Author Archives: hksar gov

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

     An annual tea reception for the Legislative Council (LegCo) Members and members of the new Boards of Directors of six charitable organisations was held today (January 7) in the Dining Hall of the LegCo Complex. These charitable organisations were Tung Wah Group of Hospitals; Po Leung Kuk; Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, Kowloon; Pok Oi Hospital; Yan Chai Hospital; and Yan Oi Tong.

     The President’s deputy of LegCo, Ms Starry Lee, said the tea reception provided a great opportunity for Members to meet with members of the Boards of Directors of the charitable organisations in a relaxing atmosphere and to exchange views on matters of mutual concern.

     Members attended the tea reception included Ms Starry Lee, Mr Jeffrey Lam, Mr Wong Ting-kwong, Mr Chan Hak-kan, Mr Wong Kwok-kin, Mr Paul Tse, Mr Yiu Si-wing, Dr Helena Wong, Mr Martin Liao, Dr Lo Wai-kwok, Dr Junius Ho, Mr Ho Kai-ming, Mr Shiu Ka-fai, Mr Wilson Or, Dr Pierre Chan, Mr Chan Chun-ying, Mr Lau Kwok-fan, Mr Kenneth Lau, Mr Kwong Chun-yu, Mr Vincent Cheng and Ms Chan Hoi-yan.

read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (January 7) reported a suspected case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of the health risks in the places they visit. The case is detailed below:
 

Sex	Male
Age	37
Affected area involved	Israel
High-risk exposure	Nil
Hospital	Princess Margaret Hospital
Condition	Stable
MERS-Coronavirus preliminary test result	Pending

     “Travellers to the Middle East should avoid going to farms, barns or markets with camels; avoid contact with sick persons and animals, especially camels, birds or poultry; and avoid unnecessary visits to healthcare facilities. We strongly advise travel agents organising tours to the Middle East to abstain from arranging camel rides and activities involving direct contact with camels, which are known risk factors for acquiring MERS Coronavirus (MERS-CoV),” a spokesman for the CHP said.

     Locally, the CHP’s surveillance with public and private hospitals, with practising doctors and at boundary control points is firmly in place. Inbound travellers and members of the public who recently visited the Middle East and developed fever or lower respiratory symptoms within 14 days will be classified as suspected MERS cases. They will be taken to public hospitals for isolation and management until their specimens test negative for MERS-CoV.

     Travellers to affected areas should maintain vigilance, adopt appropriate health precautions and take heed of personal, food and environmental hygiene. The public may visit the MERS pages of the CHP and its Travel Health Service, MERS statistics in affected areas, the CHP’s Facebook Page and YouTube Channel, and the World Health Organization’s latest news for more information and health advice. Tour leaders and tour guides operating overseas tours are advised to refer to the CHP’s health advice on MERS. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      Regarding an earlier announcement on a cluster of patients infected with influenza A in a female ward of the Department of Psychiatry, the spokesperson for Kowloon… read more

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

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (January 9) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex.  During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on reviewing the policy on One-way Permit.
    
     The motion, moved by Mr Alvin Yeung, states: “That as currently a large number of Mainland immigrants have come to Hong Kong for settlement on One-way Permits (OWPs), creating a great burden on public services and facilities in Hong Kong in such areas as social welfare, housing, education and health care, this Council urges the SAR Government to reform the policy on OWP; the relevant measures should include:

     (1) immediately appealing to the Central Government for reducing the quota for Mainland residents coming to Hong Kong for settlement on OWPs, and expeditiously setting up a mechanism for regular consultation with the Central Government for both sides to adjust the quota annually according to the policy needs of Hong Kong;

     (2) establishing a dual vetting and approval mechanism for OWP in accordance with Articles 22 and 154 of the Basic Law and the Immigration Ordinance whereby the SAR Government can exercise the power to vet and approve entry for immigration and grant permission for OWP holders to come to Hong Kong for settlement only after verifying the authenticity of the documentary proof of family relationship between OWP holders and their family members who are Hong Kong permanent residents and the absence of record to the detriment of OWP holders (excluding past record of political prosecution), and that their family members who are Hong Kong permanent residents have sufficient financial means to support OWP holders’ living at a standard well above the subsistence level in Hong Kong; and

     (3) stepping up efforts in combating bogus marriages to prevent lawbreakers from obtaining through bogus marriages the requisite documents to apply for OWPs to come to Hong Kong for settlement.”

     Ms Claudia Mo, Mr Chan Hak-kan, Mr Wu Chi-wai and Mr Gary Fan will move separate amendments to Mr Alvin Yeung’s motion.

