The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, will pay a duty visit to Beijing from December 14 to 17 to brief state leaders on the latest economic, social and political situation in Hong Kong. The Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, will join the visit.
During Mrs Lam's absence, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, will be the Acting Chief Executive.
A Filipino illegal worker holding a recognisance form was jailed by Shatin Magistrates' Courts today (December 10).
During an anti-illegal worker operation mounted on October 14, Immigration Department (ImmD) investigators raided a restaurant in Lai Chi Kok. A female Filipino, aged 28, was arrested. Upon identity checking, she produced for inspection a recognisance form issued by the ImmD, which prohibits her from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that she was a non-refoulement claimant. An employer suspected of employing the illegal worker was also arrested and the investigation is ongoing.
The illegal worker was charged at Shatin Magistrates' Courts today due to taking up employment in Hong Kong without the authority of the Director of Immigration while being a person in respect of whom a removal order was in force. She pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 15 months' 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 an 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 threats 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 intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments.
The person-in-charge of a chicken farm in Ha Che Tsuen in Pat Heung, Yuen Long, was convicted of violating the Waste Disposal (Livestock Waste) Regulations by discharging untreated livestock waste into nearby watercourses and was fined $10,000 by the Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (December 10).
Another chicken farm in Ha Che Tsuen in Pat Heung, Yuen Long, was convicted of the same offence and fined $20,000 by the court last month.
A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said that the department is very concerned about illegal sewage discharge from livestock farms along the Kam Tin River, which has seriously polluted the watercourse there. Besides strengthening daily inspections, a series of night ambush operations were arranged after examining public complaints and intelligence in April and June this year.
During the period, EPD officers successfully intercepted livestock waste being discharged from the drainage outlets of the two chicken farms into the river. Test results of the sewage samples confirmed that their five-day biochemical oxygen demand had respectively exceeded the legal discharge standards by 183 and 214 times, and suspended solid concentration by 113 and 152 times.
The EPD subsequently prosecuted the person-in-charge of the livestock farms in accordance with the Waste Disposal (Livestock Waste) Regulations and reported the cases to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department accordingly for follow-up actions.
The spokesman reminded owners and staff members of livestock farms in the New Territories that discharging untreated livestock waste into nearby watercourses will lead to serious water pollution and odour nuisance. They should properly operate treatment facilities for wastewater generated from livestock waste and should not discharge untreated livestock waste into nearby watercourses. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and a daily fine of $5,000 for a continuing offence. The department will continue to conduct surprise inspections at illegal discharge black spots to combat irregularities of livestock farms in various districts.
More information about the livestock waste control scheme is available on the EPD's website:
www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/laws_regulations/enforcement/lwis.html.
A man who went missing in Kowloon City has been located.
Lau San-yee, aged 73, went missing after he left a hostel on South Wall Road on November 8 afternoon. The hostel staff made a report to Police on the same day.
The man was located on Connaught Road West in Western District on December 5 morning. He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.
In the third quarter of 2019, 25.6% of Hong Kong's total exports to the mainland of China (the Mainland) were for outward processing in the Mainland. On the other hand, 37.4% of Hong Kong's imports from the Mainland were related to outward processing in the Mainland, according to statistics released today (December 10) by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD). Over the same period, 70.0% of Hong Kong's re-exports of Mainland origin to other places were produced through outward processing in the Mainland.
In the third quarter of 2018, the corresponding proportions were 26.6% for total exports to the Mainland, 37.4% for imports from the Mainland and 71.5% for re-exports of Mainland origin to other places.
In the first nine months of 2019, 25.9% of Hong Kong's total exports to the Mainland were for outward processing in the Mainland. On the other hand, 38.6% of Hong Kong's imports from the Mainland were related to outward processing in the Mainland. Over the same period, 68.8% of Hong Kong's re-exports of Mainland origin to other places were produced through outward processing in the Mainland.
The corresponding proportions in the first nine months of 2018 were 26.5% for total exports to the Mainland, 38.9% for imports from the Mainland and 69.7% for re-exports of Mainland origin to other places.
In value terms, $150.6 billion of Hong Kong's total exports to the Mainland in the third quarter of 2019 were for outward processing in the Mainland, representing a decrease of 9.2% compared with the third quarter of 2018. On the other hand, the value of imports from the Mainland related to outward processing in the Mainland decreased by 8.9% compared with the third quarter of 2018 to $200.3 billion. Meanwhile, $228.4 billion of Hong Kong's re-exports of Mainland origin to other places were produced through outward processing in the Mainland, representing a decrease of 12.6% compared with the third quarter of 2018.
In the first nine months of 2019, $414.1 billion of Hong Kong's total exports to the Mainland were for outward processing in the Mainland, representing a decrease of 8.1% compared with the first nine months of 2018. On the other hand, the value of imports from the Mainland related to outward processing in the Mainland decreased by 5.5% compared with the first nine months of 2018 to $586.8 billion. Meanwhile, $663.6 billion of Hong Kong's re-exports of Mainland origin to other places were produced through outward processing in the Mainland, representing a decrease of 6.9% compared with the first nine months of 2018.
The statistics for the third quarter and first nine months of 2019 are given in the attached tables.
Information on trade involving outward processing in the Mainland is collected in a sample survey conducted by the C&SD. For the purpose of the survey, exports to the Mainland for outward processing refer to raw materials or semi-manufactures exported from or through Hong Kong to the Mainland for processing with a contractual arrangement for subsequent re-importation of the processed goods into Hong Kong.
Imports from the Mainland related to outward processing refer to processed goods imported from the Mainland, of which all or part of the raw materials or semi-manufactures have been under contractual arrangement exported from or through Hong Kong to the Mainland for processing.
Re-exports of Mainland origin to other places involving outward processing in the Mainland refer to processed goods re-exported through Hong Kong, of which all or part of the raw materials or semi-manufactures have been exported from or through Hong Kong to the Mainland for processing with a contractual arrangement for subsequent re-importation of the processed goods into Hong Kong.
In interpreting the statistics, it should be noted that all imports and exports of goods (not including transhipments and goods-in-transit) are recorded as external trade, irrespective of whether the goods are associated with outward processing or not. Moreover, the value and proportion of imports from the Mainland and re-exports of Mainland origin to other places involving outward processing in the Mainland refer to those of the entire goods instead of just the value added contributed by outward processing in the Mainland.
A sample of import/export declarations in respect of Hong Kong's trade with the Mainland and Hong Kong's re-exports originated in the Mainland to other places is selected for enumeration to obtain the required information from the establishments concerned. The findings of the survey facilitate a more informed analysis of the nature of Hong Kong's trade with the Mainland. In this respect, the survey results are a useful supplement to the regular trade statistics.
The above survey results will be included in the December 2019 issue of the "Hong Kong External Merchandise Trade". The publication will be available in February 2020. Users can download this publication free of charge from the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp230.jsp?productCode=B1020005).
Enquiries on the survey results may be directed to the Outward Processing and Shipping Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 2126 or email: ops@censtatd.gov.hk).