This is the 1714th issue of "Hong Kong One Day".
The Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong condemned the European Parliament's passage of a resolution on Hong Kong
In response to the adoption of the so-called Hong Kong-related resolution by the European Parliament, slandering and smearing Hong Kong's national security legislation, supporting and bragging for anti-China and destabilizing elements in Hong Kong, and clamoring for sanctions against Hong Kong, the spokesperson of the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong expressed strong condemnation and resolute opposition on the 26th, and emphatically pointed out:
1. National security legislation is a common international practice. The enactment of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance by the HKSAR is an integral part of fulfilling its constitutional responsibility to safeguard national security and implementing the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the relevant decisions of the National People's Congress and the National Security Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. European countries have established their own strict legal nets to safeguard national security, but they have wantonly slandered the legitimate legislation of other countries and regions, fully exposing their double standards and ulterior motives.
2. No one has the privilege of being above the law. Hong Kong is a society governed by the rule of law, and the law enforcement and judicial organs of the HKSAR handle cases in accordance with the law, practicing the rule of law principle that there are laws to be followed and violations must be prosecuted. The European Parliament's exculpation of lawbreakers and criminals and its blatant interference in Hong Kong's judiciary is a blasphemy and trampling on the spirit of the rule of law!
3. All sectors of the HKSAR have made tremendous efforts to safeguard national security, which has won the respect and support of the people of Hong Kong and the entire Chinese people. The European Parliament's blatant call for sanctions against SAR officials who have fulfilled their duties is nothing but a bluff political show, which cannot shake the firm determination of the central authorities and the SAR government to administer Hong Kong according to law and safeguard national security.
Fourth, the general trend of Hong Kong's governance and prosperity is irreversible and unstoppable. We urge the European Parliament to earnestly respect the spirit of the rule of law, abide by international law and basic norms governing international relations, and immediately stop its futile efforts to interfere with the rule of law in Hong Kong, immediately stop its hegemonic acts of threatening sanctions, and immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs and China's internal affairs for any reason.
The "King of Guns" was arrested and more than 100 rounds of ammunition were seized from 18 pistols
According to a number of Hong Kong media reports on the 26th, the Organized Crime and Triad Investigation Bureau of the Hong Kong Police (known as O Ji in Hong Kong, the same below), raided a mini warehouse in Sha Tin the day before yesterday (24th) and seized 18 pistols, 1 stun gun, 11 knives and 4 daggers, more than 100 rounds of ammunition and more than 100 original firearms, and arrested a man on suspicion of "possession of firearms without a license" and "possession of prohibited weapons" and other crimes.
Source: Hong Kong Police
Superintendent Cheung Ting-fung said the suspect was a 67-year-old local Chinese man. The seized pistol, which is printed in German, is believed to have been purchased from abroad. The suspect started renting a mini-warehouse in mid-2021, and further investigation is pending as to when the storage of arms will begin. The arrested persons will be provisionally charged with "possession of a firearm without a licence" and "possession of a prohibited weapon" and will be mentioned at Shatin Magistrates' Courts this afternoon (26th).
Nicholas Cheung said that the HKSAR Government has all along maintained strict control over firearms and ammunition, and the Police is also committed to combating related crimes, which are monitored by the O Kee Task Force.
After a preliminary assessment of the exhibits, the Ordnance Certification Office of the Police found that the seized pistols and bullets were genuine guns and real bullets, and their power and performance will be further examined. Police operations are continuing, and further arrests will be ruled out by investigating the source of the seized items, the intent of the arrested persons in possession of the weapons, whether the weapons are involved in other cases, and whether the arrested persons are in accomplices.
The Acting Chief Inspector of the Hong Kong Police, Mr Yuen Ming-lok, reminded the public that the Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance was amended in 2021. As some investigations or cases in the past have revealed that some criminals have shipped the original real guns to Hong Kong from overseas in the form of disassembled pieces, and then assembled them locally into fully functional real guns. In view of this, the HKSAR Government has amended the relevant legislation to provide a clearer and more specific definition of genuine firearms, which came into effect in November 2021 and clearly listed nine specified important firearms (i.e. genuine originals) within the scope of the definition of "firearms" under the Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance (Cap. 238).
Hong Kong media said that the suspect is Ho Mengqiang, known as the "King of Guns", who once set up a firearms and ammunition trading company, a movie props company, a military accessories and model company in Hong Kong, and was also the head of a gun club. In the 1990s, Ho Mengqiang, who established the Gun Club, became friends with the well-known movie star Jackie Chan, and jointly established a gun rental company to provide gun rental and technical guidance for the films of the time. Subsequently, the gunfire scenes of the Jackie Chan series of movies were all handled by He Mengqiang.
