Frost forecast, with temperatures dropping to 11 degrees

 

Frost is expected in Ta Kwu Ling, New Territories (RTHK file photo)

The Hong Kong Observatory has issued a cold weather warning Thursday afternoon, saying residents should expect temperatures to drop significantly overnight and in the next few days.

Friday will see the temperature dropping to 12 degrees in the urban areas, and a couple of degrees lower in the New Territories and on high ground.

It will be colder on Saturday, when the lowest temperature is forecast to drop to 11 degrees early in the morning.

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Frost is also expected to appear in the inland areas of the New Territories and on high ground during the weekend.

The Observatory noted that frost typically occurs from December to February in Hong Kong, with the last one being recorded in Ta Kwu Ling on Dec 24, 2023.

Residents are advised to wear thicker clothing as the wind chill factor on high ground will make it feel colder than the actual air temperature.

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The elderly should be paid special care as they are prone to feel the cold weather more. Prolonged exposure to extreme cold could lead to hypothermia.

The Observatory said an intense winter monsoon is currently affecting inland Guangdong, and will reach the coastal areas of Hong Kong starting Thursday night, causing a drastic drop in temperatures.

Waiting time for driving tests shorter, says TD

 

If you are applying for the two road tests that will qualify you for a driving license, you are likely to wait 190 days to be able to show to examiners that you have enough skills to deserve a pass.

This is a big improvement over the waiting time up to 300 days in 2022 despite rising demand for the service, according to Liu Chun-san, acting secretary for Transport and Logistics in his written reply to a question in the Legislative Council by Legco member Rock Chen.

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The waiting time for combined driving tests for private car (including "Part B – basic driving skill tests" and "Part C – road tests" and combined driving tests for light goods vehicle has returned to the pre-pandemic level, he said. The two tests follow the Part A - written test, which is quickly administered tio applicants.

Liu said the Transport Department continues to allocate resources and take “feasible measures to shorten the waiting time for road tests as far as practicable.”

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The TD is identifying suitable sites for setting up additional and more widely-distributed driving test centres (DTCs) that meet various requirements, such as being suitably located for testing whether the candidates have mastered all necessary driving skills, having sufficient traffic flow for the observation of the candidates' abilities in handling different road conditions, as well as taking into account the views of different stakeholders in the vicinity.

“In addition, the TD is studying the introduction of new technologies in driving tests to assist with the assessment,” while balancing such factors as “whether the relevant technology can accurately assess the driving skills of candidates, protection of the privacy of candidates, cost-effectiveness and the views of stakeholders,” he added.

Alarm raised over acute stomach ailment

 

Washing of hands with soap and water is top CHP advice

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) has raised an alarm over the increasing number of cases of acute gastro enteritis (AGE) caused by norovirus.

AGE symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, low-grade fever and malaise. The symptoms are usually self-limiting and most people will get better within one to three days.

The increase in cases was shown in the latest surveillance data, including the number of AGE outbreaks as well as data from Accident and Emergency Departments (A&Es) and sentinel residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs).

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"There has been a significant increase in the number of patients attending A&Es with AGE symptoms and residents in sentinel RCHEs with vomiting,” CHP said in a statement.

“The number of AGE outbreaks increased sharply from seven recorded in the week ending December 28 last year to 19 in the week ending January 4, with some patient samples tested positive for norovirus in laboratory testing," CHP said.

"In the past two weeks most outbreaks were recorded at RCHEs. The causes include improper handling of vomitus and improper use of bleach for cleaning and disinfection. Besides, some residents of the RCHEs became infected in the community after their vacations, further spreading the infection in the RCHEs," it added.

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The CHP expects the norovirus activity to remain high during winter, with the risk rising because of the resumption of classes after the holidays.

The spokesman stressed that norovirus is highly infectious and susceptible individuals can be infected by exposure to even a small amount of norovirus. The virus can be transmitted through various channels such as eating contaminated food, contact with vomit or fecal matter from infected persons, and contact with contaminated objects.

“Vomiting in a confined space with poor ventilation poses a potential risk for an outbreak. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to properly and promptly clean up vomitus, and thoroughly disinfect the environment,” CHP said.

