Hong Kong Transport Secretary Discusses Guangdong Vehicle Scheme and Road Safety Education Initiatives

Remarks by STL on Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles at media session

Following are the remarks by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, at a media session after attending the opening ceremony of automated "Park & Fly" carpark of the Airport Authority Hong Kong today (November 15):

Reporter: The (Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles) scheme is now only reserved for residents in four cities, namely Jiangmen, Guangzhou, Zhongshan and Zhuhai. When is the schedule for opening up to residents of other cities? My second question is there have been quite a lot of social media clips showing that the vehicles from Guangdong province side, maybe they are not familiar with the traffic rules in Hong Kong, and therefore, there are a lot of violations. How would the Transport and Logistics Bureau step up the education on Hong Kong traffic rules to these drivers to mitigate such kind of hazards that they might bring?

Secretary for Transport and Logistics:The Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme is an innovative policy which enhances the connection between Guangdong area and Hong Kong. The proximity of the Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge form a synergy in order to provide multimodal, i.e. land transport and air transport for Guangdong residents to enable them to experience destinations provided by the HKIA. As far as the second part of the scheme is concerned, we are making different kinds of efforts on different fronts in order to ensure safety, enable convenience and benefit various sectors and trades in Hong Kong. We work very closely with Guangdong entities and authorities. The Bureau stressed the importance of vehicle safety as well as road safety. That is why we have already provided a total of around nine places to conduct vehicle examination. During the vehicle examination process, we will also enhance the awareness and provide useful tips on the road safety requirements of Hong Kong to educate the Guangdong residents.

I am sure through our various means of promotion and education, we will ensure that they will observe the requirements of driving in Hong Kong and we will also continue to provide different promotional materials to enable their cars and vehicles to divert into various spaces such as hotels, sports facilities, convention facilities, so that they can spend some money in Hong Kong and also can stay overnight in Hong Kong in order to enhance the economy and tourism in Hong Kong.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)

The lane for Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles. Photo source: CCTV News

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes

An incoming male passenger was sentenced to three months' imprisonment and fined $2,000 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (December 8) for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).

Customs officers intercepted a 31-year-old incoming male passenger at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (December 7). About 13 900 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about $62,000 and a duty potential of about $46,000, were seized from his personal baggage. The passenger was subsequently arrested.

Customs welcomes the sentence. The custodial sentence has imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflects the seriousness of the offences. 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).

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases