â€‹The Chief Executive has appointed Mr Symon Wong Yu-wing as Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) for the period from July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026. Mr Wong will succeed Professor Douglas So Cheung-tak who will leave the position with effect from July 1, 2024.
      
     The Chief Executive has also appointed Mr Clifton Ko Chi-sum as a member of the Council of the HKAPA for the period from July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026.
      
     Other serving members of the Council include:
 
Mr Charles Yang Chuen-liang (Chairman)
Mrs Helen Chan (Treasurer)
Dr Raymond Chan
Mr Nick Ho Lik-ko
Mrs Christine Ip Yeung See-ming
Mr Jason Joseph Lee Kwong-yee
Ms Sheryl Lee Ming-chi
Mr Andrew Leung Chun-keung
Dr Irene Tang Mo-lin
Dr Tang Yuen-ha
Ms Wong Caroline Ho
Ms Stella Lau Yin-ling (staff representative)
Professor Yiu Song-lam (staff representative)
Director of the HKAPA (ex-officio)
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism or his representative
Secretary for Education or her representative
 
     The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, expressed heartfelt appreciation to the outgoing Deputy Chairman of the Council of the HKAPA, Professor Douglas So Cheung-tak, for his remarkable contribution to the HKAPA during his term of service.
      
     The above appointments will be published in the Government Gazette on July 5, 2024.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) today (June 27) published the June 2024 issue of its Quarterly Bulletin. This issue of Quarterly Bulletin carries a regular article on the developments in the banking sector.
      
     The Quarterly Bulletin can be viewed on and downloaded from the HKMA website.

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (June 26) seized about 14.5 tonnes of suspected mitragynine with an estimated market value of about $39 million at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound.

     Through risk assessment, Customs yesterday selected for inspection a 20-foot seaborne container, declared as carrying mitragyna speciosa and arriving from Indonesia en route to America via Hong Kong. Upon examination, Customs officers found 580 carton boxes containing green powders suspected to be mitragynine inside the container. The powders were packed in transparent plastic bags of different sizes.

     An investigation is ongoing.

     Mitragynine is the major compound available in a plant known as mitragyna speciosa (also known as kratom). If mitragynine is abused, it may cause health effects including nausea, constipation, increased urination, loss of appetite, seizures, hallucinations and withdrawal symptoms.

     Customs reminds importers, exporters and the logistics industry that importation of dangerous drugs requires an import licence and import certificate issued by the Department of Health. A valid export authorisation or diversion certificate from the exporting country will also be required. Transshipment of dangerous drugs also requires a removal licence issued by the Department of Health.

     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/).

      

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, June 27, 2024 is 106.9 (up 0.1 against yesterday's index).

    The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) and the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association (SCHSA) held a joint press conference today (June 27) to remind the public to get prepared for the very hot weather in summer.
 
     The Acting Assistant Director of the HKO, Mr Cheng Yuen-chung, reminded the public, especially the elderly, "The Very Hot Weather Warning has been in force for more than seven days since its issuance on June 20, and the weather in Hong Kong is persistently very hot. The temperature at the HKO on Summer Solstice last Friday reached 34.0 degrees, the highest so far this year and equalling the record high for Summer Solstice set in 1980. Under the influence of the subtropical ridge, high temperatures weather will continue today and tomorrow over southern China including Hong Kong, and may reach the extremely hot level (35.0 degrees or above). Members of the public should pay attention to the changes in weather and take adequate protective measures against the heat." He further explained, "When the Very Hot Weather Warning is in force, if the temperature generally reaches the extremely hot level or when high temperatures weather lasts for a few days, the HKO will issue Special Weather Tips and deliver them by push notification through the 'MyObservatory' mobile application to alert the public to the 'extremely hot weather' or  'prolonged heat' and to take appropriate precautions."
 
     The Chief Executive Officer of the SCHSA, Ms Maura Wong, said, "During the recent persistently very hot weather, the SCHSA has seen a significant increase in the number of help requests from the elderly and recorded a surge of over 20 per cent in the number of elderly individuals being sent to hospitals within a week. The elderly are one of the groups more vulnerable to heat stroke, especially those living in cramped homes without air conditioning, as well as the elderly with chronic illness, and those elderly singletons or elderly doubletons. We urge the elderly and their families to remain vigilant in very hot weather to prevent heat stroke. If they feel unwell, they should immediately seek help through the 'Care-on-Call' service or seek medical advice. Given that extreme weather is becoming more frequent, we call on the public to proactively care for the elderly around them and remind the elderly to pay attention to the weather conditions and take precautionary measures."
 
     For more information on protection against the heat, please visit the following websites:
 
The HKO on precautions of the Very Hot Weather Warning:
www.hko.gov.hk/en/wservice/warning/coldhot.htm
The Department of Health "Beware of Heat Stroke":
www.chp.gov.hk/en/static/90064.html
The Labour Department "Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work":
www.labour.gov.hk/eng/news/prevention_of_heat_stroke_at_work.htm
The Home Affairs Department on temporary heat shelters:
www.had.gov.hk/en/public_services/emergency_services/emergency.htm