Illegal recruiter gets life, fined P2M

 

News of the sentencing was released by the DMW 

A Filipina who offered jobs in Palau and Cyprus and accepted down payments from applicants despite being unlicensed, was sentenced to life imprisonment and a fine of P2 million after being found guilty of large-scale illegal recruitment.

In addition, Arlene Ramos alias “Juliet” was also convicted of estafa, and ordered to return the money paid by the applicants, apart from a separate jail sentence of between two months and one day to a year and one month.

A press statement issued by the Department of Migrant Workers announced Ramos' conviction and sentence, but did not disclose which court had decided on the case.

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The DMW statement said Ramos had offered domestic worker jobs to Filipinos, and promised them a monthly salary of Php30,000 for a two-year contract. In exchange, she demanded a placement fee of between Php90,000 and Php155,000.

Three applicants who testified against her said they had given her a down payment and all the documents that she had asked for, but they never received the contract promised them. No one was able to leave for the promised destinations.

The witnesses also said they met “Juliet” through one Cecilio Garcia alias “Boy,” who also collected Php155,000 from them before he passed them on to Ramos.

The authorities are still trying to track down Garcia.

Large-scale illegal recruitment is a non-bailable offence under Republic Act 10022, and is punishable with life imprisonment.

It is committed when three or more people, either individually or in a group, are recruited for overseas employment by unlicensed individuals or licensed recruitment agencies that commit illegal acts.

 

 

 

 

Eala bows out of HK Tennis Open

 

Alex Eala congratulates Victoria Mboko after their game

Alex Eala bowed out of the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open tonight at Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, after a hard-fought match with Canadian Victoria Mboko, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

The match was not decided until the last set, in which Eala led initially at 4-1, before the third-seed Mboko fired serves at up to 180 kilometers per hour to level up and wrap up the game. 

No point in the game was more bitterly fought than the second point in the last set, where they had to fight through eight deuces, before Mboko committed a double fault with Eala on advantage and ended up trailing, 2-0.

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Mboko, who at 19 is already ranked 21 in the Women’s Tennis Association roll of players against 20-year-old Eala’s 51, said in a post-game on-court interview: “I had to fight for every point.”

Interviewed later, Mboko added: “It was a difficut match. She was a great player.” 

She acknowledged turning to her coach every now and then for comfort during the tough parts of the match, made more stressful by the boisterous support given to Eala by the predominantly Filipino audience but said she took no offence for that.

She also said it was difficult beating a friend, disclosing that she and Eala would sometimes go out together during tournaments, for something as simple as buying bubble iced tea.

Mboko now advances to the quarterfinals where she will face Anna Kalinskaya of Russia, who beat Zhang Shuai of China, 6-1, 6-1.

For her part, Eala said, “I’m happy with how I performed. I gave her a run for her money.” 

Again, she thanked all the Filipinos who showed her love and support during her games, and said she is happy and proud of what she has achieved in the sport in the past few months.

"Having put up such a good performance, I was just overwhelmed with emotions, happiness and gratitude for everything that's happened to me this year," she said.

Eala said she it is too early to say if she would be back in Hong Kong next year, but she has enjoyed her stay here because everyone has been welcoming, not just the Filipinos but also the locals.

Pinay gets 3-month suspended sentence for theft

 

Bank where incident took place (Google Maps photo)

A 68-year-old Filipina was convicted today of theft for taking an iPad left on top of an ATM machine, but will not spend a day of her three-month jail sentence unless she commits another offense within 18 months.

J. Ong was meted the suspended jail sentence after a one-day trial today at Eastern Court before Magistrate Tobias Cheng.

Magistrate Cheng noted that evidence such as a CCTV footage and testimonies from two witnesses pointed to her guilt.

Ong had earlier pleaded not guilty to taking the iPad left by a man on an ATM machine at the Bank of China branch on 1 Wyndham Street in Central at about 2am on Oct 15, 2024, and mistakenly passed on to her by another person. 

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Ong testified that she took a taxi after leaving the bank but realized she had forgotten her handbag, so she asked to be driven back to recover it. 

She said she reached the bank as the other woman was leaving, and told her she was the owner of the handbag. The woman also gave her the iPad.

