The following is issued on behalf of the Road Safety Council:

     The Road Safety Council (RSC), Traffic Kowloon West Headquarters of the Hong Kong Police Force and the Hong Kong Road Safety Patrol (Kowloon West Region) will jointly hold the Smart Driving Bus Parade 2018 at 6.30pm tomorrow (December 5), starting at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre's Piazza C. Members of the public are welcome to participate.

     The event will be officiated by the Chairlady of the Road Safety Campaign Committee of the RSC, Ms Rebecca Ma; the Acting Senior Superintendent of Police, Traffic Kowloon West, Hong Kong Police Force, Mr Chung Hung-yip; the Regional Commander, Kowloon West of the Hong Kong Road Safety Patrol, Mr Gavin Lam; the Chairman of the Yau Tsim Mong Road Safety Campaign Organising Committee, Mr Paul Law; the Chairman of the Sham Shui Po Road Safety Campaign Committee, Mr Wong Kam-choi; the Vice Chairman of the Kowloon City Road Safety Campaign Committee, Mr Sunny Chung; and the Promotion Officer Kowloon West of the Hong Kong Road Safety Patrol, Ms Tse Suet-sum.

     A Mobile Breath Test Centre and police motorcycles will be exhibited at the venue from 5pm. After an opening ceremony, the guests will take an open-top bus through the Tsim Sha Tsui area to distribute road safety leaflets in order to deliver the "No Drug and No Drink Driving" message to road users.

     The Chief Executive in Council approved today (December 4), at the request of the Commission of Inquiry into the Diaphragm Wall and Platform Slab Construction Works at the Hung Hom Station Extension under the Shatin to Central Link Project, an extension of time for the Commission to submit its report to the Chief Executive by February 26, 2019.

     The Commission was appointed by the Chief Executive in Council on July 10, 2018, with Mr Michael Hartmann as Chairman and Commissioner and Professor Peter Hansford as Commissioner. It is required to report its findings and recommendations to the Chief Executive within six months from the date of appointment, i.e. by January 9, 2019, or such time as the Chief Executive in Council may allow. In view of the extensive scope of the inquiry, the complexity of the matters under examination and the large number of witnesses involved, the Commission sought an extension of time to consider the evidence and complete its report. Based on its latest work progress, the Commission expects to finish hearing all evidence and the closing addresses by involved parties by late January 2019. The Commission will then proceed to finalise its report. 

     The Commission is tasked to inquire into the steel reinforcement fixing works and any other works which raise concerns about public safety in respect of the diaphragm wall and platform slab construction works at the Hung Hom Station Extension under the Shatin to Central Link Project implemented by the MTR Corporation Limited. It will also make recommendations on suitable measures with a view to promoting public safety and assurance on the quality of works. The terms of reference of the Commission are in the Annex.

     Police today (December 4) appealed to the public for information on a woman who went missing in Tin Sum. 

     Lo Lai-chun, aged 86, went missing after she left Prince of Wales Hospital yesterday (December 3) morning. Her family made a report to Police on the same day.

     She is about 1.5 metres tall, 45 kilograms in weight and of thin build. She has a long face with yellow complexion and short greyish white hair. She was last seen wearing a light blue long-sleeved jacket, a dark grey long-sleeved T-shirt, black trousers and black leather shoes.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing woman or may have seen her is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of New Territories South on 3661 1176 or 5613 6963 or email to rmpu-nts-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.
     

  

     â€‹Compass Technology Company Limited, located at Chiaphua Industries Building in Siu Lek Yuen, Sha Tin, was caught again for discharging excessive industrial wastewater into a communal sewer. It was fined $10,000 by Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (December 4) for contravening the Water Pollution Control Ordinance (WPCO). The company committed the same offence in December last year and was convicted and fined $15,000 in June.
      
     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) spokesman said that enforcement officers conducted a follow-up inspection at the above factory in July this year and found that the concentration of copper in the industrial wastewater discharged from the factory still exceeded the WPCO licence by 2.3 times. After investigation and evidence gathering, the EPD initiated prosecution against the company again in accordance with the WPCO.
      
     The spokesman explained that electronic component manufacturing factories will generate wastewater with heavy metal. Factories must install appropriate wastewater treatment facilities and maintain their effective operation to ensure that the effluent discharge meets the discharge standards as set out in the wastewater discharge licence before discharging into communal sewers. If its heavy metals concentration exceeds the standards, it will affect the operation and effectiveness of microbial treatment processes in sewage treatment plants, which will pollute the environment.
      
     The EPD reminded all WPCO licensees that they should strictly adhere to the discharge standards of all pollutants as stipulated in the licence, and ensure proper operation of their wastewater treatment facilities. Anyone who discharges wastewater which exceeds the standard of the discharge licence commits an offence. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months' imprisonment.

     The registered owners of two light goods vehicles, which were involved in three illegal waste disposal cases on Tai Yip Street in Kowloon Bay and Po Lun Street in Mei Foo with about 10.5 cubic metres of waste being disposed of, were convicted and fined a total of $9,000 by Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today (December 4) for contravening the Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances Regulation.
      
     A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said that Kowloon Bay is a densely populated commercial and industrial area, and some members of the logistics industry illegally disposed of construction waste and commercial and industrial (C&I) waste at night when traffic and pedestrian flows were low. To step up efforts to combat illegal waste disposal, a round-the-clock surveillance camera system was installed at Tai Yip Street to facilitate evidence collection and prosecution. The surveillance camera captured that a light goods vehicle abandoned several boxes of waste on the roadside twice in May this year, and the EPD subsequently issued two summonses to the registered owner of the vehicle involved.
      
     Separately, the EPD received a report from a member of the public in May this year about the illegal disposal of construction waste at Po Lun Street in Mei Foo from a light goods vehicle. The EPD traced the registered owner of the vehicle according to the photos and vehicle information provided by the member of the public, and subsequently prosecuted the registered owner of the vehicle in accordance with the law.
      
     The EPD spokesperson reminded those from the recycling, renovation and construction sectors that C&I waste and demolished construction waste should be delivered to the Government's waste treatment facilities as required by the law. It is unlawful to dispose of waste in public places and on the roadside. According to the Public Cleansing and Prevention of Nuisances Regulation, it is an offense to dispose of waste on the streets or in public places from vehicles, including goods vehicles, private cars and motorcycles. Otherwise, it constitutes an offence and the registered owner may be prosecuted. First-time offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for six months upon conviction. If the offence continues, an additional fine of $300 will be imposed daily.