Category: MIL-OSI

Government and 29 large corporates jointly launch new round of HYAB Scheme on Corporate Summer Internship on the Mainland and Overseas      
     In the 2025 Policy Address, the Chief Executive emphasised that the Government would sustain its efforts in promoting youth development on all fronts. This includes continuing to implement various exchange and internship programmes on the Mainland and overseas to help young people broaden international horizons and cultivate a holistic outlook. In this regard, the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau forged partnerships with large corporates to launch the HYAB Scheme on Corporate Summer Internship on the Mainland and Overseas for Hong Kong youth to intern at the Mainland and overseas operations of these corporates. The Scheme will help young people learn and experience first-hand the national development and international trends, and at the same time provide them with exposure to the work culture in large corporates and the opportunity to establish interpersonal networks outside Hong Kong, enabling them to accumulate invaluable work experience and lay a foundation for future career development.
      
     The number of companies participating in the new round of the Scheme has increased to 29. Internship placements are offered in multiple Chinese Mainland provinces and cities, including various Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing and Hangzhou, as well as overseas countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Australia. The internship placements also cover a wider range of industries than before, such as financial services, innovation and technology, pharmaceutical, logistics, property development, construction, retail, hospitality and utilities (please refer to Annex for details of the internship placements). Applicants must be aged 18 or above and should be (i) a full time post-secondary student (including sub-degree, undergraduate, or postgraduate) holding a Hong Kong permanent identity card; or (ii) a local full-time post-secondary student (including sub-degree, undergraduate, or postgraduate) holding a Hong Kong identity card. The internship will take place between June and September this year. Participating companies will sponsor the interns for major expenses including transportation and accommodation costs, and assign dedicated personnel to provide training and support to the interns.
      
     Details of the Scheme are available on the dedicated webpage (www.ydc.gov.hk/scsi/enIssued at HKT 17:55

Online auction of vehicle registration marks to be held from February 26 to March 2 
     A spokesman for the TD said, “A total of 220 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve an Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with ‘HK’ or ‘XX’ as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged.”

     Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points: 
(2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using “iAM Smart+” or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.
 
(3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.
 
(4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:
 (5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.

(6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.Issued at HKT 15:00

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Fatal traffic accident in Lantau North

     Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident happened in Lantau North today (February 11) in which a man died.
 
     At 9.49am, a taxi driven by a 43-year-old man was travelling along North Lantau Highway towards Hong Kong International Airport. It reportedly rammed into a stationary works vehicle.Issued at HKT 19:25

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DSJ promotes Hong Kong’s common law system and strengths in legal, financial and other professional services in Indonesia       
     In the morning, Dr Cheung attended the China Conference: Southeast Asia 2026, where he shared insights with political and business communities on how Hong Kong’s unique strengths can help consolidate and develop economic and trade partnerships with fast-growing economies like Indonesia.
      
     Dr Cheung noted that Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages could be highlighted in four aspects. First, “irreplaceable”; Hong Kong serves as an irreplaceable bridge for Indonesian and ASEAN enterprises looking to the market of the Chinese Mainland, and for Chinese companies venturing into Southeast Asia’s markets. Second, “interconnected”; as an international financial centre, Hong Kong is deeply interconnected in financial, legal, and other professional fields, reflecting the international best practice. Third, “innovative”; Hong Kong keeps abreast of innovative policies, supporting the development of different industry sectors. For example, initiatives enabling multinational corporations to relocate their domicile to Hong Kong and enjoy the city’s simple and low tax regime. Fourth, “indispensable”; the common law system is a cornerstone of Hong Kong’s success. With a robust rule of law environment, a bilingual common law system which is internationally compatible as well as clear and transparent laws, Hong Kong is an indispensable international legal hub offering strong and reliable legal support for sophisticated cross-border investments.
      
     Dr Cheung said that Hong Kong stood ready to collaborate with Indonesia and other ASEAN countries by leveraging Hong Kong’s unique advantages to promote shared prosperity across Asia.
      
     During the Conference, Dr Cheung met with the Chargé d’Affaires ad Interim of the Embassy to the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of  Indonesia, Mr Zhou Kan. Dr Cheung expressed gratitude to Mr Zhou for his support on the work of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Dr Cheung remarked that the Department of Justice had been fully supporting Mainland enterprises in leveraging Hong Kong to go global and rolled out the Hong Kong Professional Services GoGlobal Platform and the “Collection of Success Stories: Hong Kong’s Professional Services Supporting Chinese Mainland Enterprises Going Global” about two months ago. During the visit, Dr Cheung also visited a Mainland-invested enterprise which had leveraged Hong Kong’s professional services to go global successfully in Indonesia. He exchanged views with their senior management on the measures of the Platform in supporting Mainland enterprises. 
      
     Dr Cheung also met with the Chairwoman of the Indonesian Employers’ Association, Ms Shinta Widjaja Kamdani. Dr Cheung indicated that Hong Kong enjoyed both China advantages and international advantages under the “one country, two systems” principle. He encouraged Indonesian businesses to leverage the city’s high-quality professional services, including international legal and financial services, to set up regional business headquarters in Hong Kong and to seize new opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area development.

     In addition, Dr Cheung had a luncheon with leaders from the commercial, financial, and innovation and technology sectors in Indonesia and nearby regions to exchange views on how to better facilitate commercial ties and collaboration between Hong Kong and Indonesia.      
     Before the reception, the Director-General of the HKETO in Jakarta, Miss Libera Cheng, updated Dr Cheung on the HKETO’s work. She said that the establishment of the HKETO in Kuala Lumpur in December 2025 has further strengthened Hong Kong’s relations with ASEAN countries. With Indonesia being ASEAN’s largest economy, the HKETO in Jakarta will continue to enhance promotion work in the region, with a view to fostering bilateral economic, trade and people-to-people ties.
      
     Dr Cheung will visit the China Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia tomorrow (February 11) before concluding his visit and returning to Hong Kong.
Issued at HKT 20:18

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Two illegal workers jailed      
     During an anti-illegal worker operation conducted by the Immigration Department (ImmD) on March 4, 2025, investigators raided an industrial building in Kwai Chung. Two Filipino men, aged 42 and 45, were arrested while loading goods. Upon identity checking, they produced for inspection recognisance forms issued by the ImmD, which prohibit them from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that they were non-refoulement claimants.
      
     The illegal workers were charged at the Shatin Magistrates’ Courts yesterday with taking employment while being a person in respect of whom a removal order or deportation order was in force. After trial, they were both sentenced to 22 months and 15 days’ imprisonment.
      
     The spokesman warned, “As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. As stipulated in section 20(1)(a) of the Immigration Ordinance, the Chief Executive may make a deportation order against an immigrant, prohibiting the immigrant from being in Hong Kong at any time thereafter if the immigrant has been found guilty in Hong Kong of an offence punishable by imprisonment for not less than two years.”
      
     The spokesman stressed that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
      
     According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.
      
     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) and/or forced labour victims. When any TIP and/or forced labour indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP and/or forced labour elements. Identified TIP and/or forced labour victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP and/or forced labour victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.
Issued at HKT 18:55

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