Author Archives: hksar gov

     Hong Kong Customs mounted an operation in Sheung Shui to combat the sale of counterfeit medicines on December 13. A total of about 51 000 pills and 22 litres of suspected counterfeit medicines as well as 68 000 pills of suspected controlled medicines with an estimated market value of about $1 million were seized.

     Customs officers earlier conducted patrols and found suspected counterfeit medicines being sold at a dispensary in Sheung Shui. After an in-depth investigation with the assistance of trademark owners, Customs officers took enforcement action on December 13 and raided the dispensary and its two storage premises, seizing the batch of suspected counterfeit medicines and suspected controlled medicines. 

     During the operation, two salesmen of the dispensary, aged 22 and 49, were arrested. 

     Investigation is ongoing. The arrested persons have been released on bail pending further investigation.

     Customs will continue to take stringent law enforcement and maintain close contact with relevant trademark owners, government departments and organisations, as well as keep track of the market closely, so as to combat counterfeit medicine activities. 

     Customs reminds traders that selling counterfeit medicine 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. 

     Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, any person who possesses any poison included in Part 1 of the Poisons List other than in accordance with provisions commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for two years. 

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

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     Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, at the 25th Anniversary Celebration Ceremony cum “Heritage Connect” Launching Ceremony of the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust today (December 15):

     Good afternoon.  It gives me great pleasure to join you today at the Heritage Walk Day cum “Heritage Connect” Launching Ceremony, which is a signature event to commemorate the Silver Jubilee Anniversary of the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all incumbent and previous members of the Board of Trustees and the Council of the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust for their dedicated efforts in promoting the conservation of Hong Kong’s cultural heritage by funding various heritage projects and organising public education activities throughout the past 25 years.

     Heritage conservation has been one of the priorities of the current-term Government.  This year, the Government has allocated additional resources for strengthening the protection, promotion and transmission of intangible cultural heritage, exploring the expansion of the Hong Kong Museum of History, making sustained efforts in renovating the permanent exhibition of the Hong Kong Museum of History and the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, as well as taking forward the advance work for the construction of the Heritage Conservation and Resource Centre, which will serve to enhance the functions and status of our museums in such areas as the collection, conservation, study and display of cultural heritage.

     Furthermore, the Government will work closely with selected non-profit-making organisations through the Built Heritage Conservation Fund to implement the first five batches of projects under the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme. We will also continue to process applications in relation to graded historic buildings which are privately owned or leased, with a view to helping prevent deterioration of these historic buildings owing to lack of maintenance.
 
     The success in conservation and inheritance of culture depends on the co-operation between the public, the Government and all sectors of the community. It is essential for keeping our culture alive for future generations. I would like to congratulate the Trust on its 25th anniversary once again, and wish the Trust many more anniversaries ahead. May I also wish the “Heritage Connect” overwhelming viewership and today’s Heritage Walk Day a huge success.  Thank you.

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     Police advise motorists that special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Sha Tin to facilitate the race meeting tomorrow (December 16).      The arrangements will come into effect two ho… read more

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (December 15) that due to bi… read more

     Three charities have been issued with Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (December 15). They are, on Hong Kong Island, World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong; in Kowloon, the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong; and in the New Territories, Tuen Mun District Women’s Association Limited, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.

     Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people distinguish between the three flag-selling activities.

     Information on the three flag-selling organisations on December 15 is as follows:
 

Region	Name of Organisation	Colour of Collection Bag	Colour of Flag
Hong Kong Island	World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong	Blue	White
Kowloon	The Mental Health Association of Hong Kong	Green	Green
New Territories	Tuen Mun District Women’s Association Limited	Dark Blue	Pink

     For enquiries, please call the SWD’s hotline at 2343 2255, or the Charitable Fund-raising Control Team at 2832 4311 during office hours. Information on the flag days of the month is available at the SWD’s website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_whatsnew/). Permits for flag days containing contact information of the flag-selling organisations and information on the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD’s website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_controlofc/sub_recentlyap/). For enquiries about the detailed flag-selling arrangements, please contact the individual flag-selling organisations.

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities covered by Public Subscription Permit issued by the SWD have also been uploaded to the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/fundraising).

     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added. read more