Care Teams Assist Jordan Fire Victims; Licensing Changes for Pinball, Claw Machines Aim to Enhance Consumer Protection.

Remarks by SHYA at media session

Following are the remarks by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, at a media session after attending a radio programme this morning (May 23):

Reporter: For the fire in Jordan that happened on Thursday night, do you know if the Care Teams have reached out to the affected unit and the residents? Also, on what you mentioned on the radio programme just now, how will the move to get pinball machines as well as claw machines licensed help safeguard both consumers and operators? And what do you make of the figure that only three out of more than 200 pinball machine operators in Hong Kong are currently licensed?

Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs: For the tragic fire in Jordan happaned on Thursday, our Care Team members and District Council members had arrived at the scene immediately after the fire broke out, and rendered adequate support and assistance to the residents concerned. The District Office had also set up a shelter at one of our community centres to accommodate those affected residents. The Care Team members and District Council members are continuing to support and render assistance to the residents concerned.

As for the licensing of pinball machines and claw machines, as I have stated when presenting to the Legislative Council, the review that we are currently undertaking is to streamline and clarify the licensing conditions of the AWPL (Amusements with Prizes Licence). Before 2022, anyone who wanted to apply for an AWPL had to apply for a PPE (Places of Public Entertainment Licence) first, but after a court case in 2022 ruled that claw machines are not part of public entertainment premises, operators of claw machines are not required to apply for a PPE Licence. This hindered claw machine operators from applying for an AWPL, that is why we are trying to streamline and clarify the licensing conditions. For our review now, anyone who wants to apply for an AWPL will not necessarily need a PPE Licence, so that the operator can apply for an AWPL and operate under a regulated regime.

For pinball machines, we currently estimate that there are about 200 operators in the market, and right now three operators have already applied for the AWPL. We are processing quite a number of applications now, and we believe that with our review, more pinball machine operators will apply for the AWPL, so that they can operate under a regulated environment and protect the interests of consumers.

Under the new licensing conditions for the AWPL, we will require every licence holder to display the licence information and the operator's details, and also to educate consumers not to become obsessed with these games. We hope that, through the new licensing regime, we can put in place a more regulated framework, so that operators can have a clear direction and know what to follow under the new licensing regime.

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

Source: AI-found images

Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for possession of duty-not-paid cigarettes

An incoming passenger was sentenced to 29 days of imprisonment by the Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (May 23) for possessing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (DCO).

Customs officers intercepted the incoming 58-year-old male passenger at the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point yesterday (May 22) and seized 1 981 sticks of duty-not-paid cigarettes from him. The estimated market value of the seized cigarettes was about $8,100, and the duty potential was about $6,500. He 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).

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