Hong Kong Customs conducted an anti-counterfeiting operation from January 4 to today(January 10) to combat the sale of counterfeit clothing and accessories. A total of about 6 400 pieces of suspected counterfeit goods, including clothing, caps, belts and backpacks, with an estimated market value of about $2.5 million were seized.

     Customs earlier received information alleging the sale of suspected counterfeit clothing and accessories at shops in the retail market. After an in-depth investigation with the assistance of trademark owners, Customs officers raided eight shops in Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok, Kwai Chung and Tsuen Wan in the past week andseized the batch of suspected counterfeit clothing and accessories.

     During the operation, five men and four women were arrested, including five persons-in-charge and four salespersons, aged between 20 and 66.

     Investigations are ongoing.

     With the imminent arrival of the Lunar New Year, Customs will continue to step up inspection and enforcement to combat the sale of counterfeit goods.

     Customs reminds consumers to procure goods at reputable shops and to check with the trademark owners or their authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt.

     Customs also reminds traders to be cautious and prudent in merchandising since the sale of counterfeit goods is a serious crime and offenders are liable to criminal liability.

     Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who sells or possesses for sale any goods with a forged trademark 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 infringing activities to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

  

     Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident in Tsuen Wan this afternoon (January 10) in which a 63-year-old man died.

     At about 3.41pm, a school bus driven by a 65-year-old man was travelling along Yeung Uk Road towards Kwai Chung. When approaching near 45 Yeung Uk Road, it reportedly knocked down the 63-year-old man who was crossing the road.

     Sustaining head and abdomen injuries, the man was rushed to Yan Chai Hospital in unconscious state and was certified dead at 4.38pm.

     The school bus driver was arrested for dangerous driving causing death and is being detained for further enquiries.

     Investigation by the Special Investigation Team of Traffic, New Territories South is underway.
         
     Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 3661 1300 or 3661 1348.

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met the Secretary of the CPC Zhaoqing Municipal Committee, Mr Lai Zehua, at the Chief Executive's Office this afternoon (January 10). The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Patrick Nip, was also present.
 
     Welcoming Mr Lai's visit to Hong Kong, Mrs Lam said that Hong Kong and Zhaoqing enjoy close ties in economic affairs and trade. Zhaoqing is not only the ancestral hometown of many Hong Kong people, but also a city in which many Hong Kong businessmen invest, with Hong Kong enterprises accounting for more than 80 per cent of its external investment. The commissioning of infrastructure projects such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Hong Kong Section of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link has made travel and trade between Hong Kong and Zhaoqing more convenient, enabling the two places to explore further co-operation.

     Noting that both Hong Kong and Zhaoqing are cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Mrs Lam said that Hong Kong is Asia's world city, an international financial, maritime and logistics centre with efficient professional services and a large pool of professional and management talents, while Zhaoqing is rich in natural resources and large in area, with plenty of space for development. She said the development of the Greater Bay Area will bring about new opportunities for Zhaoqing and Hong Kong, and that the two places can complement each other and enhance the development of the Greater Bay Area. She also encouraged young people of the two places to strengthen exchanges, and expressed the hope that the Zhaoqing Municipal Government would consider providing internship programmes for Hong Kong young people to provide them with more opportunities for personal development.

    

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, after attending the launch ceremony for the New Chapter for Glass Bottle Recycling this afternoon (January 10):
 
Reporter: Does the relatively new recycling scheme for electronics and electrical appliances have any flaws? Or any room for improvement? Because there are complaints that people are not getting their products taken away immediately, and that's why the old products are being left on the street. That's not helpful to the scheme.
 
Secretary for the Environment: Firstly, the disposal of the concerned e-waste at the RCPs (refuse collection points) or roadsides actually is not increasing, based on our data collected before and after the (introduction of the) new law. The numbers of the disposed e-waste actually are more or less the same. But, we would like to further promote the new initiative. That means even people are not going to buy any new equipment, there are free services, as long as they can use the hotline, and arrange for the free collection of the old appliances from their premises. I think that there's room for the Government and the community to further promote this type of service.
 
Reporter: But just now, a reporter was asking that whether your bureau will be considering subsidising some recyclers who are interested in taking up the scheme, but may not have the relative required space or equipment. Are you considering subsidising these recyclers or interested parties?
 
Secretary for the Environment: I think there are two points. Firstly, the stakeholders can consider the market situation themselves to decide if they participate in it. Secondly, for the government contractor, we engaged him through the open tender. Certainly, there's room for further consideration by the Government. But, I think the law is still new, that we would like to have more observations and consider the way forward later.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Joshua Law, visited the Efficiency Office today (January 10) to learn about the work of front-line colleagues who provide the 1823 service, and meet with staff of various grades to exchange views on matters of concern.

     Accompanied by the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Thomas Chow, Mr Law met with the Commissioner for Efficiency, Ms Olivia Nip, and the directorate staff to get an update on the Office's operation since its re-organisation last year, as well as its work in supporting the Innovation and Technology Bureau to promote the Government's agenda for innovation, technology adoption and public service improvement.

     Mr Law then toured the 1823 Centre in Kowloon Government Offices, where he learnt about the round-the-clock, one-stop service provided by front-line colleagues to the public, including answering general enquiries for a wide range of departments and receiving complaints and suggestions about any government service. 1823, the biggest contact centre in Hong Kong, handled more than 3.7 million calls and 520,000 non-voice contacts, including submissions via email, mobile application and web form, in 2018.

     Mr Law said he was pleased to learn that the 1823 Centre is barrier-free and the Office has been extending appropriate support to colleagues with disabilities, allowing them to unleash their full potential in the job.

     Before concluding his visit, Mr Law met with staff representatives of various grades at a tea gathering to listen to their views on matters that concerned them. He praised the colleagues for their commitment to providing citizen-centric services, and encouraged them to continue to enhance their efforts in the wider adoption of innovation and technology in government services, as well as in upgrading the quality and efficiency of public services in general.