Tag Archives: China

     The Labour Department (LD) today (January 9) reminded members of the public to obtain a licence before operating an employment agency (EA), or else they may face prosecution.
      
     The reminder was issued after a man was convicted of operating an unlicensed EA and was fined $10,000 at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts today.
      
     In May 2022, the LD received a complaint against a man from an employer seeking to hire a foreign domestic helper. As the investigation revealed sufficient evidence that the man was operating an unlicensed EA, the LD decided to take out prosecution.
      
     All establishments or persons operating a business in Hong Kong for the purpose of obtaining employment for another person or supplying personnel to an employer are governed by Part XII of the Employment Ordinance and the Employment Agency Regulations. Irrespective of the modus operandi or the types of jobs referred, all EAs must obtain a licence issued by the LD before undertaking any EA activities. Except for the EA licence holder or his or her associates, no one shall operate, manage or assist in the management of an EA. Offenders may face prosecution.
      
     The LD reminds EAs to operate in full compliance with the law as well as the Code of Practice for EAs at all times. Failure to do so may lead to prosecution and/or revocation of licence. The maximum penalties for the offences of unlicensed operation of an EA or overcharging commission from job-seekers are a fine of $350,000 and imprisonment for three years.
      
     Should there be enquiries about matters related to EAs or complaints about malpractices of EAs, please contact the Employment Agencies Administration of the LD by calling 2115 3667, e-mailing ea-ee@labour.gov.hk, or visiting its office at Unit 906, 9/F, One Mong Kok Road Commercial Centre, 1 Mong Kok Road, Kowloon. read more

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (January 8) seized 20 gold slabs weighing about 20 kilograms in total, with an estimated market value of about $10 million, at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Point. 

     Based on risk assessment, Customs yesterday afternoon intercepted an outgoing seven-seater vehicle at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Point for inspection. Upon examination, Customs officers seized the batch of suspected smuggled gold in a false compartment of the vehicle’s console box. The 32-year-old male driver was subsequently arrested. 

     An investigation is ongoing. 

     Customs will continue to take stringent enforcement actions against cross-boundary smuggling activities through risk assessment and intelligence analysis.

     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
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     Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling 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 effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Tueday, January 9, 2024 is 104.2 (down 0.1 against yesterday’s  index). read more

     In response to the Japanese Government’s plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on January 8 to noon today (January 9), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 135 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the “aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt” category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS’s thematic website titled “Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan” (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).
 
     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD’s website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO’s website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 24 143 samples of food imported from Japan (including 16 032 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 6 866 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests. read more

     â€‹Hongkong Post announced today (January 9) that, as advised by the postal administration of Thailand, mail delivery services previously impacted by flooding have returned to normal. read more