Police are investigating a manslaughter case happened in North Point this afternoon (August 20), in which a 61-year-old man died.
      
     At 3.14pm today, Police received a report from a 66-year-old man that he disputed with the 61-year-old man at a pier near North Point Estate Lane. Both men once fell into sea and swam to the seashore. Then they disputed again and fell into sea for the second time. The 66-year-old man swam to the seashore. He was sent to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in conscious state.

     Police officers sped to the scene and firemen found the 61-year-old man at the bottom of the sea. He was rushed to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in unconscious state and was certified dead at 5.44pm.
      
     After initial enquiry, Police arrested the 66-year-old man for manslaughter and he is being detained for further enquiries.
      
     Post-mortem examinations will be conducted later to ascertain the cause of death of the deceased.       
      
     Active investigations by the District Crime Squad of Eastern District is under way. Anyone who witnessed the case or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 3660 1685.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
 
     The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho; the Permanent Secretary for Housing, Miss Rosanna Law; the Under Secretary for Housing, Mr Victor Tai, and several members of the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) attended the HA Cup 3×3 Basketball Challenge today (August 20).
 
     To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the HA is organising a series of events this year to promote its concerted efforts in building homes and continuing its commitment to embrace future challenges. One of these events, the HA Cup 3×3 Basketball Challenge, aims to showcase the vitality and can-do spirit of the younger generation in public housing estates, while also fostering a sense of belonging to their estate community.
 
     Ms Ho said that the HA had contributed to the development of Hong Kong over the past 50 years through providing millions of people with stable homes and striving to improve their living environment.
 
     Ms Ho also encouraged young people in housing estates to have a broad vision and ideals, and to strive towards their goals with the same drive that they show on the basketball court.
 
     The 3×3 Basketball Challenge was co-organised with InspiringHK Sports Foundation, a sports charity organisation. The participating players all came from the organisation's WELLDUNK! training programme, many of whom are young people aged below 18 living in public housing estates. The basketball challenge finals took place at the basketball court in Shek Lei (II) Estate in Kwai Chung.
 
     The theme of the HA's 50th anniversary celebration is "Carving for the Future". Here, "Carving" symbolises the HA's relentless efforts over the years, working hand in hand with stakeholders to build better homes for people in Hong Kong. "Future" signifies the HA's commitment to leading the development of public housing, striving for progress and overcoming future challenges.
 
     In addition to the 3×3 Basketball Challenge, various activities and events are being organised as part of the 50th anniversary celebration. These include a Blueprint x Footprint self-guided tour of housing estates, a public housing photo contest and a public exhibition that cater to citizens of different ages and interests. Interested parties can visit the HA's 50th anniversary website to see the latest information.

        

     Led by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, members of the Security Bureau (SB) Youth Uniformed Group Leaders Forum continued their second-day visit to Beijing today (August 20) to learn about the country's history, culture and development in various fields.
 
     In the early morning, the study tour members watched the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square to feel the affection for home and country. As it was the first time for many of the youth members to watch the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square in person, they said they were particularly excited and deeply moved by its solemnity. They were also proud of the country's remarkable achievements after a long period of struggles.
 
     The study tour members then visited the Palace Museum to appreciate precious artefacts and the unique architecture. In the afternoon, the group toured the Yuanmingyuan Park to view relics including the Dashuifa at Haiyantang as well as its East-meets-West gardening landscape and learnt about the painful history of the invasion of foreign powers and the destruction of the Summer Palace by fire, noting that a country has to give full play to the spirit of self-enhancement and struggle to be strong.
 
     The group also visited Tsinghua University to tour its campus and History Museum in the afternoon and was briefed on the paths to further studies. Mr Tang met with the Secretary of the CPC Tsinghua University Committee, Professor Qiu Yong, and visited the School of Public Policy and Management. Mr Tang expressed his gratitude to the university for its support to the youth work and disciplined services of the SB, which helps nurture distinguished public administration talent for the disciplinary forces. Mr Tang returned to Hong Kong this evening.
 
     The study tour members yesterday (August 19) visited the headquarters of Weibo Corporation to learn about the development of the social media and public opinion platform that has nearly six hundred million of users, as well as its situation in Hong Kong. The group also visited Sino Biopharmaceutical Limited of the CP Group to understand more about their pharmaceutical research and innovation development.
 
     The study tour members tomorrow (August 21) will conclude their eight-day visit to Xi'an, Yan'an and Beijing after going to the Beijing Police Dog Base to learn about police dog breeding and training work on the Mainland.

