The Department of Justice (DoJ) today (December 28) published the "Annotations of the Hong Kong National Security Law and Sedition Offences in the Crimes Ordinance" on a dedicated webpage, collating and summarising court cases concerning the Law of the People's Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (NSL) and sections 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance (Cap. 200) concerning the sedition offences for public access, aiming to promote a better understanding of the NSL and the crime of sedition by all sectors of the community, particularly those in the legal, education and public sectors, and raise public awareness of national security.

     Since the promulgation and implementation of the NSL in 2020, all judicial decisions in national security cases are made public in an open and transparent manner. The DoJ has prepared case summaries of these decisions and compiled a compendium of annotations to serve as a convenient and practical tool for promoting national security education and conducting legal research on the national security laws.

     The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, said, "All institutions, organisations and individuals in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region have an obligation to abide by the NSL and local laws for safeguarding national security. This body of case-law helps us understand the requirements of our national security laws and how they are being applied by the courts." He also expressed gratitude to Professor Albert Chen for his admirable guidance and contributions, serving as the project's Honorary Consultant Editor.

     In addition, the DoJ today has also uploaded the Basic Law sourcebook, "Basic Law: Selected Drafting Materials and Significant Cases", to its website for public access. This publication covers selected drafting materials and related cases of the Basic Law, and the interpretations of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on the Basic Law, as well as other pertinent information. As a more complete record of the formulation and implementation of the Basic Law, the publication will help different sectors of the community acquire a correct understanding of the relationship between the Constitution and the Basic Law.

     The DoJ will continue to launch more projects for promoting the rule of law and to strengthen the promotional and educational work relating to the Constitution, the Basic Law and the NSL.

     The "Annotations of the Hong Kong National Security Law and Sedition Offences in the Crimes Ordinance" can be accessed at www.doj.gov.hk/en/hknslannot.html. While currently it is only available in English, its Chinese version is expected to be accessible to the public early next year, and the content of this webpage will be updated regularly in light of the development of the law. For the "Basic Law: Selected Drafting Materials and Significant Cases", members of the public are welcome to visit www.doj.gov.hk/en/publications/basic_law.html.

     Police today (December 28) laid holding charges against two men, aged 51 and 62, jointly with one count of manslaughter. They were laid holding charges jointly with another 20-year-old man with one count of preventing the lawful burial of a body. The 51-year-old man was also laid a holding charge with one count of trafficking in dangerous drugs.

     The three men were arrested on December 25 and 26 in connection with a manslaughter case happened in Sheung Shui on December 23 in which a 22-year-old man died.

     The case will be mentioned at Fanling Magistrates’ Courts this morning.

Attention TV and radio duty announcers:

     Please broadcast the following special announcement as soon as possible, and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     A vegetation fire broke out in the vicinity of Lo Shue Ling and Hung Lung Hang in Heung Yuen Wai at 7.52pm today (December 27). The Fire Services Department is conducting a firefighting operation.

     Members of the public who are being affected by the smoke and an unusual odour carried by the wind are advised to close their doors and windows and stay calm. 

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (December 26) detected a drug trafficking case involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 18 kilograms of suspected heroin with an estimated market value of about $14 million.
      
     A 56-year-old female passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. During Customs clearance, the batch of suspected heroin was found in six food packaging boxes inside her check-in suitcase. The female passenger was subsequently arrested.
      
     The arrested woman has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (December 28).
      
     Following the resumption of normal travel and exchanges with the Mainland and other parts of the world, the number of visitors to Hong Kong has been increasing steadily. Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
      
     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
      
     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking 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 Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (December 27) investigating a case of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection, and hence reminded the public to maintain good personal, food and environmental hygiene against intestinal infections.

     The case involves a 5-year-old girl with good past health, who presented with diarrhoea on December 13 and blood and mucus in stool, abdominal pain and fever on December 15. She attended the Accident and Emergency Department of Princess Margaret Hospital and was admitted on the same day. She is now in stable condition.

     Her stool specimen grew STEC upon laboratory testing.

     Initial enquiries of the CHP revealed that the patient had no travel history during the incubation period. Investigations of the CHP are ongoing.

     "Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium that is commonly found in the gut of humans and warm-blooded animals. Most strains of E. coli are harmless. Some strains, however, such as STEC, can produce powerful toxins and cause severe food-borne disease. The most recognised serogroup of STEC is E. coli O157:H7," a spokesman for the CHP explained.

     Preventive measures for STEC infection are similar to those recommended for other food-borne diseases. The public are advised to observe good personal and food hygiene:
 

• Adopt the Five Keys to Food Safety in handling food, i.e. Choose (choose safe raw materials), Clean (keep hands and utensils clean), Separate (separate raw and cooked food), Cook (cook thoroughly) and Safe Temperature (keep food at a safe temperature) to prevent food-borne diseases;
• Wash hands properly with liquid soap and water before handling food, after handling raw meat or poultry and before eating, and after going to the toilet or changing diapers;
• Cook food and boil water thoroughly before consumption. When cooking or reheating, the core temperature of the food should reach at least 75 degrees Celsius;
• Avoid consumption of unpasteurised milk or undercooked food; and
• Consult your doctor immediately if you have symptoms of STEC infection, particularly bloody diarrhoea.

     The public may visit the CHP's STEC page for more information.