The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority: 　　 The spokesperson for Tuen Mun Hospital (TMH) gave the following update today (August 7) regarding an earlier announcement on a cluster of inpatients wit… read more
A man, a woman and a company were fined from $2,000 to $3,600 at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts today (August 7) for contravening the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance.
The courts heard that in January and February this year, officers from the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted inspections at two clubs on Shau Kei Wan Main Street East and Elgin Street in Central, which had been operating with certificates of compliance (CoCs).
The staff of the club on Shau Kei Wan Main Street East failed to show the registered drawings upon the OLA officers’ request. Condition 17 of the CoC was breached. The man, being the CoC holder of the club, was charged with contravening section 21(2) of the Ordinance.
During the investigation in the club on Elgin Street, the OLA officers posed as customers and patronised the club for food and drinks without being asked to show their membership status or being invited to join the club as members. Condition 19 of the CoC was breached. Also, OLA officers found that the club had been operating under a name other than the one indicated on the CoC on the day of inspection. The woman, being the manager of the club, was charged with contravening sections 21(1) (a) and 21(1) (c) of the Ordinance and the company, being the CoC holder of the club, was charged with contravening section 21(2) of the Ordinance.
A spokesman for the department reminded all CoC holders to comply with the conditions as stipulated therein. Enforcement action will continue to be taken against illegal club operations. read more
Hong Kong Customs today (August 7) alerted members of the public to the potential hazards posed by a type of toy drawing board. They are advised not to let children play with this toy to ensure their safety. Test results indicated that the magnetic component parts of the toy drawing board could pose a potential risk of intestinal blockage to children.
Customs officers earlier conducted a test-buy operation and purchased the toy from a retailer for safety testing by the Government Laboratory. The results revealed that the magnetic strength of the toy’s small magnetic component parts exceeded the upper limit as specified in related toy safety standards and the parts would pose a potential risk of intestinal blockage if swallowed by children.
Customs officers today seized a total of 175 sets of the toy drawing board from the retailer and the wholesaler concerned. Investigation is ongoing.
Under the Toys and Children’s Products Safety Ordinance, it is an offence to manufacture, import or supply unsafe toys or children’s products. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for one year on first conviction, and a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years on subsequent conviction.
​Members of the public may report information relating to suspected unsafe toys or children’s products via the Customs 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or the dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
Fairview Park in Yuen Long discharged substandard domestic wastewater into the Shan Pui River. Its property management company responsible for managing the sewage treatment facility, Fairview Park Property Management Limited, was fined $10,000 at Fanling Magistrates’ Courts today (August 7) for contravening the Water Pollution Control Ordinance (WPCO).
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) conducted a blitz inspection at the sewage treatment facility at Fairview Park in Yuen Long in February and found that some brownish and turbid wastewater was being discharged from the facility into the Shan Pui River via a nearby watercourse, which caused water pollution. A wastewater sample taken by EPD staff showed that multiple parameters exceeded the permitted levels specified in the WPCO licence. The level of E. coli, in particular, was 67 times greater than the permitted level. The EPD initiated prosecution against the licensee, Fairview Park Property Management Limited, in accordance with the WPCO after evidence gathering. Timely remedial measures were taken by the property management company, including work to inspect, repair and replace the damaged parts and to resume the normal operation of its sewage treatment facility.
An EPD spokesman explained that substandard domestic wastewater carries a large amount of viruses, bacteria and pathogens. Direct discharge of wastewater into a nearby watercourse will pollute the water and pose threats to public health and environmental hygiene.
The spokesman reminded all WPCO licensees that they should ensure proper operation of their wastewater treatment facilities and strictly adhere to the discharge standards of all pollutants as stipulated in the licence. Otherwise, it constitutes an offence. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months’ imprisonment. read more
“A Tale of Two Circles”, the finale performance of the Community Oral History Theatre Project – Central and Western District, will be staged at the Theatre of Sheung Wan Civic Centre on September 8 (Saturday) at 7.30pm and on September 9 (Sunday) at 3pm. More than 20 elderly participants of the project will take part in the full-length show (in Cantonese) to re-enact their own precious stories from the Central and Western districts.
The Central and Western districts are two important locations on Hong Kong Island, combining the best of East and West. Old Central, characterised by its European influence, was the centre of politics and economic affairs, while old Western district, primarily settled by Chinese people, was a trade port for food products.
The story follows the elderly project participants’ recollections of the two districts. Some of them worked diligently in Central to earn a living; some strived to support their children’s schooling, hoping they would become professionals in Central; and some were trained to become craftsmen and set up small businesses in the Western district.
The Community Oral History Theatre Project – Central and Western District has been co-organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), Chung Ying Theatre Company and the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council since 2017. Through organising a series of workshops, the project gathered the personal experiences and valuable recollections of the elderly from Central and Western District to come up with a drama script, and provides an opportunity for the elderly to perform their stories onstage.
An outreach performance featuring excerpts of “A Tale of Two Circles” held recently at JC Cube in Tai Kwun was well received by the audience. The upcoming full-length finale with enriched programme contents will provide more delightful and enjoyable performances. To make the performances more meaningful, child actors were recruited earlier in the district. They have been rehearsing intensively since then and will be performing together with the elderly onstage so that the spirit of the elderly can be passed on to the young generation.
Since its launch in 2009, the Community Oral History Theatre Project has been implemented in several districts, namely Sham Shui Po, Kwun Tong, Islands (Tai O), Eastern and Sha Tin districts, and has been well received by the elderly participants and audiences. The project encourages the elderly to participate in arts and cultural activities, and provides them with an opportunity to recount and perform their stories onstage. In addition, it allows the younger generation to understand the previous generations through the performances and encourages them to reflect on their own lives.
Tickets for “A Tale of Two Circles” priced at $60 will be available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk) from tomorrow (August 8). For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2591 1300 (LCSD) or 8106 8336 (Chung Ying Theatre Company), or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/ab/en/OH_central_western_finale.php.
