Three Filipino travelers were convicted and fined in the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Court in February for carrying stun guns and other prohibited weapons in their luggage.
According to an officer from the Assistance to Nationals Section of the Philippine’s Consulate, the three arrived at Hong Kong International Airport on various dates in February, sunwebhk.com reported. All three were charged and fined between HK$1,000 and HK$1,700 (US$127 and US$216) each for their offenses.
Last week, a transit passenger from San Francisco was found with pepper spray, a stun gun and an extendable baton in his check-in luggage. He was fined HK$1,700. The second passenger, who was a seaman, arrived from Xiamen to take a connecting flight to Manila and was convicted and fined HK$1,000 for carrying a stun gun in his backpack.
He told the court he found the weapon on a street and picked it up. Earlier in February, a Filipino who came from India was also fined the same amount for having a stun gun in his check-in luggage.
Consul Paul Saret, the head of the Philippine Consulate General – Assistance to Nationals Section, earlier warned Filipinos that Hong Kong was very strict with stun guns, bullets, pepper spray, extended batons, tear gas, flick knives and knuckledusters as all were considered to be arms under Hong Kong law.
Under Hong Kong’s Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance, any person convicted faces a fine of up to HK$100,000 and a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.