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2024

15/01/2024
The Financial Secretary’s Office today appealed for heightened vigilance against online deceptive advertisements purported to be interviews with the finance chief. It recently noticed that a number of deceptive advertisements and webpages carrying the Financial Secretary’s name and news photos have appeared on social media and online news portals. Such advertisements lure users to click on them and be taken to suspicious transaction platforms. The office made it clear that the so-called interviews and remarks are all fictitious and have been reported to Police for investigation. It urged the public not to visit any suspicious websites via such advertisements or provide personal information to unknown websites in order to forestall losses.
01/01/2024
Police announced today that starting January 2, its Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) will expand the Upstream Scam Intervention scheme to include sending SMS messages to potential scam victims as a means to provide timely alerts and advice. The force explained that the goal behind the move is to combat deception and minimise its impact on individuals and society. The ADCC has registered with the Office of the Communications Authority’s Short Message Service Sender Registration Scheme. Its Registered SMS Sender ID is #ADCC18222. The Upstream Scam Intervention scheme was launched in May 2023 in collaboration with 12 retail banks to enhance the efficacy of preventing deception and mitigating losses suffered by scam victims. By analysing suspicious bank accounts, the scheme identifies individuals who may be at risk of falling victim to scams. Through co-ordinated efforts between the banks and Police, potential victims will be contacted via phone calls, police visits or SMS. During such interactions, the ADCC or bank officers will provide potential victims with information such as details of the implicated bank accounts so as to facilitate the potential victims’ verification and assessment. As of end-November last year, 579 ongoing deception cases were intervened under the scheme. Police reiterate that officers and bank staff will never request the disclosure of personal information or banking credentials. Furthermore, they will not ask users to transfer funds to any accounts during these interactions. To verify callers’ identities, the public can call their banks or the ADCC directly. They are also encouraged to use the Scameter to check if the recipient bank accounts are associated with reported scams.

2023

29/12/2023
The Correctional Services Department today condemned Tony Chung for violating his supervision order and fleeing to the UK where he plans to seek asylum. Deputy Commissioner of Correctional Services (Rehabilitation & Management) Leung Kin-ip told a press conference that under the supervision requirement, the supervisee should inform the supervising officer of the duration and specific period he will leave Hong Kong, as well as the destination. “For this case, he had already mentioned that he will leave Hong Kong from 20 to 25 of this month. But he failed to return, and he originally told us he will go to Japan, but finally, everybody knows, he is now in the UK. “For his irresponsible behaviour, we really condemn it, and he will face the result as we will recall him back to prison to serve the remaining sentence.”
28/12/2023
The Department of Justice today published “Annotations of the Hong Kong National Security Law and sedition offences in the Crimes Ordinance”, which collates and summarises court cases relating to the National Security Law and sections 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance, on its website. The department said the annotations aim to promote a better understanding of the National Security Law and the crime of sedition among all sectors of the community, and to raise public awareness of national security. Highlighting that all judicial decisions in national security cases are made public in an open and transparent manner, the department added that it had prepared case summaries of these decisions and compiled a compendium of annotations to serve as a convenient tool for promoting national security education and conducting legal research on national security laws. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said: “This body of case law helps us understand the requirements of our national security laws and how they are being applied by the courts.” In addition, the department today also uploaded “Basic Law: Selected Drafting Materials & Significant Cases” to its website for public access. This publication includes selected drafting materials, details of cases relating to the Basic Law, and interpretations of the Basic Law made by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on the Basic Law. By providing a more complete record of the Basic Law’s formulation and implementation, the department believes the publication can help the community to acquire a correct understanding of the relationship between the Constitution and the Basic Law.
