The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Friday, October 5, 2018 is 105.4 (up 0.1 against yesterday's index).

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (October 4) seized about 300 000 suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $800,000 and a duty potential of about $600,000 together with 2 705 cartons of unmanifested assorted goods with an estimated market value of about $300,000 at the River Trade Terminal Cargo Examination Compound in Tuen Mun.
 
     Customs officers yesterday inspected a 40-foot container declared to contain assorted goods arriving in Hong Kong from Guangzhou. After inspection, Customs officers found 28 cartons containing a total of about 300 000 suspected illicit cigarettes mix-loaded with the batch of unmanifested goods inside the container.
 
     Investigation is ongoing.
 
     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.
 
     Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

  

     As rodents are vectors of a number of diseases, the Government spares no effort to step up rodent prevention and control operations in the territory and will further strengthen inter-departmental co-operation so as to sustain the effectiveness of rodent prevention and control work at the district level and raise public awareness of rodent prevention and control. 
      
     Apart from taking the Rodent Infestation Rate as a reference, the Government will continue to take into account signs of rodent infestation, complaint figures and the views of the local community, and will conduct targeted anti-rodent operations at problematic locations in collaboration with relevant departments and organisations. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will strengthen liaison with the Housing Department (HD) and relevant organisations to organise joint cleaning operations in various districts. The Home Affairs Department and relevant departments will also provide necessary assistance.
      
     The Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, said, "The Government has always been concerned about rodent prevention and control. I visited Choi Wan Estate in Wong Tai Sin as well as Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong districts last Saturday (September 29) and was briefed by FEHD and HD colleagues on rodent infestation in those areas. I have proposed that the rodent prevention and control work should be enhanced throughout the territory, and co-ordination and co-operation among different departments and organisations should be strengthened.
      
     "To prevent rodent infestation effectively, we should eliminate the three survival conditions of rodents, namely food, harbourage and passages, meaning the elimination of food sources and hiding places of rodents, as well as blockage of their dispersal routes. In addition, the FEHD will enhance publicity and education and step up enforcement actions against illegal acts."
      
     She added, "I hope that continued anti-rodent operations will raise public awareness of rodent prevention and control, which will enhance the overall effectiveness of anti-rodent work. I also call on the community to actively support and participate in the anti-rodent operations and work together for a clean and hygienic community."
      
      In view of the fruitful results of the first round of the anti-rodent operations in designated target areas held in April 2018, the FEHD will conduct another round of two-month anti-rodent operations in designated target areas starting from October 8 to continue to intensify the district rodent prevention and control work.
      
     Each District Environmental Hygiene Office of the FEHD, taking into account factors including rodent infestation rates, the number of rodent complaints received, views of the local community and the number of food premises and "three-nil" buildings, will identify target areas in each district and continue to adopt multi-pronged strategies, including improving environmental hygiene and stepping up rodent disinfestation and enforcement actions for carrying out targeted anti-rodent operations.
      
     FEHD staff will enhance street cleaning services and cleaning of public markets and hawker bazaars in the target areas, including sweeping and cleaning of streets and rear lanes, clearing refuse and waste, emptying and cleaning of litter containers, and clearance of miscellaneous articles and waste in public markets and hawker bazaars, so as to keep the environment clean.
      
     The FEHD will also strengthen rodent disinfestation work at problematic spots such as rear lanes, refuse collection points, markets, hawker bazaars, cooked food markets and peripheral areas of construction sites by placing poisonous baits and traps, destroying rat holes and implementing rodent-proofing measures.
      
     In addition, inspections of food premises will be stepped up. Enforcement actions against food premises causing poor environmental hygiene conditions, scullery and food preparation at rear lanes, and improper handling and disposal of rubbish will be strengthened. The FEHD will also adopt a zero-tolerance approach against common public cleanliness offences and take stringent enforcement actions against illegal disposal of refuse and waste.
      