It also encouraged the washing of hands with soap and water, instead of using alcohol-based handrub, as alcohol does not effectively kill some viruses frequently causing AGE, such as norovirus.

CHP urged the public to observe the following measures against gastroenteritis:

Ensure proper personal hygiene;

Wash hands thoroughly before handling food and eating, after using the toilet or after changing diapers;

Wear gloves and wash hands after handling vomitus or faecal matter;

Clean and disinfect contaminated areas or items promptly and thoroughly with 1:49 diluted household bleach (by adding one part of bleach containing 5.25 per cent sodium hypochlorite to 49 parts of water). Wash hands thoroughly afterwards;

Stay home from work or school, and seek medical advice if suffering from vomiting or diarrhea;

Maintain good indoor ventilation;

Pay attention to food hygiene;

Use separate utensils to handle raw and cooked food;

Avoid food that is not thoroughly cooked;

Drink boiled water; and

Do not patronize unlicensed food premises or food stalls.

Members of the public may visit the CHP's webpage (https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/healthtopics/content/24/33.html) for more information and preventive advice on norovirus infection.

2 DHs in jail for alleged thefts

 

Two Filipina domestic helpers accused of theft at Eastern Court are in jail to await their next court dates after their cases were adjourned.

Maribel Bringas, 42 years old, is accused of stealing two bracelets, one ring and other jewelry worth around $200,000 from her employer at Tung Shan Garden in Happy Valley between April 11 and May 31 last year, according to a police complaint filed last Aug. 3.

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Principal Magistrate Don So granted her lawyer’s request today for a bail review on Jan 15, in case circumstances in the case change.

He adjourned Bringas’ case to Jan. 17.

In the other case heard by Magistrate So on Tuesday (Nov. 7), Mary Grace Guillermo, 46 years old, was also remanded in jail until her case resumes on Feb. 4, since she had no bail application.

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Guillermo is accused of stealing one “Van Cleef & Arpels” 18 karat gold necklace valued at $26,832 from her employer on Shouson Road West between Aug 1 and Dec. 18 last year, according to a police complaint filed last Dec. 23.

Both are accused of violating section 9 of the Theft Ordinance.

Illegal pre-lunar new year renovation works lead to 29 arrests

All save one of the illegal workers arrested were from the Mainland

A total of 29 people, mostly suspected illegal workers, were arrested in an Immigration Department operation that targeted renovation works in the run-up to the Lunar New Year.

The arrested persons included 26 suspected illegal workers comprising 26 men, aged 20 to 57.

Two men and one woman, aged 44 to 56, were also arrested on suspicion of employing the workers in renovation works at two newly built public housing estates.

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At a news briefing held on Tuesday, an Immigration officer said the illegal workers comprised 25 who entered Hong Kong claiming to be mainland tourists, and one who had come from Indonesia. The employers were all local people.

Immigration said the campaign was launched last week in anticipation of a rash in renovation works at private homes in keeping with Lunar New Year tradition.

Immigration Deputy Commander Siu Ka-fai said that many people prefer to hire illegal workers for renovation and cleaning services to save on costs.

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But he said that while the cost was an important consideration, it is equally important to ensure that the hired workers can be legally employed.

Siu also warned that those who employ people who are not lawfully employable face even more severe penalties for violating the law.

Apart from the arrests, Immigration officers also distributed leaflets and deployed a promotional vehicle warning of severe consequences for those who employ illegal workers.

Under Hong Kong laws, all visitors in Hong Kong are not allowed to take up any job, whether paid or unpaid. Those found flouting this law face a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $50,000.

The maximum prison term goes up to three years if the illegal worker is also an overstayer, an asylum seeker or an illegal immigrant.

Employers of illegal workers face a more severe penalty of up to ten years in prison and a maximum fine of $500,000. In addition, an immediate custodial sentence is imposed on such employers in line with sentencing guidelines laid down by the High Court.

A year’s jail for possessing forged HKID card

 

Corner where Filipina was found with forged HKID card (Photo: Google Maps)

A Filipina asylum seeker has been been jailed for 12 months after she was convicted at Kowloon City Court of possession of a forged identity card.

