Author Archives: hksar gov

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (May 30) seized about 3 500 items of suspected counterfeit goods, including watches, shoes, clothing and handbags, with an estimated market value of about $600,000 in Tsing Yi.

     Acting on information, Customs officers inspected 283 outbound express consignments destined for the United States and European countries at an express courier service centre in Tsing Yi. Upon inspection, the batch of suspected counterfeit goods were seized.

     Investigation is ongoing.

     Hong Kong Customs will continue to combat cross-border infringing activity.

     Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who imports or exports counterfeit goods commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeiting activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

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     The Secretary for Home Affairs has appointed five new members to the Committee on the Promotion of Racial Harmony (CPRH), a Government spokesman announced today (May 31). Four incumbent members have also been reappoin… read more

     Peter Cheng Naval Architect & Marine Consultant Limited and its director were prosecuted by the Labour Department (LD) for failing to pay wages to one employee as required by the Employment Ordinance (EO). The company and its director pleaded guilty at Eastern Magistrates’ Courts today (May 31).
 
     The company was fined $100,000 while its director was sentenced to 10 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for 18 months. In addition, the company and its director were ordered to pay an outstanding sum of about $1,160,000 to the employee concerned.

     The company failed to pay wages of about $1,160,000 to one employee as required by the EO. The director concerned was convicted for his consent, connivance or neglect in the wage offence.  

     “The ruling helps disseminate a strong message to all employers and responsible officers of companies that they have to pay wages to employees within the time limit stipulated in the EO,” a spokesman for the LD said.

     “The LD will not tolerate these offences and will spare no effort in enforcing the law and safeguarding employees’ statutory rights,” the spokesman added. read more

     The Lands Department (LandsD) announced today (May 31) that a site, New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6577 at Kai Tak Area 4A Site 1, Kai Tak, Kowloon, in the 2019-20 Land Sale Programme will be disposed of by public tender. The tende… read more

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (May 31) released the latest grading of water quality for 38 gazetted beaches that are open for swimming and one non-gazetted beach (i.e. Discovery Bay*).   
   
     Fifteen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 14 as Fair (Grade 2), nine as Poor (Grade 3) and one as Very Poor (Grade 4).
 
Grade 1 beaches are:
 

Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach	Repulse Bay Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach	Shek O Beach
Discovery Bay	South Bay Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach	St Stephen’s Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach	Stanley Main Beach
Kwun Yam Beach	Tong Fuk Beach
Lo So Shing Beach	Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Pui O Beach

 
Grade 2 beaches are:
 

Cafeteria New Beach	Kadoorie Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach	Kiu Tsui Beach
Castle Peak Beach	Middle Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach	Silverstrand Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach	Ting Kau Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach	Trio Beach
Golden Beach	Turtle Cove Beach

 
Grade 3 beaches are:
 

Anglers’ Beach	Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Approach Beach	Lido Beach
Big Wave Bay Beach	Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Butterfly Beach	Silver Mine Bay Beach
Casam Beach

 
Grade 4 beach is:
Lower Cheung Sha Beach
 
* Discovery Bay is a non-gazetted beach without lifeguard service.
 
     Compared with the grading released last week, Kiu Tsui Beach, Trio Beach and Turtle Cove Beach have been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2; Approach Beach, Casam Beach, Lido Beach and Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach from Grade 2 to Grade 3; and Lower Cheung Sha Beach from Grade 1 to Grade 4.
      
     “The deterioration of water quality at Lower Cheung Sha Beach was due to the heavy rain on May 28, while the changes in the other beaches are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches,” an EPD spokesman said.
      
     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.
      
     While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, the EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a storm or heavy rainfall.
      
     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the department’s website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666. read more