DH jailed 50 days for going into business

 

Immigration Department

Going into business while working under a domestic helper’s visa can get you in serious trouble with the law.

An Indonesian domestic helper learned this lesson Wednesday (July 23) when she was jailed for 50 days after pleading guilty to breach of condition of stay, in violation of section 4 of the Immigration Ordinance and by virtue of Regulation 2 of the Immigration Regulations.

Julita Neiske, 29 years old, admitted at Shatin Court that she established a business selling health products between the 20^th and 27^th of August 2023.

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The complaint filed by the Immigration Department said she contravened a condition of stay which required her to work exclusively as a domestic helper at the address of her employer.

The Immigration Ordinance punishes such offense with a maximum fine of Level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for up to two years.

High Court paves way for transgenders to use public toilets matching their identity

 

Court outlawed ban on use of opposite-sex public toilets

A High Court judge has ordered that a law criminalizing the use by transgenders of public toilets designated for the opposite sex be struck down for violating the minority group’s equality and privacy rights.

In his landmark judgment handed down today, Judge Russell Coleman ruled in favor of “X,” a transgender man who challenged the city’s public convenience regulations, which prohibits anyone aged five and above from using toilets allocated to the opposite sex.

The judge said “drawing the line” of a person’s biological sex at birth results in a “disproportionate and unnecessary” intrusion into privacy and equality rights, and contravenes the Basic Law and Hong Kong’s Bill of Rights.

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But he said it would not be appropriate for the courts to distinguish between a “female person” and a “male person,” saying this should be a matter for legislation.

He gave the government up to a year to come up with a solution to end the contravention.

“I suppose the view could be taken that, as with other conveniences accessible by the public (but privately managed), there are other offences which can be used to deter and punish improper conduct,” Judge Coleman said.

"This is a matter of the line-drawing, which seems to me to be a question for the government or legislature to address."

The government was given 28 days to appeal the decision.

"K" had sought to amend the wording of the Public Conveniences (Conduct and Behaviour) Regulation, which bans people aged five or above from facilities allocated to their opposite sex. Offenders can be fined up to $2,000 on summary conviction.

K was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in 2017. When he launched the legal challenge in 2022 he was holding a “gender identity letter” from a doctor that certified he is to be treated as male in social contexts, and that using gender-specified facilities is an important part of his transition.

K argued that his constitutional rights were violated by the prohibition against him using public toilets designated for men.

He asked for the regulation to be changed so pre-operative transgender people who have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria like him can use toilets that correspond to their preferred gender.

The government opposed his claim, arguing that public toilet access rules protect other users' rights, including privacy and security, as well as societal expectations.

 

The decision marks another victory for groups advocating for the rights of LGBTQ+ people in Hong Kong, including a landmark ruling in 2023 that said that full reassignment surgery should not be required before transgender people can have their gender changed on their official identity cards.

 

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Items lost at MTR can now be claimed through SF Express

 

Photo from the MTR website

Passengers who lost items at the MTR can now choose to retrieve them through home delivery by SF Express or pick up at any of its 1,000 collection points throughout the city.

This follows the signing of a deal between the MTR and SFE earlier today, Tuesday.

A fee of $28 will be charged passengers who choose to have their lost items delivered by SFE to their home address, SF stores or lockers through a “pay by receiver” arrangement.

The MTR Lost Property Office will arrange delivery based on the information provided by the passenger concerned with a notification email to follow upon completion of the order. 

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But the service is limited to items weighing less than 15 kilograms, and do not include cash, valuables, perishable goods and those that are restricted under SFHK’s delivery terms. Owners of such items will still have to personally appear at designated MTR stations for verification.

MTR said it receives around 12,000 reports about lost property on average each month, and are able to find 8,300 properties of these items. . 

The most common items misplaced are Octopus cards, handbags, umbrellas and trendy items like cartoon character plushies and accessories.

Anyone who loses an item on the MTR may report it online through this link: https://www.mtr.com.hk/en/customer/main/LPM_PICS.php or call 2861 0020 during office hours. 

If you find any lost property on MTR premises, please leave it with staff at the station where you exit or change trains.