26/12/2023
A Hong Kong resident died and two others were injured in a traffic accident in Shaoguan, Guangdong yesterday afternoon. Officers of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Government were deployed to render assistance. The Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office in Guangdong today said it had deployed officers to Shaoguan to assist residents and their families upon learning of the incident yesterday evening. The three Hong Kong residents were passengers on board a Mainland-licensed private car when the accident happened, the office noted. The office and the Immigration Department will continue to liaise with the residents concerned, and their families, to render all practicable assistance. Hong Kong residents who need assistance when travelling outside of Hong Kong may call the department’s Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit 24-hour hotline on (852) 1868. They can also call the 1868 hotline using network data via the department’s mobile app, send a message to the 1868 WhatsApp assistance hotline or submit an Online Assistance Request Form.
25/12/2023
The Correctional Services Department arranged for people in custody to attend Christmas activities during the festive period. Catholic Bishop of Hong Kong Stephen Chow presided at Christmas Mass today at Stanley Prison to share his faith and Christmas blessings with participating inmates. He also visited the prison hospital to convey his sympathy and support to the patients. Earlier on December 21, Archbishop of Hong Kong Andrew Chan presided at a Christmas service in Pak Sha Wan Correctional Institution to preach and share religious messages with inmates and show his love and care to them. Through the correctional services chaplain, voluntary chaplains and visitors from religious organisations, a wide range of spiritual and social services are offered to those in custody who wish to participate regardless of their religious affiliation, the department said. The services include visits, teaching, counselling, religious worship and recreational activities, it added.
22/12/2023
The Judiciary announced today that it will launch a trial run of live broadcasting of court proceedings through video webcasting on two appellate proceedings in the Court of Final Appeal (CFA) next month. Emphasising that open justice is key to maintaining public confidence in the judicial system and upholding the rule of law, the Judiciary said it is actively exploring the initiative of live broadcasting of selected judicial proceedings outside court premises. Two CFA cases to be heard on January 10 and 16 next year have been identified for the trial run. Members of the public can view the live webcast of the two cases on the CFA website via desktop computers or mobile devices installed with common browsers. Core written materials will be available on the CFA website before the hearings, while relevant information of the live webcast will be provided nearer the time of the court proceedings on the CFA and the Judiciary’s websites. After the live webcast, the videos of the court proceedings will be uploaded to and kept on the CFA website for a short duration for easy access. The two trial broadcasts of CFA hearings will be available for viewing for two and three calendar days respectively after the hearing date. The Judiciary said that members of the public, including the media, must not record the live webcast or use the live broadcast footage for any purpose. Measures such as digital rights management commonly found on streaming platforms will be put in place to deter unauthorised recording, screen capturing and illegal distribution of the live broadcast footage. Any person who records, edits or re-broadcasts the live broadcast footage without the court’s prior permission is liable for contempt of court or copyright infringement. Warnings will be shown on the CFA website and on-screen runner during the live webcast. The Judiciary decided to proceed with the live broadcasting of the two appeal hearings after having considered a host of factors to ensure the administration of justice will not be unduly compromised, including the need to take account of parties' views and prevent possible misuse of broadcast materials. The primary objective of the trial run is to test the technical feasibility of the arrangements, including the information technology and audio-visual setup as well as the logistical and operational details before, during and after the hearings. Taking into account the technical feasibility assessment, court users' feedback, and operational experience from the trial run, the Judiciary will conduct a review and consider the way forward for live broadcasting of court proceedings outside court premises in the longer term.
19/12/2023
The Immigration Department estimates that 9.03 million passengers will pass through land, sea and air control points during the Christmas and New Year holiday period. About 83.5% of these travellers will pass through land boundary control points (BCPs). The busiest day for outbound traffic is expected to be December 23, when about 549,000 passengers will leave Hong Kong, while inbound traffic is predicted to peak on December 26 when 626,000 passengers arrive in the city. Passenger traffic at the Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge control points will also be heavy, with daily averages of 217,000, 184,000 and 118,000 forecast. To cope with the anticipated heavy traffic, the department has minimised leave for frontline officers to allow flexible deployment and operation of extra clearance counters and kiosks. Additional security guards will also be deployed to provide crowd management support. Furthermore, the department will set up a joint command centre at Lo Wu Control Point together with Police, Customs and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, and will also establish close communication with Mainland frontier inspection authorities to ensure smooth passenger traffic flows. Travellers are advised to plan their trips in advance and avoid making journeys during busy times. They may check the expected busy times at BCPs on the department’s website and monitor estimated waiting times at all land BCPs via its mobile app.
