Incoming passenger convicted and jailed for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes
An incoming male passenger was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and fined $1,000 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (November 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 an incoming 29-year-old Mainland male passenger at Hong Kong International Airport on September 16 who arrived in Hong Kong from Tokyo, Japan, and seized 30 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes from his personal baggage, with an estimated market value of about $123,000 and a duty potential of about $99,000. 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 duty-not-paid 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).
An incoming male passenger was sentenced to six months' imprisonment and fined $1,000 by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts today (November 12) for importing duty-not-paid cigarettes and failing to declare them to Customs officers, in contravention of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance. Photo shows the duty-not-paid cigarettes seized. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Education (Amendment) Bill 2026 to be gazetted tomorrow
The Government will gazette the Education (Amendment) Bill 2026 tomorrow (November 13), with the aim of enhancing the teacher registration mechanism by imposing practising certificate requirements, and introducing a mechanism to handle matters of teacher registration for persons convicted of offences endangering national security (OENS), to ensure that all teachers are fit and proper persons, thereby upholding the professionalism of the teaching force.
A spokesman for the Education Bureau (EDB) said that the EDB made reference to the teacher registration systems in various jurisdictions and the registration and practising certificate requirements of different professions in Hong Kong, and considered that imposing a practising certificate requirement as a prerequisite for teaching, in addition to the existing statutory requirement for teacher registration, could elevate society's recognition of the education profession and raise the social status of teachers.
The Bill will establish statutory requirements for all teachers (including principals) of publicly-funded schools, private schools, international schools and kindergartens to possess teacher registration and practising certificates to serve in schools, with a view to ensuring the quality of teachers. The validity period of a practising certificate will be no more than three school years. The Bill will also set out the requirements for applying for practising certificates. Among these, there will be a mandatory continuing professional development requirement for teachers to obtain practising certificates, thus ensuring that all teachers keep abreast of the latest global and local educational policies, and that their knowledge and pedagogy align with students' and societal needs, to further enhance the professionalism of the teaching force.
The EDB spokesman said, "As role models and key persons for nurturing students, the words and deeds, conduct and values of teachers have a profound impact on students. Amid the complex and rapidly changing development of our society, the public and parents have increasingly high expectations of teachers' professionalism. The Bill meets schools' actual operational needs, encourages teachers to keep pace with the times and strengthens teacher management, with the ultimate goal of safeguarding the well-being of students."
The Bill also puts in place safeguards to prevent persons convicted of OENS from teaching in schools to effectively protect students, uphold the professional integrity of teachers and maintain public confidence in the teaching profession.
The EDB has consulted the sector since September 2025 and the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Education on February 6 this year. The legislative proposal was generally supported by stakeholders and LegCo Members.
The Bill will be introduced into the LegCo for First Reading and Second Reading on November 25. The EDB will fully support the work of the LegCo in scrutinising the Bill and look forward to the LegCo's support for and passage of the Bill.
For details of the Bill, please refer to the EDB webpage (www.edb.gov.hk/eo_amendments_2026/en).
Source: AI-found images
