The Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong has posted an advisory reminding Filipino tourists in Hong Kong not to violate any laws while visiting.
The reminder was issued after 7 Filipino tourists
belonging to the same family, three of them teenagers, were arrested and charged
in court on Dec. 29 for shoplifting various items from Hong Kong Disneyland.
The case was heard on Dec. 30 in West Kowloon Court and the accused were sentenced to between 4-16 weeks in prison after they admitted their guilt.
 |
| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
It was not the first time such incident happened in
Hong Kong, often at Disneyland, where the offenders were Filipino tourists.
In April 30, 2023, a Filipino-Chinese mother was
jailed for four months after pleading guilty at West Kowloon Court to stealing
more than 1,000 items from various shops in the Magic Kingdom, worth more than
$16,000.
Ten days later, a family of three also took off with
various items worth a total of more than $23,000.
 |
| PINDUTIN DITO |
A woman surnamed Malit and her brother were each sentenced
to two months in jail for stealing around $18,000 worth of goods after they
pleaded guilty to theft at West Kowloon Court on May 12, 2023.
The sentencing for the woman’s daughter who admitted
stealing $5,000 worth of items was put off pending probation reports.
In the advisory, the
Consulate said that HK Police logged a 12%
increase in shoplifting cases from January to May last year, compared to
the same period in 2023.
 |
| Basahin ang detalye! |
“Unfortunately, some
of these shoplifting cases involve Filipino tourists in Hong Kong, either as
suspects or victims,” said the notice posted on the Consulate’s Facebook page.
It advised Filipino
tourists to abide by the laws in Hong Kong and to be vigilant in safeguarding
their personal belongings when visiting the city.
It added that under
Hong Kong laws, theft is punishable with a fine and imprisonment of up to 10
years.