 

 

Ethnic minorities targeted in Mong Kok job fair

 

Fire Services Department earlier held a recruitment drive for EM women

More than 2,300 job vacancies will be offered at “Building a Multicutural Workplace Job Fair” which targets members of ethnic minorities and promotes the Labour Department’s employment services to them.

The event will be held at MacPherson Stadium in Mong Kok over two days, July 24 and 25, or this coming Thursday and Friday, from 11:30 am to 5pm. Entrance is free.

About 50 organizations will take part, and 25 of them will set up booths and conduct recruitment at the job fair, offering over 2,300 “quality job vacancies.”

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The positions that will be offered include engineer, accountant, human resources officer, guest services officer, administrative assistant, clerk, aircraft maintenance mechanic trainee, railway technical trainee, technical manager, system analyst, equestrian assistant, barista, spa therapist, nail technician trainee and lifeguard.

Around 93 per cent of the vacancies are full-time jobs, with salaries ranging from $12,000 to $22,000 a month. About 90 per cent of them require a secondary seven education level or below. Around 66 per cent are open to job seekers without relevant work experience.

Job seekers can submit job applications during the event for possible on-the-spot interviews. They can also make enquiries about the employment services provided by the Labour Department its counter at the venue.

MacPherson Stadium is at 38 Nelson Street, Mong Kok, and is accessible from Exit E2 of the Mong Kok MTR station.

The fair is organized by the LD together with the Demoratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) Ethnic Minorities Committee, with the Equal Opportunities Commission as the co-organiser.

Four major disciplinary forces, namely the Correctional Services Department, the Fire Services Department, the Hong Kong Police Force and the Immigration Department, will set up counters to introduce their career opportunities and entry requirements.

Last Friday, the Fire Services Department or FSD organized a career guidance seminar that specifically targeted EM women, aiming to inspire them, as well as young people from all backgrounds, to consider careers in emergency services.

The event was hosted by the Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service under the Ethnic Minority Community Emergency Preparedness Participation Scheme.

Attendees were introduced to various roles within the FSD, and given training on fire safety and emergency preparedness.

Meanwhile, at the forthcoming jobs fair, the DAB EM Committee will introduce its support services for people from ethnic minority groups. Training bodies will also provide information while on-site interpretation services in Hindi, Urdu and Nepali will be available.

There will also be career talks on various professions on the first day of the job fair on July 24.

Job seekers can visit the LD's Interactive Employment Service website (www.jobs.gov.hk) for more details on the vacancies.

Monsoon rains again shut schools, offices in Metro Manila

 

Metro Manila residents wade in waist-deep waters (AP photo)

For the second day running, all schools and government offices were ordered closed today, Tuesday, in Metro Manila and 10 provinces because of heavy monsoon rains.

Widespread flooding was reported in many parts of the country yesterday, prompting the government to order the closure of schools and offices. 

But by then, many people, including children, had already left home, so Malacanang ordered the nation's railway company to give free rides to those making their way back.

Basahin ang detalye!

The heavy rainfall triggered by the “habagat” or southwest monsoon is expected to continue in Metro Manila and several other provinces in Luzon and the Visayas until Friday.

Apart from the national capital region (NCR), classes and government work were also suspended today in Zambales, Bataan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, Pangasinan, Tarlac and Occidental Mindoro.

The downpour is expected to continue until Friday.

Some school children had to wade through flood on Commonwealth Ave in Quezon City
when classes were suspended Monday, shortly after they had gone to school

Government meteorologist PAGASA said earlier it was monitoring two low pressure areas, one of which was seen developing in Southeast Luzon, and could develop into tropical cyclone Dante by Wednesday, further affecting many parts of the country.

The second LPA, which developed Monday afternoon, was spotted 405 km east of Calayan, Cagayan.

Last week, heavy rains from the habagat enhanced by tropical cyclone Crising unleashed floods and landslides, leaving at least five people dead.

Pinay gets 9 months’ jail for $312K money laundering

 

A Filipina was jailed for nine months after she pleaded guilty to money laundering just before her trial began today at Eastern Court.

I. Maqueda, 55 years old, had earlier denied handling $312,497.50, representing proceeds from a love scam, in violation of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

Deputy Magistrate Chung Wing-sze said the money was part of the $2.4 million extracted from a local woman by a man she had met on Facebook and managed to manipulate her into transfering various amounts to Maqueda’s Hang Seng Bank account.

