Property owner fined over $50,000 for not complying with removal order
An owner was convicted and fined $52,900 in total, of which $32,900 was the fine for the number of days that the offence continued, at the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts last Friday (March 20) for failing to comply with a removal order issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123).
The Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts, the Tuen Mun Law Courts Building
The case involved an unauthorised rooftop structure of about 30 square metres and two flat roof structures with a total area of about 19 sq m at a detached house in Wo Shang Wai, Yuen Long. As the unauthorised building works (UBWs) were carried out without prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), a removal order was served on the owner under section 24(1) of the BO. Failing to comply with the removal order, the owner was prosecuted by the BD.
The Buildings Department (BD), Photo source: reference image
A spokesman for the BD said today (March 23), "UBWs may lead to serious consequences. Owners must comply with removal orders without delay. The BD will continue to take enforcement action against owners who fail to comply with removal orders, including instigation of prosecution, to ensure building and public safety."
Failure to comply with a removal order without reasonable excuse is a serious offence under the BO. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $200,000 and one year's imprisonment, and a further fine of up to $20,000 for each day that the offence continues.
Source: AI-found images
Hongkong Post to adjust principal postage rates with effect from April 13
Hongkong Post today (March 23) announced that the principal postage rates will be adjusted with effect from April 13.
"Hongkong Post is committed to providing reliable and efficient postal services to the public at reasonable prices. However, there is a need to periodically adjust postage rates in order to offset escalating operating costs, in particular increases in major cost components such as conveyance costs and terminal dues payments," a spokesperson for Hongkong Post said.
"The current postage adjustments are broadly in line with the cumulative inflation since the last adjustments in September 2022 up to January 2026. Overall, the postage increases for over 90 per cent of local mail and surface mail will be within $0.2, while those for 90 per cent of airmail will be within $0.5. The expected impact on both the general public and the commercial sectors is considered to be very mild," the spokesperson said.
The principal postage adjustments of the basic tiers for posting letters will be as follows:
local letters weighing 30 grams or less will be adjusted from the existing postage of $2.2 to $2.4;
letters by airmail weighing 20 gramsor less to the Chinese Mainland and Taiwan will be adjusted from the existing postage of $3.7 to $3.9, while those to other places will be adjusted from $4.0 - $5.5 to $4.2 - $5.8; and
letters by surface mail weighing 20 grams or less to the Chinese Mainland, Macao and Taiwan will be adjusted from the existing postage of $2.8 to $3.0, while those to other places will be adjusted from $3.5 - $5.3 to $3.7 - $5.6.
"With the development of information technology, electronic communication is replacing traditional correspondence while market competition from commercial delivery services is severe. These pose great challenges to Hongkong Post's business. Hongkong Post has been actively pursuing transformation and will continue its efforts to generate revenue through development in e-commerce business and manage its costs with a view to providing affordable and quality universal postal services," the spokesperson said.
Details of the postage rate adjustments are in the Annex. The public may refer to the Hongkong Post website (www.hongkongpost.hk) for more information.
Source: AI-found images
