Tag Archives: China

     A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said today (April 18) that to enhance evidence collection efficiency and minimise safety risks to passers-by and law enforcement officers, the FEHD piloted a new enforcement strategy using video evidence collection in North District to effectively combat unlicensed cooked food hawking activities.

     The FEHD conducted a pilot enforcement operation codenamed “Nighthawk” against suspected organised unlicensed cooked food hawking activities in the area of Choi Yuen Road near Po Shek Wu Estate Ancillary Facilities Block in Sheung Shui last night (April 17). Officers used video recording devices to document illegal acts and gather information on unlicensed cooked food hawkers there as evidence. Since 2023, the FEHD has received 19 complaints related to illegal hawking activities at the location. During the operation, the FEHD arrested four persons and initiated prosecution against them for illegal hawking and causing obstruction in a public place, as well as cooking or heating food for the purpose of hawking without a valid licence. Four cooked food trolleys with relevant equipment were seized, and about 20 kilograms of food involved were immediately destroyed.

     The spokesman added that the new enforcement strategy would enable frontline staff to collect evidence more effectively, allowing enforcement officers to arrest hawkers based on the video evidence even after the offenders have left the scene. This approach could help avoid confrontations or chaotic situations at the scene, minimising risks to passers-by and law enforcement officers, while enhancing the effectiveness in curbing unlicensed cooked food hawking activities.

     The spokesman emphasised that since the seized food trolleys were extremely dirty and the source of the seized food was unknown, prepared in substandard hygiene conditions, the food could easily be contaminated by unclean utensils and harmful microorganisms, posing a threat to food safety and public health.

     According to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), no person shall hawk in any street unless he or she holds a valid hawker licence issued by the FEHD. Offenders can be prosecuted and are liable to a maximum penalty of a fine of $5,000 and one month’s imprisonment for a first conviction, and a fine of $10,000 and six months’ imprisonment for a subsequent conviction. In addition, according to the Hawker Regulation (Cap. 132AI), no person shall, for the purpose of hawking, cook or heat any food or have in his or her possession any cooking stove or heating apparatus intended for cooking or heating food unless he or she holds a licence for operating a cooked food service. Offenders can be prosecuted and are liable to a maximum penalty of a fine of $5,000 and three months’ imprisonment for a first conviction, and a fine of $10,000 and six months’ imprisonment for a subsequent conviction. If unlicensed hawking activities obstruct passageways, law enforcement officers may institute additional prosecutions against offenders who cause obstruction by placing articles in public places under the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228). Offenders are liable to a fine of $25,000 or imprisonment for three months upon conviction.

     The spokesman stressed that the FEHD will continue to combat unlicensed cooked food hawking activities to safeguard public health and food safety. The spokesman also reminded the public to pay attention to food safety, not to patronise unlicensed cooked food hawkers, and not to take food risks lightly. Given the satisfactory results of the pilot enforcement operation, the FEHD will consider applying the new enforcement strategy to other districts to combat unlicensed cooked food hawkers.

    

     In response to media enquiries about white foam found in a water pond at Siu Chik Sha, Tseung Kwan O, last night (April 17), a Fire Services Department (FSD) spokesman gave the following response today (April 18):     &n… read more

     Hong Kong Customs mounted an operation codenamed “Racer” on April 17 and successfully cracked down on a money laundering syndicate. Three local persons suspected to be connected with the case were arrested and they were suspected of using a cryptocurrency exchange trading platform and a number of company bank accounts in various local banks to deal with money from unknown sources exceeding $1.8 billion.
      
     Acting upon intelligence, Customs officers targeted three local persons and initiated a financial investigation. It was revealed that the three persons set up a number of local companies and bank accounts between June 2021 and July 2022 to deal with over 1 000 suspicious transactions, including funds transferred from a cryptocurrency exchange trading platform, and the amount totalled over $1.8 billion. Subsequently, Customs conducted an enforcement operation on April 17 and raided four residential units and seven companies, among which two were money service operators. The three local persons aged between 42 and 60, comprising two men and one woman, were arrested for a suspected conspiracy to “deal with property known or reasonably believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence” (commonly known as money laundering) under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (OSCO). They were believed to be the core members of the syndicate.
      
