Author Archives: hksar gov

     A woman who went missing in Ngau Tau Kok was located.      Cheung Sau-ying, aged 53, went missing after she left her residence in Tak Long Estate on May 22 morning. Her family made a report to Police on t… read more

     Police today (May 24) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Kwai Chung.      Wong Man-chuk, aged 49, went missing after he left an elderly home on Shek Yam Road yes… read more

     The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about the work accident that happened at a residential estate in Ho Man Tin today (May 24), in which a worker fell down from the top of a water tank on the roof of a building and sustained fatal injury. The LD is saddened by the death of the worker and has expressed its deepest sympathy to the victim’s family.
 
     The LD’s spokesman said, “We commenced immediate on-site investigation as soon as we were notified of the accident and will issue suspension notices to the contractors/employer involved to suspend all work activities at the water tank concerned. The contractors/employer cannot resume the work process until the LD is satisfied that measures to abate the relevant risk have been taken.”
 
     The spokesman added, “We will complete investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation.”
 
     The general duty provisions of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance require employers to provide safe working environments, safe plant and safe systems of work for their employees. Those who contravene the above provisions are liable to a maximum fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for six months.
 
     In regard to today’s accident, the LD will issue a Work Safety Alert through its website and email, giving a brief account of the accident concerned to duty holders, workers’ unions, professional bodies of safety practitioners and others, and reminding the industry of the importance of following safety precautionary measures to prevent recurrence of similar accidents.
 
     The LD will also remind the employer concerned of the liability for employees’ compensation under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance, assist family members of the deceased to claim employees’ compensation and closely follow up on the case. For those with financial difficulties, the LD will assist them to apply for appropriate emergency funds. Subject to the needs and wishes of family members of the deceased, the LD will also liaise with the Social Welfare Department for financial or other assistance.
 
     For the sake of securing the safety and health of employees at work, the LD appeals to employers to provide plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health. Employees should co-operate with their employers, adopt all safety measures and use personal protective equipment provided properly to avoid endangering their own work safety and that of other workers. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Independent Review Committee on Hong Kong’s Franchised Bus Service:

     The Chairman of the Independent Review Committee on Hong Kong’s Franchised Bus Service, Mr Justice Michael Lunn, and Members of the Committee Mr Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen and Professor Lo Hong-kam, visited the depots of New World First Bus Services Limited and Citybus Limited, two franchised bus operators, in Chai Wan today (May 24).

     During the visit, Mr Justice Lunn, Mr Auyeung and Professor Lo sought to gain a better understanding of the operational management of franchised buses from the point of view of safety, including:

•    daily checks and annual inspections of franchised buses to ensure their roadworthiness and safety;
•    technical capabilities and use of tachographs and black boxes installed on franchised buses to monitor the driving behaviour of bus captains; and
•    the deployment of the fleet of franchised buses by the 24-hour Operations Control Centre.

     The Committee was appointed by the Chief Executive on March 13, 2018, following the fatal incident on Tai Po Road on February 10, 2018 and in light of other recent serious incidents involving franchised bus services, to conduct a comprehensive review of the operation and monitoring of franchised buses and to make recommendations on safety-related measures to ensure that franchised bus services in Hong Kong are safe and reliable.

      

     Seven Mainland visitors were convicted of making false representation to Immigration Officers at Shatin Magistrates’ Courts earlier and today (May 24).
 
     To tackle abuse by Mainland visitors of the existing transit arrangement for holders of People’s Republic of China (PRC) passports, the Immigration Department (ImmD) conducted an operation codenamed “Breakshadow” at Lo Wu Control Point, Lok Ma Chau Control Point, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point and Shenzhen Bay Control Point on April 17. During the operation, seven Mainland visitors, comprising three men and four women aged 24 to 54, were arrested. A total of six invalid onward flight tickets were also found in the operation. Upon arrival for immigration clearance, the Mainland visitors concerned falsely told Immigration Officers that they were transiting through Hong Kong to other countries. Upon further investigation by the ImmD, they admitted that their actual purpose of visit was not to transit via Hong Kong to other countries but sightseeing in Hong Kong.
 
     All the arrestees were charged with making false representation to Immigration Officers. They all pleaded guilty and among them five were sentenced to five to six months’ imprisonment. The other two arrestees were sentenced to four to six months’ imprisonment suspended for 18 months to two years.
 
     The ImmD spokesman warned that, under the laws of Hong Kong, any person who makes false representation to an Immigration Officer commits an offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, the maximum penalty will be a fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years. In addition, if Mainland visitors abuse the existing transit arrangement for holders of PRC passports by not departing for other countries or territories according to their original itinerary, relevant information will be recorded by the ImmD. Upon their next arrival, Immigration Officers at control points will conduct detailed examination before a decision to grant or refuse permission to land is made. read more