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Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

      The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of anti-illegal worker focused operations by conducting surprise inspections and enforcement actions, targeting four industries, including renovation, catering, logistics and cleansing, which are prone to involvement with illegal employment from July 2 to yesterday (August 14). A total of 165 persons were arrested, including 109 suspected illegal workers, 54 suspected employers and two suspected aiders and abettors. Among them, 61 persons have been prosecuted for offences under the Immigration Ordinance, with 49 persons sentenced to prison terms ranging from 54 days to 18 months.

      The ImmD has long been highly vigilant against the problem of illegal employment and has taken vigorous and effective enforcement actions. The ImmD has mounted intelligence-led focused operations in multiple targeted locations. From July 2 to August 14, ImmD investigators, employing strategies including decoy operations, conducted raids at 721 targeted locations across various districts in Hong Kong, including private housing estates, newly built/inhabited housing estates, shop units under renovation, restaurants and popular gathering spots for food delivery riders.

The arrested illegal workers include dishwashers, kitchen workers, waiters, waitresses, food delivery riders, renovation workers, cleaners and logistics workers. They aged between 19 and 56, comprised 35 non-ethnic Chinese persons (including 11 recognisance forms holders prohibited from taking any employment) and 74 Mainlanders. Among the illegal workers arrested, 7 persons were suspected of using and being in possession of forged Hong Kong identity cards. Additionally, 55 Hong Kong residents and 1 Mainlander were arrested for suspected involvement in employing illegal workers or aiding and abetting others in breaching their conditions of stay in Hong Kong. Serious investigation will be conducted on the employers and contractors, and the ImmD does not rule out the possibility of further arrests or prosecutions.

Among the arrested illegal workers, 61 persons have been prosecuted for offences under the Immigration Ordinance, including breach of conditions of stay, using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card, and taking employment while being 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. Among them, 49 persons have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from 54 days to 18 months.

The spokesman said that the ImmD will continue to combat illegal employment activities. The ImmD is committed to combating illegal employment by illegal immigrants, visitors, foreign domestic helpers, and imported workers bound by specific employment conditions in order to protect the local labour market. If illegal activities are suspected, citizens may contact the ImmD’s dedicated hotline (2824 1551), email (anti_crime@immd.gov.hk) and online reporting platform (www.immd.gov.hk/eng/online-services/) to report illegal employment activities.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Police today (August 15) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Ma On Shan.

Tsang Yung, aged 58, went missing after he was last seen at a caring home in Yiu On Estate yesterday (August 14) morning. Staff of the caring home made a report to Police today.

He is about 1.7 metres tall, 76 kilograms in weight and of medium build. He has a round face with yellow complexion and short grey hair. He was last seen wearing a grey long-sleeved jacket, black shorts, black shoes, carrying a black crossbody bag and a long black umbrella.

Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Persons Unit of New Territories South on 3661 1173 or 5217 5562 or email to rmpu-nts-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

National Ecology Day 2025 was held today, with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government staging a launch ceremony and symposium to kick off a series of activities themed around environmental protection and ecological conservation.

 

Deputy Chief Secretary Cheuk Wing-hing, Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan and Deputy Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific & Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Ye Shuiqiu officiated at the ceremony.

 

Delivering the opening speech, Mr Cheuk remarked that this year’s National Ecology Day, the third such event, coincided with the 20th anniversary of President Xi Jinping introducing the concept that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”, and that this made the occasion even more special.

 

Mr Cheuk emphasised that the Hong Kong SAR Government places great importance in the country’s “ecological civilisation” initiatives, and is working to promote green transformation in society, conserve the natural environment, and strengthen co-operation with the Mainland, in order to build a beautiful China and a beautiful Hong Kong.

 

At the launch ceremony, the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department (AFCD) signed a “Memorandum of Understanding on the Joint Rescue Mechanism for Large Aquatic Wild Animals” with the Ocean Development Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality.

 

Its aim is to strengthen co-operation between the two places in the rescue of large aquatic wild animals, and to facilitate the sharing of experience and technology in order to improve ecological safety in the waters adjacent to Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

 

At the symposium, representatives from the Mainland and Hong Kong SAR Governments, and from non-governmental organisations, as well as scholars and experts, exchanged ideas on conservation work and the concept of ecological civilisation.

 

Various special activities and offers are available from today to September 28 to encourage the public to respond to and participate in this year’s National Ecology Day.

