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Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:
Here is an item of interest to swimmers.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 31) that due to inclement weather, the red flag has been hoisted at Clear Water Bay Second Beach in Sai Kung District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at the beach.
​Hong Kong Customs will strengthen enforcement against illicit cigarettes in June, in support of the Quit in June campaign launched by the Department of Health, by taking territory-wide comprehensive enforcement action to combat illicit cigarette activities on all fronts, including cross-boundary smuggling, storage, distribution, buying and selling of illicit cigarettes, especially illicit cigarette activities in the public housing estates.
Customs has all along been making use of risk assessment and intelligence analysis for interception at source to combat smuggling of illicit cigarettes. A multi-pronged enforcement strategy targeting storage, distribution and peddling has also been adopted to combat illicit cigarette activities. Last year, Customs seized a total of about 427 million illicit cigarettes, almost a twofold increase compared to the 250 million illicit cigarettes seized in 2020. The figure was also the highest annual seizure amount in the past two decades. As for January to May this year, Customs has seized about 140 million illicit cigarettes so far.
With the fifth wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong having been brought under control gradually while the logistics and transportation industries have successively resumed normal operation, Customs believes that illicit cigarette syndicates will take the opportunity to become active in the illicit cigarette market again.
Customs reminds members of the public that it is an offence to buy or sell illicit cigarettes. They are urged not to break the law. Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.
Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting tomorrow (June 1) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, Members will debate a motion on enhancing teachers' qualifications to effectively implement education on patriotism. The motion, moved by Mr Tang Fei, is set out in Appendix 1. Mr Stanley Ng, Dr Chow Man-kong, Dr Stephen Wong, Ms Lillian Kwok, Ms Judy Chan, Dr Tan Yueheng, Mr Yim Kong and Mr Tommy Cheung will move separate amendments to Mr Tang Fei's motion.
Mr Dominic Lee will move a motion on reforming the civil service system to enhance government effectiveness. The motion is set out in Appendix 2. Mr Kingsley Wong, Dr Tan Yueheng, Mr Lee Chun-keung, Dr Dennis Lam, Dr Stephen Wong, Dr Johnny Ng, Ms Nixie Lam, Ms Carmen Kan, Mr Andrew Lam, Reverend Canon Peter Douglas Koon and Mr Tony Tse will move separate amendments to Mr Dominic Lee's motion.
Meanwhile, Mr Ma Fung-kwok and Mr Edmund Wong will move two separate proposed resolutions under section 34(4) of the Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance to extend the period for amending subsidiary legislations. The proposed resolutions are set out in Appendices 3 and 4 respectively.
On Government motion, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury will move a proposed resolution under the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Ordinance to resolve that the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes (General) (Amendment) Regulation 2022, made by the Chief Executive in Council on May 10, 2022, be approved.
Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral 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 Government will launch tomorrow (June 1) a Pilot Scheme to provide immigration facilitation for visitors participating in short-term activities in designated sectors. Following the launch in June 2020 of the Pilot Scheme on Facilitation for Persons Participating in Arbitral Proceedings in Hong Kong, the Pilot Scheme on Immigration Facilitation for Visitors Participating in Short-term Activities in Designated Sectors is an additional immigration facilitation scheme launched by the Government to facilitate business and raise Hong Kong's international profile.
The Pilot Scheme will cover the following 10 sectors:
Under the Pilot Scheme, host organisations authorised by the relevant government bureaux/departments can issue invitation letters to relevant non-local talents in their sectors. Invited persons may come to Hong Kong to participate in designated short-term activities as visitors, without the need to apply for employment visas/entry permits from the Immigration Department (ImmD). Invited non-local talents are talents in shortage or whose participation in designated short-term activities in Hong Kong is conducive to economic development or achieving relevant policy objectives. They may participate in the designated short-term activities for up to 14 days upon each arrival, and receive remuneration for the designated activities concerned.
The Pilot Scheme will run for two years. To implement the scheme and monitor its implementation, relevant bureaux/departments have issued ImmD's guidelines to the authorised host organisations in their respective sectors, and established reporting and communication mechanisms. For more information on the Pilot Scheme, please visit ImmD's website (www.immd.gov.hk/eng/services/visas/stv.html).
