Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected methamphetamine worth about $2 million at airport

​Hong Kong Customs detected a drug trafficking case involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport today (September 3) and seized about four kilograms of suspected methamphetamine with an estimated market value of about $2 million.

A 48-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Johannesburg, South Africa, today. During customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of suspected methamphetamine inside his check-in backpack. He was subsequently arrested.

The arrested person has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (September 4).

Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.

Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.

Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking 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).

Commemorating martyrs in resistance against Japanese aggression through archives: “Unyielding Land, Eternal Heroes” exhibition revisits Hong Kong’s three years and eight months of Japanese occupation

​Today (September 3) marks the Victory Day of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. On this 80th anniversary of victory in the War of Resistance, the Public Records Office (PRO) of the Government Records Service (GRS) has specially curated its annual thematic exhibition, this one entitled “Unyielding Land, Eternal Heroes: 80th Anniversary of Victory in the War of Resistance”, featuring precious archives and documented heritage for members of the public to revisit Hong Kong’s painful period during the Japanese occupation (1941-1945) and understand the heroic resistance of the Hong Kong Independent Battalion of the Dongjiang Column against the enemy.

On December 25, 1941, Hong Kong entered three years and eight months of Japanese occupation, during which residents suffered from the invasion, severe food shortages and various hardships. During the early stages of the Japanese occupation, the Hong Kong Independent Battalion of the Dongjiang Column broke through enemy defence lines, successfully rescuing groups of prominent figures in various sectors. Throughout the Japanese occupation, they braved life-and-death danger to engage in combat with the Japanese army, penetrating deep into enemy territories and waters to restrain and attack enemy forces.

This exhibition showcases over 120 selected items, including photographs documenting the daily marches of the Hong Kong Independent Battalion of the Dongjiang Column and paintings depicting their heroic victories against the enemy, a name list of the Hong Kong Independent Battalion of the Dongjiang Column who died in the defence of Hong Kong, the “Register of Enemy Properties” documenting property confiscated by the Japanese Military Government, etc. Additionally, the items reveal stories including the then Hong Kong Government pursuing after the war the recovery of books from the libraries of the University of Hong Kong looted by the Japanese forces, the demolition of the Japanese War Memorial, etc. The precious documented heritage bears witness to the harsh lives of Hong Kong residents during the Japanese occupation and the fearless spirit of the anti-Japanese heroes.

The thematic exhibition is open from today onwards from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5.45pm (except public holidays), at the Exhibition Hall on the second floor of the Hong Kong Public Records Building at 13 Tsui Ping Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon. Admission is free. In addition to distinctive photo spots, visitors can also experience the weight of the daily rice ration of “6.4 taels” during the Japanese occupation, understanding the hardships of people’s lives at that time.

To provide members of the public with a better understanding of this history, the PRO has developed a thematic online exhibition (www.grs.gov.hk/ws/online/80VWR/en/home/index.html). Its Facebook page (www.facebook.com/grs.publicrecordsoffice) will regularly share selected exhibition content and historical stories.

The PRO will also organise roving exhibitions of this thematic exhibition in various districts of Hong Kong. Details will be announced on the GRS website (www.grs.gov.hk) and the PRO Facebook page later. For enquiries, please contact the PRO at 2195 7700 or email to proinfo@grs.gov.hk.