Hong Kong Customs and the Marine Police today (May 31) conducted an anti-smuggling operation and detected a suspected smuggling case using a fishing vessel in the waters off Sha Chau. A batch of suspected smuggled foods and live fish with an estimated market value of about $1 million was seized.

     Officers from Customs and the Marine Police spotted a suspicious fishing vessel leaving Hong Kong in the early hours today. Officers then took immediate action and intercepted the fishing vessel for examination. About 79 cartons of suspected smuggled goods were seized on board the vessel.

     During the operation, Customs officers arrested a 56-year-old female coxswain and a 50-year-old male crew member. The fishing vessel involved was also detained for further investigation.

     Investigation is ongoing.

     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     Hong Kong Customs and the Marine Police will continue to take stringent enforcement action to combat sea smuggling activities.

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

    

     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).

  

     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 reappointed to the Committee in the same appointment exercise. Their term of office will run from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2021.
      
     The following is a list of the non-official members of the CPRH:
      
New members:
 
Ms Vivian Kong Man-wai
Ms Lamia Sreya Rahman*
Ms Yvonne Tsui Hang-on
Mr Wong Ka-chun*
Mr Matthew Wong Man-ho
 
* Appointed through the Member Self-recommendation Scheme for Youth
 
Reappointed incumbent members:
 
Mr Mohamed Ibramsa Sikkander Batcha
Ms Ping Somporn Bevan
Dr Theresa Cunanan
Mrs Poonam Vijayprakash Mehta
 
Other incumbent members:
 
Ms Mimi Cheung Yee-may
Mr Vijay Harilela
Mr Derek Hung Chiu-wah
Mr Akil Khan
Ms Rigam Rai
 
     The CPRH is a non-statutory advisory body set up to advise the Government on matters relating to fostering racial harmony in the community and to enhancing mutual understanding among people of different ethnic origins. Chaired by the Deputy Director of Home Affairs, the Committee includes representatives from the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Education Bureau, the Labour Department and the Information Services Department. The Race Relations Unit of the Home Affairs Department provides secretariat support to the Committee.

     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.

     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 tender invitation for the lot will commence on June 6 and close on July 19.

     New Kowloon Inland Lot No. 6577 has a site area of about 16 385 square metres and is designated for private residential purposes and Government Accommodation, being a residential care home for the elderly and a child care centre. The minimum gross floor area is 59 969 square metres and the maximum gross floor area that may be attained is 99 948 square metres. Both include the gross floor area of Government Accommodation to be constructed by the purchaser.

     Land sale documents including the Form of Tender, the Tender Notice, the Conditions of Sale and the sale plan of the lot will be available for downloading from the LandsD website (www.landsd.gov.hk), and the sale plan will be available for distribution and inspection by the public from June 6, when the particulars of the tender will also be gazetted.