Young persons in custody (PICs) at Sha Tsui Correctional Institution (STCI) of the Correctional Services Department (CSD) were presented with certificates at a ceremony today (October 13) in recognition of their efforts and achievements in studies and vocational examinations.

     In the past year, 107 PICs sat for various academic and vocational examinations including the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination, the City and Guilds International examinations, the Cambridge English Examinations and the General Aptitude Putonghua Shuiping Kaoshi, and obtained vocational certificates covering Food and Beverage Services, Coffee Making and Latte Art Training, Specialty Drink (Non-alcoholic) Making, Cantonese Cooking, Multimedia Design, Music, Building Services as well as Laundry Skill organised by the Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, Hong Kong; the School of Professional and Continuing Education, the University of Hong Kong; Christian Action; the Construction Industry Council; Tom Lee Music Foundation and the Vocational Training Council. During the year, the PICs attained 134 merits out of 298 certificates obtained. In the ceremony today, 18 PICs were presented with 92 certificates, of which 41 merits were attained. 

     Officiating at the ceremony, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sik Sik Yuen (SSY), Mr Ma Chak-wa, said that SSY is fully supportive of the rehabilitation work of the CSD, and set up a subsidy scheme named the Sik Sik Yuen – Care and Rehabilitation Education Fund in March 2023, with the aim of supporting needy PICs to pursue continuing education and vocational training. He encouraged the young PICs to remain positive, broaden their vision, and rise to challenges.

     During the ceremony, members of the lion dance team and the marching band performed a lion dance and played various pieces of music to show their gratitude to their families and correctional officers for their unwavering support in the course of rehabilitation. Moreover, PICs put their training into practice and produced a short video by using shooting and editing skills acquired in the Creative Multimedia Technology Training Course to record the learning progress and emotional journey of different PICs during their training in the institution, highlighting how they have found their direction during the learning process and strived to equip themselves to prepare themselves for reintegration into society.
 
     In the sharing session, one of the PICs expressed his gratitude to the CSD for providing support for their rehabilitation. He shared that he grew up in a single-parent family and has been deeply moved by his mother's determination to visit him despite being sick. He then realised his past mistakes and cherished his time to study hard. Another PIC's mother shared the happiness of witnessing the positive changes of her son while undergoing training in STCI. She expressed her appreciation for the support provided by CSD staff which has enabled her to appreciate the significance of rehabilitation work.

     Also attending the ceremony were representatives of non-governmental and community organisations, community leaders and family members of the certificate recipients.

     STCI accommodates young male PICs aged from 14 to under 25. The Department provides half-day education programmes and half-day vocational training for PICs of training centres and rehabilitation centres to help them rehabilitate and prepare for their reintegration into society.

        

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, at the 6th "Belt and Road" Initiative International Forum and the "Belt and Road" Cooperation and Partnership Model Agreement Conference today (October 13):

Professor Wang (President of the International Academy of the Belt and Road, and President of Zhejiang University Academy of International Strategy and Law, Professor Wang Guiguo), dear judges, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     Good afternoon. I wish to begin by expressing my gratitude to Professor Wang for inviting me to today's conference.

     I note that the theme of today's conference is about Belt and Road Cooperation and Partnership Model Agreement. So I wish to start with the word "co-operation". "Co-operation" is not only the key word of today's discussion, and more importantly, it is one of most fundamental underlying principles behind that Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This is the 10th anniversary of the BRI. In the white paper published by the State Council of People's Republic of China on October 10, 2023, a few days ago, it is stated that "In the 10 years that have passed since its launch, cooperation under the BRI framework has brought remarkable and profound change to the world and become a major milestone in the history of humanity." While acknowledging that there will be new difficulties or challenges in future, the paper goes on to say "Cooperation will thrive, and the BRI can look forward to an even brighter future. China stands ready to work with other countries to pursue closer and more fruitful cooperation under the BRI framework".

     As an integral part of China, and under the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong will certainly continue to play a unique role in pursuing closer and more fruitful co-operation between China and other participants of the BRI. In particular, as is often said, Hong Kong serves as a "super-connecter" in various fields, including the provision of an ideal business environment governed by the rule of law.

     I wish to perhaps highlight a few features, just to support what I have just said. First, vis-à-vis other countries and territories outside China, Hong Kong has always been an international trading and investment centre. To facilitate cross-border trade, Hong Kong has signed 22 Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements and eight Free Trade Agreements with other territories. These agreements include substantive protection to investments as well as provisions for a dispute settlement mechanism that allows investors and contracting parties to resolve disputes relating to investments within the framework of these international agreements.

     On the other hand, vis-à-vis the Mainland, I remember that this morning our Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, mentioned the nine arrangements on mutual legal assistance made between the Mainland and Hong Kong. These arrangements, in particular the Arrangement on Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters signed in January 2019 and the Interim Measures Arrangement (Arrangement Concerning Mutual Assistance in Court-ordered Interim Measures in Aid of Arbitral Proceedings by the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region) signed in April 2019, are groundbreaking. They provide a wide range of procedural and enforcement assurances in litigation and arbitration processes, and permit parties to effectively safeguard their interests in cross-boundary civil and commercial cases.

