The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will depart for Tbilisi, Georgia, to attend the 57th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on May 2 (Thursday) early morning. Mr Ch… read more
Hong Kong Customs mounted a special operation with the Zhongying Street Administration Bureau of Yantian District, Shenzhen, on Chung Ying Street, Sha Tau Kok, from April 17 until today (April 30) to combat the sale of counterfeit goods and duty-not-paid goods.
Customs earlier received information alleging that there were retail shops on Chung Ying Street, Sha Tau Kok, suspected of selling counterfeit goods and duty-not-paid goods. After an in-depth investigation and with the assistance of trademark owners, Customs officers took enforcement action during the abovementioned period and raided four retail shops and two stalls on Chung Ying Street, Sha Tau Kok. A total of about 4 000 items of suspected counterfeit goods, including leather goods, watches and cosmetics products, about 170 000 sticks of suspected illicit cigarettes and 28 bottles of suspected duty-not-paid liquor of about 19 litres in total, were seized. The total estimated market value was about $1.7 million, with a duty potential of about $600,000.
During the operation, a 52-year-old male staff member of a retail shop was arrested. An investigation is ongoing.
With the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland approaching, Customs will continue to step up inspections and enforcement to vigorously combat counterfeit goods and duty-not-paid goods activities.
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. Traders should also be cautious and prudent in merchandising since selling counterfeit goods and duty-not-paid goods are serious crimes and offenders are liable to criminal sanctions.
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 Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying duty-not-paid goods commits an offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.
Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeit 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 Transport Department (TD) today (April 30) reminded members of the public that, to facilitate the pyrotechnics display to be held near Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade in Tsim Sha Tsui East at 8pm tomorrow (May 1), the following special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in Tsim Sha Tsui East in Kowloon, Central District, Wan Chai District and Eastern District on Hong Kong Island.
Road closures
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In connection with the holding of the pyrotechnics display that evening, road closures and the corresponding traffic diversions will be implemented on roads in the vicinities of the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade in Kowloon from around 6pm. On Hong Kong Island, road closures and traffic diversions will be implemented in phases from around 7.30pm that evening on road sections in the vicinities of Central near the Central piers (except for franchised buses), Wan Chai North and Eastern District (near the vicinity of the East Coast Park Precinct) until crowds disperse and roads are reopened.
Public transport services arrangements
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In connection with the road closure arrangements, bus routes operating in the affected areas will be temporarily diverted or suspended, and the associated bus stops located within the affected areas will be suspended or relocated.
In Kowloon, taxi stands (including taxi pick-up/drop-off points), public light bus stands, on-street parking spaces and private car parks on the roads affected in Tsim Sha Tsui East will be temporarily suspended during the road closure period.
On Hong Kong Island, taxi stands on Expo Drive and Exhibition Centre Station Public Transport Interchange, all on-street parking spaces along closed road sections at Expo Drive East outside Golden Bauhinia Square and other closed roads (including metered parking, motorcycle parking and disabled parking spaces) will be temporarily suspended from 5.30pm to 9.30pm.
The short-working route of the water taxi ferry service will be suspended from 5.20 pm.
For details of the special traffic and public transport arrangements, members of the public may visit the TD’s website (www.td.gov.hk), its mobile application “HKeMobility” or refer to the passenger notices issued by the relevant public transport operators.
Due to road closures, the TD anticipates that traffic along the concerned areas will become significantly congested. Motorists are advised to avoid driving to the above areas affected by the road closures. In case of traffic congestion, motorists should exercise patience and drive with care, and follow the instructions of the Police on site.
The TD appeals to members of the public to make use of public transport services as far as possible to avoid traffic congestion and unnecessary delays. The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation and implement appropriate measures when necessary. The Police may adjust the traffic arrangements, subject to the prevailing crowd and traffic conditions in the areas. The public should pay attention to the latest traffic news through radio, television or “HKeMobility”.
If the cancellation of the pyrotechnics display is announced on May 1, the above-mentioned road closures and public transport services arrangements will not be implemented. read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority: The spokesperson for Kwai Chung Hospital made the following announcement today (April 30): Four patients (aged 39 to 79) in a female ps… read more
​The Government today (April 30) announced the appointments to the Cantonese Opera Advisory Committee (the Committee) for the period from May 1, 2024, to April 30, 2026. Th… read more