 

More details can be found on the Countryside Conservation Office website, the AFCD’s Hong Kong Biodiversity Information Hub, and on the websites or social media pages of participating organisations.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau wrapped up his visit to Sydney, Australia, today by touring a beauty and wellness products enterprise, meeting the distillery sector, and attending a business luncheon and dinner.

 

He began the last day of his visit by making a courtesy call on Consul-General of the People’s Republic of China in Sydney Wang Yu.

     

During the meeting, Mr Yau updated Mr Wang on Hong Kong’s latest developments and measures to drive sustained economic growth, and consolidate and enhance the city’s status as an international trade centre.

 

This was followed by a tour of a beauty and wellness enterprise where Mr Yau exchanged views with the company’s senior management on the vast potential of the Asian market.

 

The commerce chief encouraged Australian enterprises to set up regional headquarters in Hong Kong to seize opportunities in Southeast Asian markets as well as the Mainland, in particular the Greater Bay Area.

 

Afterwards, Mr Yau had a lunch meeting with representatives of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and the local business community.

 

He sought to understand the needs and development directions of Australian enterprises, and discuss fostering closer business and trade co-operation between Hong Kong and Australia.

 

In the afternoon meeting with an Australian Distillers Association representative, Mr Yau gave an introduction on Hong Kong’s reduction in liquor duty in order to promote liquor trading and boost the development of high value-added industries.

 

Mr Yau also toured a distillery to understand more about the process of distilling and the development of Australian spirits.

 

He concluded the day by attending a business awards gala dinner organised by the Hong Kong Australia Business Association NSW Chapter, where he gave a speech highlighting Hong Kong’s distinctive advantages under the “one country, two systems” principle, and the opportunities ahead for collaboration.

 

Mr Yau will return to Hong Kong tomorrow.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

(To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Government today reported that Hong Kong’s economy continued to expand solidly in the second quarter of 2025, with real gross domestic product (GDP) rising 3.1% year-on-year.

Acting Government Economist Cecilia Lam gave the figure as she presented the Half-yearly Economic Report 2025. On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter basis, real GDP rose 0.4% in the second quarter.

Ms Lam highlighted that US trade policy continues to bring uncertainty to the global economy and global trade. However, resilient external demand, coupled with some rush shipments in response to temporary easing of tariff measures by the US, supported an acceleration in Hong Kong’s total exports of goods, which saw a year-on-year real-terms increase of 11.5% in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, thanks to strong growth in inbound tourism, sustained expansion in cross-boundary traffic and vibrant financial sector activity, exports of services continued to expand significantly, up 7.5% over a year earlier.

Domestically, private consumption expenditure resumed moderate growth of 1.9% year on year following four consecutive quarters of contraction.

The labour market experienced some softening during the period, with the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rising to 3.5%. Employment earnings grew solidly over a year earlier.

The residential property market showed some stabilisation during the quarter. Flat prices held broadly stable, and rentals stayed resilient.

Meanwhile, consumer price inflation stayed modest in the second quarter, with the underlying Composite Consumer Price Index (CCPI) rising 1.1% over a year earlier and the headline CCPI increasing 1.8% year on year.

The Hong Kong economy is expected to maintain growth for the rest of 2025, Ms Lam said.

“Steady economic growth in Asia, in particular the Mainland, together with the sustained increases in local employment earnings, the robust stock market, and the stabilisation of the residential property market will bode well for various sectors of the Hong Kong economy.

“The Government’s various measures to boost consumption, attract investment and diversify markets will also provide further support to the Hong Kong economy.”

Taking into account the actual out-turn in the first half of this year and developments locally and globally, Hong Kong’s real GDP growth forecast for 2025 as a whole has been maintained at 2% to 3%.

As for the inflation outlook, as pressures from domestic costs and external prices are anticipated to stay broadly in check, overall inflation should remain modest in the near term. The forecasts for underlying and headline consumer price inflation rates this year remain at 1.5% and 1.8% respectively.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Electoral Affairs Commission:

     The 2025 Election Committee Subsector (ECSS) By-elections will be held on September 7 (Sunday). The Chairman of the Electoral Affairs Commission, Mr Justice David Lok, inspected the hands-on training session organised by the Registration and Electoral Office (REO) today (August 15) to see for himself the training provided to the electoral staff of the central counting station.

