The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, this morning (September 25) visited some of the leisure facilities on Hong Kong Island to inspect the clearance and repair work following the passage of Super Typhoon Mangkhut. 
 
     Accompanied by the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Michelle Li, Mr Cheung inspected the Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground, Siu Sai Wan Promenade and St. Stephen's Beach Water Sports Centre in Stanley. He was briefed on the damages brought about by the typhoon and the repair work required with a view to reopening the facilities for public use as soon as possible.
 
     Mr Cheung commended all government colleagues for their sterling efforts and assistance in helping to restore the community back to normal operation as soon as possible. He emphasized that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government would allocate sufficient resources to restore the damaged public facilities.

Attention radio/TV announcers:

Please broadcast the following at suitable intervals:

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) reminds people to keep places clean, not to burn wax, not to put lit candles on the ground or grass pitches, not to throw glow sticks or other objects onto trees, and not to fly sky lanterns while celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival.

     People littering at LCSD venues are liable to a penalty of $1,500, while the maximum penalty for burning wax, throwing objects onto trees or flying sky lanterns is a fine of $2,000 and 14 days' imprisonment.

     Meanwhile, in the wake of the adverse impact brought about by Super Typhoon Mangkhut, which has led to various levels of damage to the facilities and trees at many LCSD venues, the department is making great efforts to conduct clearance and repair work and members of the public are advised not to go near or enter the cordoned-off areas in these venues for the sake of safety.

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau, began his visit programme in Washington, DC, the United States (US) today (September 24, Eastern Standard Time), where he met with think tank members, officials and business leaders to exchange views on Hong Kong-US economic relations and regional and global economic and trade issues as well as to promote Hong Kong's strengths in doing business and update them on Hong Kong's latest economic developments.

     Mr Yau first met with economic and trade experts from the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE). They exchanged views on issues such as global economic and trade relations, and the current situation and future prospects of multilateral and regional trading systems. The PIIE is a non-profit and non-partisan research institution which mainly seeks to analyse issues to make globalisation sustainable for the US and the world.

     Mr Yau then paid a courtesy call on the Minister of the Chinese Embassy in the US, Mr Li Kexin, to understand the latest situation of China-US relations. During the meeting he thanked the Chinese Embassy for supporting the work of Hong Kong's economic and trade offices in the US.

     In the evening, Mr Yau joined a dinner hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Washington, DC. The dinner was attended by former and current senior US government officials, think tank members and leaders of chambers of commerce and business organisations. He noted that the attendees attached great importance to Hong Kong and US trade and economic relations and said he looked forward to fostering even closer bilateral ties through exchanges of high-level government and business delegations.

     In 2017, total trade in goods and services between the US and Hong Kong was close to US$70 billion. The US was Hong Kong's second-largest goods trading partner, while Hong Kong ranked ninth-largest among US goods exports destinations.

     Mr Yau will continue his visit to Washington, DC, tomorrow (September 25, Eastern Standard Time) where he will meet officials and officiate at a gala reception to celebrate the inaugural direct flight between Hong Kong and Washington, DC, and attend the signing ceremony of Statement of Intent on Smart Technology Collaboration between the US Department of Commerce and the Hong Kong Productivity Council.

    

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Yellow fire danger warning

     The fire danger situation today (September 25) is yellow and the risk of fire is high. People are urged to prevent fires breaking out and hikers should also be vigilant.
 

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, visited Sai Kung this afternoon (September 24) to inspect the Sai Kung Sewage Treatment Works and the Marine Police East Division operational base to learn about the damage to the facilities brought by typhoon Mangkhut and progress of the repair works. She also met with members of the public at the town centre.
      
     This is part of the major follow-up work by the Government following the passage of the typhoon. Relevant departments have been fully engaged in cleaning up the city and other follow-up work in the past few days. On-site inspection and co-ordinated action were conducted as appropriate with a view to resuming normal service as soon as possible.
      
     Accompanied by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, and the Director of Drainage Services, Mr Edwin Tong, Mrs Lam first inspected the Sai Kung Sewage Treatment Works that were seriously damaged by the typhoon and was briefed on the repair progress and the measures on sewage treatment. She noted that following the hard work by the Drainage Services Department (DSD) over the days, a temporary pipe has been installed to divert the disinfected primary-treated sewage into a submarine outfall for dispersed discharge and dilution, and the treatment process will be upgraded to chemically enhanced primary sedimentation level in three weeks' time to minimise the impact on nearby waters. The DSD and the Environmental Protection Department will monitor closely the water quality in the vicinity and release the results as appropriate.
      
     Mrs Lam also watched the footage of the closed-circuit television taken at the sewage treatment works during the typhoon. She met with the DSD staff members who were on duty at the time and thanked them for their commitment to serving the public even in inclement weather. 
      
     Mrs Lam then visited the Marine Police East Division operational base which was also damaged by the typhoon to learn about its repair works. She met with Senior Police Inspector, Mr Thomas Chum, and listened to his account of the rescue operation led by him while typhoon signal No. 10 was being hoisted, in which four people who fell into the sea were successfully saved by his team. Mrs Lam applauded their bravery and team spirit.
      
     Accompanied by the Chairman of the Sai Kung District Council, Mr George Ng, and the Director of Home Affairs, Miss Janice Tse, Mrs Lam later went to the town centre in Sai Kung to learn more about the damage by the typhoon to the facilities on the promenade and vessels, and the marine refuse problem. She also chatted with seafood restaurant owners and fishermen to understand their situation. Mrs Lam noted that the Sai Kung town centre has almost resumed normal following efforts by the relevant departments and local people in the past few days. In addition, the Marine Department has been cleaning up marine refuse in the waters off Sai Kung since September 17. Nearly 90 tonnes of refuse have been collected so far and the operation is expected to be continued for a period of time.
      
     "The HKSAR Government has been carrying out follow-up work proactively after the passage of the typhoon and the city has largely returned to normal. However, some of the facilities have been seriously damaged and the repair works will take some time, which may cause inconvenience to members of the public. I appeal for people's patience and understanding.
      
     "I have requested relevant departments to try their best to mobilise all possible resources to repair the facilities damaged by the typhoon within their ambit as soon as possible. All departments are aware that they would be allocated extra resources, if required, to ensure that follow-up work will be properly and quickly implemented. In addition, a special grant will be provided to schools and kindergartens concerned as announced by the Education Bureau earlier, and the Social Welfare Department has contacted the non-governmental organisations that provide subvented social welfare services to understand their needs," Mrs Lam said.