, Mr Lam called on the graduates to serve the community in the spirit of the Police motto, “Serving Hong Kong with Honour, Duty and Loyalty”. He encouraged them to remain steadfast in their contributions to national security and to ensuring the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.
The phased return of residents to Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po entered its sixth day today, with the reopening of five middle-zone floors at Wang Cheong House and 11 high-zone floors at Wang Yan House. Through the “one social worker per household” service, 459 people from 124 households returned to their units, exceeding the 444 individuals from 123 households who had initially registered. The Government said the access arrangements as orderly. Residents spent an average of two hours and 33 minutes entering and leaving the buildings. The shortest stay recorded was 21 minutes, while the longest was four hours and eight minutes. In terms of duration, approximately 65% of residents remained in the buildings for less than three hours, while 27% stayed for less than two hours. About 4% of residents concluded their visits in under an hour. Regarding resident movement, 125 individuals from 54 households made multiple trips to and from their units. Specifically, 83 people from 30 households made one additional trip, while 27 people from 15 households made two. A smaller number of residents – 15 people from nine households – made three or four additional trips. The integrated enquiry counter handled 10 requests for assistance today, including nine cases requiring police attention and one involving a resident who felt physically unwell. The police assistance cases primarily concerned suspected property loss, involving items such as watches, jewellery, cash and gold. Officers were immediately deployed to assist with searches, successfully recovering lost property in six of the cases. In the remaining three cases, the units involved were severely damaged; following investigations, residents believed their property may have been destroyed by fire. The Government noted that over 1,000 personnel are deployed daily to support residents returning to their units. The multi-departmental team includes staff from Police, the Civil Aid Service, the Fire Services Department, the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Home Affairs Department, the Social Welfare Department, the Housing Department and the Housing Bureau, alongside members of District Services & Community Care Teams. Additionally, under the Government-wide Mobilisation mechanism, the Civil Service Bureau co-ordinated nine departments to form the Government Quick Response Unit to facilitate the access arrangements. Civil servants mobilised today were drawn from the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department and the Leisure & Cultural Services Department.
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam, on the last day of his visit to Beijing today, called on the Supreme People’s Procuratorate (SPP) and visited the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to explore development opportunities for Hong Kong’s legal services. In the morning, Mr Lam met SPP Prosecutor-General Ying Yong. They exchanged views on arranging training and exchanges on foreign-related legal issues and the common law system for Mainland prosecutors, as well as co-organising capacity-building programmes. Mr Lam also thanked the SPP for supporting Hong Kong in hosting the 15th China-ASEAN Prosecutors-General Conference last year. Mr Lam then met AIIB President Zou Jiayi to learn about the progress of the AIIB’s office establishment in Hong Kong, explore opportunities for collaboration between the AIIB and Hong Kong’s legal sector, and for further choosing Hong Kong’s legal services. Having concluded his visit to Beijing, the legal chief returned to Hong Kong this afternoon.
Today was the fourth day of phased arrangements for residents of seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to return to their units. The second round of the phased arrangements also commenced today. The Government said 424 people from 115 households in Wang Cheong House and Wang Yan House turned up, and the access arrangements were carried out in an orderly manner. Five low-zone floors of Wang Cheong House and ten low-zone floors of Wang Yan House were opened today. Concluding the arrangements, the Government said a total of 429 people from 117 households registered to return to their units today through the "one social worker per household" service, while 424 people from 115 households actually turned up. The average time residents spent entering and leaving the building today was two hours and 13 minutes, with the shortest time being 10 minutes and the longest three hours and 42 minutes. About 40% of the residents stayed in the building for less than two hours, while around 10% of the residents stayed for less than one hour. A total of 153 people from 61 households went up and down the building more than once. Among them, 76 people from 24 households made one additional trip, 34 people from 15 households made two additional trips, 24 people from 11 households made three additional trips, 7 people from 5 households made four additional trips, while 12 people from 6 households made five additional trips or above. Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing today spoke to two households returning to their units at Wang Cheong House. Both households said their units were not seriously damaged and that many items could be retrieved, and they hoped to return to their units one more time to collect more belongings. Mr Cheuk expressed understanding of their wishes and said the Government is actively following up on the arrangements for them to return to their units again. The integrated enquiry counter today received eight cases requesting police assistance and four cases involving residents seeking help due to physical discomfort, as well as one case seeking psychological counselling services. The eight cases requesting police assistance involved suspected loss of property, including watches, jewellery, cash and gold items. Officers were immediately deployed to assist in searches, and in six of them, Police successfully assisted in recovering the lost property. In one case, the flat was seriously damaged, and after investigation, the residents believed that the property may have been burned. For the remaining one case, there were no signs of ransacking in the unit, and the residents could not provide details on the property concerned. Adjustments were made on-site today in response to an increase in occasional showers. Additional marquees were set up outside the waiting area for residents at Tai Po Baptist Public School, creating a covered pedestrian walkway to provide shelter from the rain and facilitate residents in transporting their belongings to the vehicles. The Government outlined that it deploys over 1,000 personnel from various departments each day, including Police, the Civil Aid Service, the Fire Services Department, the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Home Affairs Department, the Social Welfare Department, the Housing Department, and the Housing Bureau, and staff mobilised from other departments as well as District Services & Community Care Teams members to fully support residents returning to their units.