                  

     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, and the Minister of Trade of Indonesia, Dr Zulkifli Hasan, co-chaired the seventh Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Ministers – Hong Kong, China (HKC) Consultation in Semarang, Indonesia, today (August 20) to discuss issues relating to the implementation of the ASEAN-HKC Free Trade Agreement (AHKFTA) and the Investment Agreement (IA), and exchange views on the recent regional and global economic development.
 
     Speaking at the meeting, Mr Yau noted that the theme for ASEAN meeting this year – "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth" cannot be more fitting, as ASEAN is one of the most vibrant and rapidly growing regions in the world, and Hong Kong is also fully committed to further bolstering the already very close relationship between Hong Kong and ASEAN.
 
     Since the signing of the AHKFTA and the IA in 2017, trade in goods between Hong Kong and ASEAN has increased by 38 per cent to reach an all-time high at US$165 billion in 2022. Meanwhile, Hong Kong's outward direct investment in ASEAN has also increased by 38 per cent to reach US$77 billion in end 2021.
 
     Noting that Hong Kong is widely-recognised as an advocate of free and open trade, Mr Yau called on ASEAN member states' (AMS) continued support for Hong Kong's early accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world's largest and one of the most open and inclusive free trade agreements.
 
     "We hope to see the early adoption of procedures for accession by the RCEP Joint Committee to facilitate the launch and early conclusion of substantive discussions with Hong Kong on our accession," he added.
 
     Mr Yau also shared with AMS Hong Kong's experience in supporting small and medium enterprises to navigate the ever-changing regional and global economic development by administering various funding schemes to assist them in obtaining finance, exploring markets and enhancing competitiveness.
 
     "The challenges facing us are imminent, but we can mitigate the effects when we work together. The co-operation between ASEAN and Hong Kong are multi-faceted as evidenced by the successful implementation of the AHKFTA and the IA as well as the 33 memorandums of understanding and agreements signed in the recent ASEAN's visit led by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region," he said.
 
     "Hong Kong is committed to working with ASEAN to develop creative, feasible and sustainable solutions to address some of the global challenges that we are facing. I firmly believe that we can turn adversity into opportunity and emerge stronger from all the challenges," Mr Yau stressed.
 
     Mr Yau and the economic ministers of the AMS also announced the finalisation of the First Protocol to Amend the AHKFTA (Protocol). The Protocol serves to incorporate the new product specific rules of origin into the AHKFTA. Looking forward to the signing of the Protocol as soon as possible, the meeting agreed to work towards the goal of bringing about its early implementation to further facilitate seamless trade between ASEAN and HKC.
 
     On the sidelines of the meeting, Mr Yau held bilateral meetings with Dr Zulkifli Hasan; the Minister of Industry and Commerce of Laos, Mr Malaithong Kommasith; and the ASEAN Secretary-General, Dr Kao Kim Hourn, to discuss various trade and economic issues, and update them on Hong Kong's preparatory work in seeking early accession to RCEP. He also met with the Secretary of Trade and Industry of the Philippines, Mr Alfredo E. Pascual, to exchange views on issues of mutual interest.
 
     Mr Yau will return to Hong Kong tomorrow evening (August 21).

              

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (August 19) detected two drug trafficking cases involving internal concealment and baggage concealment respectively at Hong Kong International Airport. About 1.3 kilograms of suspected cocaine and 16.5 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds were seized with an estimated market value of about $5 million.
      
     The first case involved a 34-year-old female passenger who arrived in Hong Kong yesterday from Freetown, Sierra Leone via Accra, Ghana and Doha, Qatar. During customs clearance, customs officers found suspected cocaine in her possession, which was suspected to have been discharged earlier. The woman was arrested immediately by Customs officers and was then escorted to a hospital for examination. While she was waiting for medical examination, the woman discharged additional suspected cocaine in the washroom. As at 3pm today (August 20), the arrested woman has excreted 88 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 1.3 kilograms in total.

     The second case involved a 27-year-old female passenger and a 30-year-old male passenger. They arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. During customs clearance of their checked-in luggage, a total of 53 packages of suspected cannabis buds concealed in food packaging were found. Both passengers were subsequently arrested.
      
     The arrested woman of the first case will be charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (August 21). For the second case, an investigation is ongoing.
      
      Following the resumption of normal travel and exchanges with the Mainland and other parts of the world, the number of visitors to Hong Kong has also been increasing steadily. Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
      
     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
      
     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).