Hong Kong Customs mounted a special enforcement operation on May 7 and detected two cases of selling suspected counterfeit goods on a social media platform. A total of about 1 900 items of suspected counterfeit goods, including perfumes and cosmetic products, with an estimated market value of about $920,000, were seized and two persons were arrested.

     Customs earlier carried out cyber patrols and made use of a big-data analytics system to conduct risk assessments and analyses. It was found that suspected counterfeit perfumes and cosmetic products had been put on sale at online shops opened via social media platforms.

     After an investigation and with the assistance of trademark owners, Customs officers took enforcement actions on May 7 and searched an industrial unit in Cheung Sha Wan and a residential unit in Yuen Long, resulting in seizures of the batch of suspected counterfeit goods. 

     During the operation, a man and a woman, aged 23 and 25, were arrested. 

     An investigation is ongoing and the likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out. Also, Customs is looking into the source of the suspected counterfeit goods involved in the cases, and samples will be sent to the Government Laboratory for safety testing.

     Customs reminds consumers to purchase goods at reputable shops or online shops and to avoid conducting transaction with suspicious traders. They should check with the trademark owners or their authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt.

     Customs has been striving to protect consumer rights and carries out inspections in the market and on the Internet from time to time. Moreover, Customs officers use a big-data analytics system to carry out risk assessments and analyses to verify whether online shops have complied with the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO) with a view to safeguarding the interests of consumers during online purchases.

     Under the TDO, 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.
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     Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeiting activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

  

     The International Arts Carnival (IAC) is a highly popular arts festival presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) every summer. This year from July 5 to August 11, a wide array of fun-filled educational programmes by overseas, Mainland and local art groups will be offered for people of all ages to spend a joyful summer. Tickets will be on sale from tomorrow (May 10).
 
     This year, participating overseas artists come from Italy, Sweden, Canada, Belgium and Spain. Together with their Mainland and local counterparts, they are set to present a wide variety of performing arts programmes covering acrobatics, magic, dance, music, theatre, puppetry and more, alongside a fine selection of films from around the world under the "Summer Family Cine Fest" by the Film Programmes Office.
 
     This year's IAC features 14 stage programmes, including:
 
Opening programme "Me and My Youth"
The China National Acrobatic Troupe is the largest and only national-level group of its kind in Mainland China with countless accolades to its name. Much acclaimed for merging superb traditional skills and innovative technology, the troupe will launch the festival with "Me and My Youth", offering audiences an amazing showcase of highly challenging classic acts such as trick cycling, sway pole stunts and plate spinning. "Me and My Youth" is also one of the programmes of the inaugural Chinese Culture Festival.
 
"Magic-go-round"
The first magic theatre production by well-known local magician Louis Yan, which blends famous fairy tales with magic tricks not seen before. World-renowned illusionist and "America's Got Talent" contestant Hiroki Hara will appear as a guest artist.
 
"+Erba – A Forest in the City"
An immersive and interactive dance theatre production that fuses art, frolic and learning by Compagnia TPO from Italy. The stage will be transformed into a white cube and children are invited to use their bodies as paintbrushes to create an ideal city. With every movement of the participants, their imagination comes alive as vivid projections on the screen, becoming unique works of art.
 
"Fields of Tender"
Award-winning Swedish choreographer Dalija Acin Thelander is an expert on neurodiversity studies. A one-of-a-kind dance installation production, "Fields of Tender" crafts an intimate and inclusive space in a creative mix of dance, music, toys and images. Infants aged three to 18 months of all abilities are welcome to freely explore the imaginary space filled with furry decorations.
 
"Animal Gacha"
The animal world has many members. Rice Journey Production invites children and adults alike to become zoologists to unlock the mysteries behind animals sealed inside gachas. Once released by the audience, these creatures will twist their bodies and start dancing to act out the complex relationship chart of the diverse animal world.
 
"The Rainbow Fish"
Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia from Canada is adept at reinterpreting children's books. This blacklight puppet theatre production, complete with extraordinary scenic effects and original music, is an adaptation of Marcus Pfister's best-selling picture book series of the same title. As the pages are turned along with images and sounds, the glittering rainbow fish is brought on stage to spread messages of sharing, friendship and mutual help.
 
"Dǎ Ji�n Ninja: Finding Dreams"
A catastrophe has stolen everyone's ability to dream. Percussionist Anna Fan and percussion group dǎ ji�n offer an interactive music theatre production that melds live music and original songs with drama and dance. Audiences are invited to join the "dǎ ji�n ninjas" on a sea adventure to try out different kinds of percussion instruments and learn more about the profound cultures of Chinese and Western music.
 
"THELONIOUS"
Called an "enigma" by Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, Thelonious Monk, an "oddball" in jazz music history, is best known for his stunning creativity, dramatic playing style and distinctive looks. In this multimedia show, Zonzo Compagnie from Belgium will recollect the life stories of the musical giant, and the jazz trio De Beren Gieren will perform the master's works in his signature quirky persona.
 
