The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (April 30) obtained closure orders from the court against two food premises in Yau Ma Tei that have been persistently operating without a licence and causing serious street obstruction.

     The two food premises, located at Shop C-D and Shop A respectively on the ground floor of 29-35 Temple Street, have been operating without a licence and occupying the pavement and carriageways continuously, causing serious obstruction and environmental hygiene problems, as well as a great nuisance to residents nearby. From July 2022 to March this year, the FEHD received 437 complaints concerning the two restaurants, and conducted 132 blitz enforcement operations and instituted 306 prosecutions against their irregularities.

     A spokesman for the FEHD said, "The FEHD has been taking enforcement and regulatory actions against the blatant contraventions of these two food premises in question and deploying additional manpower to step up the enforcement actions. However, both restaurants continued to operate without a licence and obstruct public areas persistently. Given the fact that the food premises persistently breached the Food Business Regulation (Cap. 132X) and other related legislation, the FEHD applied to the court for closure orders under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132) to completely rectify their irregularities. Upon affixing a copy of the closure order at a conspicuous place on the respective premises earlier today, the orders will come into force at the beginning of the eighth day (May 8) in accordance with the law."

     According to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), unless with written permission from the FEHD, no person may enter or remain on any closed premises, failing of which is an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $100,000, imprisonment for 12 months and a daily fine of $1,750.

     The spokesman stressed that the FEHD will continue to crack down on unlicensed food premises to safeguard food safety and public health. Operators are urged not to defy the law, while members of the public are urged to not patronise these premises.

     Licensed food premises are required to exhibit their licences and a sign at a conspicuous place of the premises, indicating that the premises have been licensed. A list of licensed food premises is available on the department website (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/licensing/list_licensed_premises.html). Members of the public can report any suspected unlicensed food premises by calling the FEHD hotline 2868 0000.

  

     The Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) and the Elderly Commission (EC) held an Elder Academy (EA) Appreciation and Award Ceremony this afternoon (April 30) to thank organisations and individuals for their support for the EA Scheme and commend outstanding elderly learners. Some 200 participants attended the ceremony.

     Addressing the ceremony, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, said that the EA Scheme aims to promote active ageing, as well as encourage the elderly to pursue lifelong learning and integration into the community. Maintaining a positive attitude and leading an engaged life are conducive to both the physical and mental wellness of the elderly. The 2023 Policy Address announced that the Government would inject an additional $80 million to support the sustainable development of the EA Scheme for the benefit of more elderly persons.
 
     The Chairman of the EC, Dr Donald Li, thanked the organisations and individuals for their generous donations and support. The Scheme provides diversified study courses for the elderly, and the EAs in post-secondary institutions help realise elderly persons' dreams of attending university.  At the same time, the Scheme fosters intergenerational and community harmony through cross-generational activities.
 
     Also officiating at the ceremony were the Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Ms Alice Lau; former Chairmen of the EC, namely Dr Edward Leong and Dr Lam Ching-choi; and the Chairperson of the Committee on EA Development Foundation (EADF), Ms Maggie Chan. Representatives of supporting organisations and convenors of EA Clusters across districts also attended. Supporting organisations and outstanding participants were presented with certificates of appreciation and various awards respectively while a cross-generational Chinese orchestra and a tai chi fan volunteer team put on performances to showcase elderly people's vitality and talents.
 
     Members of the EC and the Committee on EADF, representatives of EAs, EA elderly learners as well as their families and friends, senior and young volunteers and Golden Guides also attended the ceremony.
 
     The EA Scheme was jointly launched by the LWB and the EC in 2007 to enable the elderly to learn in a school setting. Currently, there are about 200 EAs in primary, secondary and post-secondary institutions across the territory. The Scheme is expected to provide around 15 000 learning places in 2024-25, offering more courses and activities catering for the interests and needs of the elderly.
 
     The EA Scheme's website (www.elderacademy.org.hk) has been enhanced with the details of the Scheme and the list of the supporting organisations.

          

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will depart for Tbilisi, Georgia, to attend the 57th Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on May 2 (Thursday) early morning.

     Mr Chan will take the opportunity to meet with the President of the ADB, Mr Masatsugu Asakawa, ADB senior officials as well as financial officials of other countries and regions attending the meeting.