Magistrate Cheng gave credence to her testimony where she claimed to have taken home the iPad instead of giving it to a guard, to make sure that it was safe as she would return it to the owner herself.

However, he disregarded her claim that she was unable to return the iPad immediately because she was sickly and had to work at a Lan Kwai Fong resto-bar. 

Ong claimed she had forgotten all about it until a police officer called her three months later to inquire if she found the gadget, which she had kept inside her wardrobe.

The owner testified that the three-year-old iPad was never used and was in the same condition as when he left it on the ATM machine after withdrawing money.

Filipina injured with elderly woman in stove blast

 

The stove blast caused fire to the kitchen of a flat in World-Wide Gardens in Shatin

A 70-year-old local woman and a 34-year-old Filipino domestic worker were taken to hospital Tuesday night after being injured in a cooking stove explosion in a flat at World-Wide Gardens in Sha Tin.

Police received a report from a 43-year-old man at about 7:30pm, saying the cooking stove had exploded and caused fire in his house.

Rescuers found the elderly woman with back and leg injuries, while the helper suffered wounds to her face hands and feet. Both were conscious when taken to Prince of Wales Hospital.

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Firefighters who put down the fire found a gas leak in the stove’s pipeline, but no signs of foul play. The fire was confined to the kitchen.

Officers at the Migrant Workers Office contacted by The SUN say they have yet to be notified about the incident but will try to immediately check on the Filipino worker’s condition.

DH jailed 16 months for ‘laundering’ $1.9m

 

A domestic helper has been sentenced to 16 months in jail for allowing her bank account to be used in laundering some $1.9 million in money derived from crime.

Leny Rose Regulacion, 38, received the jail sentence from Magistrate Ko Wai-hung in a hearing Tuesday (Oct. 28) at Eastern Court.

Regulacion had pleaded guilty a week earlier, but her sentencing was put off by Principal Magistrate David Cheung, who was then presiding, after her lawyer asked for leniency because of the delay in her prosecution. 

Magistrate Cheung acknowledged that Regulacion was arrested in July 2022 and was only charged three years later, in July 2025. 

But he said delay itself is not a mitigation unless it made Regulacion’s prosecution unfair. He gave the defense one week to provide a written reason why a delay in her prosecution should be accepted as basis for leniency.

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In sentencing, Magistrate Ko who took over the case used 24 months’ jail as starting point, and deducted one third for Regulacion’s guilty plea, to arrive at the final sentence of 16 months.

Regulacion was charged with dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence, contrary to sections 25(1) and 25(3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.

The case arose from the deposits and withdrawals of a total of $1,900,359.01 from her account in Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, between Oct. 12, 2020 and April 22, 2021.

Eala notches first win in HK Tennis Open

 

A surprised Alex Eala looks on as Katie Boulter walks off the court 

Alex Eala notched her first win this evening in the Hong Kong Tennis Open after Katie Boulter of the UK quit their game in the second set at the Victoria Park Tennis Stadium in Causeway Bay, complaining of pain on her already-bandaged left thigh.

Eala was leading throughout, having won the first set at 6-4 and was up 2-1 in the second. 

“I wish it did not end this way,” she said in a ringside interview after the game. “I wish she would recover soon and rejoin the tour.”

In a press conference minutes later, she said she was surprised by the sudden end. “It came as a shock. I wasn’t expecting her to pull out,” she added.

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She also downplayed the right bandage on her right thigh during the game, which she did not have the day before when she played a doubles match, as a preventive measure.

With the win, Eala, who was unseeded in this tournament, advanced to the round of 16 where she will face third-seeded Victoria Mboko of Canada on Thursday.

The other scheduled games will continue tomorrow, Wednesday, despite it being Chung Yeung Festival, a holiday in Hong Kong to honor elders.

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The match opened with Eala serving and winning the first point in two minutes. In her turn to serve, Boulter took four minutes to win her first point.

Eala widened the lead to 3-1 as the two dueled with powerful serves and ground strokes until Boulter scored an ace, 3-2.

But Eala broke Boulter’s serve, 4-2. Although Boulter grabbed her own breakpoint, 4-3, and crept back to 4-4, Eala got back with an ace and her own breakpoint to close the set at 6-4.