     As regards enhancing public education and publicity, apart from the broadcast of TV and radio Announcements in the Public Interest and display of posters on public transport, the FEHD will collaborate with District Councils and District Offices of the Home Affairs Department to organise anti-rodent promotional activities. The department will also arrange health talks for building management offices of private buildings, persons-in-charge of food premises, and market and hawker stall operators to provide information and technical advice on rodent prevention and control.
  

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited on fraudulent website and phishing email, which has been reported to the HKMA. Hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website for ease of reference by members of the public.
 
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information to the website concerned or has conducted any financial transactions through the website should contact the bank concerned using the contact information provided in the press release, and report to the Police or contact the Cyber Security and Technology Crime Bureau of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     Following are the opening remarks by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, at the Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM) Logistics Summit 2018 today (October 5):
      
Sunny (Chairman of the Board of Directors of LSCM and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Dr Sunny Chai), Simon (Chief Executive Officer of LSCM, Mr Simon Wong), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
      
     Good morning. It is my pleasure to join you all today at this year's LSCM Logistics Summit. I would like to thank LSCM for hosting this annual signature event. And my warm welcome to technology experts, industry leaders and academics, especially those from the Mainland and overseas. I very much look forward to learning from all of you, your insights on this very important theme – "Actions in Belt and Road Initiative with Innovation and Technology".
      
     The Belt and Road Initiative, as a national strategic focus, has gradually evolved from a vision into actions, and from a concept into a platform for collaboration. With advantages in R&D capabilities and good connection to the rest of the world, Hong Kong has also been bestowed at the national level to serve as an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub. We should take advantage of this pivotal role and our competitive edges to contribute to the development of the Belt and Road Initiative.
      
     Hong Kong's strengths lie in our world-class research capabilities, the availability of talented scientists and researchers, access to capital, our robust IP regime, a vibrant and passionate community of industrialists, and many more. More importantly, the Central Government's support is also instrumental in fostering the growth of our I&T sector. Just a couple of weeks ago, two important agreements were signed between the Innovation and Technology Bureau and the Ministry of Science and Technology. Under the new arrangements, Hong Kong and the Mainland will enhance co-operation in six areas, namely scientific research, development of platforms, nurturing of talents, transfer of knowledge and incubation of I&T industry, integration into national development strategies, and cultivation of an I&T ambience in the community. I encourage you all to make good use of this collaborative framework to pursue new opportunities in your respective sector.
      
     LSCM is already capturing such potential. By pulling together the expertise and support of the industry, academia and the public sector, it has conducted over 140 projects with about $650 million in funding support from the Innovation and Technology Fund to make technological improvement in many areas of logistics and supply chains. One of its landmark projects is the IoT-based cross-boundary single e-lock system in collaboration with the Customs and Excise Department, providing end-to-end seamless transshipment with minimal customs clearance time with no stopover. I am glad that the system has been extended from Guangdong to Hunan Province, and is now connecting 46 cargo clearance points and more than 400 transshipment routes, which has significantly enhanced cross-boundary trade efficiency for the logistics industry.
      
     More recently, LSCM is exploring a trade facilitation platform to connect the logistics industry in Hong Kong with Zhuhai Electronics Port for import and export trade declaration, which will reduce the processing time for trade declarations and provide more accurate estimation of tax rate. This is likely to benefit trade within the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and beyond.
      
     Leveraging Hong Kong's strength in legal and dispute resolution services, LSCM is also developing a cloud service platform for e-arbitration, mediation, negotiation and deal-making. This platform will no doubt facilitate the arbitration and mediation service for the GBA and the Belt and Road countries.
      
     Ladies and gentlemen, the Belt and Road Initiative will continue to advance and play a crucial role in the global economic development. I am confident that with the concerted efforts of the Government, industry, academia and R&D centres like LSCM, we can create more new opportunities in realising the vision of the Belt and Road Initiative.
      
     In closing, I would like to thank Sunny and Simon for their leadership and dedication in taking LSCM from strength to strength. I wish the Summit a great success and all of you a fruitful day. For the visitors from Mainland and overseas, I wish you all a most enjoyable and pleasant stay in Hong Kong.
      
     Thank you.