Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Judiciary announced that the Courts (Remote Hearing) Ordinance took effect upon gazettal today, providing a clear legal basis for judges and judicial officers to order remote hearings for court proceedings at various levels of courts and tribunals with due regard to the ordinance’s requirements.

Noting that remote hearings are one of the key initiatives for enhancing the efficiency of court operations, the Judiciary said they save time for parties and participants such as witnesses to commute to law courts for attending court proceedings, thereby facilitating the listing of court proceedings.

The initiative also facilitates the courts in tackling unforeseen circumstances where physical presence by parties may not be possible, the Judiciary added.

Since 2020, over 2,100 remote hearings have been conducted at courts and tribunals, and the experience has been positive. The Judiciary will step up promotion for remote hearings and conduct them more often in suitable proceedings, particularly for short proceedings such as three-minute hearings and non-trial criminal proceedings.

All court users are reminded that the ordinance has introduced new offences to criminalise the unauthorised recording, publishing and broadcast of proceedings in physical and remote hearings, which are liable to a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment and a fine of $100,000.

The ordinance has also amended section 7 of the Summary Offences Ordinance to expand the coverage of the offence of taking photographs in courts to include making images or audio records of any court premises and any person on court premises. The maximum penalty is increased to one year’s imprisonment and a fine of $50,000.

While remote hearings are generally applicable to both civil proceedings and non-trial criminal proceedings, the Judiciary plans to start remote hearings for the latter in about six months’ time to allow time for stakeholders to prepare.

The Judiciary will issue directions by phases to specify the operational details of remote hearings, including the application procedures, guidelines and related issues.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has denounced the UK’s “Six-monthly report on Hong Kong: July to December 2024”, stating that it contains the slanders and smears about various aspects of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

In a statement, the Hong Kong SAR Government said it condemned and rejected the UK’s misleading and irresponsible remarks, which it labelled “despicable political maneouvres” intended to interfere in Hong Kong’s law-based governance.

It added that the Sino-British Joint Declaration is about China’s resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong, and that the UK has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of supervision over Hong Kong following the city’s return to the motherland.

It urged the UK to discern facts from fallacies, respect international law and the basic norms governing international relations, and stop interfering in Hong Kong matters, stressing that these are purely China’s internal affairs.

The Hong Kong SAR Government said the report contained “absurd and false contents” with regard to the laws safeguarding national security in the Hong Kong SAR. It outlined that the UK Government had vilified Hong Kong’s law enforcement agencies, and its prosecutorial and judicial authorities, in claiming that fulfillment of their duties constituted an “erosion of rights and freedoms”.

It also emphasised that Hong Kong law enforcement agencies’ actions are evidence-based and are taken in strict accordance with the law in respect of acts committed by people or entities, having nothing to do with their political views, background or occupation. It added that any suggestion that certain individuals or organisations should be immune from legal consequences for their illegal acts totally runs contrary to the spirit of the rule of law.

The statement highlighted that absconders hiding in the UK and other western countries are wanted and subject to arrest warrants issued by Hong Kong courts not because they “exercised freedom of expression”, but because they continue to blatantly engage in activities endangering national security. These activities include inciting secession and requesting that foreign countries engage in hostile activities against the Peoples Republic of China and the Hong Kong SAR. The statement outlined that it is therefore necessary to take all lawful measures, including “specified measures” under the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, to combat acts of abscondment.

Stressing that time was given for the absconders to return to Hong Kong to face law enforcement and legal proceedings before the measures were taken, the Hong Kong SAR Government said the absconders failed to do so.

It added that all “specified measures”, including the cancellation of Hong Kong SAR passports, align with human rights requirements, and that countries such as the UK would impose the same measures on wanted criminals.

It said that the UK had demonstrated hypocrisy and that its unwarranted and inappropriate comments on criminal proceedings which are ongoing in Hong Kong courts betrayed a complete disregard for the rule of law.

Separately, the Hong Kong SAR Government said that non-referral of a prisoner who has committed an offence endangering national security to the Post-release Supervision Board is a preventive measure that does not of itself increase the prisoner’s sentence and should not be regarded as punishment.

It explained that in deciding whether an early release would be contrary to the interests of national security, the Commissioner of Correctional Services will carry out his duties in strict accordance with the law and deal with every case fairly and impartially.

The Hong Kong SAR Government underscored that the rule of law in Hong Kong is strong and robust and can stand the test of time, adding that the city’s common law system will not be changed because of the departure of individual overseas non-permanent judges.

It also stressed that the mechanisms for safeguarding national security in the city do not undermine independent judicial power, and that the city’s judicial system continues to be protected by the Basic Law. It said that when adjudicating cases concerning offences endangering national security, as in any other cases, judges remain independent, impartial and free from any interference in performing their judicial duties.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department will begin a Mobile Printing Fixed Penalty Notice System trial on March 31 in Southern, Wong Tai Sin and Kwai Tsing districts. The system is aimed at enhancing enforcement efficiency and accuracy.

To introduce the mobile printing of fixed penalty notices (FPNs), additional FPN forms under the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness and Obstruction) Ordinance were gazetted today .

Currently, frontline enforcement officers from the department manually fill in information about contraventions on printed FPNs. Backend officers then check the forms and input the information into a data system. 

The new system enables enforcement officers to scan an offender’s Hong Kong identity card through an application on department-issued mobile phones. This instantly imports an offender’s identity information. The system also automatically records the date, time, location and data pertaining to the enforcement officer, who can then print the notice on the spot using a portable printer.

The data will be automatically uploaded to the backend system, reducing human errors and improving enforcement efficiency, the Government explained.

