logo
Hong Kong construction leader given community service for drink driving

Hong Kong construction leader given community service for drink driving

A Hong Kong construction industry leader has been sentenced to 240 hours of community service and fined HK$1,500 (US$192) for crashing his car into a traffic sign while driving under the influence of alcohol earlier this year.
Advertisement
Eastern Court on Friday also disqualified Colman Wong Chiu-ching from driving for two years after he pleaded guilty to two charges arising from a traffic accident on southern Hong Kong Island.
Wong is the general manager at the Hong Kong office of Leighton Contractors (Asia), and is one of six vice-presidents of Hong Kong Construction Association, which represents more than 300 companies in the sector.
The 52-year-old was driving along the westbound lane of Repulse Bay Road when he lost control of his private car and hit a road sign at around 1.40am on May 31, according to a prosecution summary of the case.
He returned to his home at The Repulse Bay residential complex and asked a security officer to call the police. He failed two subsequent breathalyser tests.
Advertisement
Wong pleaded guilty last month to careless driving and driving a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration in breath above the prescribed limit.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Hong Kong Airlines alerts Korean authorities after 4 passengers clash mid-air
Hong Kong Airlines alerts Korean authorities after 4 passengers clash mid-air

South China Morning Post

time17 minutes ago

  • South China Morning Post

Hong Kong Airlines alerts Korean authorities after 4 passengers clash mid-air

A heated dispute between four passengers on a flight to Seoul has prompted Hong Kong Airlines to alert Korean law enforcement authorities and issue a warning to those involved. Advertisement The airline said the incident occurred on Friday on flight HX628 from Hong Kong to Seoul, which, according to tracking website FlightAware, took off at 9.09am and landed at 1.03pm. A video circulating online showed a man and a woman speaking Mandarin arguing with a Cantonese-speaking pair, and flight attendants trying to break up the fight, which involved pulling and grabbing. The Mandarin-speaking woman was heard in the minute-long clip repeatedly yelling 'he hit my son', while grabbing another passenger. 'You've hit my son and you're in the right?' Flight attendants intervene after a dispute broke out between two pairs on a flight from Hong Kong to Seoul. Photo: Handout The Cantonese-speaking woman said: 'Your son has also hit someone'. Advertisement The Cantonese-speaking man also intervened, shouting 'go on, I dare you' in the argument that was reportedly dotted with expletives.

Hong Kong needs ‘targeted law' to tackle AI deepfake porn: Bar Association chief
Hong Kong needs ‘targeted law' to tackle AI deepfake porn: Bar Association chief

South China Morning Post

time3 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

Hong Kong needs ‘targeted law' to tackle AI deepfake porn: Bar Association chief

Hong Kong should enact a 'targeted law' to tackle the problem of AI-generated deepfake pornography instead of relying on legal tools designed to catch other mischief, the head of the city's professional body for barristers has said. In an interview with the Post on Thursday, Senior Counsel Jose-Antonio Maurellet, chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, also expressed confidence that such legislative efforts could be done 'very quickly' if the government had the will to tackle the issue. The legal gaps in regulating the non-consensual creation of images generated by artificial intelligence came under scrutiny last month after a University of Hong Kong (HKU) law student was found to have used AI to generate pornographic images of his classmates and other women, but received only a warning from the institution. Maurellet refrained from commenting directly on the case, but noted that while there was currently no particular legislation designed to penalise such actions, it would be undesirable to invoke existing legal tools tailored for other behaviours to deal with them. 'I think one should be very careful in not trying to use an instrument which was designed to catch another mischief for this purpose, because there could be all sorts of technical arguments advanced,' he said. For instance, the city's data privacy laws cover people who try to hurt someone by disseminating information about that person to a large audience, but are not designed to regulate individuals who distribute AI images within a relatively small group or who do not seek or intend to harm others, according to the barrister.

Fatal crash underscores need for rigorous tests for older taxi drivers
Fatal crash underscores need for rigorous tests for older taxi drivers

South China Morning Post

time5 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

Fatal crash underscores need for rigorous tests for older taxi drivers

Safety is paramount in all forms of transport, particularly the fitness of drivers. Age alone does not determine that, but safety records can highlight that factor. The increasing number of elderly taxi drivers in Hong Kong and their rising accident rates have long been a concern. A fatal crash involving an 80-year-old driver this week is a case in point. His taxi mounted a hotel taxi rank in Tsuen Wan, killing a 35-year-old tourist from the Philippines. The cabby said he felt dizzy before his vehicle crashed. The accident has sparked renewed debate about the need for rigorous health, vision and hearing tests for older drivers. As the city's population ages, more seniors need to continue working to maintain a living income, including by driving cabs and commercial vehicles. The question they face is how else they would make a living. While many are experienced drivers, there is no defence against impairment of driving abilities through any age-related decline in health. It is recognised that apart from the increased risk of age-related medical incidents, from dizziness to heart attacks, contributing factors in accidents include diminished vision, slower reaction times and hearing loss. Figures on accidents involving elderly taxi drivers show a sharp increase over the past two years. Those aged 70 or above had 651 accidents last year, up by more than 43 per cent compared to 2022. Cabbies in their sixties were involved in 2,021 incidents, a 40 per cent increase. Drivers over 70 applying for or renewing licences must furnish a medical certificate at least once every three years. An expert panel suggested stepping up health checks annually from the age of 65. It is good to hear from the Transport and Logistics Bureau that the government is finalising proposals to tighten requirements. Critics may argue that rigorous testing could unfairly discriminate against capable and fit elderly drivers. In that regard, as the city ages, it is true that people are ageing better, but differently. Every serious accident involving elderly drivers sparks the same debate. The issue has been too easily swept under the carpet. The time has come for action to set guidelines that strike a clearer balance between protecting the public and safeguarding the rights of the elderly.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store