18/12/2023
Up to 1,000 tourists per day will be allowed to visit all parts of Sha Tau Kok, except Chung Ying Street, after applying online for a Closed Area Permit (CAP) as the boundary town is set to further open up in 2024. The second phase opening-up of Sha Tau Kok will begin on January 1 and the quota for next month is now open for applications by Hong Kong residents or visitors to Hong Kong. The daily tourist quota includes 700 tour group visitors and 300 individual tourists, who may visit Sha Tau Kok from 7am to 9pm on the date they have applied for. Travel agencies or tourists can log onto the Hong Kong Police Force Online Applications Platform to apply for a free electronic Tourism CAP on a first-come, first-served basis. The application process takes three working days. The quota for January is now open for application. Subsequently, applications will be open on the first day of each month for all the quotas in the following month. Tourists may also contact licensed travel agents directly to sign up for tours visiting Sha Tau Kok, and the agents will handle the application procedures. The second phase opening-up features the Chung Ying Street Garden located in front of the Chung Ying Street Checkpoint, where visitors will find a viewing deck and a replica of an old railway station in Hong Kong as well as a model actual-size locomotive. The Fish Lantern Square that displays scenes of the national intangible cultural heritage “Sha Tau Kok fish-lantern dance” is also a must-see. Other new attractions include the old Sha Tau Kok Fire Station, mural paintings at Shun Ping Street, Sha Tau Kok Pier, the Guangzhou-style arcade complex “San Lau Street”, the statutory monument Hip Tin Temple, and more. Individual visitors must take public transport to Sha Tau Kok as private vehicle access is not allowed. They may take bus route Nos. 78S (express) or 78K at MTR Sheung Shui or Fanling stations; minibus route No. 55K at MTR Sheung Shui Station and alight at the terminal; or bus route No. 277A at MTR Lam Tin Station.
18/12/2023
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today emphasised that all cases, including that of Lai Chee-ying, concerning the National Security Law are handled strictly on the basis of evidence and in accordance with the law. In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government pointed out that as the legal proceedings involving Lai Chee-ying are still ongoing, it is inappropriate for any person to comment on the details of the case. It stressed that all defendants will receive a fair trial strictly in accordance with laws applicable to Hong Kong and as protected by the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights. The Hong Kong SAR Government pointed out that any attempt by any country, organisation, or individual to interfere with the judicial proceedings in the Hong Kong SAR by means of political power or media or any other means, thereby resulting in a defendant not being able to have a fair trial that one should receive, is a reprehensible act undermining the rule of law of Hong Kong. Making a statement with the intent to interfere with or obstruct the course of justice, or engaging in conduct with the same intent, is very likely to constitute the offence of criminal contempt of court or the offence of perverting the course of justice. It noted that the Hong Kong SAR law enforcement agencies have been taking law enforcement actions based on evidence and strictly in accordance with the law in respect of the acts of the persons or organisations concerned, which have nothing to do with freedom of the press, or the background of any person or organisation. The suggestion that persons or organisations with certain backgrounds should be immune from legal sanctions for their illegal acts and activities is tantamount to granting such persons or organisations privileges to break the law and is totally contrary to the spirit of the rule of law. The Hong Kong SAR Government also said that cases will never be handled any differently owing to the profession, political beliefs or background of the persons involved. To suggest otherwise is utter nonsense without regard to objective facts with the intention to smear the judicial system of the Hong Kong SAR. Additionally, all cases concerning offences endangering national security will be handled in a fair and timely manner by the law enforcement, prosecution and judicial authorities of the Hong Kong SAR as required by the National Security Law. The time taken between the institution of prosecution and the completion of trial of each case depends on a multitude of factors. The prosecution and defence will adhere to any direction given by the court to ensure a timely trial, it added.

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