The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

     The Judiciary today (July 18) announced the appointment of Mr Jenkin Suen, SC, as a Recorder of the Court of First Instance of the High Court. The appointment will take effect on August 1, 2024, for a term of three years.
 
     The appointment is made by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission.
 
     The biographical note of Mr Suen, SC, is as follows:

Mr Jenkin Suen, SC
 
     Mr Suen, SC, was born in 1977 in Hong Kong. He obtained his LL.B. and P.C.LL. from the University of Hong Kong in 1999 and 2000 respectively. He further acquired a Bachelor of Civil Law degree from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom in 2001 and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Hong Kong in 2013. He was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 2004, and has been in private practice in Hong Kong since 2004. He was appointed as Senior Counsel in 2019. He was appointed as Deputy Judge of the Court of First Instance of the High Court for periods from 2022 to 2023.

     â€‹The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (July 18) announced that an imported crab sample from the Philippines was detected with cadmium, a metallic contaminant, at a level exceeding the legal limit. The CFS is following up on the incident.

     "The CFS had announced earlier that crab samples collected at the import level under its routine Food Surveillance Programme were detected with cadmium exceeding the legal limit. When following up on the incidents, the CFS further collected the above-mentioned crab sample at the import level for testing. The test result showed that the sample contained cadmium at a level of 3.9 parts per million (ppm), exceeding the legal limit of 2 ppm," the CFS spokesman said.

     "Long-term excessive intake of cadmium may affect the kidney functions. The CFS has informed the importer concerned of the irregularity and is also tracing the source of the product concerned. The affected product has not entered the market. Should there be sufficient evidence, prosecution will be instituted," the spokesman added.

     According to the Food Adulteration (Metallic Contamination) Regulations (Cap. 132V), any person who sells food with metallic contamination above the legal limit is liable upon conviction to a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months.

     The CFS will alert the Philippines authorities and the trade, continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. The investigation is ongoing.

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (July 18) that due to big waves, the red flag has been hoisted at Hap Mun Bay Beach in Sai Kung District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at the beach.

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, July 18, 2024 is 106.1 (down 0.3 against yesterday's index).

     The Lands Department (LandsD) today (July 18) posted the second batch of resumption notices in accordance with section 4 of the Lands Resumption Ordinance (Chapter 124) for the remaining phase development of Kwu Tung North/Fanling North New Development Areas (KTN/FLN NDA) to resume 24 private lots with a total area of about 11 900 square metres.

     The 24 private lots to be resumed this time relate respectively to the conclusion of an in-situ land exchange application under the Enhanced Conventional New Town Approach that requires the acquisition of a small amount of third-party land by the Government to be handed over to the land exchange applicant upon payment of the land premium for comprehensive development, as well as the unsuccessful completion of another in-situ land exchange application that calls for resumption of the land concerned to allow the Government to carry out works.

      The above 24 private lots will revert to the Government upon the expiry of a period of three months from the date of affixing the notices (i.e. October 19, 2024). The Government will release ex-gratia land compensation to the relevant land owners after the land reversion.
 
     The first batch of resumption notices involving 109 hectares of land for the remaining phase development of KTN/FLN NDA was posted on January 11 this year. The said land reverted to the Government on April 12, and will gradually be handed over to the Civil Engineering and Development Department from the third quarter onwards for site formation and engineering infrastructure works (including roads, drainage, sewerage, water mains, landscaping works, slope works, and electrical and mechanical works). Upon full development, the KTN/FLN NDA will provide about 86 200 housing units capable of accommodating a population of about 227 000, and will provide about 1 275 000 sq m gross floor area for economic activities while creating about 53 000 job opportunities.