Author Archives: hksar gov

     A woman was fined $10,000 at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts today (November 13) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
      
     The courts heard that in April this year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on Gloucester Road in Causeway Bay. During the inspection, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse on a daily basis.
      
     According to the OLA’s record, the guesthouse did not possess a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The woman responsible for managing the premise was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
      
     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
           
     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application “Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses”. read more

     The Department of Health (DH), the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, today (November 13) jointly opened the two-day Regional Symposium on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in Hong Kong, calling on healthcare professionals and the general public to work together on the safe use of antibiotics to combat AMR.
 
     Under the theme “Fighting AMR – Partnerships in Action”, the Symposium has brought together more than 300 experts and partners from public health, human and veterinary medicine, agriculture, food, environment and the pharmaceutical industry to review the latest science and gain insights on how to do better in tackling AMR in unity.
 
     The Symposium also provides a platform for participants to exchange their expertise and experiences with an aim to raising awareness of AMR in the community in the Western Pacific region.
 
     At the opening ceremony today, the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, said that AMR poses a global threat to the sustainable development of human medicine, veterinary medicine and food security by reducing available options to treat and prevent bacterial infections, and that the “One Health” approach has been identified as a major element of AMR control and preventive strategies.
 
     “Locally, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has long recognised the growing problem of AMR, and various sectors have been implementing control measures to contain its spread. Following the establishment of the High Level Steering Committee on AMR in June 2016, the Hong Kong Strategy and Action Plan on AMR (2017-2022) was launched in July 2017 to outline the key areas, objectives and actions to contain the growing threat of AMR in Hong Kong.
 
     “The Antibiotic Stewardship Programme in Primary Care rolled out last year with a view to further improving local antibiotics prescribing behaviour and educating patients on their proper use, has received promising feedback from family doctors, while the Interhospital Multi-disciplinary Programme on Antimicrobial ChemoTherapy (IMPACT)’s mobile application developed by the DH and its partners obtained the Interactive Media Award 2018 for outstanding achievement in healthcare and education category,” said Professor Chan.
 
     Also addressing the ceremony, the Director of Health, Dr Constance Chan, emphasised that global collaboration and a multi-sectoral “One Health” approach are essential to tackle AMR. Noting that new drug development is not the only solution for AMR, she said that the value of surveillance, efforts in optimising antibiotic use in human and animals, and the impact of infection control and awareness-raising campaigns cannot be underestimated.
 
     Dr Chan added that Hong Kong has been working hard to strengthen surveillance on antibiotic use as well as monitoring the AMR situation in the health and agricultural sectors, so as to perform targeted actions and identify effective measures to combat AMR.
 
     At the Symposium, world-renowned speakers have been invited to share their expertise and experience in translating their AMR action plans into action. Speakers include, amongst others, the Honorary Professor of Economics at the University of Manchester and Author of the Review on AMR of the United Kingdom, Lord O’Neill; the Lead of AMR Surveillance of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Carmem Pessoa-Silva; and the Chief Veterinary Officer of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Dr Juan Lubroth.
 
     The Symposium is one of the major events taking place in conjunction with World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) 2018 from November 12 to 18. In parallel with WAAW 2018, healthcare professionals are again requested to refer to the guidelines on the use and choice of antibiotics, while patients should strictly adhere to doctors’ instructions and should not use antibiotics indiscriminately. For more information on these issues, please visit the WHO’s page on WAAW 2018 and page of the DH’s Centre for Health Protection.

        

     Hong Kong Customs today (November 13) arrested a male director of a renovation company who is suspected of having applied a false trade description in the course of selling renovation services in contravention of… read more

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

     The Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong today (November 13) jointly hosted a forum to explore career opportunities in the Greater Bay Area.

     Entitled “Development of Greater Bay Area and the Career Opportunities for Hong Kong Graduates”, the forum was the 31st event under the FSDC’s Practitioner Speaker Series. The forum featured the Associate Director of the MBA Programme at the City University of Hong Kong, Dr Wilson Chan, who also serves as a member of the FSDC Mainland Opportunities Committee; and Partner, Financial Services, Head of Chinese and Local Accounts/Lead of Virtual Banking Application, Ernst & Young Hong Kong, Ms Jasmine Lee.

     Enhanced workplace mobility generated by economic co-operation in the Greater Bay Area (Bay Area) opens up exciting opportunities for career progression. Hong Kong’s status as an international financial centre and offshore Renminbi hub is already driving demand for financial services across the boundary. The goal of creating a world-class city cluster across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao region is expected to play a leading role in advancing developments in innovation, trade and financial services.

     Dr Chan said, “With strengthened integration of city clusters of the Bay Area and closer collaboration between governments of the Pan Pearl River Delta, ASEAN countries and southern Asia, development of the Bay Area opens up immense opportunities for the younger generation.”

     Ms Lee said, “The success of the Bay Area is attributable to a number of factors including market demand, policy, capital and talents. Talents are essential in facilitating the acceleration of technology development in the area, and enabling collaboration among the 11 Bay Area cities.”

     In addition to new roles being created, both speakers considered that the corporate banking sector will generate huge demand for candidates from Hong Kong.

     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. read more

     The Commissioner of Hong Kong Customs and Excise, Mr Hermes Tang; the Director General of Guangdong Sub-Administration of the General Administration of  Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC), Mr Li Shuyu; and the Director-General of Macao Customs Service, Mr Vong lao Lek today (November 13) signed a memorandum on the co-operative and mutual-assistance arrangements between GACC, Hong Kong and Macao Customs at Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Ports (the Memorandum) in Gongbei, laying down a foundation for the three-side cooperation in customs affairs on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB).

     The Memorandum covers the following major points:

     (1) Establish a liaison mechanism for the three customs administrations;

     (2) Extend the Single E-lock Scheme, which is a speedy clearance programme currently in force between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, to the Hong Kong and Zhuhai Ports of the HZMB;

     (3) Implement mutual-reference and recognition of inspection findings among the three customs administrations; and

     (4) Launch customs co-operation in investigation and law enforcement in different areas. 

     According to the Inter-Governmental Agreement signed by the governments of Hong Kong, Guangdong Province and Macao in 2010, the ports of HZMB adopt the “separate locations” mode of clearance. The Memorandum strengthens the tripartite partnership in customs affairs and will extend the scope of cooperation. It also will increase customs clearance efficiency for passenger and cargo movements and will make anti-smuggling efforts effective.