Author Archives: hksar gov

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (February 17) seized about 8.2 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $9.8 million at Hong Kong International Airport.

     A male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Dubai, United Arab Emirates yesterday evening. During Customs clearance, the batch of suspected cocaine was found concealed inside false compartments of his two suitcases. The man was then arrested.

     The arrested man, aged 24, has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. He will appear at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (February 19).

     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to the Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

  

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (February 20) at 11.30 am (or immediately after the meeting for the Chief Executive’s Question Time to be held at 11am) in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, Members will consider a motion under the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance.

     The motion, to be moved by Ms Tanya Chan, states: “That this Council appoints a select committee to inquire into the incomplete construction documentation and construction changes not authorised by the Government in relation to the North Approach Tunnel, South Approach Tunnel and stabling sidings of the extension works of Hung Hom Station under construction contract number 1112 ‘Hung Hom Station and Stabling Sidings’ of the Shatin to Central Link, and other related matters, and that in the performance of its duties the committee be authorised under section 9(2) of the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance (Cap. 382) to exercise the powers conferred by section 9(1) of that Ordinance.”

     Mr Paul Tse will move a proposed resolution under Article 75 of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China to amend the LegCo Rules of Procedure as set out in the Appendix.

     On other Members’ motions, Dr Junius Ho will move a motion on revitalising the Mandatory Provident Fund. The motion states: “That the fundamental concept of the Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) schemes is to enable working persons to make personal savings through contributions from both employees and employers and receive returns derived from investment of the funds, so as to assist members of the public in coping with life after retirement; from December 2000 to the end of 2017, although the total MPF assets have exceeded $844 billion, the assets have in fact been eroded by inflation, and the return rates have invariably been far from satisfactory over the years; according to a market report in mid-2018, calculated on the basis of MPF’s overall performance, the average loss of each scheme member has exceeded $8,000, rendering MPF’s real purchasing power being almost exhausted after several decades, which is a worrying situation; in order to put the retirement savings of scheme members to more practical use, this Council urges the Government to revitalise MPF by allowing scheme members flexibility and autonomy in using MPF to take out medical insurance, so that when they fall ill, besides seeking medical treatment under the public healthcare system, they may also choose to go to private healthcare institutions, so as to receive appropriate treatment expeditiously; this proposal not only can protect the personal health of members of the public, but also relieve the pressure on the public healthcare system.”

     Mr Chan Kin-por, Mr Luk Chung-hung, Mr Wong Ting-kwong, Dr Kwok Ka-ki, Dr Fernando Cheung and Mr Paul Tse will move separate amendments to Dr Junius Ho’s motion.

     Mr Vincent Cheng will move a motion on increasing transitional housing supply. The motion states: “That, according to the projection in the Long Term Housing Strategy Annual Progress Report 2018, over 110 000 households in Hong Kong live in inadequate housing conditions; prior to the allocation of public housing units for such households, transitional housing is an important housing option for them; yet, the failure to include transitional housing in the Long Term Housing Strategy announced on December 16, 2014 and its subsequent annual reviews has resulted in a lack of policy and financial support for transitional housing and its supply stagnancy; in this connection, this Council urges the Government to adopt the following measures to substantially increase transitional housing supply, in a bid to improve the living environment of families living in inadequate housing conditions:

(1) to include transitional housing in the Long Term Housing Strategy, and formulate a supply target for transitional housing, including setting the target of its total supply within the next three years at no less than 10 000 units;

(2) to invite the Hong Kong Housing Authority, the Hong Kong Housing Society and the Urban Renewal Authority to actively increase the provision of transitional housing;

(3) to introduce policies for encouraging private property owners to convert their residential properties or whole blocks of industrial buildings into transitional housing;

(4) to establish a transitional housing fund of no less than $2 billion, so as to take forward and support various transitional housing schemes; and

(5) to make public a list of idle government lands or facilities that are suitable for transitional housing purpose, including those lands or facilities with tenure or tenancies due to expire within one year, so as to enable the relevant organisations to study and prepare for any transitional housing programmes as early as possible.”

     Mr Tony Tse, Ms Alice Mak, Mr Shiu Ka-chun, Mr Andrew Wan, Mr Chu Hoi-dick, Mr Jeremy Tam and Mr Leung Yiu-chung will move separate amendments to Mr Vincent Cheng’s motion.

      Meanwhile, Ms Starry Lee will move a proposed resolution under section 34(4) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending the Minimum Wage Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 3) Notice 2019 and the Employment Ordinance (Amendment of Ninth Schedule) Notice 2019 laid on the table of the Council on January 23, 2019 to the meeting of March 20, 2019.

     On Government Bills, the Smoking (Public Health) (Amendment) Bill 2019 and the Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill 2019 will be introduced into the Council for the First Reading and the Second Reading. The Second Reading debate on the Bills will be adjourned.

     The Second Reading debate on the Inland Revenue (Profits Tax Exemption for Funds) (Amendment) Bill 2018 and the Inland Revenue (Amendment) (No.7) Bill 2018 will resume. If the Bills are supported by Members and receive their Second Reading, they will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bills and their reports are adopted by the Council, the Bills will be set down for the Third Reading.

     Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.

     The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk). Please note that the agenda is subject to change, and the latest information about the agenda could be found on the LegCo Website.

     Members of the public are welcome to observe the proceedings of the meeting from the public galleries of the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. They may reserve seats by calling 3919 3399 during office hours. Members of the public can also watch or listen to the meeting via the “Webcast” system on the LegCo Website. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:      The President of the Legislative Council (LegCo), Mr Andrew Leung, hosted a spring luncheon today (February 18) in the Dining Hall of the LegCo Comple… read more

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (February 18) welcomes the Central Government’s promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Outline Development Plan), which sets out the directions guiding the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area). She expresses gratitude to the Central Government for placing importance on the views of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government in the course of formulating the Outline Development Plan.
 
    A Government spokesman said, “The development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is a national strategy personally devised, personally planned and personally driven by President Xi Jinping. It is a key development strategy in the country’s reform and opening up in the new era. As the preamble to the Outline Development Plan points out, the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is not only a new attempt to break new ground in the country’s pursuit of opening up on all fronts in a new era, but also a further step in taking forward the implementation of ‘one country, two systems’. The Outline Development Plan also clearly provides that through further deepening co-operation among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, the objectives of the development of the Greater Bay Area are to promote co-ordinated economic development in the Greater Bay Area, leverage the complementary advantages of the three places, and develop an international first-class bay area for living, working and travelling.”
 
     The spokesman said, “Fully and faithfully implementing the principle of ‘one country, two systems’ under which ‘the people of Hong Kong govern Hong Kong’ with a high degree of autonomy, as well as acting in strict adherence to the Constitution and the Basic Law, are the guiding ideology for the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In fact, under ‘one country, two systems’, Hong Kong enjoys unique dual advantages.  On the one hand, Hong Kong is part of China; on the other hand, our economic, legal and social systems are different from those of the Mainland.  As a highly open and international city, Hong Kong can extend its international connections and experiences to the Mainland and help bring in foreign investments.  Hong Kong can also join hands with Mainland enterprises to develop overseas markets and explore development opportunities, thereby enhancing economic development on the Mainland.”
 
     “The opportunities for Hong Kong brought about by the development of the Greater Bay Area involve two aspects. First, it can help identify new areas of growth for Hong Kong and foster the diversified development of its economy and industries. Second, it will expand the space for living and development of Hong Kong residents.”
 
     “The Hong Kong SAR Government will fully seize the opportunities brought about by the development of the Greater Bay Area, integrate the needs of the country with the strengths of Hong Kong and fully leverage the market-driven mechanism, enabling Hong Kong to enjoy brighter development prospects amid its integration into the overall development of the country.”
 
     The spokesman pointed out that according to the Outline Development Plan, Hong Kong, Macao, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are identified as core cities, as well as core engines for driving regional development. The four cities will leverage their comparative advantages and strengthen the radiating effect in leading the development of nearby regions.
 
     He said that the Outline Development Plan clearly supports Hong Kong in consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong’s status as international financial, transportation and trade centres as well as an international aviation hub, strengthening Hong Kong’s status as a global offshore Renminbi business hub and its role as an international asset management centre and a risk management centre, promoting the development of high-end and high value-added financial, commercial and trading, logistics and professional services, making great efforts to develop the innovation and technology industries, nurturing emerging industries, and establishing Hong Kong as the centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region.  These areas of work are all conducive to developing Hong Kong into an international metropolis with enhanced competitiveness.
 
     The Hong Kong SAR Government will proactively work with the relevant central ministries, the People’s Government of Guangdong Province and the Macao SAR Government to jointly take forward the development of the Greater Bay Area in accordance with the guiding directions offset out in the Outline Development Plan.
 
     “The Hong Kong SAR Government will also continue to maintain close contact with Members of the Legislative Council, industries, business associations, professional bodies and relevant stakeholders, and listen to their views on how to effectively take forward the development of the Greater Bay Area, in order to ensure that relevant measures would better suit the needs of different sectors of society.  The Hong Kong SAR Government will endeavour to play the role of “facilitator” and discuss with central ministries, the People’s Government of Guangdong Province and the Macao SAR Government to help industries with the required policy innovation and breakthrough in the process of expanding opportunities,” the spokesman said.
 
     Following the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan, a symposium will be held by the governments of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao in the morning of February 21 in Hong Kong, during which the National Development and Reform Commission will introduce the contents of the Outline Development Plan.  Officials from the three governments and representatives from relevant sectors will also attend the symposium to explore opportunities in the Greater Bay Area. Members of the public are welcome to visit bayarea.gov.hk to read the contents of the Outline Development Plan and latest information relating to the development of the Greater Bay Area.
 
     The Greater Bay Area covers nine cities in the Guangdong Province, namely Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing, as well as the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macao. read more

     Police today (February 18) appealed to the public for information on a woman who went missing in Sham Shui Po.      Chan Wai-lin, aged 62, went missing after she left her residence in Fu Cheong Estate yes… read more