     Thirdly, we have maintained very close relationships with international legal organisations like the Hague Conference on Private International Law, which has played a very significant role in developing uniform rules for harmonious and peaceful international relations. The second example, the AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre was established in Hong Kong in 2021 to promote a wider application of alternative dispute resolutions among state parties in Asia and Africa. The most recent significant development must be the establishment of the International Organization for Mediation Preparatory Office in February this year, which aims at promoting mediation to resolve international disputes.

     Regional and international legal co-operation must be complemented by world-class legal services which could keep pace with advances in the digital age. The Hong Kong Government fully supports the use of online dispute resolution and lawtech by global enterprises in resolving cross-border business-to-business disputes. Hong Kong opted into the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, which is APEC, APEC Collaborative Framework for Online Dispute Resolution of Cross-Border Business-to-Business Disputes (APEC ODR Framework) in April 2020. Our home-grown lawtech institution, eBRAM, which had already launched the APEC ODR procedural rules and its Online Mediation and Arbitration Platforms earlier this year, also just launched its Online Deal-making Platform in August.

     With these international connections as well as connections with the Mainland, and also the strong presence of international legal organisations and dispute resolution mechanisms, Hong Kong is the natural forum for the provision of legal services relating to BRI, whether as a place to set up business vehicles or to resolve disputes. It is not only a natural but also ideal forum for these purposes due to the quality and credibility of legal services it can provide. Our legal professionals are not only familiar with international law and practices but also well versed with Chinese legal and business culture. Our judiciary remains independent and enjoys a high reputation around the world.

     In order to meet the new challenges posed by the BRI, we certainly need more legal professionals who are not only qualified to practise the common law in Hong Kong but also familiar with the Mainland legal system, in particular, regarding civil and commercial matters. In this respect, we are grateful to the Central People's Government's support by extending the pilot scheme of the Greater Bay Area Legal Professional Examination for three years up to 2026. It enables more eligible Hong Kong legal practitioners to seize the opportunities brought about by the development of our country and expands the talent pool for serving the needs of the Belt and Road Initiative.

     The prowess of our professional legal services has shaped Hong Kong into a leading international legal and dispute resolution services centre in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. In addition, it also puts Hong Kong in a very good position to provide capacity building for participants of the BRI. For example, we are working on developing Hong Kong into an international investment law and investor-state dispute resolution skills training base by building up a strong team of investment mediators in Asia. The first edition of the Hague Academy of International Law's Advanced Course in Hong Kong, which focuses on the means and current practice of the settlement of international commercial and investment disputes, will be held in mid-December this year.

     Ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong, with all its unique strengths in the provision of legal services, has much to contribute to the BRI. I wish to take this opportunity to mention also the Hong Kong Legal Week 2023, which will take place next month from November 6 to 10 with the theme "Onward and Forward: Connecting the World". This is the annual flagship event organised by the Department of Justice that accentuates Hong Kong's role in regional co-operation and global connectivity as prominent speakers from Hong Kong and around the world gather to discuss on practical and forward-looking topics.

     Returning to today's event, the contribution of the Academy in bringing together excellent legal talent to set up and agree on the Belt and Road Cooperation and Partnership Model Agreement, I think in short is the "Model Rules", is most laudable. I wish to thank the Academy again for organising the Forum today and I wish you all a very fruitful conference and a very enjoyable afternoon. Thank you very much.

  

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Dah Sing Bank, Limited relating to fraudulent websites and an internet banking login screen, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.
      
     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks‘’ websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
      
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the websites or login screen concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     The Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Ms Louise Ho, attended the opening ceremony of the National Studies Course for Middle and Senior Managers of the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) at the National Academy of Governance in Beijing today (October 13).
      
     Ms Ho in her speech acknowledged the special meaning of the course, which was resumed for the first time since the full resumption of normal travel early this year. In addition to encouraging the course participants to enhance their theoretical foundation for governance, she called on them to put that knowledge into practice by applying it to the work of the C&ED with the actual circumstances in Hong Kong taken into account. The course participants also needed to deepen their understanding of the national development and determine the current international situation from a national strategic perspective in order to better fulfil the department's duties and mission of safeguarding the country's gateway and fostering development.
      
     The course is one of the key national studies programmes of the C&ED. It targets to nurture future leaders of the department who will contribute to good governance in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the steadfast and successful implementation of "one country, two systems", as well as the stability and long-term prosperity of the country and Hong Kong. A total of 25 middle and senior managers of the department have participated in this nine-day course.

      

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (October 12) detected a large-scale illicit cigarette smuggling case and seized about eight million suspected illicit cigarettes at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound. The estimated market value was about $30 million with a duty potential of about $20 million. 

     Through risk assessment and intelligence analysis, Customs yesterday selected and inspected a 40-foot seaborne container, arriving from Taiwan to Hong Kong and declared as carrying electronic parts. Upon inspection, Customs officers seized the batch of suspected illicit cigarettes inside the container.

     An investigation is ongoing. Customs will continue to trace the source and flow of the illicit cigarettes.

     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.

     Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette 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).