Dolores Lumitap, 41 years old, had earlier pleaded guilty to being in possession of a fake Hong Kong Identity Card in the name of Joy Catahina, which is punishable under the Registration of Persons Ordinance.

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Lumitap, who has been issued a recognizance form to use for identification purposes while her application for non-refoulement is pending, was intercepted by police last Nov. 11 at the corner of Shanghai and Dundas  and Streets in Yau Ma Tei.

Officers found the forged ID card, which the police said she had “without lawful authority or reasonable excuse”, after searching through her bag.

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Acting Principal Magistrate Ko Wai-hung chose to hand down a lighter sentence than that prescribed by  Section 7A(1) of the Registration of Persons Ordinance, prescribes the following penalties for possession of a forged HKID card:

• A fine at level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for 2 years on summary conviction, which happened to Lumitap, ; and
• A fine at level 6 ($100,000) and imprisonment for 10 years on conviction on indictment..

HK statutory holidays will remain 14 in 2025

 

Working day after Christmas became the 14th statutory holiday starting 2024

There will be 14 paid statutory holidays this year, which everyone working in Hong Kong should enjoy, including foreign domestic helpers. It is the same number as last year, when the first working day after Christmas was added to the list.

Originally there were only 12 statutory holidays, but 17 public holidays in Hong Kong. An ordinance that took effect in July 2021 provided for the gradual alignment of statutory holidays with general holidays.

The first of the five additional public holidays, the Birthday of Buddha, became effective in 2022. The second one, which falls on the first weekday after Christmas, became effective last month.

Hong Kong will continue to add statutory holidays until the law becomes fully enacted in 2030. The next to be declared a statutory holiday is Easter Monday, which will be effective in 2026, Good Friday to be effective in 2028, and the day following Good Friday, in 2030.

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The 14 statutory holidays for 2025 are:

1.	The first day of January	1 January
2.	Lunar New Year's Day	29 January
3.	The second day of Lunar New Year	30 January
4.	The third day of Lunar New Year	31 January
5.	Ching Ming Festival	4 April
6.	Labour Day	1 May
7.	The Birthday of the Buddha	5 May
8.	Tuen Ng Festival	31 May
9.	Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day	1 July
10.	National Day	1 October
11.	The day following the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival	7 October
12.	Chung Yeung Festival	29 October
13.	Chinese Winter Solstice Festival or Christmas Day (at the option of the employer)	21 December or 25 December
14.	The first weekday after Christmas Day	26 December

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Please note:

All employees are entitled to the above statutory holidays. If the statutory holiday falls on a rest day, a holiday should be granted on the day following the rest day which is not a statutory holiday, or an alternative holiday or a substituted holiday or a rest day. An employee having been employed under a continuous contract for not less than 3 months is entitled to the holiday pay which is equivalent to the average daily wages earned by the employee in the 12-month period preceding the holiday.

Reference example:

An employee is granted rest days on Sundays and his/ her employer chooses the Chinese Winter Solstice Festival (21 December) as statutory holiday. As the Chinese Winter Solstice Festival falls on Sunday, the employer should grant a holiday on the next day (i.e. 22 December), but this day should not be a statutory holiday or an alternative holiday or a substituted holiday or a rest day.

Click here for more information on Statutory Holidays

 

 

Brace for cold morning on Friday

 

Photo: HK Observatory

Hong Kong will wake up to a cold morning on Friday, with the minimum temperature plunging to 12 degrees Celsius from the current 15 degrees, according to a forecast from the Hong Kong Observatory.

The cold weather is brought by the approaching intense winter monsoon which is expected to reach the southern coast of Guangdong on Thursday, resulting in cold mornings on Friday and Saturday.

However, the cold winds from the north is expected to be blown westward by the warmer easterlies that will bring cloudy periods and gradually rising temperatures starting Sunday, the forecast said.

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During all this, the weather is expected to be fine and dry, although with brief sunny and rainy periods.

“It is important that members of the public take note of these warnings and take steps to protect themselves and their family against cold or very hot weather,” the Observatory said.