     The staff participating in the training today will mainly perform counting duties at the central counting station on the polling day. This training session aims to enhance their understanding of the operation of the relevant system and workflow, and the way to quickly input the votes obtained by each candidate to the relevant system if the fallback counting contingency plan is activated, to ensure that the votes are counted in an accurate and efficient manner.

     Mr Justice Lok said that this training session and simulation could enable the staff to get familiar with the relevant details and arrangements, and the measures to be taken in case of contingencies. He also thanked the electoral staff for their joint efforts and dedication in ensuring that the count would be conducted openly, fairly and honestly.

Five ordinary polling stations will be set up for the ECSS By-elections. After the close of the poll, all ballot boxes will be delivered to the central counting station located at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for counting. The entire counting process involves different steps and details. The REO will continue to arrange different training sessions and simulation exercises for staff responsible for various tasks, including those responsible for operating the electronic counting machines, with an aim of deepening their understanding of their work while at the same time strengthening the co-ordination and response capabilities among staff with different responsibilities for making a detailed and comprehensive preparation for the By-elections and ensuring that the counting of votes can be carried out smoothly.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

An order to remove and dispose of human remains buried in 2018 in six public cemeteries was gazetted today (August 15).

The order was made under section 119A of the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), which empowers the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene (DFEH) to direct the removal and disposal of human remains buried in public cemeteries for a period of not less than six years.

According to the order, human remains subject to removal include those buried in 2018 in the coffin sections of Wo Hop Shek Cemetery in Fanling, Cheung Chau Cemetery, Tai O Cemetery and Lai Chi Yuen Cemetery on Lantau; and the “T” Section of Sandy Ridge Cemetery and the Government Urn Section of Sandy Ridge Urn Cemetery in Lo Wu.

Persons who wish to arrange for private exhumation and disposal of the human remains should apply in person to the department’s Cemeteries and Crematoria Office on the Upper Ground Floor, 6 Cheong Hang Road, Hung Hom, Kowloon, on or before August 29 this year. Enquiries can be made at 2365 5321 or 2364 5364.

Any remains buried in 2018 in the six cemeteries not exhumed as required will be cremated at a government crematorium. The ashes will be buried at Sandy Ridge Urn Cemetery in Lo Wu or other cemeteries as the DFEH may decide.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:
 
The Judiciary announced today (August 15) the appointment of the new term of the Advisory Committee on Complaints against Judicial Conduct for a two-year period from August 16, 2025, to August 15, 2027.
 
Chief Justice Andrew Cheung, Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, said, “We would like to express our gratitude to all members of the Advisory Committee for their valuable support and contributions over the past two terms since its establishment in August 2021. Their views and suggestions – particularly in relation to the handling of complex and controversial cases – have played a significant role in enhancing the accountability and transparency of the mechanism for handling complaints against judicial conduct.
 
“The Judiciary continues to attach great importance to the fair and proper handling of complaints relating to judicial conduct, while upholding the fundamental principle of judicial independence. This is essential to maintaining public confidence in the judicial system. I look forward to working closely with the Advisory Committee in its upcoming term,” he added.
 
Established in 2021 upon the implementation of an enhanced mechanism with a two-tier structure, the Advisory Committee comprises senior judges as well as members from the community with expertise and experience in judicial, professional and public services. It monitors and advises on the handling of complaints against judicial conduct, identifies problems in court practices/procedures which may lead to complaints and suggests improvements where appropriate, and makes recommendations on improvements to the complaint handling mechanism.
 
The new membership of the Advisory Committee is as follows:
 
Chairman
————-
The Honourable Chief Justice Andrew Cheung Kui-nung
(Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal)
 
Members
————
The Honourable Mr Justice Johnson Lam Man-hon
(Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal)
 
The Honourable Mr Justice Patrick Chan Siu-oi
(Non-Permanent Judge of the Court of Final Appeal)
 
The Honourable Mr Justice Jeremy Poon Shiu-chor
(Chief Judge of the High Court)
 
The Honourable Madam Justice Susan Kwan Shuk-hing  
(Vice-President of the Court of Appeal of the High Court)
 
Dr Christopher Cheng Wai-chee
 
Mr Patrick Fung Pak-tung, SC
 
Ms Anita Fung Yuen-mei
 
Ms Connie Lau Yin-hing