Basahin ang detalye!

That money was then taken in 25 withdrawals from Maqueda’s account between Dec. 17, 2020 and Jan. 8, 2021, through her ATM card that she said she had lent to a friend’s friend as a favor.

Magistrate Chung said she believed Maqueda’s claim that she did not financially benefit from the laundering of crime money, but noted that in a police interview after her arrest, she claimed that he had lost her ATM card and did not report the loss.

She credited Maqueda for the fact there was no evidence she knew her account was being used for money laundering and that the crime money did not reach international banking channels.

In sentencing, Chung chose 12 months as starting point but gave a one-fourth - instead of the full one-third -- discount for Maqeda’s guilty plea, for a total sentence of nine months.

Since she had been in detention since her arrest in her employer’s house eight months ago, Maqueda would be out of jail soon after good behavior and holidays are taken into account.

Maqueda arrived in Hong Kong in 2003 to work as a domestic helper. She is separated from her husband, and has raised three children who are now adults.

Flights in and out of HK to return to normal by tomorrow

 

Passengers swamped HK Airport with the departure of Typhoon Wipha (RTHK)

The Hong Kong Airport Authority has rushed to clear a backlog of flights that were cancelled or delayed in the wake of the onslaught of Typhoon Wipha, which caused the hoisting of T10 for about seven hours yesterday.

An estimated 100,000 passengers on 500 flights were affected by the disruptions, and a big number of them had started trooping to the airport since yesterday afternoon when the alert level was lowered to T8, then T3.

Many others decided to take their luck, and ended up getting stranded at the airport from two to three days.

The Airport Authority said it expected a total of 1,076 flights to arrive and depart Hong Kong within today, Monday.

The Authority added its operations have returned to normal, aided by the flight rescheduling system it is using to help get stranded passengers get on their planes.

It said earlier that more than 230 flights departed and arrived between last night and this morning after Wipha left Hong Kong and is reported to be heading to Vietnam.

Passengers anxiously scan the flight board to check their new departure time

While all typhoon signals were cleared early this morning, Hong Kong will still experience heavy and intermittent rain with squally thunderstorms over the next few days under the influence of the outer rainbands of Wipha.

The typhoon, which was given a Thai woman’s name meaning “splendor” or “radiance,” was the first to cause the hoisting of T10 in the past two years, and only the fifth in the past two decades.

While it toppled more than 700 trees and caused a number of people to seek treatment at hospitals, Wipha’s average wind speed of 140 km/hr was among the lowest in its category.

Renowned meteorologist Leung Wing-mo said Hong Kong is simply "lucky" as it experienced relatively minimal damage compared to past storms under the T10 Typhoon signal, as he noted that the situation would have been entirely different if Wipha's path had been 10 kilometers further north.

An expert meteorologist told the press today that it was just lucky that Wipha’s eyewall was nearer south Cheung Chau than the urban areas. If it veered just 10 kilometers north, more areas across the city would have experience hurricane or near-hurricane force winds.

Another lucky event was that the typhoon came closest to Hong Kong at midday, when the tide was receding, otherwise it could have caused storm surges, which could be devastating.

 

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Pacquiao draws with WBC champion in comeback fight

 

Pacquiao scores in this screengrab of televised fight 

Manny Pacquiao today came out of a four-year retirement and held WBC welterweight champion Mario Barrios to a majority draw, in a fight that critics said should have given him another page in boxing history.

Two other Filipinos scored victories in the card. Super featherweight Mark Magsayo defeated Jorge Mata Cuellar of Mexico by unanimous decision (100-90, 100-90, 98-92) while Middleweight Eumir Felix Marcial beat American Bernard Joseph by 3rd-round technical knockout.

"I thought I won the fight," Pacquiao said in a post-fight interview.

PAANO SUMALI? BASAHIN DITO

The crowds who watched at the MGM Grand arena in Las Vegas agreed with him, as they booed when the results were announced; the first judge scored it 115-113 for Barrios while the other judges had it at 114-114.

