A 52-year-old man who sold a dog without a one-off permit was convicted at the Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (June 26) for violating the Public Health (Animals and Birds) Ordinance (Cap 139).
 
     A spokesman of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said that AFCD staff had received a complaint about suspected illegal trading of dogs on the Internet in November last year. An AFCD officer, posing as a customer, contacted the trader, and met the 52-year-old man at Kam Sheung Road on December 11. The man was carrying three young dogs in a dog cage. After the man agreed to sell one of the dogs for $8,500, the officer revealed his identity and follow-up investigations were initiated.
 
     Following investigations by the AFCD it was found that the man was selling dogs without a valid licence or permit. AFCD charged the man for selling a dog without a one-off permit. The man was convicted today and fined $4,000.
 
     The amended Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Trading and Breeding) Regulations (Regulations) (Cap 139B) came into force on March 20 last year. Any person who sells a dog must obtain a suitable type of licence or permit. There are three types of licence and one type of permit, namely the Animal Trader Licence and the Dog Breeder Licence Category A and Category B, as well as a one-off permit for dog owners. Those who sell animals or birds without a proper licence or permit are liable to a maximum fine of $100,000, whereas the maximum penalty for contravention of a condition attached to a licence or permit is a fine of $50,000.
 
     Since the amended Regulations came into effect, about 200 complaints have been received by the AFCD in relation to suspected dogs being offered for sale on the Internet without a licence or one-off permit. The AFCD followed up all these cases and detected suspicious elements in 42 cases. Following in-depth investigation, including decoy operations, 21 cases have been successfully prosecuted, 19 cases are still under investigation and two cases were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
 
     The spokesperson reminded the public that since the amended Regulations came into force, all animal traders and dog breeders and those who sell their own dogs should obtain a suitable type of licence or permit, and follow the licence conditions and codes of practice to ensure the welfare of animals. Failure to do so may lead to prosecution. For more details of the regulations and the application procedure for a licence or permit, please visit www.pets.gov.hk or call 1823.

     The Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, visited Kwun Tong this afternoon (June 26) with a view to staying abreast of its law and order situation and the livelihood conditions of local people. He also visited a youth service centre in the district.
      
     Accompanied by the District Officer (Kwun Tong), Mr Steve Tse, Mr Lee first met with members of the Kwun Tong District Council to exchange views on law and order matters and other issues relating to people's livelihood in the district.
      
     Afterwards, Mr Lee visited the Ngau Tau Kok Youth Integrated Service Centre of Kwun Tong Methodist Social Service. The centre provides a variety of services for children and young people in need for their development.
 
     Mr Lee was briefed on the services and operation of the centre. He also toured the facilities, including the band room, the children's activity room and the dance room.
 
     Before concluding his visit, Mr Lee chatted with young people who were visiting the centre and encouraged them to pursue their dreams at a sharing session.
 

          

     The Department of Health's Tobacco Control Office (TCO) today (June 26) carried out a tobacco control publicity operation, reminding members of the public to comply with the law and not to smoke in statutory no-smoking areas. Venue managers are also urged to implement the smoking ban in indoor public areas to safeguard the health of their staff and customers.
 
     The TCO set up a task force with retired police officers in December 2017 to strengthen enforcement actions, especially during night-time or public holidays and in venues where smoking offences are prevalent. During the World Cup period, the TCO has also stepped up its enforcement actions against smoking offences in venues such as pubs and cooked food centres.
 
     A spokesman for the TCO said, "With their professional training as well as rich knowledge and experience in enforcement work, retired police officers can fit in well with the work of tobacco control inspectors. They can apply their enforcement experience in tobacco control work, enhancing the overall enforcement capability of the tobacco control inspector team."
 
     The enforcement work of the task force has been effective. From its establishment to May this year, the task force has inspected over 3,300 venues and prosecuted over 1,300 smoking offenders.
 
     The spokesman pointed out that enforcement is an integral part of the Government's tobacco control policy. According to the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap 371), no person shall smoke or carry a lighted cigarette, cigar or pipe in a statutory no-smoking area. Offenders will be liable to a fixed penalty of $1,500. Statutory no-smoking areas include indoor areas of all restaurant premises, indoor workplaces, indoor areas in public places and some outdoor venues.
 
     In 2017, the TCO conducted 33,000 inspections and issued fixed penalty notices or summonses to over 9,800 smoking offenders.
 
     When members of the public are found smoking in statutory no-smoking areas, tobacco control inspectors will prosecute offenders without prior warning. Smoking offenders are urged to co-operate with the enforcement officers to provide identity documents and other necessary information, or they might be further charged with failing to give their name, address and contact telephone number or produce proof of identity upon request, for which offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $10,000.
 
     The spokesman reminded, "The venue manager of a statutory no-smoking area is empowered by the law to implement the smoking ban. As smoking is an action that lasts for a very short time, it is more effective for a venue manager to take action against a smoking offence. If smoking offenders are found in no-smoking areas, members of the public can make a complaint to the venue manager to implement the smoking ban."
 