     Mr Poon Siu-ping will move a motion on reviewing the holiday policy. The motion states: “That this Council urges the Government to review the holiday policy and designate the Victory Day of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression as a statutory holiday.”

     Mr Ho Kai-ming, Mr Andrew Wan and Dr Fernando Cheung will move separate amendments to Mr Poon Siu-ping’s motion.

     Meanwhile, Dr Pierre Chan will move a proposed resolution under section 34(4) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Specification of Date for Section 135(1)(a)) Notice and the Private Healthcare Facilities Ordinance (Specification of Date for Section 136(1)(a)) Notice, laid on the table of the Council on December 12, 2018, to the meeting of January 30, 2019.

     Ms Starry Lee will move a motion under Rule 49E(2) of the Rules of Procedure.  The motion states: “That this Council takes note of Report No. 8/18-19 of the House Committee laid on the Table of the Council on January 9, 2019 in relation to the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Regulation 2018”
    
     On government motion, the Secretary for Security will move a proposed resolution under the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance to seek the Council to approve the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (Mongolia) Order, made by the Chief Executive in Council on November 20, 2018.
    
     During the meeting, 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

     With the Lunar New Year approaching, the Hong Kong Film Archive (HKFA) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has prepared the programme “A Big Fat Happy New Year”, screening six films featuring figurative and literal comedy heavyweights on February 7 and 9 at the HKFA Cinema. Starring the comedians Leung Sing-por, Tam Lan-hing, Lydia Sum, Yiu Kwang-chao, Lau Kwai-hong and Pang Pang, the films will fill the start of the year with laughter and usher in a year of enduring happiness. 
 
     In “The Stubborn Generations” (1960), Leung Sing-por and his wife Ma Siu-ying try to cope with their fierce daughter-in-law Tam Lan-hing by asking their grandson Yam Kim-fai to pass the “code of a testy wife” to his wife Law Yim-hing through which Law can rein in Tam. Tam and her husband Cheng Kwan-min and Law then play pranks on each other. The film entertains the audience with the witty battle across three generations as the characters raise hell among themselves.
 
     “Every Cloud has a Silver Lining” (1960) features Sun Ma Si-tsang and his buddy Tang Kei-chen disguising as women and joining a troupe to evade their debts. Tang is pursued by the tycoon Yiu Kwang-chao because of his cross-dressing look. Sun Ma, on the other hand, pretends to be a rich businessman to court the troupe’s female lead Tsi Lan.
 
     Lau Kwai-hong stars in “Auyeung Tak and His Double” (1952) as wuxia warrior Auyeung Tak, who defeats the evil monk Sek Kin. For revenge, Sek lures a robber who looks like Lau to assassinate Lord Pang in order to frame Tak for the crime. Lau tries hard to find out the robber with his disciple Lam Kar-sing to clear his name. The impressive image of Lau – chubby, pipe-smoking, wearing a pair of oversized glasses and sporting a Fu Manchu-style moustache – and his animated performance showcase the demeanour of wuxia warrior in an extraordinary way.
 
     “Terror in the Phoenix Chamber” (1963) tells of a series of supernatural occurrences encountered by Patricia Lam Fung and Woo Fung, who come back to Hong Kong for a vacation. Their servants Leung Sing-por and Pang Pang try hard to catch a ghost but keep messing up the plan, giving this thriller a comic touch.
 
     “Old Master, Part Two” (1966) follows the cousin (Lydia Sum) of Chun (Cheung Ching) who asks Chun to pretend to be her husband to secure a family inheritance, leading to suspicions by Chun’s wife about Chun’s fidelity to her. Master Cute (Ko Lo Chuen) and Tai Fan Shu (Ngai Tung Kwa) attempt to defuse this situation but achieve the opposite. Sum’s cheerful, endearing role in the film is a sharp contrast to the difficult characters later in her career.
 
     In “Fatso Married Skinny” (1956), Cheng Bik-ying, a wealthy socialite, who is tired of the social life, sends her secretary Tam Lan-hing to stand in for her. Rich heir Sun Ma Si-tsang is forced by his father Lee Hoi-chuen to court Tam, who poses as the wealthy socialite, in order to save the family from financial distress. Sun Ma later falls in love with Cheng but their romance is hindered by his father as Cheng seems to come from a poor family. Typically cast for feisty roles, Tam here plays a marriage-hungry woman who provides a feast of laughter with her flirtatiousness.
      
     All of the films are in Cantonese and 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 details, please call 2739 2139 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/HKFA/en_US/web/hkfa/programmesandexhibitions/2019cny/index.html.

read more