CE expresses sorrow over passing of Mr Ng Hong-mun
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, today (October 18) expressed sorrow over the passing of former Hong Kong Special Administrative Region deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC) Mr Ng Hong-mun.
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee. Photo source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Mr Lee said, "Mr Ng devoted his life to the country and Hong Kong. He became a deputy to the NPC in the 1970s and served in the position for over 30 years. Mr Ng had held such important positions as member of the Preparatory Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Hong Kong Affairs Adviser, making sterling contributions to the smooth process of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the maintenance of the city's long-term stability and prosperity. Over the years, Mr Ng served as Principal and Supervisor of Pui Kiu Middle School, and as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Pui Kiu Education Foundation, nurturing generations of students with great dedication. He dedicated his life to patriotic education and had cultivated a wealth of outstanding talent for the country and Hong Kong. He was an extraordinary educationalist with remarkable contributions. Mr Ng was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 1998.
"I am saddened by the passing of Mr Ng. I extend my deepest condolences to his family."
Mr Ng Hong-mun. Photo source: reference image
Property owner fined over $250,000 for persistently not complying with removal order
An owner was convicted and fined $255,800 in total, of which $155,880 was the fine for the number of days that the offence continued, at the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts last Friday (October 16) for persistently failing to comply with a removal order issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123).
The case involved unauthorised building works (UBWs) at a detached house on Yu Chui Street, Tai Lam, comprising illegal site formation works for constructing an unauthorised platform of about 122 square metres on a slope adjoining an approved garden, the erection of a floor slab over a void adjacent to an approved dining room, the removal of parts of external walls and the construction of unauthorised structures to extend the floors at different levels of the building with a total floor area of about 57 sq m. As the 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 had been prosecuted by the BD seven times and was fined and had sentenced to four months' imprisonment suspended for two years upon convictions by the court. As the owner persisted in not complying with the removal order, the owner was prosecuted for the eighth time.
A spokesman for the BD said today (October 20), "UBWs may lead to serious consequences. Owners must comply with removal orders without delay. The BD will continue to take stringent enforcement action and instigate prosecutions against owners again if they persist in not complying with removal orders, so as 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.
