Press Releases
Child Abduction and Custody (Parties to Convention) (Amendment) Order 2005 to be gazetted
The Child Abduction and Custody (Parties to Convention) (Amendment) Order 2005
made by the Chief Executive under Section 4 of the Child Abduction and Custody
Ordinance will be published in the Gazette tomorrow (September 30).
The Order updates the list of Contracting States and territories in the Schedule
to the Child Abduction and Custody (Parties to Convention) Order (Cap.512 sub.
leg. A), which enables the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International
Child Abduction to come into operation between the HKSAR and various States and
territories.
The new States added in this exercise include the Republic of Uzbekistan, the
Federative Republic of Brazil, the Republic of Malta, Oriental Republic of
Uruguay, the Republic of Estonia, the Republic of the Fiji Islands, the Republic
of Trinidad and Tobago, the Republic of Peru, the Democratic Socialist Republic
of Sri Lanka, the Republic of Latvia, the Republic of Lithuania, the Kingdom of
Thailand and the Republic of Bulgaria.
A government spokesman said today (September 29) that the Convention provided an
effective international mechanism for ensuring the swift return of children
wrongfully removed or retained in violation of custody rights to their place of
habitual residence. The Convention has been applicable to Hong Kong since 1997.
The Amendment Order will come into operation on October 1, 2005.
Ends/Thursday, September 29, 2005
Issued at HKT 16:02
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