The draw, which enabled Barrios to retain his World Boxing Council title, denied Pacquiao’s bid to be the first fighter ever to capture a major world title after being inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, which took place last June in recognition of his being champion in eight divisions.

The scorecards, however, showed that Pacquiao, 46 years old, was leading until Round 9, landing more heavy blows in exchange for 30-year-old Barrios’ mostly jabs, before the latter stepped up his aggression just enough to catch up on the last round.

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Pacquiao landed 101 of his 577 punches (17.5%) compared to Barrios' 120 from 658 (18.2%). However, Pacquiao landed 81 power punches against Barrios' 75.

He said he wants a rematch, to which Barrios replied, ”I’d love to do it again.”

But Pacquiao’s team also held out for the possibility of fighting bigger names, such as Gervonta “Tank” Davis, WBA welterweight champion Rolando Romero and Floyd Mayweather.

"If Mayweather comes out of retirement and signs the contract, we'll fight," he said.

In their 2015 fight, Mayweather won via unanimous decision to unify the WBC, WBA and World Boxing Organization welterweight titles.

T8 to be lowered to T3 at 7:40pm

 

The Observatory gave regular updates on the typhoon throughout the day

Hong Kong has avoided a direct hit from Typhoon Wipha, which caused Hurricane Signal No 10 to be raised at 9:20am today, and lasted for nearly seven hours before being replaced by T8 at 4:10pm.

According to the Hong Kong Observatory, the signal will be further lowered to T3 at 7:40pm today, as Wipha moves further away from the territory.

During its passage, it felled a total of 471 trees, most of which were reported to the Fire Services Department as of 4pm.

PAANO SUMALI? BASAHIN DITO

At about the same time, a total of 26 people – 16 males and 10 females – have sought medical treatment at the accident and emergency departments at various public hospitals.

Another 253 people have sought refuge at 34 temporary shelters set up by the Home Affairs Department.

The No 10 signal, the highest-level warning, means that winds with mean speeds of 118km/h or more are expected.

 

The last No 10 signal was during Super Typhoon Saola in 2023, with the storm causing 86 injuries, landslides and thousands of trees to fall.

 

The strong winds toppled potted plants and scatttered debris at many gardens across HK

At 6 p.m., Typhoon Wipha was centred about 160 kilometres west-southwest of Hong Kong and is forecast to move west at about 22 kilometres per hour, skirting the vicinity of the coast of western Guangdong.

The Observatory said winds are progressively getting weaker, but gale to storm force southeasterly

The forecaster said local winds are weakening progressively, but gale to storm force southeasterly winds are still affecting parts of the territory occasionally. 

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Everyone is urged to remain alert and to stay away from the shoreline, an advice that a number of people of people seem to have disregarded, as shown on various video clips posted on Facebook.

 

T8 will be raised at 12:20am, higher signal likely

 

Wipha is expected to strengthen as it moves towards HK overnight

The Hong Kong Observatory says it will issue the T8 signal at 12:20am tomorrow, as Tropical Storm Wipha continues to pick up strength as it nears the territory.

It added it will consider a higher signal tomorrow morning if the storm gets closer to Hong Kong as it moves toward the vicinity of the Pearl River Delta.

“Depending on the distance between Wipha and Hong Kong, whether Wipha will further intensify into a typhoon and the change in local wind conditions, the Observatory will assess the need of issuing higher tropical cyclone warning signals [on Sunday] morning," said a spokesman for the observatory.

PAANO SUMALI? BASAHIN DITO

The approaching storm has prompted several airlines to cancel flights, including Cathay Pacific which announced that all planes departing or arriving in Hong Kong between 5am and 6pm tomorrow, Sunday, will either be delayed or cancelled.

The airline advised passengers affected by the flight disruptions to avoid making phone inquiries and allow rebooking efforts to proceed first. Affected travelers will receive updates via SMS and email.

Another airline, EVA Air, also announced the cancellation of at least 20 flights to and from Taipei and Kaohsiung, which are on the storm’s path, between today and tomorrow.

Basahin ang detalye!

Wipha is expected to reach typhoon strength before hitting the coast of Guangdong overnight.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 101 kph (63mph) and gusts of up to 126 kph (78 mph) as it swept through south of Taiwan earlier today.