In addition, the Government's current immigration facilitation for non-local speakers will be further relaxed. With effect from tomorrow, non-local speakers across the board will be allowed to deliver speeches/presentations without the need to apply for an employment visa/entry permit for 14 consecutive days (up from seven days) upon each arrival, and the cap on the number of events will be removed. However, the condition that they should not be remunerated (other than expenses in respect of the provision of accommodation, passage, meals, etc relating to the event) will remain unchanged.
Persons who require a visa/entry permit to visit Hong Kong may also benefit from the Pilot Scheme and facilitation for non-local speakers (i.e. they need not apply for an employment visa/entry permit separately), but they still need to apply for a visit visa/entry permit.
All persons are subject to applicable immigration control for visiting Hong Kong, including examination upon arrival in accordance with the applicable laws, policies and practices. They are also subject to any prevailing COVID-19 related entry restrictions.
​The Government yesterday (May 30) exercised the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) to make a "restriction-testing declaration" effective from 5pm yesterday, under which people (hereafter referred to as "persons subject to compulsory testing") within the specified "restricted area" in Sham Shui Po (i.e. Un Shing House, Un Chau Estate, excluding kindergarten on the ground floor) were required to stay in their premises and undergo compulsory testing. Persons subject to compulsory testing were required to stay in their premises until all such persons identified in the "restricted area" had undergone testing and the test results were mostly ascertained.
In addition, the Government issued a compulsory testing notice yesterday, requiring persons who had been present at the above building for more than two hours from May 24 to May 30, 2022, even if they were not present in the "restricted area" at the time when the declaration took effect, to undergo compulsory testing on or before June 1, 2022.
The Government finished the compulsory testing exercise at around 7.30am today (May 31) and carried out enforcement action in the "restricted area" afterwards to verify that all people in the "restricted area" had undergone compulsory testing in accordance with the requirements of the relevant declaration and compulsory testing notice. The Government announced that the enforcement operation ended at around 11am today.
The Government provided food packs for persons subject to compulsory testing to facilitate their meal arrangements. Anti-epidemic proprietary Chinese medicines donated by the Central People's Government or procured with the co-ordination of the Central People's Government and rapid test kits were also distributed to persons subject to compulsory testing to help them fight against the virus. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department set up a hotline for people restricted by the declaration to make enquiries and seek assistance.
The Government thanks persons subject to compulsory testing for their support and understanding. With everyone's co-operation and efforts, coupled with the efforts of the testing contractors throughout the night, residents have been informed about their testing results by SMS notification. After finishing the compulsory testing exercise at around 7.30am today, the Government took enforcement action in the "restricted area" immediately to verify that all people in the "restricted area" had undergone testing according to the requirements of the declaration and the compulsory testing notice. Persons who could present an SMS notification containing a negative testing result or wore a wristband as proof of having undergone the compulsory testing could leave the "restricted area" through the designated exit after providing personal information to a prescribed officer. The enforcement operation was completed at around 11am. Test records of 852 persons subject to compulsory testing were checked. Twenty-two persons were found not having undergone compulsory testing and compulsory testing orders were issued to them. Taking into account the above situation, the Secretary for Food and Health revoked the "restriction-testing declaration" in accordance with Cap. 599J (see attachment).
The Government reminds the households who have not answered the door to undergo a nucleic acid test as soon as possible after reading the notices put up by the Government, in the hope of eliminating the possible risk of further spread of the virus in the community.
The Government thanks all participating government staff and the testing agencies for their hard work. The Government is also grateful to those subject to compulsory testing for their support and understanding, and their full co-operation during this period in undergoing testing and waiting for the results at home.
The Government will seriously follow up on the compliance situation of the compulsory testing notices and the "restriction-testing declaration" by persons subject to compulsory testing. Any person who fails to comply with the compulsory testing notices commits an offence and may be liable to a fixed penalty of $10,000. The person will also be issued with a compulsory testing order, requiring him or her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the order or the "restriction-testing declaration" is an offence and the offender may be liable to a fine of level 5 ($50,000) and imprisonment for six months.