New Commissioner of Customs Appointed as Louise Ho Retires After 33 Years of Service

Appointment of Commissioner of Customs and Excise

​The Central People's Government, on the nomination and recommendation of the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, has approved today (December 31) the appointment of Mr Chan Tsz-tat, formerly Deputy Commissioner of Customs and Excise, as Commissioner of Customs and Excise and the removal of Ms Louise Ho Pui-shan from the post of Commissioner of Customs and Excise. Ms Ho proceeded on pre-retirement leave today after serving the Customs and Excise Department for 33 years.

Commenting on the appointment of Mr Chan, Mr Lee said, "Mr Chan has served in the Customs and Excise Department for 30 years and has extensive experience in departmental operations. He possesses solid management and leadership skills. I am confident that he will lead the Customs and Excise Department in meeting the challenges ahead."

Speaking on Ms Ho who reached the retirement age and proceeded on pre-retirement leave, Mr Lee said, "Since taking up the appointment as Commissioner of Customs and Excise in October 2021, Ms Ho has made sustained efforts in leading the Department with distinguished results on the prevention of smuggling activities, the protection of Government revenue on dutiable goods, the detection and deterrence of narcotics trafficking and abuse of narcotic drugs, the protection of intellectual property rights and consumer interests and the combat of money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism. During her tenure, she has also been committed to maintaining close collaboration with international and regional partners to uphold the position of Hong Kong as an international trade centre and logistics hub. On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, I convey my heartfelt appreciation to Ms Ho for her contribution to the HKSAR and I wish her a happy retirement."

The following are biographical notes of Ms Ho and Mr Chan:

Ms Louise Ho

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Ms Ho joined the Customs and Excise Department as Inspector of Customs and Excise in February 1991. She was promoted to Superintendent of Customs and Excise in 2010, to Senior Superintendent of Customs and Excise in 2013, to Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Excise in 2017 and to Deputy Commissioner of Customs and Excise in 2019. She took up the Commissioner of Customs and Excise post in October 2021.

Ms Ho has been awarded three Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Excise's Commendations in 1999, 2003 and 2005 respectively; Hong Kong Customs and Excise Long Service Medal in 2009, with the first clasp and second clasp in 2016 and 2021 respectively; Hong Kong Customs and Excise Medal for Meritorious Service in 2017; and Hong Kong Customs and Excise Medal for Distinguished Service in 2022.

Mr Chan Tsz-tat

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Mr Chan joined the Customs and Excise Department as Inspector of Customs and Excise in August 1994. He was promoted to Superintendent of Customs and Excise in 2015, to Senior Superintendent of Customs and Excise in 2017, to Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Excise in 2020 and to Deputy Commissioner of Customs and Excise in 2022.

Mr Chan has been awarded Hong Kong Customs and Excise Long Service Medal in 2012, with the first clasp in 2019; and Hong Kong Customs and Excise Medal for Distinguished Service in 2023.

Appointment of Commissioner of Customs and Excise Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Appointment of Commissioner of Customs and Excise Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Appointment of Commissioner of Customs and Excise Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Appointment of Commissioner of Customs and Excise Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Meeting attendance of members of District Councils in 2024

The Home Affairs Department (HAD) made the following clarifications today (January 2) regarding certain media reports on the meeting attendance of the current-term members of the District Councils (DCs) in 2024:

(1) The current-term DC members were diligent in their work, with over 98 per cent of 470 members having attended all DC meetings or were only absent with the DC's consent; over 90 per cent having attended all committee/working group meetings or were only absent with the DC's consent. Aside from attending DC meetings, each DC member on average attended 28 committee/working group meetings;

(2) all DC members fulfilled the requirement under the Performance Monitoring Guidelines for Members of the DCs (the Guidelines), i.e. attendance rate of not lower than 80 per cent and no DC members were in violation of the requirement; certain reports were incorrect in stating that some DC members were in violation of the Guidelines due to their absence at meetings since absence at an individual meeting was not a violation in itself; and

(3) for the purpose of calculating attendance, the Guidelines stipulate certain reasons for absence that would be consented by the DCs, including sickness and attendance at another meeting or an activity on behalf of the DCs etc. If a DC member were absent from meetings due to the aforementioned reasons with the DC's consent, the absence would not affect his/her attendance rate. If a DC member were absent from meetings due to other reasons (i.e. personal matters), the absence would be counted towards his/her attendance rate.

​The HAD hoped that media outlets and members of the public would have an accurate understanding of DC members' attendance situation at meetings. The current-term DC members' attendance rate at meetings was the highest amongst all previous terms, which fully demonstrated DC members' efforts and work in improving governance at the district level.