The Transport Department (TD) today (August 29) reminded students to attend school early on the first school day (September 1) as traffic is expected to be busier than normal.
 
     "Students, especially those attending a new school in this school term, should familiarise themselves with the public transport routes to be taken to school and allow adequate travelling time on the first school day. Students who need to take ferries should check the ferry schedules, the vessel types to be used and the journey times of their intended ferry trips beforehand. Students are also reminded to pay attention to road safety when attending school," a TD spokesman said.
 
     Major public transport operators have been reminded to provide adequate public transport services to meet the transport demand on the first school day.
 
     "The TD's Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre (ETCC) will closely monitor the traffic situation and public transport services on September 1. The department will also maintain close liaison with major public transport operators and relevant government departments. Staff will be deployed at various major locations throughout the territory to observe the traffic conditions and provide on-site information to the ETCC for arranging public transport service enhancement or informing the Police for traffic direction when necessary," the spokesman added.
 
     More information may be obtained through the following hotlines and websites of major public transport operators:
 

 
     Motorists are advised not to drive to school areas if possible. Drivers of nanny vans and school buses should drive carefully, especially on steep roads, in narrow lanes or at locations where driving in reverse is necessary. Speeding and overloading are prohibited and it is not allowed to leave students unattended in the vehicles. Nanny van operators should obtain prior approval from the TD for each school served by nanny van. An escort should be provided on board when serving kindergarten or primary school students. Drivers and escorts should ensure that all students are properly wearing their seat belts (if provided) before the vehicles move off. Parents should agree well in advance with schools and operators of nanny vans or school buses on the locations of picking up and dropping off their children.
 
     Members of the public are advised to pay attention to the latest transport and traffic news on radio and television before leaving home. For enquiries, please call the TD's hotline on 2804 2600 or the 1823 Call Centre.

     The Court of First Instance (CFI) of the High Court granted leave to the Secretary for Justice on August 23 to appeal against its decision of July 28 refusing to grant an interim injunction for prohibiting four classes of unlawful acts relating to a song (Court Order).

     Pursuant to the Order for Substituted Service dated August 8, a copy of the Court Order has been uploaded today (August 29) to the websites of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the Department of Justice and the Hong Kong Police Force. Members of the public may access the following websites or scan the QR code (attached) to download the relevant document:

．www.gov.hk/en/theme/courtorder/index5.htm
．www.doj.gov.hk/en/miscellaneous/hca855.html
．www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/03_police_message/hca855.html

     The National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police Force today (August 29) arrested two men, aged 33 and 59 respectively, in Tai Po for suspected “conspiracy to collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security�, contravening Article 29 of the National Security Law and “conspiracy to incite others to commit riot�, contravening Section 19 of the Public Order Ordinance (Cap 245).

     Police conducted searches at the residences of the two arrested persons and another suspect with court warrants. Some related computers, electronic communication devices and exhibits fit for unlawful purpose were seized.

     Police investigation revealed that the arrested persons were suspected of conspiracy to collude with the 612 Humanitarian Relief Fund to receive donations from various overseas organisations to support people who have fled overseas or organisations which called for sanctions against Hong Kong.

     The arrested persons are being detained for further enquiries. Police operation is ongoing and the possibility of further arrests is not ruled out.

     Police remind the public that “conspiracy to collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security� is a serious crime. Offenders shall be liable upon conviction to imprisonment. Members of the public are urged not to defy the laws.

     In response to media enquiries about the recent lease enforcement action taken by the District Lands Office/Kowloon East against an industrial building in Kwun Tong District, a spokesman for the Lands Department (LandsD) gave the following response on August 28:

     Land leases are private contracts between the Government and the landowners. The landowners must ensure that the uses of their land are in compliance with the lease conditions. At present, the land lease of most industrial buildings specifies that the lot shall not be used for purposes other than "industrial and/or godown". Under such circumstances, if an industrial building is used for other purposes (e.g. retail purposes), it may be in breach of lease conditions unless the owner has applied for and obtained approval from the LandsD for a waiver or modification of the user clause, and obtained the relevant planning permission in advance where applicable. Otherwise, the LandsD has to carry out lease enforcement actions on the lease breach according to its prevailing policy.

     Given the huge number of private land leases and the extensive area and uses involved, the LandsD is adopting a risk-based enforcement approach against lease breaches. When a District Lands Office (DLO) receives complaints about suspected lease breaches in industrial buildings, DLO will follow up with appropriate lease enforcement action. Depending on the volume of complaints received and other work commitments, priorities may be accorded to cases allegedly involving more serious breaches and posing a higher risk of endangering public safety.

     Generally speaking, if a breach of lease conditions is substantiated, DLO will take appropriate lease enforcement actions according to the prevailing policy and priorities. Actions include issuing a warning letter to the owners requiring them to rectify the breach of uses within a specified period. Failure to do so will lead to registration of the warning letters in the Land Registry. The registration imposes an encumbrance on the lot that prospective buyers of the property should be aware of and generally speaking transaction of the property will be affected. The LandsD reserves the right to take further lease enforcement actions in the light of the circumstances of the case and its enforcement priorities.

     The relevant statistics regarding lease breaches in industrial buildings handled by the LandsD in the past three calendar years (from 2020 to the first half of 2023) are set out below: 
 

figures in [ ] are statistics of District Lands Office/Kowloon East
figures in ( ) are statistics of Camel Paint Building in Kwun Tong
Remarks: As the processing of a case may straddle different years, the cases with lease breaches with warning letters registered in the Land Registry in a calendar year may not necessarily correspond to the cases with warning letters issued in the same year.

     In July 2023, District Lands Office/Kowloon East, in response to complaints, inspected the units suspected of non-compliance of lease conditions in Camel Paint Building in Kwun Tong and issued warning letters to the owners of four units requesting rectification within a specified time limit.

　　The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present a number of recitals under the "Our Music Talents" Series and the "City Hall Virtuosi" Series from late September to January next year, allowing emerging local musicians and prominent guzheng artists to take the stage of Hong Kong City Hall and bring audiences best-in-class performances.
 
　　The "Our Music Talents" Series will introduce three promising talents in the local music scene. Young pianist Charles Tam will showcase his mature and exceptional technique in a selection of works by renowned composers including Boulanger, Godowsky, Albéniz, and Liszt. Saxophonist Chemie Ching will present a variety of contemporary classical pieces to let audiences experience the versatility of the saxophone as well as her personal interpretation style. Apart from performing solo pieces of her own composition and adaptation, yangqin artist Yanki Ma will collaborate with Chinese and Western musicians to explore the boundaries between Chinese and Western music. The programme includes various folk music, contemporary works and traditional Cantonese music.
 
　　Meanwhile, three renowned guzheng virtuosos will demonstrate the rich and expressive character of guzheng in the recitals under the "City Hall Virtuosi" Series. In the recital by Xu Lingzi and Ng hiu-hung, the two masters will perform traditional solo and duet pieces and debut an original composition to showcase their superb skills. Wan Xing, who has a taste for cross-disciplinary creations, will not only perform classical pieces but also collaborate with various talents and combine the performance with dongxiao, flute, harp and electronic music, presenting audiences with a refreshing recital in contemporary style.
 
　　For programme dates, time and details of each recital, please see the Annex. Tickets for each recital of "Our Music Talents" Series priced at $140 and $180, and "City Hall Virtuosi" Series at $180 and $220, are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. Package discounts will be available. For discount schemes and programme enquiries, please call 2268 7325 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/.