A group of talented musicians of the Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra (HKCSO) performed a selection of enchanting music for a Thai audience at the Main Hall of the Thailand Cultural Centre, Bangkok this evening (August 13).

     Organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Bangkok (HKETO), the concert was presented by the Thai Youth Orchestra with the support of the Viemus Music School. Participants in the concert included HKCSO Founder and Music Director and composer Dr Yip Wai-hong; the HKCSO Honorary Guest Conductor, Professor Gabriel Leung; the HKCSO Resident Conductor, Mr Jeff Leung; and 80 young musicians aged 8 to 18.

     The concert was organised to celebrate the establishment of the HKETO in Bangkok. Opened on February 28 this year, the HKETO in Bangkok is the third Economic and Trade Office established by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region to further strengthen Hong Kong's economic and trade relations with the region for more new business opportunities.

     Speaking at a reception before the concert, the Director of the HKETO in Bangkok, Mr Lee Sheung-yuen, said that Hong Kong is not only one of the most competitive cities in the world, but also a multicultural city in the heart of Asia. Given the presence of the HKETO in Bangkok, he said he looked forward to more exchanges between Thailand and Hong Kong in culture and the arts in the years to come.

     "The concert by the Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra this evening is the first event of our plan to introduce a variety of quality performances and cultural presentations from Hong Kong to the audience in Thailand," Mr Lee said.

     "We are very pleased to support performing arts groups in Hong Kong to stage performance programmes and cultural exchange activities in Thailand, as well as in the neighbouring region, to encourage arts and cultural exchanges, and to promote people-to-people connections," he said.

     The concert attracted a local audience of about 500.

     Established in 1996, the HKCSO is among Hong Kong's top youth orchestras. The young members have been recruited through highly competitive open auditions. Apart from performing in Hong Kong, the HKCSO has also been delighting audiences all over the world since 2001 through concert tours and exchange programmes. The group arrived in Bangkok a day before the concert. They will engage in an exchange session with the College of Music at Mahidol University tomorrow (August 14) before returning to Hong Kong on Thursday (August 15).

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     Exchange Fund Bills Tender Results​:
 

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     Hong Kong Monetary Authority tenders to be held in the week beginning August 19 :
 

     Police today (August 13) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Chai Wan.
      
     Cheung Siu-lun, aged 35, went missing after he was last seen on Shau Kei Wan Main Street East on August 9 morning. Staff of his hostel made a report to Police yesterday (August 12).
      
     He is about 1.75 metres tall, 60 kilograms in weight and of normal build. He has a round face with yellow complexion and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a black long-sleeved jacket, dark-coloured trousers, black sports shoes, and carrying a black shoulder bag.
      
     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of Hong Kong Island on 2860 1040 or 9886 0034 or email to rmpu-hki@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.
     

  

     A man was fined $12,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (August 13) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
      
     The courts heard that in August last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on Fuk Wing Street in Sham Shui Po. During the inspection, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse on a daily basis.
      
     According to the OLA's records, the guesthouse did not possess a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The man responsible for managing the premises was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
      
     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and can lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years' imprisonment.
           
     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (August 13):
 
Reporter: The police fired tear gas at the Kwai Fong MTR station on Sunday and almost caused a stampede in Tai Koo station by shooting protesters at very close range. Many residents including young children and elderly people were tear-gassed. Can you tell the citizens of Hong Kong how they could continue to live in the city safely when the police keep firing harmful chemicals into residential areas?
 
Chief Executive: The police have had a very difficult time in the last two months to enforce the law and to ensure law and order in Hong Kong. As everyone will observe, they are under extremely difficult circumstances. As I have just explained, police operations could not be determined by someone like myself who is outside the police, especially when policemen have to make on-the-spot judgment of what will be in the best interest and the safety of people around during that particular situation. The police have their code of practice to follow. The police have very rigid and stringent guidelines in the use of appropriate force and that requires the lowest level of force in dealing with those situations. And I believe …
 
Reporter: Mrs Lam, can you tell me what is your responsibility? You are talking about the responsibility of the police and the people of Hong Kong. What is your responsibility as the leader of Hong Kong to solve this situation? Don’t talk about the police and the people. What is your responsibility?
 
Chief Executive: Sorry. It is not my choice to concentrate on the police but all the questions now have been focusing on the police despite a three-hour press conference yesterday. Let me briefly give a very solemn and serious response to that question about the Chief Executive’s responsibility. The Chief Executive’s responsibility is to ensure that Hong Kong remains a safe and orderly and law-abiding city. That is my utmost responsibility. Because without the rule of law, without law and order in Hong Kong, it is extremely difficult to ensure that seven million people in Hong Kong could continue to live in a peaceful manner. So that is my utmost responsibility. That also requires my support for all the law enforcement agencies in accordance with their policies, their rules, their guidelines. That also means that my responsibility goes beyond this particular range of protests. I have said, after the violence has been stopped, and the chaotic situation that now we are seeing could subside – I wouldn’t say it will be eradicated totally – I, as the Chief Executive, will be responsible to rebuild Hong Kong’s economy, to engage as widely as possible, to listen as attentively as possible to my people’s grievances and try to help Hong Kong to move on. That is my very serious political commitment and responsibility to the people of Hong Kong at this point in time. 
 
Reporter: Mrs Lam, you say that it’s your utmost responsibility to restore order to Hong Kong. Is it not also your utmost responsibility as Hong Kong’s leader to listen to the public? All of us here in this room, all the reporters, we’ve been out on the streets, we’ve spoken to protesters over the past couple of months. They have made their demands very clear. Now, I would like to ask you, in terms of withdrawing the bill, using this specific term which the protesters have called for, do you as Hong Kong’s leader have the autonomy to decide to withdraw the bill? Yes or no? Or is this something that Beijing has to approve as well? In other words, have your hands been tied by Beijing in not allowing the bill to be withdrawn or is this a point of political pride on your part in not doing this and refusing to meet this demand of the protesters? Yes or no? Specific response.
 
Chief Executive: Well, actually, this question has been answered on previous occasions. Number one, as we have all heard from the spokesman of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, the Central Government is still confident that I, myself, as the Government of the Hong Kong SAR, together with the police force, are still capable of resolving this crisis. The second point I want to make is in response to the various demands that we have heard, we have considered all factors and came up with the response that we have rehearsed time and again over the last two months. Thank you very much.
 
Reporter: Do you have the autonomy or not to withdraw the extradition bill? You have not answered the question. You’ve evaded the question. Please, Chief Executive. Do you have the autonomy to withdraw the bill or not, or does Beijing need to give approval on that?
 
Chief Executive: I have already answered the question.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)