The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, will depart for Guangzhou tomorrow morning (February 13) to meet with officials who are responsible for youth development in Guangzhou. They will discuss youth exchange… read more
The Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has organised the “Movie Talk” series since 2013. Each instalment of the series focuses on a filmmaker who selects films for screening and discusses his or her inspirations and filmmaking experiences with the audience. The HKFA will launch its latest “Movie Talk” series in March. Film director, screenwriter, cinematographer and special effects and stop motion animation director Alex Cheung has selected three of his works and two of his favourite films for screening at the HKFA Cinema. During the talk of each screening, Cheung will speak with other filmmakers, critics, a scholar and a music producer about his filmmaking experience over the years and the inspiration he received from the selected masterworks.
Alex Cheung started his career as a television programme director. With the help of filmmaker Teddy Robin and former police superintendent Philip Chan, Cheung directed his first film “Cops and Robbers” (1979). The exciting story between a formerly unsuccessful police applicant who becomes a psycho killer and the righteous police team features a fast-paced gunfight in the city and a squatter area. As a critically acclaimed box office hit, the film is considered as one of the ground-breaking works of the Hong Kong New Wave. The screening also includes Cheung’s legendary experimental short film “Come Together” (1974), showcasing his creativity in producing innovative work regardless of the restrictions in shooting techniques.
“Man on the Brink” (1981) is a pioneering work among undercover cop films. It won Cheung the Best Director prize at the 19th Golden Horse Awards. Following the steps of lead character Ah Chiu, audiences can observe his internal conflict between being a cop and a triad member. The film also brings back scenes of the Kowloon Walled City, the Yau Ma Tei Wholesale Fruit Market and a public housing estate from the early 1980s on the screen.
The English movie “Blow-Up” (1966) features a photographer who randomly takes a photo of a young couple in a park. The lady’s persistence in getting back the photo original makes the photographer curious. When blowing up the photo for investigation, the photographer realises that he may have captured proof of a murder. Cheung described the movie as the one that opened his mind to the way that truth is determined by how others’ trust and recognition are received.
Based on the novel “Don Quixote”, “Man of La Mancha” (1972) is about an imprisoned scriptwriter playing the role of Don Quixote, who imagines himself as a knight. Having grown up in a modest family, Cheung was once timid in chasing his dreams. However, his life was completely different after being inspired by the film’s message that everyone can be a dreamcatcher.
“Cops and Robbers” and “Man on the Brink” are in Cantonese. “Blow-Up” and “Man of La Mancha” are in English. “Come Together” is without dialogue. “Man on the Brink” is with Chinese and English subtitles. “Blow-Up” and “Man of La Mancha” are with Chinese subtitles, while “Cops and Robbers” and “Come Together” are without subtitles.
Tickets priced at $45 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For credit card telephone bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries, please call 2739 2139 or visit www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en_US/web/hkfa/programmesandexhibitions/2019mt-alexcheung/index.html.
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (February 12) announced that the department tested 101 water samples collected from cooling towers in 88 buildings in its routine inspections in January this y… read more
A Vietnamese illegal worker holding a recognisance form was jailed by Shatin Magistrates’ Courts yesterday (February 11).
During operation “Twilight” on December 10, 2018, Immigration Department (ImmD) investigators raided the lobby of a residential building in Cheung Sha Wan. A male Vietnamese illegal worker, aged 43, was arrested. When intercepted, he was working as a cleaning worker. Upon identity checking, he produced for inspection a recognisance form issued by the ImmD, which prohibits him from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that he was a non-refoulement claimant.
The illegal worker was charged at Shatin Magistrates’ Courts yesterday with taking employment after landing in Hong Kong unlawfully and remaining in Hong Kong without the authority of the Director of Immigration or while being a person in respect of whom a removal order or deportation order was in force. After trial, he was sentenced to 22 months and two weeks’ imprisonment.
The ImmD spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order are prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. The Court of Appeal has issued a guideline ruling that a sentence of 15 months’ imprisonment should be applied in such cases.
The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for three years and a fine of $350,000. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence. According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. The maximum penalty for failing to inspect such a document is imprisonment for one year and a fine of $150,000.
Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct initial screening on vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation, with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threat and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent interference, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments. read more
The Standing Committee on Company Law Reform (SCCLR) today (February 12) published its 2017-18 annual report.
During the reporting period, the Government briefed the SCCLR on the latest progress relating to the introduction of a statutory corporate rescue procedure and insolvent trading provisions.
“The SCCLR has all along been our important partner in company law reform for ensuring that our company laws are commensurate with Hong Kong’s status as an international commercial and financial centre. We are grateful for its insightful advice throughout the years,” a government spokesman said.
Taking into account the advice of the SCCLR, the Government is drafting a Bill for introducing a statutory corporate rescue procedure and insolvent trading provisions and continues to engage various stakeholders on the relevant legislative proposals.
The SCCLR was set up in 1984. It advises the Financial Secretary on amendments to the Companies Ordinance and the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance, as well as amendments to the Securities and Futures Ordinance on matters relating to corporate governance and shareholders’ protection, as and when necessary.
Members of the SCCLR include practitioners from relevant professions including legal, accountancy and company secretarial fields as well as academics, individuals from the business communities and representatives from relevant government departments and financial regulators.
The 2017-18 annual report of the SCCLR is available at the websites of the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (www.fstb.gov.hk/fsb) and the Companies Registry (www.cr.gov.hk). read more