Eala is mobbed by fans as she emerges from the center court

Boulter opened the second set with a breakpoint to take the first set.

But Eala got back with her own breakpoint after battling through four deuces, 1-1, and scored an easy point to lead at 2-1, as Boulter failed to return the ball several times.

During the break, Boulter told the umpire she would retire from the match.

Pinay DH jailed 7 weeks for scalding of year-old ward

 

Sentencing was at Shatin Court today

Intent to harm is not necessary before a caregiver can be ordered jailed over injuries suffered by a child under her care, said a Sha Tin magistrate as she sentenced Filipina Nora C. Navarro to seven weeks’ imprisonment for the severe burns suffered by her one-year-old ward.

Magistrate Charlotte Kwong said the “very serious injuries” suffered by the toddler necessitated the imposition of an immediate custodial sentence.

She used a starting point of eight weeks’ jail in sentencing, but reduced it by a week because of Navarro’s clear record and the fact that she sustained injuries from the incident herself.

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The magistrate also noted that because of the case, the 44-year-old Filipina is not likely to continue working as a domestic helper in Hong Kong.

Navarro had pleaded not guilty to a count of ill-treatment of a child under her care, saying the March 3 incident which happened in her employer’s house in Sha Tin was an accident. She had put the toddler on the floor to check on the potatoes she was boiling in a rice cooker, but the boy yanked at the cooker’s cord, causing hot water to spill over both of them.

The boy suffered superficial second-degree burns to his right arm and left foot, and a deeper second-degree burn on his right forearm, which required a “second stage” skin graft using artificial dermis.

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Defense lawyer Bryan Wong had asked for a suspended sentence for Navarro, saying the incident stemmed from momentary negligence during routine caregiving.

He cited three cases where the defendants were not given a jail sentence due to a lack of malice, to support his application.

But in sentencing, Magistrate Kwong said the injuries suffered by the child in each case were “much less serious” than that suffered by the toddler in Navarro’s care.

As the Filipina has been in custody since her conviction two weeks ago, she will have to stay in jail for five more weeks before being released, and possibly deported.

 

Eala eliminated in doubles, starts campaign to top HK Open

 

Alex about to unleash one of her powerful shots

Alex Eala crashed out from the doubles tournament at the opening of the Prudential Hong Kong Tennis Open today in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, to the dismay of hundreds of her Filipino fans who trooped to the venue to watch her play.

The 20-year-old Eala lost with her partner from Taiwan Chan Hao-ching, to the Russian pair of Aliaksandra Sasnovich and Kamilla Rakhimova, 6-3- 6-1, 10-7.

But Eala said at a press conference after the game that the loss was a blessing in disguise at it frees her of some pressure once she starts her singles campaign tomorrow (Tuesday) against Katie Boulter of the United Kingdom.

Alex and Hao-ching are still all smiles at a press conference despite their loss

“I'm hungry for one last hurrah,” she told a post-game press conference, noting that the Hong kong Open was her last tournament for the year.

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Eala and Chan easily won the first set after they took turns guarding the net, surprising the Russian pair with sharp volleys amid the loud cheers of the crowd, many of whom flew in from the Philippines to watch the tournament.

The tide turned in the second set, however, as Rakhimova and Sasnovich raced to a 5-0 lead behind Rakhimova’s sniping from the net and serve aimed at Chan, before both sides scored a point each.

The trend continued in the tiebreaker, with the Russians mounting a 6-2 lead, before closing the game at 10-6.

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The Russians advance to the second round against Moyuki Uchijima of Japan and Sabrina Santamaria of the US on Oct. 30.

Despite the loss, Eala was clearly the darling of the crowd, with fans waiting outside screaming as she left the court. She stopped and autographed hats and balls. 

Alex Eala (in red shoes) autographs fans' caps and balls after the game.

She and Chan were later called to the press room for an interview. 

Some of the Filipinos who watched today’s games, which were free today, had booked hotel rooms and tournament tickets until Nov. 2, hoping to watch Eala survive the eliminations and fight for the championship trophy on the final day.