Before barreling through Taiwan, it caused massive flooding and landslides in many parts of the Philippines. Its strong winds toppled a billboard, which then crushed a parked truck in Quezon City, Metro Manila.

The Observatory said winds are expected to reach gale to storm force later tonight and early tomorrow, and the adverse weather will persist throughout the day tomorrow.

But it said the issuance of the higher tropical cyclone warnings would still depend on the distance between Wipha and Hong Kong.

Everyone is advised to stay away from the shoreline and avoid engaging in water sport as the seas would be rough with high swells.

Flooding may also occur in low-lying areas.

 

$2,000 fine for shoplifting

 

If, by any chance, you entertained the thought of shoplifting or shopping and then leaving the store without paying, a Filipina’s experience with its consequences should act as a deterrent.

Ethel Joy Mangila, 42 years old, not only lost her job as a domestic helper and has only until July 26 to return to the Philippines, but she also may not be able to return to Hong Kong to work as she now has a criminal conviction.

On top of that, Mangila was fined $2,000 after she was convicted of theft Friday at Kowloon City Court as a result of pleading guilty to shoplifting $540 worth of items from an Aeon store in Whampoa Garden in Hung Hom last June 12.

PAANO SUMALI? BASAHIN DITO

She was charged with stealing four boxes of toothpaste, one pack of lipstick, two packs of lip balm, one makeup brush, two packs of snacks, two cans of sardines, one pack of digestive bar, one pack of digestive biscuit, one pack of cookies, one pack of sushi and one bottle of coffee.

A police complaint said a security guard at the store noticed her on CCTV picking items from shelves, putting them in her eco bag and then leaving the store without paying. She was intercepted outside the store and arrested by a responding police officer.

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In mitigation, her duty lawyer pleaded to Acting Principal Magistrate Peony Wong not to hand her a custodial sentence as she had no previous criminal records, the stolen items were for her own consumption, she was remorseful and that, as a result of the case, she had been terminated by her employer.

Magistrate Wong noted that Mangila has posted a $1,000 bail. She added another $1,000 as penalty, for a total fine of $2,000.

T8 likely to be raised within hours

 

Wipha is expected to strengthen as it moves towards HK overnight

The Hong Kong Observatory has issued the No 3 Strong Wind Signal, with plans to raise it further to No 8 between midnight and 2am as Tropical Storm Wipha nears Hong Kong.

The approaching storm has prompted several airlines to cancel flights, including Cathay Pacific which announced that all planes departing or arriving in Hong Kong between 5am and 6pm tomorrow, Sunday, will either be delayed or cancelled.

The airline advised passengers affected by the flight disruptions to avoid making phone inquiries and allow rebooking efforts to proceed first. Affected travelers will receive updates via SMS and email.

PAANO SUMALI? BASAHIN DITO

Another airline, EVA Air, also announced the cancellation of at least 20 flights to and from Taipei and Kaohsiung, which are on the storm’s path, between today and tomorrow.

Wipha is expected to reach typhoon strength before hitting the coast of Guangdong overnight.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 101 kph (63mph) and gusts of up to 126 kph (78 mph) as it swept through south of Taiwan earlier today.

Basahin ang detalye!

Before barreling through Taiwan, it caused massive flooding and landslides in many parts of the Philippines. Its strong winds toppled a billboard, which then crushed a parked truck in Quezon City, Metro Manila.

The Observatory said winds are expected to reach gale to storm force later tonight and early tomorrow, and the adverse weather will persist throughout the day tomorrow.

But it said the issuance of the higher tropical cyclone warnings would still depend on the distance between Wipha and Hong Kong.

Everyone is advised to stay away from the shoreline and avoid engaging in water sport as the seas would be rough with high swells.

Flooding may also occur in low-lying areas.

 

Filipino accused of trafficking in 9.7 kilos of drugs allowed bail

 

The drug trafficking and theft cases were both heard at District Court

A Filipino resident has convinced a District Court judge to allow him to post bail of $5,000 cash and an equal amount in surety pending the resolution of a drug trafficking charge against him, when he appeared for a hearing of his case yesterday, July 17.