Today was the third day of phased arrangements for residents of seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to return to their units. The Government said 264 people from 78 households turned up and the access arrangements were carried out in an orderly manner and operated smoothly. Eleven high-zone floors of Wang Sun House were opened today. Concluding the arrangements, the Government said a total of 271 people from 79 households registered to return to their units today through the "one social worker per household" service, while 264 people from 78 households actually turned up. The average time residents spent entering and leaving the building today was two hours and 34 minutes, with the shortest time being 50 minutes and the longest four hours and five minutes. About one fourth of the residents stayed in the building for less than two hours, while around 1.5% of them stayed for less than one hour. A total of 45 people from 21 households went up and down the building more than once. Among them, 32 people from 14 households made one additional trip, seven people from four households made two additional trips, and four people from two households made three additional trips, with the highest record being two people from one household making four additional trips. The integrated enquiry counter today received seven cases requesting police assistance and five cases involving residents seeking help due to physical discomfort, as well as three cases seeking psychological counselling services. The seven cases requesting police assistance involved suspected loss of property, including laptop computers, jewellery and gold items. Officers were immediately deployed to assist in searches, and lost property was recovered in six cases. For the remaining one case, there were no signs of ransacking in the unit, and the residents could not provide details on the property concerned. The Government outlined that it deploys over 1,000 personnel from various departments each day, including Police, the Civil Aid Service, the Fire Services Department, the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Home Affairs Department, the Social Welfare Department, the Housing Department, and the Housing Bureau, and staff mobilised from other departments, as well as District Services & Community Care Teams members to fully support residents returning to their units.
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam and Supreme People's Court (SPC) Vice-president Mao Zhonghua yesterday signed a new arrangement to enhance the mutual service of judicial documents in civil and commercial proceedings between the Mainland and Hong Kong. The Arrangement on Mutual Service of Judicial Documents in Civil & Commercial Proceedings between the Mainland & the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region aims to promote the alignment of legal mechanisms and rules between the two jurisdictions. While a similar arrangement has been in place for 27 years, the volume of service requests has surged in recent years. However, the success rate under the existing system has remained relatively low. In response to demand from the legal sector and the public, the Department of Justice (DoJ), the Judiciary and the SPC finalised the enhanced mechanism following detailed discussions. The new arrangement introduces additional modes of service, offering greater flexibility and efficiency. These measures are designed to ensure the timely handling of cross-boundary cases and better protect the rights of parties in both places, reflecting the increasingly close judicial ties between the Mainland and Hong Kong. The DoJ will brief the Legislative Council Panel on Administration of Justice & Legal Services on details of the new arrangement on April 27. The new measures will come into effect once the necessary legislative procedures in Hong Kong are completed. The DoJ added that it will work closely with the Judiciary to implement the amendments as soon as practicable.
The independent committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po announced today that a fourth round of evidential hearings, in which oral evidence will be received from witnesses, will be held from May 6 to 8. Three days of hearings will be conducted, in Cantonese, from 10am to 1pm and from 2.15pm to 4.30pm each day at the Multi-purpose Hall, 3/F, City Gallery in Central. Simultaneous interpretation in Putonghua and English will be provided. A total of about 360 seats will be available for public observation. About half of these will be set aside for Wang Fuk Court residents on a priority basis. Those wishing to attend are required to pre-register online from 10am on April 23 to 10am on April 26. Successful registrants will receive a confirmation issued by the committee secretariat no later than April 30.
Secretary for Justice Paul Lam called on the Supreme People's Court and central ministries respectively in Beijing for two consecutive days to discuss and exchange views on the progress and work of the key policy initiatives of the Department of Justice (DoJ). This morning, Mr Lam visited the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) Beijing Representative Office to learn about how the office assists the HKIAC in further developing the Mainland market following its establishment in Beijing. The opportunities brought about by the revised Arbitration Law of the People's Republic of China were also discussed. Mr Lam then went to the State-owned Assets Supervision & Administration Commission of the State Council to discuss opportunities for co-operation in areas such as capacity building programmes and talent training between the two sides. He also met Vice Minister of Justice Wu Zeng to discuss issues relating to legal matters concerning the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), including "allowing Hong Kong-invested enterprises to choose for arbitration to be seated in Hong Kong", the development of the GBA lawyers' scheme, and the co-operation between Mainland and Hong Kong law firms. At the start of his visit yesterday morning, Mr Lam called on the Supreme People's Court to meet President of the Supreme People's Court Zhang Jun. They discussed the mutual legal assistance arrangements and training for foreign-related legal talent between the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Mainland. In the afternoon, Mr Lam called on the Ministry of Commerce where he introduced to Deputy China International Trade Representative Jiang Chenghua the DoJ's measures to strengthen Hong Kong's professional services sectors in supporting Mainland enterprises going global, and ways to encourage Mainland enterprises to adopt Hong Kong law as the applicable law while expanding overseas and to choose Hong Kong as the destination for dispute resolution. During the meeting with Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Hua Chunying, both sides exchanged views on issues such as supporting the Hong Kong SAR and the DoJ in collaborating with international legal organisations and enhancing Hong Kong’s status as the centre for international legal and dispute resolution services.