Source: Sing Tao Daily He Mengqiang data map
In 2007, Ho was sentenced to four years in prison for smuggling arms to the mainland and failed to renew his gun licence in Hong Kong. In September of the same year, the Regional Crime Unit of the New Territories South Region of the Hong Kong Police Force searched a factory building in Ho Tat Fo Tan and found a large quantity of ammunition and explosives, including about 350,000 rounds of ammunition, a brick of Type 4 plastic explosives, about 60 explosive devices and the barrel of an M136 AT4 anti-tank gun. In 2012, the Hong Kong Police arrested Ho and subsequently charged him with "possession of ammunition without a licence" and "knowingly possession of explosives". Ho was sentenced to five years' imprisonment in the High Court in October 2013. At that time, the well-known movie star Jackie Chan sent a letter to the court to intercede for him, and in 2016, He Mengqiang was later released from prison.
After his release from prison, Ho Mengqiang continued to be involved in repeated cases of unlicensed possession of firearms. In April 2020, O Kee searched a factory flat in Fo Tan. Police charged the arrested with "possession of firearms and ammunition without a licence". The case was transferred to the District Court for trial on May 23, 2024.
On December 25, 2021, 0 Ji searched a factory building unit in Fotan again and found a rifle, and Ho was arrested and charged with "possession of firearms without a license". He was fined HK$12,000 at Shatin Magistrates' Courts in October 2023.
Hong Kong police seized more than $38 million worth of drugs this month
61 people were arrested
This month, Hong Kong police seized nearly 128 kilograms of dangerous drugs, worth more than $38 million, and arrested 61 people, five of whom were minors.
Source: Hong Kong Police
The seized drugs included cocaine, ketamine, methamphetamine and e-cigarette cartridges, commonly known as "space oil", of which more than 80 per cent were cannabis flowers.
The police suspect that the "space oil" contains "etomidate", which is used for narcotics and is the first poison, and said that since last year, there has been an upward trend in related cases.
After in-depth investigation and analysis, the Police identified a group active on Telegram and grasped the operation model of the drug trafficking syndicate behind it, which not only sold cannabis on an online platform, but also distributed drugs to unlicensed bars related to the group. On the 17th and 21st of this month, raids were conducted on two drug storage warehouses in Tuen Mun and Fanling and an unlicensed bar in Mong Kok, seizing over $1.6 million worth of cannabis flowers, cannabis e-liquid and cannabis chocolate, and arresting 11 men and women (aged 19 to 57), five of whom were minors, including three students, believed to be responsible for transporting drugs to the syndicate. The police have successfully taken over and interrupted the group on the social platform.
The police also said that one of the cases involved a drug trafficking syndicate selling cannabis products on an online platform, and drug dealers imported cannabis oil from Southeast Asia and other places for processing, and then mixed it with products such as chocolate and candies.
There has been a marked increase in hospital admissions for influenza in children recently
There were two child deaths in a week
In Hong Kong, young children have died of influenza A, and the SAR government said that the number of influenza admissions in children has increased significantly recently, and the paediatric wards are close to saturation.
Source: Hong Kong 01
According to the latest Coronavirus Disease and Influenza Express from the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection, there was another case of influenza-related deaths in children in Hong Kong this Tuesday (23rd), involving a 6-year-old girl infected with influenza A (H1) complicated by encephalopathy, who had been vaccinated against influenza this season.
The Centre for Health Protection announced on Monday (22nd) that a 6-year-old girl was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Prince of Wales Hospital for worsening symptoms due to fever and cough, and was clinically confirmed to be positive for influenza A (H1) virus, and was clinically diagnosed with influenza A complicated with encephalopathy, and was hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit of the Hong Kong Children's Hospital. His condition continued to deteriorate and he died on Tuesday (23rd), four days after infection.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) announced last Saturday (20th) a death case of influenza A infection in a child, involving an 8-year-old girl who was previously in good health. She had a fever and cough on the 17th of this month, and had convulsions the next day (18th). On the same day, she was taken to the accident and emergency department of Kwong Wah Hospital for treatment and admitted to the hospital for treatment, but her condition deteriorated after admission and she died on the 18th.
The HKSAR Government pointed out that the mainstream virus has changed from the previous influenza A H3 to H1, which is expected to continue for some time, and appeals to parents to vaccinate their children as soon as possible.
Author丨Yang Ying, the chief writer of Shenzhen Satellite TV Direct News
Editor丨Huang Haining, Editor-in-Chief of Shenzhen Satellite TV Direct News
Typesetting丨He Xinying, Shenzhen Satellite TV direct news editor