Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Department of Justice (DoJ) launched the English version and Chinese version of “Annotations of the Hong Kong National Security Law and Sedition Offences in the Crimes Ordinance” respectively in December last year and June this year, and has today (December 28) updated the contents of the bilingual version of the Annotations to cover the developments in the laws relating to safeguarding national security up to June 30, 2024 as well as judgments of individual major cases thereafter. The updated contents have been uploaded to and can be accessed by the public at the Annotations dedicated website.
 
     The Annotations collate and summarise judgments and information concerning the Hong Kong National Security Law as well as sections 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 200) (Note), in order to raise public awareness of national security and to promote better understanding of the laws relating to safeguarding national security by all sectors of the community. Since the launch of the Annotations, there have been important developments in the relevant laws relating to the safeguarding of national security and the courts have handed down judgments in relevant important cases. The DoJ collated and summarised these important judgments with a view to enabling the public to better understand the Hong Kong National Security Law and related laws, and facilitating research and application of the Hong Kong National Security Law and related laws by the legal sector.
 
     Moreover, with the staunch support from the Central People’s Government, the DoJ successfully organised on June 8, 2024, the National Security Legal Forum themed “Looking Back and Ahead, New Dawn for Development”, bringing together experts and scholars, community dignitaries and legal elites to engage in in-depth and high-level exchanges of ideas and discussions on cutting-edge issues on national security laws. In order to share with the public the fruits of the Legal Forum, the DoJ has compiled and translated the relevant speeches and discussions at the Forum, and has today published the “Proceedings for the National Security Legal Forum ‘Looking Back and Ahead, New Dawn for Development'”. The Proceedings have already been uploaded to the website of the DoJ for public access.

Note: Former sections 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance have been repealed by section 139 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (6 of 2024) (SNSO) and replaced by sections 23 to 26 of the SNSO which has come into effect since March 23, 2024. read more

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

     The fire danger situation today (December 28) is red and fire risk is extreme. The countryside is extremely vulnerable to fire. If you are planning to spend the day in the countryside, please take pre-cooked food for a picnic and take all measures to prevent hill fires. The penalty for lighting fires illegally in the countryside is $25,000 and a year’s imprisonment. read more

     Yang Memorial Methodist Social Service has been issued a Public Subscription Permit to hold a territory-wide flag sale from 7am to 12.30pm today (December 28), a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said. 
      
     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities, including any updated information, covered by the issued Public Subscription Permits have been published on the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing information on contact methods of the flag-selling organisations and the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD’s website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/ngo/controlofc/flagdays) for reference. For enquiries, please call the SWD’s hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678.
      
     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

     Hong Kong Customs held a graduation parade for the Customs Youth Leader Corps Winter Training Camp 2024 and “YES Buddy” AI Robot Launching Ceremony at the Hong Kong Customs College today (December 27).

     During the graduation parade, 60 members of the Customs Youth Leader Corps (CYLC) and 22 in-service Customs personnel who were former CYLC members demonstrated the exceptional discipline and demeanour of the disciplined services through their uniform Chinese-style foot drill. The flag-raising ceremony was conducted by the Foot Drill and Flag Party of the CYLC, the first youth group under the Security Bureau to perform the Chinese-style rifle foot drill, fully reflecting the steadfast commitment of Customs in nurturing patriotism among young people.

     The Executive Director of the Executive Committee of Customs YES, Dr Eugene Chan, in his speech said that Customs YES continuously promotes youth development by organising activities such as national education, community services, Customs work experience, career orientation and discipline trainings with an aim to nurture youth leaders with a sense of responsibility, national identity and a global horizon. He also encouraged members to maintain the excellent qualities of the CYLC, namely courage, perseverance and integrity, in the future to contribute to the country and Hong Kong.

     During the four-day training camp, participants underwent training on the Chinese-style foot drill, physical fitness and leadership to enhance their team spirit and leadership capabilities. They also visited the Customs Airport Command and the headquarters of the Government Flying Service, and gained a deeper understanding on their work through briefings and a helicopter flight experience.

     Following the graduation parade, the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Ms Louise Ho, Dr Chan and the Director of the Executive Committee of Customs YES, Dr Mark Mak, officiated at the “YES Buddy” AI Robot Launching Ceremony. “YES Buddy” is the first 5G AI publicity robot of Customs. Led by Dr Mak and his team, members from the Innovation & Nurture: Customs YES Robotics Workshop took part in the design of the robot’s appearance, functions and programming, embodying the creativity and practice of this innovation and technology learning.

     Integrated with artificial intelligence, natural language processing and machine learning technologies, “YES Buddy” can give instant responses to public inquiries about customs work and Customs YES, as well as providing information on membership application matters and activities. Its database also covers knowledge on national security. In the future, “YES Buddy” will serve as a Customs YES ambassador to visit schools and youth gathering places to promote customs work and Customs YES activities, as well as encourage member recruitment and national security education.

     Hong Kong Customs will continue to promote Customs YES with a view to fostering the all-round development of young people and nurturing a new generation of youth with an affection for the country and Hong Kong, with global perspectives and positive thinking.

              

     In response to media report about some elderly people worried about not being able to use the online registration system for dental general public session (ORDGP), the Department of Health (DH) today (December 27) reiterated that the DH has made sufficient arrangements and strived to assist public in need to use the ORDGP.
      
     “The ORDGP will come into operation on December 30. Members of the public will no longer need to queue in person at the relevant dental clinic to obtain a disc quota. The DH has announced on December 23 that anyone who needs assistance in registering may visit any dental clinics with dental general public session between 8.30am and 11.30am to register with the assistance of on-site staff, without using their own personal mobile phone or computer,” the DH spokesman stressed.
      
     The spokesman reiterated, “To cater for the needs of the elderly, half of the quotas will be allocated on a priority basis to elderly people aged 65 or above. Elderly people, who are not allocated a priority quota in the first round, will join other registered persons for the allocation of the remaining quotas by ballot. The DH will also deploy additional manpower to assist public in need to register and use the ORDGP. The DH has established an extensive district network to assist those in need, including District Health Centres, District Health Centre Expresses, Neighbourhood Elderly Centres and the District Elderly Community Centres under the Social Welfare Department, District Councillors’ offices, Community Care Teams and dental clinics run by 15 social welfare institutions or non-governmental organisations. To allow members of the public to understand more about the online registration process, the DH has uploaded the relevant introduction and demonstration videos to the Dental Public Session website for public viewing.”
      
     The spokesman stressed, “When launching the ORDGP, due consideration has been given to providing necessary assistance to those in need to facilitate their registration, and it is hoped that the media could help to deliver comprehensive and accurate information to the public.”
      
     Please visit the website for addresses and service hours of the 11 dental clinics under the DH with general public session. read more