Aster Leo Balucanag had been in jail since January last year after being charged with a more serious drug-related offence, but was cleared in March this year after the prosecution withdrew the charge.

But he remained in detention because of another case that also involves drugs.

PAANO SUMALI? BASAHIN DITO

Balucanag, 39, is accused of trafficking in 9.703 kilos of cannabis in herbal form on Dec. 14, 2023, outside No 188 Lin Fa Tei, Yuen Long in the New Territories.

The case has been adjourned to Sept 23 this year for mention.

Meantime, Judge Justin Ko has allowed him to post bail after the defence lawyer said Balucanag was granted temporary liberty when he appeared in the magistracy over this offence. That time, his bail was set at $10,000 cash.

Basahin ang detalye!

This time, the defendant said he could only raise $5,000 cash for the bail, but his brother who works as a chef in Lan Kwai Fong was willing to act as surety on his own recognizance for another $5,000.

The defence lawyer also asked if it was possible to alter the bail condition as regards the surrender of the accused’s travel document, saying Balucanag had no passport.

He was said to possess a Philippine passport before, but the last time he used it was when he was eight years old, which means that even if it still exists, it would have already expired.

Judge Ko agreed, and required Balucanag to surrender a travel document if he had any, to reside at the address he gave the court, and report to the Yuen Long Police station everyday as part of his bail conditions.

In a separate hearing also at the District Court, a Filipina accused of stealing a number of valuables from her employer, including 38 pieces of jewelry, was returned to custody after her plea-taking was set for Jan 16 next year.

Jennifer H. Ducusin, is accused of stealing 2 bracelets, 17 rings, 3 necklaces, 1 necklace with pendant, 5 pairs of earrings, 1 pendant, 3 coins, 9 wrist chains, 2 scarves, 1 handbag, 2 watches, one scale and RNB2,5000 in cash from Cheung Yee Wah at Green Park in Sai Kung on Nov. 5, 2024.

At the earlier hearing of the case at Eastern Court, the value of the items she is alleged to have stolen was placed at $772,161, apart from the RMB2,500 cash.

Case of Filipina with 14 different names elevated to District Court

 

Scene of the alleged first offense (Google Maps photo)

Prosecutors dropped one of four criminal charges at Eastern Court today against two unemployed Filipinas, one of whom uses 14 different names and was subjected to a deportation order 37 years ago, but still applied for the elevation of their case to the District Court.

Jay-Ann Benlot, 30 years old, and Rebecca Quirante, 67 years old, were returned to jail by Acting Principal Magistrate David Cheung to await their next hearing at the District Court on Aug. 7.

Quirante is also known by the following names: May P. Topacio, May R. Topacio, Rosalie S. Baltazar, Bessie A. Valle, Isabel A. Castro, Malon P. Gonzales, Malou P. Gonzales, Malous P. Gorizhles, Malou P. Gorizhles, Malon P. Gorizhles, Jaqueune Dayandante Moristo, Nelrie A. Monte, and Annabelle Paqueros Sugcang.

PAANO SUMALI? BASAHIN DITO

Benlot and Quirante are accused of theft in the first charge, for allegedly stealing a wallet containing HK$2,000, 80 renminbi, Chinese travel and identity documents and four bank cards from a man who was inside the Brandy and Melville shop on the ground floor of Emperor Watch and Jewellery Centre in Causeway Bay on Nov. 10, 2024.

In the second charge, Quirante is accused of stealing one mobile phone while its owner was inside a shop on Cheung Sha Wan Road in Sham Shui Po on Nov, 14, 2024.

The third charge accuses Quirante of the serious offense of violating a deportation order issued on May 26, 1987, when she was arrested on  Nov. 15, 2024.

Basahin ang detalye!

This offense under Section 43 of the Immigration Ordinance, Cap. 115 occurs when a person who has been deported (or is subject to a deportation order) returns to Hong Kong in violation of the order. Such a breach is punishable with a maximum sentence of seven years in jail on an indictment.

Dropped from the case was a charge of theft agaisnt both of them, for allegedly stealing a wallet containing an Octopus card and $1,000 from a man who was inside Yoho Mall I on Long Yat Road in Yuen Long on Nov. 14, 2024. The prosecutor did not explain why the charge was withdrawn.