The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, called on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) today (June 14) in Beijing to meet with Vice-Minister of Justice Mr Hu Weilie. They had in-depth discussions on the latest developments on the construction of rule of law in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and related issues, nurturing foreign-related legal talent, developing Hong Kong as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region and more.

     Mr Cheung expressed his gratitude to the MoJ for its full and continuous support for Hong Kong's legal sector in better integrating into the overall national development, and for its tremendous efforts in taking forward the extension of the period of the pilot scheme for Hong Kong and Macao legal practitioners to practise in the nine Mainland municipalities in the GBA until 2026, as well as lowering the practice experience threshold to three years.

     He pointed out that the GBA Legal Professional Examination has been held three times. The latest examination is to be held by the end of this month. The Department of Justice (DoJ) will continue to work closely with the relevant Mainland authorities to provide practical legal training for GBA lawyers, and promote the establishment of a platform in Hong Kong for GBA lawyers, with a view to empowering the professional development of GBA lawyers more systematically to nurture more foreign-related legal talent with dual qualifications for the country. Meanwhile, the DoJ will spare no effort in promoting the establishment of a GBA Legal Information Platform to provide a reliable and comprehensive information platform for stakeholders, contributing to the construction of rule of law in the GBA. 

     In addition, Mr Cheung said that the DoJ is actively taking forward the establishment of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy, with a view to leveraging the unique advantages of Hong Kong's common law system to contribute to the country's nurturing of foreign-related legal talent.

     He was grateful for the strong support of the MoJ, which attaches great importance to the DoJ's initiatives.

     Mr Cheung will return to Hong Kong this afternoon.

    

     The Government gazetted today (June 14) the designation of the North Lantau Marine Park (NLMP).

     A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said, "The NLMP will be the eighth and largest marine park in Hong Kong, covering about 2 400 hectares (ha) of water. Designation of the NLMP will greatly increase Hong Kong's protected marine habitat from about 6 117 ha to about 8 517 ha. The designation of the NLMP is crucial for conservation of the Chinese White Dolphins (CWD) and the marine environment in North Lantau waters, and is one of the measures committed in the approved Environmental Impact Assessment Report of the Three-Runway System project of Hong Kong International Airport for mitigating the impact arising from the project on marine ecology."

     The spokesman added, "The NLMP will provide critical linkages with the nearby Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park (about 1 200 ha) and the Brothers Marine Park (about 970 ha) to form a matrix of connected marine protected areas totalling about 4 570 ha in North Lantau waters for better protection of the important habitats of the CWD. Furthermore, the NLMP will be contiguous with the Pearl River Estuary Chinese White Dolphin National Nature Reserve established in Guangdong Province, thereby linking the marine protected areas in Hong Kong and the Mainland, providing important connections among these core CWD habitats, and facilitating the movement of CWD between such habitats. The proposed NLMP also connects with the Hong Kong International Airport Approach Areas to form an interlinked water body and provide a synergistic effect for the conservation of marine ecology and fisheries resources."

     The draft map of the NLMP was made available for public inspection for a period of 60 days from March 3 to May 1, 2023. The Country and Marine Parks Authority did not receive any objection during the period. The Chief Executive-in-Council approved the draft map in accordance with section 14(1)(a) of the Marine Parks Ordinance (Cap. 476) on September 5, 2023. Copies of the approved map signed by the Authority were deposited in the Land Registry, headquarters of the AFCD and headquarters of the Marine Department for public inspection in accordance with section 14(5) of the Ordinance. The deposit of the maps was notified in the Gazette by the AFCD on September 29, 2023.

     The spokesman said that activities in the waters concerned will be regulated by the Ordinance and the Marine Parks and Marine Reserves Regulation (Cap. 476A) after the designation of the marine park. In the long run, it can provide a better habitat for marine life and, in particular, be conducive to protecting marine mammals and maintaining marine biodiversity.

     The Marine Parks (Designation) (Amendment) Order 2024 will be tabled at the Legislative Council on June 19, 2024, for negative vetting and coming into effect on November 1, 2024.

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

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

     As the Red Rainstorm Warning Signal has been cancelled, the Home Affairs Department's Emergency Co-ordination Centre and the emergency hotline 2572 8427 have ceased to operate.

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 Ant Bank (Hong Kong) Limited relating to a fraudulent website, which has 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 website 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 Transport Department (TD) today (June 14) reminded the public again that holders of toll tickets can visit the TD's designated outlets to apply for a refund on or before June 30, otherwise no refund can be made. The details of the refund locations are as follows:
 

     Applicants are advised to fill in the application form (www.td.gov.hk/filemanager/en/content_5214/ops_form_182.pdf) in advance and bring along the toll tickets for refund. Applicants who apply for a refund for a large quantity of toll tickets are suggested to contact the contractor by email (info@wilsonparking.com.hk) or call 2830 3814 before visiting the designated refund outlets to ensure that they would be provided with the necessary assistance.