Cap. 353 Art. 24Interpretation.

(1) In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires -

"Convention country" means a country in which the Beijing

Convention (2010) is for the time being in force.

(2) For the purposes of this Part -

(a) an aircraft shall be deemed to be in flight at any time from the moment when all its external doors are closed following embarkation until the moment when any such door is opened for disembarkation; in the case of a forced landing, the flight shall be deemed to continue until the competent authorities take over the responsibility for the aircraft and for persons and property on board;

(b) an aircraft shall be deemed to be in service from the beginning of the preflight preparation of the aircraft by ground personnel or by the crew for a specific flight until twenty-four hours after any landing; the period of service shall, in any event, extend for the entire period during which the aircraft is in flight as defined in paragraph (a);

(c) the term "air navigation facilities" includes signals, data, information or systems necessary for the navigation of the aircraft;

(d) the term "toxic chemical" means any chemical which through its chemical action on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitation or permanent harm to humans or animals. The said term includes all such chemicals, regardless of their origin or of their method of production, and regardless of whether they are produced in facilities, in munitions or elsewhere;

(e) the term "radioactive material" means nuclear material and other radioactive substances which contain nuclides which undergo spontaneous disintegration (a process accompanied by emission of one or more types of ionizing radiation, such as alpha-, beta-, neutron particles and gamma rays) and which may, owing to their radiological or fissile properties, cause death, serious bodily injury or substantial damage to property or to the environment;

(f) the term "nuclear material" means plutonium, except that with isotopic concentration exceeding 80 per cent in plutonium-238; uranium-233; uranium enriched in the isotope 235 or 233; uranium containing the mixture of isotopes as occurring in nature other than in the form of ore or ore residue; or any material containing one or more of the foregoing; the ratio of the isotope 235 to the isotope 238 occurring in nature;

(h) the term "BCN weapon" means:

(a) "biological weapons", which are:

(i) microbial or other biological agents, or toxins whatever their origin or method of production, of types and in quantities that have no justification for prophylactic, protective or other peaceful purposes; or

(ii) weapons, equipment or means of delivery designed to use such agents or toxins for hostile purposes or in armed conflict;

(b) "chemical weapons", which are, together or separately:

(i) toxic chemicals and their precursors, except where intended for:

(A) industrial, agricultural, research, medical, pharmaceutical or other peaceful purposes; or

(B) protective purposes, namely those purposes directly related to protection against toxic chemicals and to protection against chemical weapons; or

(C) military purposes not connected with the use of chemical weapons and not dependent on the use of the toxic properties of chemicals as a method of warfare; or

(D) law enforcement including domestic riot control purposes, as long as the types and quantities are consistent with such purposes;

(ii) munitions and devices specifically designed to cause death or other harm through the toxic properties of those toxic chemicals specified in sub-paragraph (b)(i), which would be released as a result of the employment of such munitions and devices;

(iii) any equipment specifically designed for use directly in connection with the employment of munitions and devices specified in sub-paragraph (b)(ii);

(c) nuclear weapons and other nuclear explosive devices; chemical system;

(j) the terms "source material" and "special fissionable material" shall have the same meaning as that given to those terms in the Statute of the International Atomic Energy Agency, done at New York on 26 October 1956.