The opening ceremony of the 12th Hong Kong Literature Festival, organised by the Hong Kong Public Libraries of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, was held at Hong Kong Central Library (HKCL) today (June 28), launching this important biennial event in support of Hong Kong literature.
 
     Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Acting Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Dr Louis Ng, said that since its launch in 1997, the Hong Kong Literature Festival has carried the mission of promoting literary writing and reading through a variety of literary activities, with a view to enhancing public interest in literary arts and offering literature lovers an opportunity to exchange their thoughts.
 
     At the ceremony, the winners of two pre-festival activities, namely the Literary Performance Competition and "The Bloom of Youth" Chinese Writing Competition, were awarded prizes. Students participating in the Literary Performance Competition selected and impressively role-played their favourite stories on the ceremonial stage. The winning entries of the two activities will be on display at the HKCL Exhibition Gallery throughout the festival period. Moreover, students participating in the creation exhibition zone were presented with appreciation certificates and also shared their views on the project.
 
     Under the theme "Where Literature Meets Life", the festival runs from today to July 15. Over 30 interactive literary activities including a thematic exhibition, symposiums, guided reading sessions, an Interflow programme and Little Avid Readers' Storytelling Sessions, will be held.
 
     The festival's highlight, a thematic exhibition entitled "I Write, Therefore I Am", will be held at the HKCL Exhibition Gallery from tomorrow (June 29) to July 15. With the theme of life, the "I Write, Therefore I Am" section is divided into four parts, namely "The Path to Growth", which records memories of growing up and the excitement of youth; "Working Life", which depicts hardship in career life; "Discourse of Illness", which reflects the dark side of society metaphorically; and "Reflections on Life", which reveals the meaning of life.
 
     Another section is "Centenary Writings – Liu Yichang", which introduces the literary life of the renowned local writer Professor Liu Yichang and pays tribute to his contributions to Hong Kong's literary scene. The tie-in activity "Reading Liu's Works in Virtual Reality" will let the participants experience a new mode to appreciate the urban scenes that can be found in Professor Liu's literary works through the application of virtual reality. The other section is the creation exhibition zone, with panels created by secondary students to showcase their thoughts on literary works from their own perspective.
 
     Other highlights include three symposiums entitled "Literature and Life". In the light of illness narratives, travel literature, diaspora literature and growing-up narratives, the speakers will explore the infusion of life experiences, emotions and reflections on the significance of life and society in literary creation.
 
     In the guided reading sessions, two winning authors of the 14th Hong Kong Biennial Awards for Chinese Literature will share their creative concepts. Tutors will analyse the underlying emotions and meanings of these outstanding literary pieces, thereby improving readers' appreciation of literary works in all their diversity. The two winning entries are "Glistening Rapids" and "One Day of Ibrahim".
 
     Organised by local cultural groups, the new Interflow will be conducted in an interactive and innovative way to explore the fun in literature appreciation and creation of different themes. The programme is divided into three sessions, starting with "When Poetry Meets Sand Arts" to have a crossover presentation of both poetry and sand painting by combining music, stories and images. In "From Literary Work to the Musical: The Writing Adventure of Bui Bui", literary work will be transformed into a musical with dance and music for an audience of all ages to appreciate the story's messages on writing in a different form. Finally, in "Outdoor Fun with Literature", members of the public are invited to play a game and participate in a music and poetry recital. Literary appreciation will be converted into a rich audio-visual presentation.
 
    In addition, six Little Avid Readers' Storytelling Sessions will tell different stories with adults and kids. Participants can experience the imagination of literary works through beautiful words and illustrations.
 
     The Fans of Literature Festival will continue this year. Literature lovers are encouraged to become fans and to receive festival souvenirs and updates on future literary activities organised by public libraries.
 
     All activities are free. Festival booklets are available at all public libraries. For more details, please visit www.hkpl.gov.hk/en/extension-activities/hklf/hklf12/event-cat.html. For enquiries, call 2928 4551.

     A 70-year-old man was sentenced to one month's imprisonment suspended for 12 months in the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (June 28) for assaulting two Tobacco Control Inspectors (TCIs) when the two TCIs were exercising their duties. He was also fined $2,000 for a smoking offence.
 
     The incident took place at the Cross-Harbour Tunnel Bus Interchange in Hung Hom on January 23, 2018. The man assaulted two TCIs when he was being issued a Fixed Penalty Notice by the TCIs for a smoking offence. He was subsequently arrested and charged by the Police.

     A spokesman for the Department of Health urged the public to observe the smoking ban requirements and to co-operate with law enforcement officers.

     "Threatening or use of violence on enforcement officers is a serious offence and carries serious legal consequences," the spokesman said.

     As of today, there have been five cases of assaulting TCIs in 2018. Since 2007, 86 cases have been recorded and 19 out of 72 offenders convicted for assaulting TCIs were sentenced to immediate imprisonment. The maximum penalty meted out by the court was immediate imprisonment for four months.