     The public can also call 2961 8823 or 1823 to make a complaint to the TCO. The TCO will investigate the cases and conduct inspections for enforcement.

      

     An exhibition entitled "The Legend of Rocks: Destiny of Quarries", jointly presented by the Planning Department (PlanD) and the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD), will be held at the City Gallery in Central from tomorrow (June 27) until September 10. Through presenting the ancient and modern settings of quarries in Hong Kong, the exhibition will review the evolution of the quarry industry and showcase its contribution to the city's development.
      
     Speaking at the exhibition's opening ceremony at the City Gallery today (June 26), the Director of Planning, Mr Raymond Lee, said, "PlanD and the CEDD have been collaborating seamlessly to carry out various planning and engineering studies, so as to ensure the optimal use of land resources for a smart, green and resilient Hong Kong." Citing the thematic quarries in the exhibition as an example, Mr Lee said that after cessation of quarrying operations, relevant planning and engineering feasibility studies are carried out by PlanD and the CEDD with a view to reshaping the rehabilitated quarries into green and liveable communities to serve the development needs of the territory and the district.
      
     Noting its history that spanned across a century, the Director of Civil Engineering and Development, Mr Lam Sai-hung, said at the opening ceremony that not only has Hong Kong's quarry industry taken forward the city's development, it has also provided valuable land to support the development needs of Hong Kong. He said that the Government is studying the feasibility of identifying potential sites to develop new quarries to enable the quarries to come into operation in a timely manner in order to sustain the production of local rock material.
      
     This is the second joint exhibition of PlanD and the CEDD at the City Gallery following their first collaboration in 2016. To tie in with the new exhibition, the City Gallery will hold related seminars, field trips and workshops to enhance the public's understanding of this historic local industry, and how ex-quarry sites can be reshaped into green and liveable communities through planning and development.
      
     For more information about the exhibition and activities, please visit the City Gallery's website at www.citygallery.gov.hk or its Facebook page, or call 3102 1242.

      

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

     The Executives' Meeting of East Asia-Pacific Central Banks (EMEAP) (note 1) announced the launch of securities lending in the Asian Bond Fund (ABF) (note 2) Pan-Asia Bond Index Fund (PAIF) (note 3) today (June 26). With effect from July 10, selected local currency-denominated bonds held within PAIF will be made available for lending in the regional securities lending markets.
      
     The EMEAP has actively led the ABF Initiative to promote efficient financial intermediation in the region. The ABF has played a catalytic role in improving market infrastructure, accelerating tax and regulatory reform to facilitate cross-border investments, and raising investor awareness and interest in Asian bonds. Since the inception of ABF in 2003 (note 4), the size of Asian local currency-denominated bond markets has grown almost eight-fold to exceed US$10 trillion, providing more funding and investment instruments in local currencies.

     The launch of PAIF Securities Lending represents another milestone in the ABF Initiative. The EMEAP believes that PAIF Securities Lending will improve the liquidity of local currency-denominated bonds in the secondary markets, consistent with the EMEAP's common goal to broaden and deepen bond markets in the region. The EMEAP also believes that PAIF Securities Lending will help to enhance the functioning of regional money markets.
      
     The members of EMEAP continue to co-operate on various regional initiatives to develop the regional bond markets and will collaborate with the relevant authorities and market participants to ensure the success of PAIF Securities Lending in both improving the liquidity and enhancing the functioning of regional bond markets. The EMEAP remains committed and unified to lead the ABF Initiative.
      
     For more details regarding PAIF Securities Lending, please refer to www.emeap.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Appendix.pdf.
      
Note 1: The EMEAP is a group of the following eleven central banks and monetary authorities in the East Asia and Pacific region: Reserve Bank of Australia, People's Bank of China, Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Bank Indonesia, Bank of Japan, Bank of Korea, Bank Negara Malaysia, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Monetary Authority of Singapore, and Bank of Thailand.
 
Note 2: The Asian Bond Fund (ABF) Initiative (emeap.org/index.php/about-emeap) comprises ABF1 and ABF2. ABF1 was closed in 2016 and reinvested to ABF2. ABF2, comprising the Pan-Asia Bond Index Fund (PAIF) and eight single-market funds, is managed by private-sector fund managers with the Bank for International Settlements as the administrator. It invests in local currency-denominated government and quasi-government bonds in EMEAP economies other than Australia, Japan and New Zealand.
 
Note 3: PAIF is a component of ABF that invests in local currency-denominated government and quasi-government bonds in EMEAP economies (excluding Australia, Japan and New Zealand). The fund is managed passively.
 
Note 4: The EMEAP set up the ABF in 2003 as part of central bank co-operation. As a background, development of bond markets in the region had gained momentum, drawing on the lessons from the Asian financial crisis in 1997.