Author Archives: hksar gov

     The world’s first underwater ensemble Between Music from Denmark will present the Asia premiere of its sound-soaked concert “AquaSonic” in Hong Kong in October.
 
     The show is a novel integration of the arts and science that resulted from the concerted efforts of physicists, vocalists, audio engineers, neuroscientists, deep-sea divers and musical instrument makers, offering audience members an extraordinary underwater concert experience.
 
     Performers submerged in glass water tanks will play music and sing entirely underwater, with changing breathing and panting becoming part of the composition.
 
     Having spent over 10 years on research and experiments, the innovative group has built up a collection of specialised instruments including carbon-fibre violins, an underwater crystallophone, a hurdy-gurdy rotacorda and more which are custom-made for subaqueous music-making. They have also perfected a distinctive vocal technique for submerged singing, producing original soundscapes that are both eerily melodious and powerfully resonant.
 
     “AquaSonic” is one of the highlights of the New Vision Arts Festival (NVAF). It will be held at 8pm on October 26 and 27 and at 3pm on October 28 at the Sha Tin Town Hall Auditorium. Tickets priced at $160, $240, $320 and $420 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For credit card telephone bookings, please call 2111 5999.
 
     Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the biennial NVAF, celebrating its ninth edition this year, will be held from October 19 to November 18. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2370 1044 or visit www.newvisionfestival.gov.hk.

    

     Fujitec (HK) Company Limited was fined $71,000 at Kwun Tong Magistrates’ Courts today (September 14) for violation of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.
      
     The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on November 15, 2017 at a residential building in Tseung Kwan O. While a worker was conducting lift maintenance work at the landing entrance on ground floor, he was struck by a descending lift and trapped between the lift car and the floor. He sustained serious injuries and subsequently passed away. read more

     The Education Bureau (EDB) announced today (September 14) that two new special school premises under planning at Renfrew Road in Kowloon Tong are open for application in the Second School Allocation Exercise (SAE) 2018 by eligible applicant bodies for (1) operation of a new special school for children with mild intellectual disability (MiID) at Site A, and (2) operation of a new special school for children with MiID and moderate intellectual disability (MoID) with boarding facilities for children with MoID at Site B. Details of the two new special school premises under planning are set out in the Annex.
 
     “Allocation of the school premises will be conducted on a competitive basis. Quality of education will be the prime consideration in assessing the applications submitted by applicant bodies. Factors to be considered include the operation track record of the applicant bodies and the quality of the proposed school plan in running the new special school (for allocation of the new school premises with boarding facilities at Site B, the plan should also cover boarding services). In the event that the overall assessments of more than one applicant are comparable, preference would be given to the applicant(s) with proven track record in running special schools in Hong Kong, especially schools for children with intellectual disability,” an EDB spokesman said.

     All applications will be considered by the School Allocation Committee, comprising official and non-official members. Applicant bodies are required to complete the appropriate application form and submit it together with the required supporting documents, a proposed school plan (of not more than 10 pages for Site A and 15 pages for Site B including all annexes, plus a two-page executive summary), and a list of operating schools, if any. The proposed school plan should cover the vision and mission, management and organisation, learning and teaching, school ethos and support for students, students’ performance targets and self-evaluation indicators, etc. The applicant body may also make reference to the school(s) that it is operating and their respective performance to substantiate its case.
 
     In line with the EDB’s established policy for school allocation, when submitting the application, the applicant body should be exempt from tax under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance, and be:

(1) incorporated under the Companies Ordinance (the successful applicant body would be required to ensure that its articles of association contain all the standard clauses and articles required for allocation of a school premises); or
 
(2) incorporated under other ordinances, with its constitution satisfying the Permanent Secretary for Education as being fit to be considered for allocation of a school premises.
 
     Applicant bodies not possessing the incorporation status and non-profit-making status under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance are not eligible for application and their applications will not be processed.
 
     The application form for the Second SAE 2018 and other reference materials can be downloaded from the EDB homepage (www.edb.gov.hk/en/sch-admin/sch-premises-info/allocation-of-sch/index.html). More information on this SAE can also be found on the homepage.
 
     The duly completed application form and supporting documents, together with 22 copies of the proposed school plan with the executive summary (for allocation of the new school premises with boarding facilities at Site B, the plan should cover both the school and boarding facilities) and list of operating schools, if any, should reach the Infrastructure and Research Support Division of the EDB (6/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong) by 5pm on October 15. Late or incomplete applications, as well as applications via email, will not be processed.
 
     For enquiries, please call 3509 8413 or 3509 8411. read more

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session after the reception in celebration of the 69th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China held by the Compatriots of Commercial and Industrial Circles of Hong Kong today (September 14).

Reporter: Mrs Lam, we see that the Government is actually getting ready early to prepare for this storm and is bracing for the strong impact. Why is the Government taking such a cautious approach? Are you afraid this might actually cause people to panic more? And also, will important infrastructure such as express rail or West Kowloon terminus or even the bridge infrastructure be under danger under the strong winds?

Chief Executive: We are taking every step to prepare Hong Kong for this typhoon because we are advised that this is a super typhoon. If you read the news, both local and overseas news, you will see that this is really a very big storm, and over the last few months, including up to this moment, parts of the world are also affected by very severe typhoons. So, in Hong Kong we have a duty as the Government to make all the necessary preparations. The preparations include mobilising all the relevant departments to take precautionary measures, and also include, during the typhoon, we need to be able to respond effectively in order to mitigate any damage or any loss of life and injuries. And the third prong of our strategy is, after the typhoon, I have given the instruction that we should restore the city back to its normal state as soon as possible.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)  
  read more

     A chain supermarket was convicted and fined $5,500 today (September 14) at Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts for supplying short-weight fruit, in contravention of the Weights and Measures Ordinance (WMO).

     Customs officers earlier conducted a test-buy operation at a supermarket in Sham Shui Po and bought a pack of pre-packed red grapes with a declared net weight of 914 grams.

     Upon examination by the Government Laboratory, it was confirmed that the red grape pack was short in weight by 72.1 grams.

     Customs officers then conducted an operation against the supermarket and seized 29 packs of pre-packed red grapes with declared net weight ranging from 766 to 984 grams.

     Examination by the Government Laboratory revealed that the red grape packs were short in weight ranging from 57 to 96.6 grams.

     Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the WMO. Under the WMO, any person who in the course of trade supplies goods to another person by weight or measure should supply the goods in net weight or net measure. Any shortage of the quantity purporting to be supplied is an offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of $10,000.

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