     The Department of Health (DH) today (June 28) appealed to the public not to buy or consume a slimming product named MUSE POTENT SLIMMING CAPSULE as it was found to contain an undeclared and banned drug ingredient that might be dangerous to health.
 
     Acting upon intelligence, a sample of the above product was purchased from an Internet seller for analysis. Test results from the Government Laboratory revealed that the sample contains the banned substance sibutramine, which is a Part 1 poison under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap 138).
 
     The DH's investigation is continuing.
 
     Sibutramine was once used as an appetite suppressant. Since November 2010, products containing sibutramine have been banned in Hong Kong because of increased cardiovascular risk.
         
     According to the Ordinance, all pharmaceutical products must be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong before they can be legally sold in the market. Illegal sale or possession of Part 1 poisons and unregistered pharmaceutical products are criminal offences. The maximum penalty for each offence is a fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment.
 
     The DH spokesman strongly urged members of the public not to buy products of unknown or doubtful composition, or to consume products from unknown sources. All registered pharmaceutical products should carry a Hong Kong registration number on the package in the format HK-XXXXX. Safety, quality and efficacy of unregistered pharmaceutical products are not guaranteed.
 
     Weight control should be achieved through a balanced diet and appropriate exercise. The public should consult healthcare professionals before using any medication for weight control.
 
     The public may visit the website of Drug Office of the DH for health messages on overweight problem and slimming products and information on slimming products with undeclared Western drug ingredients.
 
     People who have purchased the product should stop taking it immediately. They can also submit the product to the Drug Office of the DH at Room 1856, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, during office hours for disposal.

  

     The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations, including an operation codenamed "Twilight" and joint operations with the Hong Kong Police Force and the Labour Department codenamed "Champion" and "Powerplayer", from June 25 to 27. A total of 26 illegal workers, seven suspected employers and two overstayers were arrested.
 
     During operation "Twilight", ImmD Task Force officers raided 13 target locations including recycling yards, a village house, a farm, a road under construction, residential buildings, warehouses and residential flats. Five illegal workers were arrested. The five male illegal workers were aged 34 to 52.
 
     During operation "Champion", enforcement officers raided 20 target locations in Western and Sha Tin districts, including a barber shop, a commercial flat and restaurants. Two illegal workers and an employer were arrested. The two male illegal workers were aged 26 and 40. Both of them were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment. Meanwhile, a man, aged 26, was suspected of employing the illegal workers.
 
     Furthermore, during operation "Powerplayer", enforcement officers raided 50 target locations in Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hung Hom, Kowloon City, Sham Shui Po and Cheung Sha Wan districts including street stalls, restaurants, residential flats and a car park. Nineteen illegal workers and six employers were arrested. The illegal workers comprised nine men and 10 women, aged 25 to 70. Among them, three men and three women were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment. Meanwhile, four men and two women, aged 30 to 68, were suspected of employing the illegal workers. Furthermore, one male overstayer and one female overstayer, aged 29 and 49, were arrested.
 
     "Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties," an ImmD spokesman said.
 
     The spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order are prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years' imprisonment. The Court of Appeal has issued a guideline ruling that a sentence of 15 months' imprisonment should be applied in such cases.
 
     The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for three years and a fine of $350,000. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence. According to court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee's identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. The maximum penalty for failing to inspect such a document is imprisonment for one year and a fine of $150,000.
 
     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threat and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent interference, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (June 28) reported a suspected case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and again urged the public to pay special attention to safety during travel, taking due consideration of the health risks in the places of visit. The case is detailed below: 
 

 
     "Travellers to the Middle East should avoid going to farms, barns or markets with camels; avoid contact with sick persons and animals, especially camels, birds or poultry; and avoid unnecessary visits to healthcare facilities. We strongly advise travel agents organising tours to the Middle East to abstain from arranging camel rides and activities involving direct contact with camels, which are known risk factors for acquiring MERS Coronavirus (MERS-CoV)," a spokesman for the CHP said.    

     Locally, the CHP's surveillance with public and private hospitals, with practising doctors and at boundary control points is firmly in place. Inbound travellers and members of the public who recently visited the Middle East and developed fever or lower respiratory symptoms within 14 days will be classified as suspected MERS cases. They will be taken to public hospitals for isolation and management until their specimens test negative for MERS-CoV.

     Travellers to affected areas should maintain vigilance, adopt appropriate health precautions and take heed of personal, food and environmental hygiene. The public may visit the MERS pages of the CHP and its Travel Health Service, MERS statistics in affected areas, the CHP's Facebook Page and YouTube Channel, and the World Health Organization's latest news for more information and health advice. Tour leaders and tour guides operating overseas tours are advised to refer to the CHP's health advice on MERS.