A man who went missing in Sau Mau Ping was located.
Lo Chi-kong, aged 51, went missing after he left his residence in Shun On Estate on July 22 afternoon. His family made a report to Police on July 24.
The man was located at Shek O Beach on August 23. He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The delegation of the Legislative Council (LegCo) continued its visit to the Parliament of the United Kingdom (UK) in London yesterday (September 11, London time).
The delegation started the day by observing the proceedings of a Public Bill Committee meeting in the House of Commons and met with members of the All-Party Parliamentary China Group of the UK Parliament to exchange views on the latest political development in Hong Kong and issues of interest to the Sino-British relations.
The delegation also met with the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons of the UK Parliament, Mr Tom Tugendhat, and the Committee member, Mr Mike Gapes, to exchange views on the implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the implications of the UK’s exit from the European Union (Brexit), as well as the trade relations between China and the United States (US). The delegation was also arranged to observe the meeting of the Defence Committee in the House of Commons.
The delegation then attended a lunch meeting hosted by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons and Chairman of Ways and Means, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, to gain a better understanding of the practice and procedure of the House of Commons.
In the afternoon, the delegation met with the Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, Lord Boswell of Aynho, as well as representatives of the House of Lords to learn more about the roles and operations of the House of Lords in the legislative process.
The delegation finished the day by meeting with the International Trade Committee of the UK Parliament. Delegation members exchanged views with the Committee Chairman, Mr Angus Brendan MacNeil, and its members on the challenges and opportunities arising from the Brexit and the trade relations between China and US.
The delegation will continue its parliamentary visit in London today (September 12, London time). Delegation members will visit the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK Government, the Royal College of Art and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London.
A Hong Kong resident employer and a Pakistani illegal worker were jailed at Shatin Magistrates' Courts yesterday (September 11).
During an operation conducted by the Immigration Department (ImmD) codenamed "Twilight" on August 30, enforcement officers raided a salon in Ho Man Tin. Two Vietnamese illegal workers were arrested for working as odd-job workers. The Hong Kong resident employer of the illegal workers was also arrested.
The Hong Kong resident employer was charged at Shatin Magistrates' Courts yesterday with two counts of being an employer of a person who was not lawfully employable as he did not take all practicable steps to ascertain whether the applicants were lawfully employable prior to employment. He pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to a total of two months' imprisonment. Two Vietnamese suspected of illegal working were also charged and the legal proceedings are ongoing.
In addition, during a joint operation conducted by the ImmD and the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed "Powerplayer" on February 28, enforcement officers raided a car repair site in Yuen Long. One male Pakistani illegal worker, aged 31, was arrested. When intercepted, he was repairing a truck. Upon identity checking, he produced for inspection a recognisance form issued by the ImmD, which prohibits him from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that he was a non-refoulement claimant.
The illegal worker was charged at Shatin Magistrates' Courts yesterday with taking employment after landing in Hong Kong unlawfully and remaining in Hong Kong without the authority of the Director of Immigration or while being a person in respect of whom a removal order or deportation order was in force. After trial, he was sentenced to 22 months and two weeks' imprisonment.
The ImmD spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order are prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years' imprisonment. The Court of Appeal has issued a guideline ruling that a sentence of 15 months' imprisonment should be applied in such cases.
The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for three years and a fine of $350,000. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence. According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee's identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. The maximum penalty for failing to inspect such a document is imprisonment for one year and a fine of $150,000.
Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct initial screening on vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threat and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent interference, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments.
Hong Kong Customs and Mainland Customs conducted a joint operation from August 27 to September 9 targeting cross-boundary counterfeit medicine activities. During the operation, Hong Kong Customs seized about 5 000 tablets of suspected counterfeit medicines with an estimated market value of about $250,000.
The two Customs administrations stepped up inspection of postal parcels during the operation and Hong Kong Customs seized the suspected counterfeit medicines, effectively curbing cross-boundary counterfeit medicine activities.
Hong Kong Customs and Mainland Customs have been working closely to combat cross-boundary counterfeiting activities through intelligence exchanges and joint enforcement actions.
Hong Kong Customs will continue to collaborate closely with the Mainland and overseas law enforcement agencies targeting cross-boundary counterfeiting activities.
Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who imports or exports any goods with any 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 counterfeiting activities to the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
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 (September 12) that Big Wave Bay Beach in Southern District, Hong Kong Island, is temporarily closed until further notice for maintenance of the shark prevention net. The red flag has been hoisted at the beach. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at the beach. The red flag was hoisted earlier due to big waves.