One of Alex's many fans who flew in from the Philippines
hangs by the exit for a chance to have her autograph 

8 Mainlanders accused of laundering HK$255M in total

 

File photo from HK Monetary Authority

Filipinos who have landed in jail for money laundering, may be among the owners of bank accounts allegedly used by a group of mainland Chinese to launder a total of about HK$255 million.

The eight mainland men  appeared at Eastern Court last Wednesday (Oct. 22), charged with "conspiracy to deal with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable crime." All of them are accused of conspiring with “people unknown” in handling millions of dollars through multiple bank accounts in Hong Kong, despite not having permanent addresses here.

With the big amounts involved in the case, the case would most likely be elevated to higher courts, and may take time to resolve because of the complexity of proving their alleged violations of sections 25(1) and 25(3) of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance and sectons 159A and 159c of the Crimes Ordinance.

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The first defendant, Ma Zhiwei, 37 years old and unemployed, was accused of conspiring “together with a person unknown” in handling between Oct. 30, 2023 and Feb. 1, 2024 a total of HK$71,918,900.86. which “represented any person's proceeds of an indictable offence,” according to information fied by police.

The "dirty" money was deposited into the bank accounts with these numbers: 881026650285 at ZA Bank Limited, 33902902170 at ANT Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, 29083482261 at Standard Chartered Hong Kong Limited, 04347710951399 at Nanyang Commercial Bank Limited, 149772568833 at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, 973064488888 at Hang Seng Bank Limited, and 0052746399 at Citibank Hong Kong Limited.

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All the funds that went into these accounts were found to have drained into Ma’s own China Construction Bank (Asia) Limited account numbered 000402698845.

The second defendant, Liu Jiacheng, a 29-year-old salesman, was accused of handling between Jan. 11 and March 2, 2024 a total of HK$41,611,191.51 deposited into accounts numbered 888013606960 at ZA Bank Limited, 01272120260902 at Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, 04347211305853 at Nanyang Commercial Bank Limited, and 388756097313331 at Livi Bank Limited.

The funds were drained into Liu’s Ant Bank (Hong Kong) Limited account numbered 33034532853, the police alleged.

The third defendant, Wang Kai, 37 years old and unemployed, was accused of handling HK$44,346,176  in crime funds deposited from Jan. 18 2024 too March 5, 2024 into bank accounts numbered 881013635723 at ZA Bank Limited, 33226554061 at ANT Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, and 01258620581299 at Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited.

These deposits were drained into 04347710955252 at Nanyang Commercial Bank Limited, account held Wang’s name, the police said.

The fourth defendant was Tao Chenfu, 37 years old and unemployed, who handled a total of HK$25,900,000, “in whole or in part directly or indirectly represented any person's proceeds of an indictable offence,” the police comlaint said.

Tao was accused of handing the funds between April 2023 and February 2024.

The fifth defendant Wang Jun, 33 years old and unemployed, was accused of handling HK$23,276,647.43 in crime funds between Jan. 17 and March 11, 2024 through bank account numbered 885013672717 at ZA Bank Limited, and through 33081448193 at Ant Bank (Hong Kong) Limited which was in his name.

Yang Chenen, a 42-year-old businessman, was the sixth accused of conspiring with a person unknown in handling a total of HK$17,000,059.66 between Dec. 23, 2023 and Feb. 21, 2024 through deposits into bank accounts numbered 369840202888 at Hang Seng Bank Limited, and his own account numbered 149007999833 at The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited.

The seventh accused, Yao Xinlei, a 36-year-old salesman, was charged with handling HK$42,634,318.96  between the Nov. 1, 2023 and March 13. 2024 in conspiracy with a person unknown.

The money went into accounts numbered 888013627922 at ZA Bank Limited, 01287521057463 at Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, 885000100389 at Airstar Bank Limited and his own account numbered 33290362482 at Ant Bank (flong Kong) Limited.

The last defendant, Guo Jingchun, 35 years old and unemployed, was accused of handling HK$10,452,752 In crime proceeds through his  bank account numbered 888015763076 at ZA Bank Limited.

HK reports first local chikungunya case

 

CHP Controller Dr Edwin Tsui (center), head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the CHP, Dr Albert Au (left) and the staff of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (right) conduct  on-site inspections of locations near the patient’s residence.

