Louise Ho

Hong Kong government officer

In this Hong Kong name, the surname is  Ho. In accordance with Hong Kong custom, the Western-style name is Louise Ho and the Chinese-style name is Ho Pui-shan.

Louise Ho

CMSM

何珮珊
Commissioner of Customs and Excise

Incumbent

Assumed office
21 October 2021 (2021-10-21)
Preceded by| Hermes Tang
Personal details
Born|  (1967-12-31) 31 December 1967 (age 56)
Nationality| Chinese (Hong Kong)
Spouse|

Erick Tsang

(m. 2007)​

Alma mater| University of Hong Kong (MPA)

Louise Ho Pui-shan CMSM (Chinese: 何珮珊, born 31 December 1967) is a Hong Kong civil servant and principal official, currently serving as Commissioner of Customs and Excise, the first woman to hold that post.

## Early years

[edit]

Ho was born on 31 December 1967,[1] and studied in Ying Wa Girls' School,[2] before graduating from[clarification needed] the University of Hong Kong with Master of Public Administration.[3]

## Government career

[edit]

Ho joined the Customs and Excise Department in February 1991 as Inspector of Customs and Excise in February 1991, and was chosen as the best recruit at the passing out parade from Customs And Excise Training School.[4][5] Ho was promoted to Superintendent in 2010, and later in 2013 to Senior Superintendent to handle parallel trading.[4][6] She was awarded with Meritorious Service Medals (Chinese: 榮譽獎章) and directly promoted to Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Excise in 2017, skipping the Chief Superintendent rank,[citation needed][7] and was further promoted to Deputy Commissioner two years later.[4]

> "On the surface, it is a simple matter of smuggling lobsters, but these activities undermine our country's trade restrictions against Australia. Stopping lobster smuggling is a very important part of protecting national security, so we will pursue it diligently."

Louise Ho told reporters during inaugural press conference[8][9]

On 21 October 2021, Louise Ho was appointed as the first[clarify] Commissioner of Customs and Excise,[4] and was inaugurated with the National Emblem of the People's Republic of China after the amendment to National Flag and National Emblem Ordinance was passed.[10] She told reporters after inauguration ceremony that smuggling lobsters from Hong Kong to China will undermine Chinese trade restrictions against Australia, and endanger the national security, hence the customs has intensified the crackdown on so.[11][9][12] As the Chinese Government has been claiming the ban on Australian lobsters was over fears of elevated traces of minerals and metals since October 2020, comments from Ho were the first official remarks that suggest the targeting of Australian lobsters was motivated by political interests, not health or contamination fears.[13][14] Australian Trade Minister Dan Tehan, as a result, asked Beijing whether Australia was economically sanctioned.[9][15] Ho later insisted food security is part of national security, argued that her comments were misinterpreted and the authorities will not tolerate so.[16]

## Family

[edit]

Louise Ho, who was Assistant Superintendent in Customs Department at that time, met Chief Immigration Officer Erick Tsang at work.[6][17] The duo got married while Tsang was in posting at Office of the Hong Kong Government in Beijing, and finally registered their marriage in 2007. Tsang and Ho did not go on honeymoon, and had no children because of work.[17] They are the first and so far the only pair of couples to serve simultaneously as "principal officials" of the special administrative region.[18]

## Honour

[edit]

* C.M.S.M. (1 July 2017)[citation needed]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 香港政府布政司署 (1996-07-01). 香港政府職員名冊 一九九六年. 香港: 香港政府. p. 40.
2. ^ "Congratulations: Ms HO Pui Shan Louise, C.M.S.M". Ying Wa Girls' School Alumnae Association. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
3. ^ "Taught Postgraduate - Department of Politics and Public Administration, The University of Hong Kong". ppa.hku.hk. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
4. ^ a b c d "Appointment of Commissioner of Customs and Excise (with photo)". Hong Kong Government. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
5. ^ "何珮珊分享座右銘：「愈重要的事情，愈要親力親為」". 文匯報 (香港). 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
6. ^ a b "新任女關長何珮珊紀律部隊出身 與丈夫曾國衞同屬中央任命". 頭條日報. 2021-10-21. Archived from the original on 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
7. ^ Rank Insignia - Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department
8. ^ "China's national security threatened by Australian lobster smuggling, says new Hong Kong customs chief". Hong Kong Free Press HKFP. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
9. ^ a b c "香港海關關長何珮珊評走私龍蝦 澳洲趁機問中國為何禁止進口". 香港01. 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
10. ^ "海關新關長：首務維護國安 何珮珊稱打擊「軟對抗」 提防書刊滲危害信息流入". Ming Pao. 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-10-25. "《國旗國徽法》已生效，宣誓場地中央放置國徽，何珮珊亦成為首名國徽法下宣誓的主要官員。"
11. ^ "Australia asks why Hong Kong considers lobsters national security risk". Reuters. 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
12. ^ "提四大工作重點 海關關長何珮珊：打擊走私龍蝦亦是維護國安". 頭條日報. 2021-10-21. Archived from the original on 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
13. ^ "'National security risk': Australian lobster smuggling rocks Hong Kong". Sydney Morning Herald. 2021-10-22. Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
14. ^ "Hong Kong's 'national security priority': stop cross-border smuggling of lobsters, other products into mainland China". South China Morning Post. 2021-10-22. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
15. ^ "香港稱龍蝦走私是國安問題 澳洲要求說明". 法國國際廣播電台. 2021-10-22. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
16. ^ 周禮希 (2021-10-27). "走私龍蝦｜何珮珊：食物安全屬國安重要一環 稱早前言論被曲解". 香港01 (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2021-10-29.
17. ^ a b "入境處處長曾國衞中學時期曾多科「肥佬」 後得老師啟發考獲2A3B". 香港01. 2019-01-06. Archived from the original on 2021-10-25. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
18. ^ https://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news/section/4/181777/Louise-Ho-Pui-shan-named-Hong-Kong’s-first-female-Customs-chief https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/2177000/hong-kong-customs-blazes-trail-women-law-enforcement https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3153097/hong-kong-gets-its-first-female-customs-chief-louise-ho

Government offices

Preceded by

Hermes Tang

|  Commissioner of Customs and Excise
2021 –  | Incumbent
*[m.]: married