For an update on the status of weather warnings, the public may listen to radio and television broadcasts, call the Observatory's Dial-a-Weather service at 1878200, browse the Observatory's website (https://www.hko.gov.hk) or use the mobile app "MyObservatory".

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For its part, the Labour Department is reminding employers to take appropriate precautions, such as reminding employees who have to work outdoors or in remote areas to wear appropriately warm clothing, and make arrangements for employees to rotate from outdoor to indoor or sheltered work sites as far as possible.

“Employees should take note of the weather report, wear appropriately warm clothing and be mindful of their health conditions. They should notify their supervisors and seek medical help immediately if feeling unwell, such as having cold limbs and body shivering,” the LD said.

31 people arrested in $34 M deepfake scam

 

Police display cash and other items seized from deepfake syndicate (Sing Tao photo)

Police today announced the arrest of 31 people believed to be behind a syndicate using deepfake technology to lure victims into romance and investment scams.

The suspects, aged between 20 and 34, allegedly duped victims located mostly outside Hong Kong, such as Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and the United States, of more than $34 million.

Most of those arrested said they were jobless, while some were university students. Some reports said among those arrested was a football player from the Hong Kong Premier League.

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The arrests were made in two neighboring industrial victims in Kowloon Bay kast week.

Police said the syndicate made use of deepfake technology to woo victims online. They also made use of other new technologies such as AI face swapping, to look good so they can easily gain the trust and affection of the victims.

Once the victim is hooked, he or she is persuaded to send money to a fake investment platform, police said. The proceeds from the swindle is then laundered using bank accounts owned by various people.

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The group is alleged to have provided training and scripts for its members to help them project an image of wealth and investment savvy.

During the raids, officers said so $10 million worth of cash, gold bars, expensive handbags and luxury watches were seized as suspected criminal gains.

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Police said five of those arrested have been charged with conspiracy to defraud as they are suspected core syndicate members. They will appear at Eastern Court tomorrow.

 

HK-bound Filipina offloaded for carrying fake OEC

 

Immigration officers stopped the aspiring OFW from leaving

A 27-year-old Filipina bound for Hong Kong en route to Malaysia was stopped from leaving the Philippines last Dec 30 after she was found with a fake overseas employment certificate (OEC),

According to a statement issued by the Bureau of Immigration, the aspiring overseas Filipino worker was intercepted at Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after its joint system with the Department of Migrant Workers detected her OEC as fake.

The Filipina initially presented herself as an OFW, and submitted the fake OEC. However, her supposed exit clearance was found to have been issued originally to an OFW.

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She said that she got the fake OEC from an individual that she met in Paranaque, and was introduced to him by a friend. She paid Php10,000 for the fake document.

BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado commended the interception and emphasized the importance of technology in preventing illegal activities.

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“The use of our joint verification system with the DMW has proven crucial in detecting fraudulent documents. The BI remains committed to protecting Filipinos by intercepting such attempts to use fake OECs,” said Viado.

“I strongly urge the public to process their documents through proper channels to avoid falling victim to scams,” he added.

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Viado told aspiring OFWs to avoid shortcuts and unlicensed recruiters when looking for a job abroad. They should also verify with the DMW any job offers they receive to avoid scams.

The passenger has been endorsed to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for further investigation and the filing of charges against her recruiter.

Women urged to avail of services against cervical cancer

 

The Department of Health (DH) has urged women in Hong Kong to avail of its efforts to prevent and fight cervical cancer, the ninth most common female cancer in Hong Kong, as part of the Cervical Cancer Awareness Month activities this January.

It advised women to undergo regular cervical screening to detect the cancer early enough to stop its spread, and for parents to have their female children to take the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.

The celebration is in support of the designation of January as Cervical Cancer Awareness Month by the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise public awareness and scale up efforts to fight cervical cancer, thus eliminating it as a public health problem in the next century.

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As most cervical cancers are caused by persistent infection with high-risk HPV, the DH advised women to:

• Receive the HPV vaccine before sexual debut;
• Undergo cervical screening regularly;
• Practice safe sex (e.g. using condoms and avoiding multiple sexual partners) to prevent HPV infection; and
• Refrain from smoking, as it may increase the risk of cervical cancer.