     Other IAC attractions include:
 
* "DEMO, Elegy of the Moment" (Asian Premiere), a cross-disciplinary work by La Buena Compañía from Spain;
* "Short-cut to Classical Music: The Instruments of an Orchestra" by Hong Kong Sinfonietta;
* "The Other Side of Beethoven" by Hong Kong Sinfonietta;
* "Monster", a children's literary theatre production by POP Theatre;
* "Sliding into Heart" by City Contemporary Dance Company;
* 2024 Hong Kong Youth Music Camp Concerts "Summer Music Viva" by the Music Office; and
* "Summer Family Cine Fest 2024" by the Film Programmes Office.
 
     In addition to stage performances, the IAC also offers online programmes, parent-child workshops and an exhibition. Venue partners and libraries of the LCSD will also hold plenty of related activities and programmes during the festival period.
 
     Tickets for the IAC will be available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk) from tomorrow (May 10). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288, or use the mobile ticketing app "URBTIX".
 
     For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2370 1044 or visit its website at www.hkiac.gov.hk.

                    

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by China CITIC Bank International Limited relating to a fraudulent website and an internet banking login screen, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.

     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks' websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
      
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the website or login screen concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

    The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) announced today (May 9) that various training courses under a new round of the Enriched Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Training Programme for the Elderly are now open progressively for enrolment. Elderly people aged 60 or above with basic knowledge of digital technology are welcome to enrol. All courses are free of charge.

    The 12 Elder Academies (EAs) that have joined the Programme will provide different types of digital technology courses in all districts of Hong Kong. To encourage the elderly to use more digital technology in their daily lives, the courses will cover smart healthcare, online shopping, mobile payment, e-wallet, social media and cyber security, as well as government mobile applications such as "iAM Smart" and popular Mainland mobile applications. The EAs will invite youth volunteers to serve as teaching assistants, promoting intergenerational harmony.

    "We have already completed two rounds of the Programme successfully since 2019, benefitting more than 12 000 elderly participants in total. All courses are well received by the elderly. Entering the third round of the Programme, we encourage more elderly people to actively participate in the Programme, and upon completion of their courses, it will not only bring convenience to their daily lives, they could also serve as mentors to help other elderly people learn and adopt digital technology," a spokesman for the OGCIO said.

    The 12 EAs joining the new round of the Programme include:
 
Caritas Wu Cheng-chung Secondary School Elder Academy
Elder Academy at Hong Kong Metropolitan University
Hong Kong Island Elder Academies Cluster
Lai Chack Elder Academy
Lingnan Hang Yee Memorial Secondary School Elder Academy
LingnanU Elder Academy
LST YKH & Buddhist HWCP Innovation Elder Academy
New Territories West Elder Academies Cluster
Pui Shing Elder Academy
Research Centre for Gerontology and Family Studies, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Tak Sum Elder Academy
TM Hope Elder Academy
 
    For details about the Programme and enrolment, please visit www.e100.hk.

     The Home Affairs Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Lands Department (LandsD) today (May 9) launched a joint enforcement operation at the Permitted Burial Ground (PBG) of Po Toi O (SK/03) in Sai Kung against illegal hillside burials. It is anticipated that 13 illegal urns will be removed in about one day's time, and the human remains therein will be reburied at the Sandy Ridge Cemetery.

     The FEHD and the LandsD posted notices on 13 unauthorised urns located within the PBG of Po Toi O in Sai Kung on March 14 this year, requiring the related persons of the urns concerned to cease occupation of the government land and to contact relevant government departments on or before April 15 this year, or else the human remains therein would be reburied at the Sandy Ridge Cemetery. As all 13 urns remained unclaimed upon expiry of the deadline, the Government commenced the clearance operation today.

     The Government has been implementing a pilot scheme on the management of PBGs in individual PBGs since 2016. Taking into account the actual circumstances of each PBG, the Government has been implementing appropriate improvement measures, including erecting boundary pillars for the PBGs, conducting record surveys of existing graves/urn houses/urns, imposing restrictions on the size of burial sites and demarcating available spaces in PBGs for new applications of burial sites, in order to ensure that the places of burials are within PBGs. The pilot scheme has now been extended to 15 PBGs, covering all nine administrative districts in the New Territories. 

     Having examined the data obtained from the pilot scheme, the Government has commenced enforcement actions against illegal burials in the PBGs in phases from July 2021 onwards. Besides conducting enforcement actions in the PBG of Po Toi O in Sai Kung, the Government will also commence follow-up actions in other PBGs under the pilot scheme, including posting notices on other unauthorised graves/urn houses/urns before the coming Chung Yeung Festival, with a view to removing unclaimed graves/urn houses/urns as soon as possible after the expiration of the notice period.

     A Government spokesman reiterated that, according to the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 28), it is an offence when any person occupying government land, otherwise than under permission from the Authority, does not cease the occupation as required by a notice prescribed by the Ordinance. Any property or structure on the occupied government land may be demolished and removed by the Government, and the occupier may be prosecuted. Furthermore, according to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), it is an offence to bury human remains without permission in writing of the Authority. Offenders are liable to prosecution, and the human remains inside the graves concerned will be removed.