     Customs officers also seized a batch of items suspected to be connected with the case, including a number of mobile phones, company documents and stamps, bank cards and remittance documents, during the operation.
      
     An investigation is ongoing. The three arrested persons have been released on bail pending further investigation and the likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.
      
     Customs reminds members of the public that they may risk committing the crime of money laundering if they use personal or company bank accounts to deal with money from unknown sources, regardless of whether a monetary reward is involved.
      
     Under the OSCO, a person commits an offence if he or she deals with any property knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that such property in whole or in part, directly or indirectly represents any person’s proceeds of an indictable offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and imprisonment for 14 years while the crime proceeds are also subject to confiscation.
      
     Members of the public may report any suspected money laundering 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). read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:        The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) welcomes the joint announcement of the Hong Kong Association of Banks, the Hong Kong Association of Re… read more

     The Chief Executive’s Policy Unit (CEPU) today (April 18) announced that the Strategic Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (SPPRFS) 2024-25 is open for applications between now and June 5, 2024.
 
     The SPPRFS is a government-financed funding scheme dedicated to supporting evidence-based public policy research by higher education institutions and think tanks in Hong Kong. The CEPU is its Secretariat. As the Government’s internal research unit, the CEPU was set up to enhance the Government’s capabilities in research and advocacy on long-term and strategic issues. One of its tasks is to build up external policy research capacity through measures including administering the SPPRFS. This will be conducive to the achievement of the CEPU’s objectives, including to advocate for and assist in the formulation of long-term and strategic policies from a forward-thinking perspective; to keep abreast of national development and analyse and suggest areas of significance in the integration into national development; to examine international relations and situations, and analyse opportunities and risks; and to grasp the sentiments of Hong Kong citizens to understand the general direction and focus of their concerns.
 
     In light of the research needs and policy priorities of the Government, six strategic themes have been identified for the SPPRFS 2024-25. They are: (a) Development Opportunities from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area under the National 14th Five-Year Plan; (b) Achieving Carbon Neutrality; (c) Hydrogen Economy; (d) Sustainable Development of Elderly Care Services with an Ageing Population; (e) Healthcare Innovations; and (f) Education. Under each strategic theme, there are specified research areas on which researches should be conducted.
 
     Applications for the SPPRFS 2024-25 must be made under one of the specified strategic themes and in line with the specified research areas. Those falling outside the specified strategic themes and specified research areas will not be considered generally.
 
     Each SPPRFS project may be granted a maximum of HK$5 million and last from one to five years.
 
     Assessments will be conducted by an Assessment Panel which comprises experienced academics. The Assessment Panel will also take into account comments of external reviewers who are local and non-local experienced academics and experts during the assessment process. To ensure policy relevance of the research proposals, suggestions and views of relevant government bureaux/departments will also be sought for reference by the Panel. A declaration of interests system is in place to ensure that the assessments are fair and impartial.
 
     Research quality and strategic relevance to public policy development in Hong Kong are the primary considerations in evaluating research proposals under the SPPRFS. Other factors that will be taken into account by the Panel include the deliverables of the research, the research team’s capability, the feasibility and practicality of the proposal, the implementation schedule, and the proposed budget. Institutional support towards capacity building in public policy research and any external funding sources and support will also be taken into consideration.
 
     Separately, the major themes and indicative research areas of the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme (PPRFS), which is also administered by the CEPU, have been updated having regard to Hong Kong’s current and long-term development as well as the need for research on various social issues. Applicants are encouraged to prepare proposals with reference to the six strategic themes and specified research areas for the SPPRFS 2024-25, as well as eight other major themes with 29 indicative research areas. As compared to the SPPRFS, the PPRFS focuses on research studies of a shorter duration and smaller scale. Applications for the PPRFS are accepted throughout the year and the results of each batch of applications will be announced on a quarterly basis in general.
 
     For details of the SPPRFS and the PPRFS, including eligibility criteria, research areas, assessment mechanism, application method and other related information, please visit the CEPU website (www. cepu.gov.hk/en/PRFS). read more