     Mr Chan will return to Hong Kong in the afternoon on May 6. During his absence, the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, will be the Acting Financial Secretary.

     Hong Kong Customs mounted a special operation with the Zhongying Street Administration Bureau of Yantian District, Shenzhen, on Chung Ying Street, Sha Tau Kok, from April 17 until today (April 30) to combat the sale of counterfeit goods and duty-not-paid goods. 
      
     Customs earlier received information alleging that there were retail shops on Chung Ying Street, Sha Tau Kok, suspected of selling counterfeit goods and duty-not-paid goods. After an in-depth investigation and with the assistance of trademark owners, Customs officers took enforcement action during the abovementioned period and raided four retail shops and two stalls on Chung Ying Street, Sha Tau Kok. A total of about 4 000 items of suspected counterfeit goods, including leather goods, watches and cosmetics products, about 170 000 sticks of suspected illicit cigarettes and 28 bottles of suspected duty-not-paid liquor of about 19 litres in total, were seized. The total estimated market value was about $1.7 million, with a duty potential of about $600,000.

     During the operation, a 52-year-old male staff member of a retail shop was arrested. An investigation is ongoing. 
      
     With the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland approaching, Customs will continue to step up inspections and enforcement to vigorously combat counterfeit goods and duty-not-paid goods activities.
      
     Customs reminds consumers to procure goods at reputable shops and to check with the trademark owners or their authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt. Traders should also be cautious and prudent in merchandising since selling counterfeit goods and duty-not-paid goods are serious crimes and offenders are liable to criminal sanctions.
      
     Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who sells or possesses for sale any goods with a forged trademark commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
      
     Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying duty-not-paid goods commits an offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.
      
     Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeit 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 Transport Department (TD) today (April 30) reminded members of the public that, to facilitate the pyrotechnics display to be held near Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade in Tsim Sha Tsui East at 8pm tomorrow (May 1), the following special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in Tsim Sha Tsui East in Kowloon, Central District, Wan Chai District and Eastern District on Hong Kong Island.
 
Road closures
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     In connection with the holding of the pyrotechnics display that evening, road closures and the corresponding traffic diversions will be implemented on roads in the vicinities of the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade in Kowloon from around 6pm. On Hong Kong Island, road closures and traffic diversions will be implemented in phases from around 7.30pm that evening on road sections in the vicinities of Central near the Central piers (except for franchised buses), Wan Chai North and Eastern District (near the vicinity of the East Coast Park Precinct) until crowds disperse and roads are reopened.
      
Public transport services arrangements
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     In connection with the road closure arrangements, bus routes operating in the affected areas will be temporarily diverted or suspended, and the associated bus stops located within the affected areas will be suspended or relocated.

     In Kowloon, taxi stands (including taxi pick-up/drop-off points), public light bus stands, on-street parking spaces and private car parks on the roads affected in Tsim Sha Tsui East will be temporarily suspended during the road closure period.
      
     On Hong Kong Island, taxi stands on Expo Drive and Exhibition Centre Station Public Transport Interchange, all on-street parking spaces along closed road sections at Expo Drive East outside Golden Bauhinia Square and other closed roads (including metered parking, motorcycle parking and disabled parking spaces) will be temporarily suspended from 5.30pm to 9.30pm.
      
     The short-working route of the water taxi ferry service will be suspended from 5.20 pm.
      
     For details of the special traffic and public transport arrangements, members of the public may visit the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk), its mobile application "HKeMobility" or refer to the passenger notices issued by the relevant public transport operators.
      
     Due to road closures, the TD anticipates that traffic along the concerned areas will become significantly congested. Motorists are advised to avoid driving to the above areas affected by the road closures. In case of traffic congestion, motorists should exercise patience and drive with care, and follow the instructions of the Police on site.
      
     The TD appeals to members of the public to make use of public transport services as far as possible to avoid traffic congestion and unnecessary delays. The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation and implement appropriate measures when necessary. The Police may adjust the traffic arrangements, subject to the prevailing crowd and traffic conditions in the areas. The public should pay attention to the latest traffic news through radio, television or "HKeMobility".
      
     If the cancellation of the pyrotechnics display is announced on May 1, the above-mentioned road closures and public transport services arrangements will not be implemented.