The mobile application will not keep images of identity cards, and the data collected for enforcement remains unchanged, the Government added.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau toured a renowned pop cultural entertainment company and its thematic park on the second day of his visit to Beijing today.

The company specialises in popular intellectual property (IP) artistic toys and has successfully commercialised IP in cultural and creative industries with a number of products that have gained popularity both domestically and globally.

Mr Yau also met representatives of the company to learn about its operation and the development of IP products on the Mainland.

Noting that the effective protection and efficient transaction of IP is crucial to the development of cultural and creative industries as well as technological innovation, Mr Yau said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is taking forward initiatives to protect the fruits of innovation and creativity to promote trading and strengthen training of talent in IP, pressing ahead with the city’s development into a regional IP trading centre.

He then met representatives of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association to promote Hong Kong’s immense opportunities for wine merchants following the deduction in liquor duty.

The commerce chief said the two-tier system announced in the 2024 Policy Address has effectively promoted high-end liquor trade, with increases recorded in both the quantity and value of liquor imported.

Mr Yau also pointed out that Mainland wine and liquor products, especially Chinese baijiu, are highly regarded in the global market, showing great market potential and room for growth.

He added that Hong Kong could serve as a key hub for trading and distribution of high-end liquor including Chinese baijiu, and Mainland wine merchants are encouraged to use the city as a platform for Chinese baijiu to go global.

Mr Yau will return to Hong Kong tomorrow.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Parents of Primary 6 students participating in the discretionary places (DP) phase of the 2025 Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA) System will receive notifications on March 31 if their applications have been successful, the Education Bureau said today.

If students are included by participating secondary schools on their Successful Lists for Discretionary Places, their parents will receive notifications from the secondary schools concerned.

Parents who have registered as SSPA e-platform (eSSPA) users with iAM Smart or iAM Smart+ may also view notifications regarding successful DP applications via the eSSPA starting from 10am on the same day. 

Parents do not need to reply to schools to say whether they accept the discretionary place offers or not.

Parents who have already been awarded a place at a non-participating Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) secondary school for their children will be faced with a choice.

If they decide to fulfill the DSS secondary school offer, they should disregard any DP notifications.

However, if they decide to decline the offer they should notify the DSS secondary school concerned and retrieve the originals of the signed undertaking and the Primary 6 Student Record Form by April 8, in order to accept the school place successfully applied for at the DP phase.

Students who are not notified as successful DP applicants can participate in the central allocation (CA).

The bureau will issue choice-making documents on April 9 through primary schools and reminds parents to complete and return the Choice Form to primary schools for submission by May 7.

If parents have submitted DP applications via the eSSPA, they are required to continue using the e-platform to submit their CA applications.

The final results for SSPA 2025 will be announced on July 8.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Government today announced that the Common Recruitment Examination (CRE) has been tentatively scheduled for June 7.

Enrolment for the CRE will open tomorrow and close on April 11. Prospective applicants for civil service posts at the degree or professional level should apply via the online application system on the Civil Service Bureau webpage.

The pool of eligible candidates for civil service jobs requiring an undergraduate degree has been expanded to students in their third year of undergraduate studies in a four-year curriculum.

This means that those eligible to sit for the examination include holders of a degree or of professional qualification that meet the entry requirement of the posts, and undergraduate students graduating in the 2024-25 or 2025-26 academic year.

Meanwhile, the bureau will launch a digitalised Basic Law & National Security Law Test (Degree/Professional Grades) (BLNST), providing a digitalised examination service at a fixed test centre so that candidates can take the test throughout the year rather than on designated test dates.

In view of the coming launch of the digitalised BLNST, with effect from June, the paper-based BLNST will not be organised on the same day of the CRE in Hong Kong. Implementation details of the digitalised test will be announced in the second quarter of 2025.

Details about the upcoming CRE will be uploaded to the bureau’s webpage tomorrow.

Call the Civil Service Examinations Unit at 2537 6429 or send an email for enquiries.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The trustee of the charitable trust for the estate of the late Nina Wang has formed its board of governors, with five independent individuals and two government officials being appointed, the Department of Justice announced today.

The members of the board of governors are Annie Tam, Rimsky Yuen, Clement Chan, Ronick Chan, Lam Ching-choi, Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Christopher Hui and Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak.

The department said that under the supervision of the supervisory managing organisation (SMO), the board of governors will promptly commence preparatory work for administering the trust. This includes preparing for and fleshing out the details of a “fund and a Chinese prize of worldwide significance similar to that of the Nobel Prize” and other charitable projects.

The trustee will in due course disclose the scheme of administration for the late Mrs Wang’s estate and other related information pursuant to the terms of the scheme and its Articles of Association.

The department said it will continue to follow up on outstanding legal proceedings and related arrangements until the estate is fully vested in the trustee from the interim administrators.

The trustee of the trust’s charitable estate is Nina Wang Charity Management. The three members of the SMO responsible for supervising the trustee’s operations are Rita Fan, Joseph Yam and Cheng Yan-kee.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Housing Authority today said rents for 1,431 flats in three blocks of a new public rental housing estate in Sheung Shui will be set at the best rent level for the district.

The best monthly rent at $74 per sq m will apply to the flats in Yuet Shek House, Yiu Shek House and Wing Shek House of Choi Shek Estate.

Under this rent-fixing exercise, rents for over 91% of the flats are below $2,500 per month.

The authority said the rents are heavily subsidised and inclusive of rates, management fees and maintenance costs.

It added that applicants who are allocated new flats but cannot afford the rents may request refurbished flats at lower rents or apply for assistance under the Rent Assistance Scheme.