Two incoming passengers convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes
Two incoming male passengers were each sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment and fined $1,000 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (June 12) 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 two male passengers, aged 35 and 39, at Hong Kong International Airport on May 21 and seized 238 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes, with an estimated market value of $1,190,000 and a duty potential of about $786,800 in total, from their personal baggage. They were subsequently arrested.
Customs welcomes the sentences. The custodial sentences have imposed a considerable deterrent effect and reflect the seriousness of the offences.
Under the DCO, tobacco products 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).
Two incoming passengers convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Dogs allowed to enter permitted food premises from July 9
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (June 12) announced that dogs will be allowed to enter permitted food premises starting from July 9. The FEHD conducted an open balloting today and allocated 1 000 quotas for allowing dogs to enter food premises according to the ballot result.
The FEHD invited the Chairman of the Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene of the Legislative Council, Ms Chan Hoi-yan, to officiate the open ballot this morning. During the process, five different sequences were randomly generated by computer using the licence numbers of all applying food premises, after which Ms Chan manually drew one of the sequences for the allocation of quotas. The first 1 000 applications in the sequence drawn were considered successful, while the remaining ones will be placed on a waiting list. The ballot results have been uploaded to the FEHD's dedicated webpage (www.fehd.gov.hk/english/licensing/dog_restaurants/index.html), while the ballot process will be uploaded later today. All the applicants will be notified of the ballot results via SMS.
The 1 000 successful food premises are located in various districts of Hong Kong, Kowloon, and the New Territories. The district distribution and restaurant category of these food premises are shown in Annex 1.
A spokesman for the FEHD said, "The FEHD will deploy dedicated officers to visit successful food premises on June 16 and 17 to deliver Approval Letters and brief their operators on the statutory requirements, licence conditions and other compliance arrangements. Successful applicants must pay a fee of $140, on or before June 24, to amend their licences to include this permission. If applicants fail to complete the procedures within the specific period, or give up the eligibility for other reasons, the FEHD will arrange other applicants on the waiting list to fill the vacancies according to the sequential order from the ballot result."
Applicants who have completed the procedures and obtained formal approval will be given designated A3-sized signages, which are required to be displayed at a conspicuous place at the main entrances of the food premises from July 9 to facilitate identification by members of the public. An image of the signage is in Annex 2. The FEHD will upload the names and addresses of the permitted food premises, along with the Notes to Customers devised and provided by the food premises (if any), onto the dedicated webpage later this month for public search and viewing.
Dogs will be allowed to enter permitted food premises starting from July 9. The FEHD will launch a series of publicity campaigns, including television and radio Announcements in the Public Interest, as well as advertisements at bus stops, MTR stations and on the exterior walls of government buildings, to publicise the arrangements for allowing dogs to enter permitted food premises. In particular, a publicity video will premiere on the FEHD's Facebook page at 5pm today.
The FEHD advises that permitted food premises should make adequate preparations for allowing dogs to enter, including planning dining areas, installing facilities, training staff, and contacting insurance companies. In addition, co-operation among customers bringing dogs and other members of the public is also crucial. The FEHD has earlier released the Guidelines on Good Practices and Behaviour, covering points to note for restaurant operators, and both customers bringing dogs and those without dogs. The FEHD encourages different parties to refer to the Guidelines, fulfil their responsibilities, and respect one another, thereby promoting pet inclusivity.
The FEHD accepted applications from restaurants between May 18 and June 8 for allowing dogs to enter their premises, and received a total of 2 205 applications. After striking out duplicated, self-withdrawn, and known-to-be ineligible applications (including those without valid restaurant licences and those operating mainly as hotpot/barbecue restaurants), and after further verification, the FEHD conducted the balloting today for the remaining 1 616 applications. Should applicants have any questions about the ballot results or application matters, enquiries can be made through the hotlines at 2867 5912 or 2867 2836.
Source: AI-found images
