Over 280 orchestras and bands to participate in Hong Kong Youth Music Interflows

     The 2018 Hong Kong Youth Music Interflows will be held from November 19 to December 20 by the Music Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. More than 280 orchestras and bands from local primary and secondary schools will participate in the event, which provides an opportunity for students to conduct musical exchanges and gain performing experience through contests for string orchestras, Chinese orchestras, symphonic bands and symphony orchestras. Tickets for the contests are being sold in phases.
 
     A total of 49 orchestras will participate in the String Orchestra Contest, with a total of four sessions to be held at the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong City Hall on November 19 and 20.
 
     A total of 101 orchestras will take part in the six classes of the Chinese Orchestra Contest at the Auditorium of the Tuen Mun Town Hall from November 27 to 29.
 
     A total of 89 bands will compete in the six classes of the Symphonic Band Contest at the Arena of Queen Elizabeth Stadium from December 4 to 7. The top two Gold Award Winners of each class (if awarded) will be invited to compete for Grand Champion titles in the primary and secondary school categories at the Winners' Final on December 8. Under the baton of Professor of Music and Director of Bands of the University of Texas at El Paso, the United States, Dr Bradley Genevro, the Hong Kong Youth Symphonic Band will perform with Professor of the Royal Northern College of Music in the United Kingdom, Professor Steven Mead, and Misa Mead, as euphonium soloists in the Winners' Final.
 
     A total of 48 orchestras will take part in the Symphony Orchestra Contest, with a total of four sessions to be held at the Auditorium of the Sha Tin Town Hall on December 19 and 20.
 
     Tickets for the String Orchestra Contest and Symphony Orchestra Contest are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk); those for the Chinese Orchestra Contest will be available from October 27 onwards, and those for the Symphonic Band Contest from November 4. Tickets for each contest are priced at $55. For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2796 7523 (String Orchestra Contest and Symphony Orchestra Contest), 2598 0801 (Chinese Orchestra Contest) or 2158 6467 (Symphonic Band Contest), or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/mo/activities/upcoming/2018hkymi.html.




Applications selected for 37th personalised vehicle registration marks exercise

     The Transport Department (TD) announced today (October 19) that the application numbers of the 1 500 personalised vehicle registration mark (PVRM) applications selected by lot for the 37th exercise have been published on its website (www.td.gov.hk) and posted on the notice boards of the department's licensing offices.
 
     "The applicants have already been sent an acknowledgement of receipt bearing an application number. They may check the list to see whether their applications have been selected. Applicants will also be notified of the ballot results by post in batches," a department spokesman said.
 
     The department will later check the proposed PVRMs selected against the basic combination requirements. If, among the selected applications, more than one applicant proposes the same PVRM, only the one on which the lot falls first out of those applications will be further processed.
 
     If the selected PVRMs meet the basic requirements, the department will send notices by registered mail to the applicants in batches, requiring them to pay a deposit of $5,000 within the period specified in the notice. If an applicant fails to pay the deposit within that period, his or her application will be cancelled automatically and will not be further processed.
 
     Upon receipt of the deposit, the Commissioner for Transport will determine, with the assistance of a vetting committee, whether an application should be approved or rejected. PVRMs approved in the 37th exercise will be put up for auction in batches. Auction details will be published in newspapers and on the department's website in due course.
 
     For enquiries, applicants can call TD Hotline at 2804 2600.




Public consultation on supply of recycled water in Hong Kong starts today

     The Water Supplies Department (WSD) today (October 19) launched a 60-day public consultation on the supply of recycled water in Hong Kong. The public consultation will end on December 17.
 
     Recycled water comprises reclaimed water (from the processing of treated effluent from sewage treatment works), treated grey water (from the treatment of used water collected from baths, wash basins, kitchen sinks or similar fitments) and rainwater harvested in housing developments or facilities.
 
     "To cope with the challenges brought about by climate change on water resources, the WSD has been actively exploring new water resources that are not susceptible to climate change, such as recycled water. Taking the opportunity arising from upgrading of Shek Wu Hui Sewage Treatment Works to tertiary treatment level by the Drainage Services Department, the WSD plans to further process the treated effluent from the plant to produce reclaimed water, which will be supplied to the north-eastern part of the New Territories, including Sheung Shui and Fanling, to replace fresh water for flushing in the area from 2022 progressively," a spokesman for the WSD said.

     In view of the plan to supply recycled water in Hong Kong, the WSD is formulating proposals on aspects including the supply, charge and use of recycled water. Public views are invited on the proposals which include the following key items:

(1) Supply of recycled water by the WSD for non-potable uses, such as flushing;
(2) Measures to prevent misuse of the recycled water supplied by the WSD and cross-connections between fresh water supply systems and recycled water supply systems, such as exploring colour-labelling of recycled water;
(3) Charge for use of recycled water supplied by the WSD, such as supplying recycled water for flushing free-of-charge;
(4) Control of the use of recycled water supplied by parties other than the WSD; and
(5) Implementation arrangements of the proposals.

     Members of the public are welcome to send their views to the WSD by email (rewconsultation@wsd.gov.hk), by fax (2802 2579), or by post (Research and Development Unit, Development (2) Division, Development Branch, Water Supplies Department, 46/F, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong) during the consultation period.

     The consultation document can be downloaded from the WSD's website (www.wsd.gov.hk/en/pconsultation/recycle.html) and is also available at all Home Affairs Enquiry Centres and WSD's Customer Enquiry Centres.

     The WSD will hold three public forums to gauge public views on the proposals. The forums will be conducted in Cantonese with simultaneous interpretation in English. Details are as follows:
 

Date Time Venue
November 7 7pm to 9pm Lecture Theatre, 4/F, West Block, Education Bureau Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre, 19 Suffolk Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon
November 15 7pm to 9pm Leighton Hill Community Hall, 133 Wong Nai Chung Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong
November 17 7.30pm to 9.30pm Luen Wo Hui Community Hall, G/F, 9 Wo Mun Street, Luen Wo Hui, Fanling, New Territories

 
     Members of the public who would like to attend the above public forums may reserve seats by calling 3428 5084 during office hours (from 9am to 6pm, Mondays to Fridays except public holidays) or completing the reply slip available at the WSD's website (www.wsd.gov.hk/en/pconsultation/recycle.html) and returning the slip by email (rewconsultation@wsd.gov.hk) or by fax (2802 2579). Seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Walk-in registration will also be accepted when there are vacant seats on the spot.




Seafood hotpot restaurant and staff member convicted of violating Weights and Measures Ordinance

     A seafood hotpot restaurant and its staff member were fined $5,000 and $3,000 today (October 19) at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts for possessing defective weighing equipment and supplying short-weight seafood respectively, in contravention of the Weights and Measures Ordinance (WMO).

     Customs officers earlier ordered one catty of clams at the restaurant located in San Po Kong.

     Subsequent examination by the Government Laboratory confirmed that the clams were short of weight by 5.39 taels and the spring scale used for weighing was offset by 2 taels while it was unloaded.

     Under the WMO, any person who uses for trade, or has in his possession for use for trade, any weighing or measuring equipment which is false or defective commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $20,000. In addition, 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 upon conviction is a fine of $10,000.

     Customs will continue to take stringent enforcement action against short-weight activities at restaurants to protect consumers' interests and uphold a fair trading environment.

     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).




Turnaround arrangement for Mainland maintenance and emergency rescue vehicles on HZMB

     A notice was published in the Gazette today (October 19) on the turnaround arrangement for Mainland maintenance and emergency rescue vehicles on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB).

     The HZMB is the first cross-boundary land link connecting Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao.  For proper maintenance of the HZMB and speedy handling of accidents or other emergency situations, both Hong Kong and Mainland governments may deploy maintenance and emergency rescue vehicles for carrying out duties on the HZMB. 

     The Mainland vehicles concerned will include:

(i) maintenance vehicles engaged or authorised by the HZMB Authority which have the logo specified by the HZMB Authority displayed on the vehicles may need to enter Hong Kong in the course of discharging road maintenance duties on the HZMB Main Bridge Section;
(ii) ambulances registered under Zhuhai Municipal Health and Family Planning Bureau may need to enter Hong Kong in the course of discharging rescue duties in the event of accidents on the HZMB; and
(iii) fire fighting vehicles registered under Zhuhai Municipal Fire Department may need to enter Hong Kong in the course of discharging fire-fighting and rescue duties in the event of accidents on the HZMB. 

     A spokesman for the Transport Department (TD) said, "Having regard to the special circumstances and the specific route mentioned above, the Commissioner for Transport has exempted the vehicles concerned by notice in the gazette from the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations, Chapter 374E, with effect from October 19, 2018 pursuant to regulation 3(c) of the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations.  The above exemption does not affect the application of other laws of Hong Kong to the vehicles concerned when they are being driven on a road in Hong Kong."

     The spokesman stressed that the vehicles concerned shall not be driven on a road in Hong Kong other than the Hong Kong Link Road of the HZMB.  They shall return to the Mainland via the turnaround on the Hong Kong Link Road near San Shek Wan upon reaching that turnaround, except where the ambulances and fire fighting vehicles described above enter Hong Kong upon request by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for assistance in case of major serious accidents on the HZMB.