The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Monday, November 11, 2024 is 105.8 (same as last Saturday's index).
The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Saturday, November 9, 2024 was 105.8 (up 0.4 against last Friday's index).
​The Home Affairs Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Lands Department (LandsD) today (November 11) launched a joint enforcement operation at the Permitted Burial Ground (PBG) of Po Toi O (SK/03) in Sai Kung against illegal hillside burials. It is anticipated that 44 illegal graves/urn houses/urns will be removed in about three days' time and the human remains therein will be reburied at the Sandy Ridge Cemetery.
The FEHD and the LandsD posted notices on 44 unauthorised graves/urn houses/urns located within the PBG of Po Toi O in Sai Kung on September 23 and 24 this year, requiring the related persons of the graves/urn houses/urns concerned to cease occupation of the government land and to contact relevant government departments on or before October 24 this year, or else the human remains therein would be reburied at the Sandy Ridge Cemetery. As all the 44 graves/urn houses/urns remained unclaimed upon expiry of the deadline, the Government commenced the clearance operation today.
The Government has been implementing a pilot scheme on the management of PBGs in individual PBGs since 2016. Taking into account the actual circumstances of each PBG, the Government has been implementing appropriate improvement measures, including erecting boundary pillars for the PBGs, conducting record surveys of existing graves/urn houses/urns, imposing restrictions on the size of burial sites and demarcating available spaces in PBGs for new applications of burial sites, in order to ensure that the places of burials are within PBGs. The pilot scheme has now been extended to 15 PBGs, covering all nine administrative districts in the New Territories.
Having examined the data obtained from the pilot scheme, the Government has commenced enforcement actions against illegal burials in the PBGs in phases from July 2021 onwards. Besides conducting enforcement actions in the PBG of Po Toi O in Sai Kung, the Government will also commence follow-up actions in other PBGs under the pilot scheme, including posting notices on other unauthorised graves/urn houses/urns before the coming Ching Ming Festival, with a view to removing unclaimed graves/urn houses/urns as soon as possible after the expiration of the notice period.
A Government spokesman reiterated that, according to the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 28), it is an offence when any person occupying government land, otherwise than under permission from the Authority, does not cease the occupation as required by a notice prescribed by the Ordinance. Any property or structure on the occupied government land may be demolished and removed by the Government, and the occupier may be prosecuted. Furthermore, according to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), it is an offence to bury human remains without permission in writing of the Authority. Offenders are liable to prosecution, and the human remains inside the graves concerned will be removed.
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As the Hong Kong Observatory has cancelled all typhoon warning signals, the Civil Engineering and Development Department today (November 11) announced that the Chai Wan Public Fill Barging Point has been reopened at 1pm for public use.
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (November 13) at 11am, and Thursday (November 14) and Friday (November 15) at 9am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, Members will speak on "Motion of Thanks", to be moved by Ms Starry Lee, which states: "That this Council thanks the Chief Executive for his address."
Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, all of which require written replies.
The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk). Members of the public can watch or listen to the meeting via the "Webcast" system on the LegCo Website. To observe the proceedings of the meeting at the LegCo Complex, members of the public may call 3919 3399 during office hours to reserve seats.
The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB) invites public views from today (November 11) onwards on the implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
The Government is currently drafting the fourth report of the HKSAR under the Convention. The report will be included as part of the periodic report to be submitted to the United Nations by the Central Government. To this end, the HKSAR Government has prepared an outline of the report to facilitate public comments on relevant issues. The outline of the report is available on the CMAB website at www.cmab.gov.hk or can be obtained from the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres of District Offices.
"Members of the public may write to us through email, fax or mail by December 2 this year on the implementation of the Convention in respect of the topics in the outline, or suggest any additional topics that they consider we ought to include in the report of the HKSAR. We will consider the relevant comments received in drafting the report," a CMAB spokesman said.