Hong Kong today recorded the first locally-acquired case of chikungunya fever (CF), sparking infection control measures by various government departments and private organizations to prevent the disease from taking root and minimize its public health impact.

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health said the case involves an 82-year-old female living in Fung Tak Estate in Wong Tai Sin.

Hong Kong has earlier recorded 46 confirmed CF cases, all of them imported.

“None of the 46 patients lives near the abovementioned local case,” the CHP said. 

Given that the activity areas of the patient are primarily within the estate, the CHP cannot rule out the possibility that unidentified infected patient(s) in the area may have transmitted the virus to mosquitoes in the estate, leading to her infection. 

She developed a swollen and painful left ankle on October 18, and fever and limbs joint pain on October 22. She sought medical attention from a private doctor on the same day, and went to the Accident and Emergency Department of Kwong Wah Hospital the following day, where her blood sample tested positive for the chikungunya virus.

 “She was admitted for treatment in a mosquito-free environment. The patient is now in stable condition,” it said.

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A preliminary investigation revealed that she visited Qingyuan in Guangdong in late August but since she had no travel history during the incubation period (two to 12 days prior to onset), she was classified as a local case.

The patient has four household contacts who are currently asymptomatic and under medical surveillance.

Preventive measures have been adopted among the CHP, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), Wong Tai Sin District Office (WTSDO) and Hong Kong Housing Authority.

PINDUTIN DITO

The CHP sad it is implementing prevention and control measures according to epidemiological investigations and risk assessment, including providing medical surveillance and health advice to about 8,000 household contacts of the case or those with common exposure to the source of infection.

The CHP urged the residents to seek medical advice or contact the CHP immediately if they presented with a fever, rash or joint pain since October 1.

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In addition, the CHP has set up a health consultation booth at 2/F, Fung Tak Shopping Centre, where assessments will be provided to residents with relevant symptoms from today. The CHP will also set up an inquiry hotline (2125 2373), which will operate from 9am to 8pm.

90 asylum seekers sent home

 

44 women were among those sent home

A total of 90 unsubstantiated non-refoulement claimants (or those applying to stop Hong Kong authorities from sending them home) were repatriated by the Immigration Department from October 20 to 24 (Monday to Friday).

Those sent home were either illegal immigrants or overstayers comprising 46 men and 44 women. Among them were convicted criminals who had been discharged after spending time in prison.

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The repatriations were in line with Immigration’s policy of promptly removing people who failed to substantiate their claims against non-refoulement, to maintain effective immigration control and safeguard the public interest.

PINDUTIN DITO

Under the new policy that took effect on Dec. 7, 2022, Immigration was given power to generally proceed with the removal of a claimant whose judicial review case has been dismissed by the Court of First Instance of the High Court.

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Immigration says it remains committed to a speedy removal process through appropriate measures by actively maintaining close liaison with governments of major source countries of non-refoulement claimants, airline companies and other government departments.

 

Local man acquitted of raping Indonesian helper

 

A High Court jury voted 5-2 to acquit the defendant

A 39-year-old local restaurant manager was cleared Friday, Oct 24, of raping an Indonesian domestic helper he met through a livestreaming app, after a 10-day trial at the High Court resulted in the jury voting 5-2 in favor of acquittal.

Judge Martin Hui ordered the immediate release of Wu Kwan-shing after two days of deliberations by the jury made up of five men and two women resulted in a split decision on one charge of rape.

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The prosecution said that Wu met the woman who was 28 at the time, through the social media platform Bigo Live, in August 2020.

They had their first personal encounter in 2021, and on their second meeting in the same year, the two agreed to meet regularly. When they met again on November 14 of that year, Wu invited the woman to go to a hotel with him in Causeway Bay, and she agreed.

PINDUTIN DITO

In her testimony, the woman said she had agreed only to the invitation to rest at the hotel, but not to have sex. She said she had allowed Wu to hug her, but when she tried to leave, the man held her down on the bed. Wu then allegedly took off her trousers and underwear and forced himself on her despite her protests.

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The woman later disclosed the incident to her employer who accompanied her to the police to file a complaint.

Under caution, Wu told the police that he knew she was unwilling to have sex, and said he regretted his actions.

