Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (November 24) that due to big waves, the red flag has been hoisted at Silverstrand Beach in Sai Kung District. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at the beach.

     Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (November 24). They are, on Hong Kong Island, Pentecostal Holiness Church Shaukiwan Assembly Limited Gilead Social Service Centre; in Kowloon, the Hong Kong Asthma Society; and in the New Territories, Life Education Activity Programme, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.

     Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people distinguish between the three flag-selling activities.

     Information on the three flag-selling organisations on November 24 is as follows:
 

     For enquiries, please call the SWD's hotline at 2343 2255, or the Charitable Fund-raising Control Team at 2832 4311 during office hours. Information on the flag days of the month is available at the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_whatsnew/). Permits for flag days containing contact information of the flag-selling organisations and information on the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_controlofc/sub_recentlyap/). For enquiries about the detailed flag-selling arrangements, please contact the individual flag-selling organisations.

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities covered by the Public Subscription Permit issued by the SWD have also been uploaded to the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/fundraising).
 
     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.

     The Transport Department (TD) noted that a new arrangement will be implemented by the shuttle bus operator of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) from tomorrow (November 24). Under the new arrangement, passengers who travel to the Hong Kong Port from the Zhuhai Port have to purchase the shuttle bus tickets online in advance for taking shuttle bus to the Hong Kong Port on specific dates and periods, with a view to effectively adjusting the passenger flow of shuttle bus service at different times at the Zhuhai Port.

     Upon confirmation with the concerned party, the TD reiterated that holders of the Hong Kong identity cards (or foreign passports) will not be affected by the new arrangement. They can still purchase the shuttle bus tickets at the Zhuhai Port for travelling to the Hong Kong Port.The online ticketing arrangement is also not applicable to passengers going to the Zhuhai Port or the Macao Port from the Hong Kong Port.

     Hong Kong Customs today (November 23) arrested a male director cum salesperson of a domestic helper agency suspected of having applied false trade descriptions to the employment services supplied and having wrongly accepted payment, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).

     Customs earlier received information alleging that staff member of a domestic helper agency had made false claims to customers on the application progress for employment of a domestic helper and its licence status in the provision of employment agency service. After accepting payment, the domestic helper agency suddenly closed down and failed to provide employment agency service as well as return the payment to customer.

     After investigation, Customs officers today arrested a 52-year-old man.

     Investigation is ongoing and the arrested man has been released on bail pending further investigation.

     Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to procure services at reputable shops.

     Under the TDO, any trader who applies a false trade description to a service supplied to a consumer commits an offence. Trader also commits an offence if at the time of acceptance of payment, the trader intends not to supply the product or intends to supply a materially different product, or there are no reasonable grounds for believing that the trader will be able to supply the product within a specified or reasonable period. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

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

The following is issued on behalf of the Financial Services Development Council:

     The Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) and the Open University of Hong Kong today (November 23) jointly hosted a forum to look into the recent enhancements of the anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) regime as well as its impact on doing business in Hong Kong.
 
     Entitled "Changes in Hong Kong's Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Regime and their Impact on Businesses", the forum was the 32nd event under the FSDC's Practitioner Speaker Series. The forum featured Partners of PricewaterhouseCoopers Ms Josephine Kwan and Mr Hokee Fu as panel speakers. Ms Kwan is also a member of the FSDC Mainland Opportunities Committee.
 
     At the forum, the two speakers highlighted the recent amendments of the AML and CTF regime by sharing some of the cases they had encountered. They also emphasised the importance of institutions in establishing the corresponding effective systems and controls, with an aim of maintaining Hong Kong's position as an international financial centre and a safe and clean city for doing business.
 
     With over 20 years of extensive experience in audit and advisory, Ms Kwan said Hong Kong's AML and CTF regime had been significantly enhanced over the recent years. She added, "Driven partly by the introduction of new legislation and regulation, Hong Kong's financial services companies have in general become more committed to strengthening their AML and CTF systems and controls over the past few years. A similar level of impetus is also happening in the Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professionals (DNFBPs) sectors."
 
     Mr Fu, who specialises in providing AML advisory services to financial institutions and DNFBPs in the Asia-Pacific region, remarked, "Hong Kong as a key financial centre has an important role to play in combating money laundering and terrorist financing. The new changes to the AML and CTF regime may look challenging at the first glance but with proper understanding and the adoption of a risk-based approach, Hong Kong businesses should be able to comply with the enhanced regime with ease."                           
 
     The FSDC's Practitioner Speaker Series is a project developed between the FSDC and local universities, with speakers from the financial services industry giving talks to university students about important industry facts and the skill sets required in developing a career in financial services.
 
About the FSDC
 
     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government established the FSDC in 2013 as a high-level, cross-sectoral advisory body to engage the industry in formulating proposals to promote the further development of Hong Kong's financial services industry and to map out the strategic direction for development.
 
     The FSDC set up five committees, namely the Policy Research Committee, the Mainland Opportunities Committee, the New Business Committee, the Market Development Committee and the Human Capital Committee, as the five streams of its work.