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     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, and the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, at a media session after attending the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Security’s special meeting today (May 31):

Reporter: Secretary for Justice, ExCo (Executive Council) rules make sure that you have to declare your interest for your spouse too. Are you unaware of that ExCo rule? Is your failure to declare the flats negligence, ignorance or simply deliberate omission? The second question to the Secretary for Security. Has the Government set the deadline for the LegCo to pass the bill on June 27? And why is the Government insisting not to write these extra safeguards into the law itself, and only make an administrative decision every time? Is this extradition made especially to cater for the Mainland legal system?

Secretary for Justice: I will answer the first question. I do not own the properties or have any beneficial interest in relation to those properties, and therefore the question of declaration of those interests doesn’t arise.

Reporter: But it is also for your spouse, you also have to declare according to ExCo rules.

Secretary for Justice: I repeat, the properties that are under discussion at the moment, I do not own them, nor do I have any beneficial interest in them, and therefore the question of declaration does not arise.

Secretary for Security: I want to explain the policy intent of the bill and I wish if people really have time, I really sincerely hope that they go into the bill to look at what the bill is trying to do. Basically there are two things: to remove the geographical restrictions, so that we can deal with case-by-case arrangements with any jurisdictions around the world. That is the first policy intent. The second policy intent is to allow in case-by-case arrangements, the process to be started by a certificate issued by the Chief Executive, which is what other common law jurisdictions have been practising. The whole regime and the whole process of examining surrender matters by both the Government and the court remain the same otherwise. That means in the 22 years that the courts have been examining such cases. It will be doing such examination in exactly the same way, the same format, and the same system as it has happened in these 22 years. I believe that it is an effective system because it is not just gate-keeping by the Government, we actually have a case in court which is eventually thrown out where the defendant or the suspect was immediately released. We have been seeing all these cases to be operating smoothly.

     The second thing about the bill itself, as I have explained, the policy intent is to make minimum change to the whole system. And if you look at the drafting of the bill, you can see there is a provision which says in the case-by-case arrangements, we can put in provisions in the arrangement agreement itself, which then can put extra restrictions on the actual handing over of the surrendered person. That will be a document tendered to the court for examination, so it has effect for court to examine.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) read more

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:      Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Serv… read more

     The "Quarterly Report on General Household Survey" for January to March 2019 is now available for download.        The report contains statistics on labour force, employment, unemployment and underemp… read more

     Members of the public are invited to visit the new phase of the Arts Fun Fair to be launched by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) at Kowloon Park this Sunday (June 2). Visitors can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the park while appreciating a wide range of handicrafts and artworks.
 
     The 21st phase of the Arts Fun Fair at Kowloon Park runs from June 2 until May 31 next year, and will be open from 1pm to 7pm on Sundays and public holidays at the park’s Loggia. There will be 25 stalls displaying and selling trendy craftworks including fabric crafts, knotting, pottery and ornaments as well as traditional arts products and services including painting, silhouette cutting and calligraphy.
 
     The Arts Fun Fair aims at enhancing public interest in the arts and enriching the arts atmosphere in Hong Kong. It will also make the park more appealing and enjoyable for park-goers, a spokesman for the LCSD said.
 
     “The Arts Fun Fair at Kowloon Park has been well received by the general public. In addition to the fair, other specialised facilities in the park, such as the Sculpture Walk, the Sculpture Garden and the Maze Garden, also win the hearts of visitors enjoying fun-filled weekends,” the spokesman said.
 
     In addition to the fun fair at Kowloon Park, arts corners at Hong Kong Park and Victoria Park have also commenced.
 
     The 19th phase of the Hong Kong Park’s Arts Corner is now open from noon to 6pm every Saturday, Sunday and public holiday. It will continue until December 31 at the outdoor area near the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware inside the park. There are 10 stalls in operation featuring straw-weaving works, floral artworks, handmade soaps and ornaments, as well as arts stalls providing cultural and arts services including painting, silhouette cutting and portrait drawing.
 
     The 20th phase of the Arts Corner in Victoria Park will run until March 29, 2020, and is open from 10am to 6pm on Sundays and public holidays at the park’s South Pavilion Plaza. It comprises 18 stalls, displaying and selling various kinds of handicraft products and artistic works including fabric crafts, leather goods, floral artworks and ornaments, as well as providing arts services including photography and calligraphy. The arts corner will be suspended when there are major events in the park.
 
     For enquiries, please call 2724 3344 (Kowloon Park), 2521 5041 (Hong Kong Park) or 2890 5824 (Victoria Park).

    

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (May 30) seized 1 824 suspected smuggled central processing units (CPUs) with an estimated market value of about $2.8 million at Shenzhen Bay Control Point.

     Customs officers intercepted an outgoing private car at Shenzhen Bay Control Point yesterday evening and seized 1 824 CPUs concealed inside the car’s spare tyre. 

     The 42-year-old male driver was arrested and charged with one count of attempting to export unmanifested cargo. He will appear at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts on June 13.

     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.

     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).