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“HPV vaccines help prevent cervical cancer and are effective in preventing high-risk HPV, including HPV 16 and 18, with protection rates over 90 per cent,” the DH said in a statement.

“Since the 2019/20 school year, the DH has been providing free HPV vaccinations to eligible Primary Five schoolgirls under the Hong Kong Childhood Immunization Program,” it added.

The DH's School Immunization Teams provide the first dose of the HPV vaccine to Primary Five female students at their schools, and the second dose will be given to them when they reach Primary Six in the following school year. The second dose coverage rate of HPV vaccination for Primary Six girls in the school year 2022/23 was about 92 per cent.

For girls under the age of 18, the DH launched a one-off catch-up HPV vaccination program on December 2, 2024, for female Hong Kong residents born between 2004 and 2008 (i.e. girls aged 18 or below as in 2022, and not covered by the existing program) to receive free HPV vaccinations.

All participants in must have been registered with eHealth. Details of the program, which lasts for about two years, can be found on the DH's website: https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/108084.html.

The DH also urged women to undergo regular cervical screening, because those infected with HPV or in the early stages of cervical cancer do not have noticeable symptoms.

The Population Health Survey 2020-22 conducted by the DH revealed that merely half of the eligible women in Hong Kong had ever been screened for cervical cancer.

The DH promotes the Cervical Screening Program to the general public through various channels, such as television, radio, social media, the DH's website and posters. Members of the public can also access information about cervical screening via the "@DH mobile application".

Since 2023, the DH has been regularly sending notifications to women of the appropriate age group through the Cervical Screening Information System and the eHealth mobile app to remind them to undergo regular cervical screening.

In Hong Kong, Maternal and Child Health Centers (MCHCs) and Woman Health Centers of the DH, non-governmental organizations and private healthcare providers provide cervical screening services. Common screening tests for cervical cancer include the HPV test of cervical samples collected by healthcare professionals and/or Cytology test (also called cervical smear or Pap smear).

At the same time, the Primary Healthcare Commission is actively promoting the "life course preventive care plan".

“Based on the core principles of prevention-oriented and whole-person care, a personalized preventive care plan will be formulated to address the health needs of citizens across different life stages with reference to the latest evidence,” the DH said. 

“Family Doctors and primary healthcare professionals will collaborate to provide health advice and education on chronic diseases and cancer screening, as well as healthy lifestyles according to age, sex and personal factors such as family history, including cervical cancer.”

Women who wish to receive cervical screening at MCHCs can schedule an appointment through the 24-hour hotline 3166 6631. For further information on cervical cancer and screening, please visit the DH's website: https://www.cervicalscreening.gov.hk/en/index.html.

Pinay jailed 3 months for money laundering

This is the first money laundering sentence on a Filipino for 2025

The West Kowloon Court opened this year’s litigation of money laundering cases involving Filipinas with a comparatively light sentence for a domestic helper who admitted allowing her bank acccout to be used by criminals to clean their crime earnings.

Wendy Utleg, a 42 years old, was jailed for three months after she pleaded guilty Friday (Jan. 3) at West Kowloon to the charge of dealing with property known or believed to be proceeds of indictable offense, in violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

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A complaint filed by the Sham Shui Po Police last Nov. 20 said Utleg dealt with $280,592.59 between Feb. 4 and July 11, 2019 , “knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that (the) property … in whole or in part, directly or indirectly represented any person’s proceeds of indictable offense.”

The comparatively light sentence handed down by Acting Principal Magistrate Cheng Lim-chi was based on the fact that the amount of crime money that passed through Utleg’s Hang Seng Bank account was small, compared to previous cases.

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Last year saw long jail sentences meted on Filipinas, one of which reached two years.

Last Dec. 12, the Department of Justice announced that it would seek to get higher sentences for money laundering, in line with new sentencing guidelines set by the Court of Appeal.

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The new guidelines were set by the CA as a result of the growing prevalence of money laundering cases in the community.

The gravity of the sentence will depend on the amount involved, and could be mitigated if the accused pleads guilty to the offence.