More illegal workers discovered in latest raids

 

Immigration officers escort one of those arrested 

A new group of illegal workers was discovered in the latest territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations of the government which netted 11 persons for working illegally, four locals for employing them and one for “aiding and abetting”.

The new group was discovered by Immigration Department officers through social media platforms: Mainland photographers who advertised photography and makeup services in Hong Kong.

“After an in-depth investigation and intelligence analysis, ImmD officers identified several suspected persons and initiated an operation. Officers disguised themselves as customers to enquire about and book photography and makeup services from these Mainland photographers and makeup artists,” ImmD said in a report.

They subsequently arrested three men and two women, aged 20 to 29, while providing photography and makeup services in Hong Kong.

“During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD officers also raided multiple target locations including restaurants, residential buildings and construction sites, etc.,” ImmD said.

Of the six suspected illegal workers who were arrested, two were men and four were women, aged 24 to 47. Arrested for employing the illegal workers were two men and two women, aged 36 to 62, while the suspected aider and abettor arrested was a women aged 56.

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The 16 arrests were made in raids conducted on from October 17 to 23 by the Immigration Department (ImmD) under operations codenamed "Rally", "Lightshadow" and "Puncture", and a joint operation with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed "Champion".

 “Investigation into the suspected employers is ongoing, and the possibility of further arrests is not ruled out,” ImmD said.

Under the Immigration Ordinance, any person who contravenes his or her condition of stay shall be guilty of an offence.

PINDUTIN DITO

For example, one of such conditions is that visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. “Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment,” ImmD said.

Employer, aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties, it added.

ImmD added that it conducts an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation to ascertain whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims.

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“When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation,” it said.

“Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services,” it added.

The ImmD also urged TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.

For reporting illegal employment activities, call the dedicated hotline 3861 5000, fax to 2824 1166, email to anti_crime@immd.gov.hk, or submit "Online Reporting of Immigration Offences" form at www.immd.gov.hk.

Police issue penalty tickets to 31 minibus passengers not using seat belts

 

Police also arrested 31 passengers for not wearing seat belts during a 2022 operation (File photo)

The police have renewed a crackdown on passengers who do not wear seatbelts on public minibuses, arresting 31 people in the process.

Under the Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) Regulations, all passengers on minibuses equipped with seatbelts should wear them, or be fined a maximum of $5,000 and jailed for up to three months.

Police regularly checked if the ordinance was being followed a few years ago, but have not been as strict in enforcing it lately.

In today's renewed crackdown, officers from Kowloon East traffic division disguised as commuters boarded several minibuses to check for violators.

All 31 passengers who were found not to have properly fastened their seat belts were issued with summonses which they can discharge by paying the fine.

The police said they will continue similar operations to promote road safety.

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The crackdown follows the publication in the Government Gazette last month of proposed amendment regulations for mandating the fitting and wearing of seat belts in all newly registered buses, private light buses, goods vehicles and special purpose vehicles. Seat belts are already required in all school buses, old or newly registered.

The new law also regulates drivers’ use of mobile phones, tablets and laptops while driving. The restrictions will be imposed on the number of devices, screen size and placement of the device.

Transport officials show samples of CSDs that children must use in private vehicles from Nov 1

Meanwhile, the government reminded all private car drivers that starting on November 1, all child passengers in private cars in Hong Kong must use a child restraining device (CSD) such as child safety seats or seatbelts.

Offending drivers may be issued with a fixed penalty notice of $230, but if the violation is serious, the case will be referred to the court, which can impose a maximum fine of $2,000.

The regulation requiring CRD covers child passengers below 8 years old and stand at 1.35 meters or below, regardless of whether they are sitting in the front or rear seats.

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Those who are above 8 years old or stand more than 1.35 meters must either use a CRD or an adult seat belt.

Apart from child car seats, portable CRDs such as seat belt adjusters, restraint vests and foldable boosters can also be used. However, safety experts said they may not offer the same kind of protection as CRDs which have protective pads and seat backs on both sides.

For more details on the new regulation, please refer to the TD’s dedicated webpage,  (www.td.gov.hk/en/road_safety/crd), infographics on the Agent T Facebook page and the relevant article in the Consumer Council's CHOICE Magazine for the legal requirements and selection tips, or call the TD's hotline 2804 2600.