Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Government’s first-phase measures to enhance the regulation of licensed money lenders (money lenders) take effect today (August 1), including prohibiting money lenders from requesting borrowers to provide loan referees, and introducing “debt servicing ratio” caps for unsecured personal loans of low-income earners.

With the above measures in place, money lenders are not allowed to request borrowers to provide loan referees, and members of the public need not worry about facing harassment due to acting as a loan referee. Setting “debt servicing ratio” caps – for borrowers with monthly incomes of HK$6,000 or less, the cap is 35 per cent, and for borrowers with monthly incomes from HK$6,001 to HK$12,000, the cap is 40 per cent – will not only protect the public, but also encourage money lenders to grant loans more responsibly, thereby helping to address the issue of excessive borrowing and foster a more healthy market development.

The second-phase measures will be rolled out on June 1 next year, and will include requiring all money lenders engaging in unsecured personal loan businesses to regularly submit personal credit information of their unsecured personal loan borrowers to the Credit Data Smart (CDS). Money lenders will also need to meet specific requirements to join the CDS to obtain personal credit information of borrowers for loan application assessment.

The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) hopes that the community will continue to support implementation of the measures, with a view to addressing the issue of excessive borrowing via a multipronged approach. The FSTB and the Companies Registry have been maintaining close liaison with the money lending industry, and have provided information and guidance to money lenders in order to ensure the smooth implementation of the measures.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​Hong Kong Customs today (August 1) seized four live turtles of suspected endangered species, with a total estimated market value of about $20,000, at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point.

A 43-year-old local woman was intercepted for customs clearance at the departure hall of the Control Point. Customs officers found four live turtles on her body. Upon inspection by officers of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the batch of turtles were suspected to be endangered species listed in the Appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and regulated under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) in Hong Kong.

The case was handed over to the AFCD for follow-up investigation.

Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.

Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (August 2) led Principal Officials to attend a District Forum for Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan (Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan) and the 2026 Policy Address to listen to views and suggestions from members of local communities on Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan and the Chief Executive’s fifth Policy Address. The District Forum was held at South Tuen Mun Government Secondary School, with about 130 participants from different backgrounds.

     The two-hour District Forum consisted of two sessions. In the first session, Mr Lee and the Principal Officials listened to views expressed by members of the public, covering a wide range of topics including accelerating the Northern Metropolis development and advancing spatial planning in other areas; economy, finance and trade; innovation, technology and industry development; people’s livelihood and social development; development of regional co-operation; and integrated development of culture, sports and tourism, green living, and more. In the second session, participants were divided into four groups to engage in in-depth exchanges with Mr Lee and the Principal Officials, focusing on the two themes of “pursuing development and economic growth” and “improving people’s livelihood and building our future together”. Mr Lee interacted and discussed with participants of each group in turn and listened to their views.

     Mr Lee said, “The District Forum is an important platform for members of the public to express their views. My governing team and I attended the District Forum today to conduct in-depth exchanges with members of the public on Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan and the Policy Address. We listened to views of the public on Hong Kong’s current and long-term economic and social development, which will help the Government formulate Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan and the Policy Address, devise the overall development blueprint, and set priorities for key policy initiatives, with a view to bringing impetus to the economy, further enhancing the well-being of our people, as well as enabling the public to better benefit from government policies.”

     The Government launched the public consultations for Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan and the Policy Address in June, and has held a number of consultation sessions over the past month to collect views from different sectors. Members of the public are welcome to continue submitting their views through various channels, including the dedicated websites for Hong Kong’s Five-Year Plan and the Policy Address, and by email.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

    ​The President of the Legislative Council (LegCo), Dr Starry Lee, together with members of the LegCo Panel on Security and other Members, conducted a visit to the Huanggang Port Building Hong Kong Port Area (the Hong Kong Port Area) today (August 1) to learn about the latest preparatory work prior to its opening, including facilities operations and clearance arrangements.

Accompanied by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, Members first received a briefing by representatives of the Security Bureau on the latest progress of the preparatory work for the Hong Kong Port Area, as well as the passenger clearance routes and facilities layout in the building. Members considered that the redevelopment of Huanggang Port is one of the key initiatives through which the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) better integrates into and serves the overall development of the country, as well as a major livelihood project long-awaited by the public. In this regard, Members expressed their hope for early opening of the port.

The Hong Kong Port Area was established at the midnight of July 31 and is under the jurisdiction of the HKSAR in accordance with the laws of the HKSAR. Members noted that the redeveloped Huanggang Port will be positioned as the most important 24-hour passenger land boundary control point between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Adopting the co-location arrangement and the novel “collaborative inspection and joint clearance” mode, the overall clearance time will be significantly reduced from 30 minutes to approximately 5 minutes, significantly enhancing the passenger clearance experience and efficiency.

Members then visited facilities of the Hong Kong Port Area, including the Public Transport Interchange, Passenger Clearance Hall, Vehicle Clearance Level and the Immigration Clearance Hall for On-board Passengers, to gain first-hand knowledge of various operational arrangements of the Hong Kong Port Area. Members received a briefing by representatives of the Immigration Department on the operation of the “collaborative inspection” automated channels at the Passenger Clearance Hall, noting that passengers will only need to queue up once for document inspection or “face scan” clearance for identity verification to complete the respective immigration procedures of the two places, simplifying the passenger clearance procedures.

Members also observed the “joint one-stop” vehicle lanes at the Vehicle Clearance Level, and were briefed by representatives of the Customs and Excise Department on the “five-party inspection” arrangement for vehicles and drivers. Members learned that drivers will have to complete clearance procedures with the collection of body temperature, travel document, facial features and fingerprint data in one go through the “integrated information collection device”. The relevant information will then be transmitted to five different customs, immigration and quarantine authorities of Hong Kong and Shenzhen for respective immigration inspections. This will significantly enhance clearance efficiency.

During the visit, Members exchanged views with government representatives on various issues, covering the public transport facilities connecting to the Hong Kong Port Area, preparatory tasks prior to its opening, including status of various tests and drill arrangements, as well as supervision of operations, with a view to ensuring smooth operations after the opening of the port in the future.

A total of 37 Members attended the visit. In addition to members of the Panel on Security, other non-members also attended.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

An incoming Mainland male passenger was sentenced to six weeks’ imprisonment with a fine of $1,000 by the Fanling Magistrates’ Courts today (August 3) for possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).

Customs officers intercepted the incoming 39-year-old Mainland male passenger at the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point on August 1 and seized 869 duty-not-paid cigarettes from him. The estimated market value of the seized cigarettes was about $3,900, and the duty potential was about $2,800. The passenger was subsequently arrested.

Customs welcomes the sentence, noting that even a first-time offender may still be imprisoned. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences. Members of the public should not defy the law.

Customs reminds members of the public that under the DCO, cigarettes are dutiable goods to which the DCO applies. Any person who imports, deals with, possesses, sells or buys illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk), or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region