The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (August 31) that the arena and two squash courts of the Peng Chau Sports Centre in Islands District, to be designated as a temporary shelter operated by the respective District Office of the Home Affairs Department, will be temporarily closed from 8pm today until further notice. Other facilities in the Peng Chau Sports Centre may also be temporarily closed at a later time if necessary.
Police today (August 31) appealed to the public to stay vigilant against seditious rumours on the Internet and not to participate in any illegal activities. It is reiterated that Police will resolutely intervene and take enforcement actions against any illegal acts.
Police expressed grave concern over the recent spreading of online rumours to mourn for the so-called "831 incident", inciting others to adopt "soft resistance" or take relevant actions some time around today.
The spokesperson for Police reiterated that the so-called "831 incident" has been proven a fabrication. It was a lie manipulated by people with ulterior motives to attack the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and smear the Police Force, attempting to achieve their political objectives by breaching public peace. Police must discharge their duties in accordance with the law to safeguard the society, and disrupters’ plots are doomed to fail.
The spokesperson for Police stressed that any persons who take part in an unauthorised assembly may commit the offence of “taking part in an unauthorised assembly” under the Public Order Ordinance, and on conviction, shall be liable to a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment; while advertising or publicising an unauthorised assembly shall be liable to a maximum penalty of 12 months' imprisonment.
He also stressed that the Internet is not an unreal world that is beyond the law. As far as the existing legislation in Hong Kong is concerned, most of the crime-prevention laws in the real world are applicable to the online world. Therefore, the public should use the Internet lawfully and properly.
Police will continue to step up patrols and enhance intelligence-gathering, closely monitor the situation of various districts and strive to prevent and combat crimes.
It must be emphasised that Police will take resolute enforcement actions, including making arrest against any illegal acts. No one should defy the law.
In response to the approach of Super Typhoon Saola, the Home Affairs Department (HAD) today (August 31) announced that the department has worked with its district network in 18 districts, including District Fight Crime Committees, District Fire Safety Committees, Area Committees, owners' corporations, owners' committees, property management companies, village representatives, rural committees and support service centres for ethnic minorities etc, to seek their assistance in reminding members of the public to pay attention to the latest information on the tropical cyclone from the Hong Kong Observatory and take precautionary measures.
The HAD's emergency hotline (2572 8427) has been activated to handle public enquiries on the tropical cyclone after Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 3 was issued. A total of 29 temporary shelters operated by the District Offices will advance times to open from 8pm tonight for people in need. Please refer to the annex for details.
The District Offices will pay close attention to black spots and low-lying areas which may have serious flooding, and will take precautionary measures with relevant departments. The District Offices have contacted resident representatives in some flood prone areas for early alerts on precautionary measures and provide support to people in need. Following the inter-departmental drills on typhoon responses conducted earlier, the Kwun Tong, the Islands, the Eastern and the Sha Tin District Offices have also contacted resident representatives of the locations vulnerable to flooding such as Lei Yue Mun, Tai O, Tolo Harbour and the vicinity as well as Heng Fa Chuen etc, to seek their assistance in appealing to residents to move to a safe place or temporary shelters. Together with other government departments, the District Offices have also reminded residents to take precautionary measures against the tropical cyclone including clearing drains, providing sandbags and water-stop boards etc. Members and volunteers of the Care Teams in the Southern and the Tsuen Wan Districts have visited residents in their districts to remind them to take precautionary measures and to provide appropriate assistance. Members of the Care Teams will also be on duty at the temporary shelters in the two districts when they come into operation.
The District Offices will maintain close liaison with other government departments to render appropriate assistance to the public during the typhoon.
The Oil Street Art Space (Oi!) will launch two new exhibitions, "DRESS iN TiME" and "Oi! OnSite Exhibition of Artists in Residence – SAD Kitchen: Oi! Guide – A Comfort Food Journey" with the theme of clothing and food respectively from tomorrow (September 1) to allow visitors to experience the North Point community where Oi! is located and the stories of Hong Kong.
Fashion designer Toby Crispy responds to today's fast-paced culture through the craft of stitching. She has collected over 130 stitch patterns and stories about Hong Kong from members of the public who participated in the previous project "SLOW STiTCH NOMAD @ Oi!" held in Oi! After reorganisation and compilation, these patterns have been combined with refurbished old clothes to create 15 sets of upcycled garments and art installations for display in the "DRESS iN TiME" exhibition. The exhibition includes elements of moving images and lighting designs to express the flow of time and changes of the city, offering a multi-sensory experience to audiences. A series of interactive workshops would be held to tie in with the exhibition so that audiences can understand the story behind each stitch pattern and learn to share their impressions of the city through stitching, jointly participating in weaving together the collective memories of Hong Kong.
"Oi! OnSite Exhibition of Artists in Residence" invited artist Silas Fong this year to turn the Oi! Warehouse into a "kitchen" and invite audiences to explore different kinds of personal emotions and the community's relationship related to food through a site-specific game setting. In "SAD Kitchen: Oi! Guide – A Comfort Food Journey", audiences are encouraged to find the hidden psychological test questions at different corners or on different objects in the "kitchen" and complete the psychological test. Audiences will receive an exclusive "Comfort Food Guide" according to the results. The guide will lead audiences to find comfort food in the North Point community, hoping that food can be used as a means for cultural and social construction and connecting people, places and stories.
The exhibition is presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and organised by Oi!. Artworks will be on display from September 1 to January 7 next year at Oi! Warehouses. For details, please visit the website www.apo.hk/en/web/apo/oi_projects_and_programmes.html or call 2512 3000 for enquiries.
The Department of Health (DH) today (August 31) announced that a total of 15 persons were sentenced by the Magistrates' Courts from August 1 to 31 for violating the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599A) or the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C).
The 15 cases involved 11 men and four women aged between 22 and 68. Dates of violating the relevant regulation range from October 8, 2020, to January 13, 2023. They were sentenced to imprisonment for up to 14 days, suspended for 12 months, or a fine of up to $10,000 by the Magistrates' Courts.
​The DH will continue its actions against those who have breached the relevant regulations earlier.