Police today (January 22) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Tsuen Wan.

     Mok Nam, aged 84, went missing after he left an elderly home on On Yat Street yesterday (January 21) night. Staff of the elderly home made a report to Police on the same day.

     He is about 1.6 metres tall, 68 kilograms in weight and of fat build. He has a round face with yellow complexion and grey short hair. He was last seen wearing a dark long-sleeved windbreaker, a grey sweater, dark-coloured trousers, dark blue slippers with white stripe pattern and carrying a white plastic 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 New Territories South on 3661 1176 or 9689 7445 or email to rmpu-nts-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

  

     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong, visited two training centres for Indonesian domestic helpers this morning (January 22) before concluding his visit to Jakarta, Indonesia.

     Dr Law toured the centre's facilities, including simulated households and simulated home care facilities, and observed the practical skills training provided for Indonesians to work overseas as domestic helpers and carers. He also observed trainees attending language classes and met with the centre's trainers and staff to discuss tailor-made training across professions and collaboration with employment agencies.

     Speaking to the centre's management, Dr Law said that Hong Kong had launched a Pilot Scheme on Training for Foreign Domestic Helpers (FDHs) on Elderly Care in March 2018 to strengthen their skills in taking care of frail elderly persons, so as to enhance the quality of life of elderly people in the community and support ageing in place. A total of 300 free training places are provided, and two-thirds of trainees recruited are Indonesians.

     Dr Law added that, in view of positive responses from FDHs and their employers, the Government is planning to extend the Pilot Scheme to other districts, with around 800 training places in total starting from the third quarter upon completion of the training courses under the Pilot Scheme by May this year.

     Yesterday, Dr Law had a dinner gathering with Hong Kong people doing business in Indonesia. Dr Law encouraged them to look at the opportunities brought about by the country's Belt and Road Initiative as well as the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area when considering their business strategies. He added that with the unique strengths of "one country, two systems" and an excellent environment for doing business, Hong Kong is well positioned to help them tap such business opportunities.

     Dr Law concluded his visit and set off for Hong Kong this afternoon.

      

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced today (January 22) that the following leisure and sports facilities will be temporarily closed:
 
(a) The Amphitheatre at Tai Po Waterfront Park in Tai Po District will be temporarily closed from January 23 to June 21 for refurbishment works.
 
(b) The facilities located on the seventh floor of Quarry Bay Sports Centre in Eastern District, including the arena and two squash courts, will be temporarily closed from February 18 to June 16 for improvement works, while the facilities on the sixth floor will remain open. During the closure period, the public may use similar facilities at Java Road Sports Centre, Island East Sports Centre, Sai Wan Ho Sports Centre, Siu Sai Wan Sports Centre or Chai Wan Sports Centre in the same district.
 
     For the most up-to-date closure schedules of the above leisure and sports facilities, the public may refer to the notices at the venues or contact venue staff directly.

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (January 22) announced the test results of a recently completed seasonal food surveillance project on Lunar New Year (LNY) food (second phase). The test results of around 190 samples collected were all satisfactory.
 
     "The CFS announced the first-phase test results on LNY food in early January. As the LNY is around the corner, the CFS has completed the second phase of the surveillance project. Different types of LNY food, including steamed puddings (e.g. turnip puddings and festive cakes), fried dumplings (e.g. sesame balls and crispy triangles), candied fruits, glutinous rice balls, melon seeds and dried aquatic products, were collected from different retailers (including online retailers) for chemical and microbiological tests as well as nutrition content analysis," a spokesman for the CFS said.
 
     Chemical tests targeted preservatives (e.g. sulphur dioxide, benzoic acid and sorbic acid), colouring matters (e.g. Sudan dyes), antioxidants and metallic contaminants (e.g. cadmium, mercury and arsenic). Microbiological tests covered different food poisoning pathogens, such as Salmonella, Clostridium perfringens, Bacillus cereus and coagulase-positive staphylococci organisms. For nutrition content analysis, contents of energy, carbohydrates, protein, total fat, saturated fatty acids, trans fatty acids, sodium and sugars of the samples were tested to see if the test results comply with their declared values on the nutrition labels.
 
     The spokesman urged the food trade to observe the relevant laws and regulations in the preparation of food, follow Good Manufacturing Practice and use permitted food additives only in an appropriate manner. Retailers should source food from reliable suppliers, and conduct quality checks of incoming materials and end products to ensure that ingredients used are within legal standards. In addition, the food trade should maintain proper records in accordance with the requirements of the Food Safety Ordinance to allow source tracing if needed.
 
     He also advised consumers to buy LNY food from reliable retailers with good hygiene conditions; make sure the packaging of prepackaged cakes and snacks is intact and the products have not expired; refer to the nutrition labels on the sugar, salt (sodium) and fat content, etc, for healthier choices; and pay attention to the hygiene conditions of food containers and the personal hygiene of staff when buying loose-packed food (e.g. candied lotus seeds, nuts and melon seeds).
 
     "Consumers should choose food products with natural colours. Bright white pistachios may have been bleached and melon seeds with unnatural gloss may have had mineral oil added. Consumption of these food products can cause gastrointestinal discomfort," the spokesman said.
 
      "Festive cakes that are not for immediate consumption should be kept refrigerated or stored according to the instructions on the package, and should be eaten before they expire. Reheat hot-served food thoroughly before consumption. Discard food with mould or an abnormal smell or taste. Leftovers should not be stored in the refrigerator for longer than three days and should not be reheated more than once. Nuts and melon seeds should not be kept for a long time and mouldy ones should not be eaten," he added.
 
     The CFS spokesman reminded members of the public to maintain a balanced diet and avoid excessive consumption of LNY foods that are high in energy, sugar, salt or fat. The CFS advises members of the public to share seasonal food with their friends and relatives while enjoying the festive season.
 
     Please visit the CFS website (www.cfs.gov.hk) for more food safety tips.

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (January 21) seized about 3.2 kilograms of suspected crack cocaine and 4.8kg of suspected cocaine with a total estimated market value of about $11 million in To Kwa Wan.

     During an anti-narcotics operation in To Kwa Wan yesterday evening, Customs officers intercepted a man and found about 650 grams of suspected crack cocaine inside a rucksack carried by him. The 32-year-old man was then arrested.

     After follow-up investigation, Customs officers escorted the arrested man to a residential premises nearby where about 2,550g of suspected crack cocaine, 4.8kg of suspected cocaine and a batch of drug packaging paraphernalia were further seized.

     Investigation is ongoing.

     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 Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).