The National Security Department (NSD) of the Hong Kong Police Force today (June 25) charged a man with three counts of "doing with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention" and two counts of "destroying or damaging property".

     NSD arrested a 29-year-old man in Tseung Kwan O on June 23, for "doing with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention", contravening Section 24 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

     Police investigation revealed that the arrested man was suspected of writing words with seditious intention on multiple occasions on the back of bus seats on different public buses in March and April. The contents provoked hatred towards the Central Authorities and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

     The case will be mentioned at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts this afternoon.

     Police remind the public that "doing with a seditious intention an act or acts that had a seditious intention" and "destroying or damaging property" are serious crimes. Offenders shall be liable upon conviction to imprisonment for seven years or 10 years respectively.  Members of the public are urged not to defy the law.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (June 25) investigating three epidemiologically linked food poisoning clusters affecting eight persons, and reminded the public to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene to prevent foodborne diseases.

     The first cluster involved two females aged 17 and 48, who developed vomiting, diarrhoea, and fever about 33 to 43 hours after having dinner at a restaurant in Mong Kok on June 19.

     The second cluster involved two males and two females aged between 30 and 49, who developed similar symptoms about 33 to 56 hours after their supper at the same restaurant on June 20.

     The third cluster involved a male and a female aged 24 and 20 respectively, who developed similar symptoms about 34 to 37 hours after their supper at the same restaurant on June 21.

     Among the eight affected persons, four of them sought medical advice. None of them required hospitalisation and all of them are in stable condition.

     Initial investigations by the CHP revealed that the affected persons had consumed common food and the food concerned were grilled oysters and grilled lamb skewers. The incident might have been caused by norovirus and/or Salmonella.

     Personnel from the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department immediately conducted an inspection at the restaurant last night (June 24) and instructed the premises concerned to suspend the sale of relevant food as well as carry out cleaning and disinfection of the premises. The CFS has also provided health education related to food safety and environmental hygiene to the staff of the premises. The investigations of the CHP and the CFS are ongoing.

     To prevent foodborne diseases, members of the public are reminded to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times. When dining out:
 

• Patronise only reliable and licensed restaurants;
• Avoid eating raw seafood;
• Be a discerning consumer in choosing cold dishes, including sashimi, sushi and raw oysters, at a buffet;
• Pre-cooked or leftover foods should be stored and reheated properly before consumption;
• Ensure food is thoroughly cooked before eating during a hotpot or barbecue meal;
• Handle raw and cooked foods carefully and separate them completely during the cooking process;
• Use two sets of chopsticks and utensils to handle raw and cooked foods;
• Do not patronise illegal food hawkers;
• Drink boiled water;
• Do not try to use salt, vinegar, wine or wasabi to kill bacteria as they are not effective; and
• Always wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet.

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, will lead a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government delegation to attend the 24th Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference in Guangzhou this Thursday (June 27). He will co-chair the plenary with the Governor of Guangdong Province, Mr Wang Weizhong.
      
     The theme of the 24th Plenary of the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference is "Taking forward the high-quality development of Hong Kong/Guangdong co-operation, and realising the new strategic positioning of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area", where the two sides will discuss enhancing co-operation in such areas as innovation and technology, finance, healthcare, cross-boundary transport and trade.
      
     Members of the HKSAR Government delegation will include the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai; the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui; the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan; the Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau; the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Lam Sai-hung; the Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong; and the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, Ms Carol Yip.
      
     Mr Lee will return to Hong Kong in the evening on the same day.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Members of the public are invited to attend the Hospital Authority (HA) Board Meeting to be held on June 27 (Thursday) at 3.30pm. 

     The HA Board Meeting has been open to members of the public since 1998 to demonstrate the continuous effort of the Authority to enhance its transparency and public accountability. The HA Board holds meetings at regular intervals to discuss major health policy issues that have impacts on the public. Through these open meetings, the community is able to understand more about the role and functions of the HA Board as well as the operation and services of the HA and its hospitals.

     The HA Board will discuss the following agenda items in the coming meeting:
 

• Annual Report on the Operation of the Community Care Fund Medical Assistance Programmes; 
• Progress Report on Strategic Priorities; 
• Cluster Presentation Programme – New Territories West Cluster – Mind Space – A Museum of History, Mental Health and Virtual Reality; and
• Hospital Authority's Preparations for Inclement Weather.

     The meeting agenda and papers will be made available to the public at the meeting. Members of the public are reminded that they can attend the Board Meeting only as observers and will not be participating in the meeting discussions.

     Members of the public who are interested in attending the coming Board Meeting have to make an advance booking by contacting the Secretariat of the HA Board at 2300 6797 during office hours. To facilitate booking arrangements, members of the public are advised to provide their names and contact telephone numbers. In view of the limited seating available in the public gallery of the meeting venue, seating will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (June 25) announced an adjustment to the auto-LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations from July 1 to July 31, 2024, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contracts for dedicated LPG filling stations.
      
     A department spokesman said that the adjustment on July 1, 2024, would reflect the movement of the LPG international price in June 2024. The adjusted auto-LPG ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations would range from $3.49 to $4.38 per litre, amounting to a decrease of $0.06 to $0.07 per litre.
      
     The spokesman said that the auto-LPG ceiling prices were adjusted according to a pricing formula specified in the contracts. The formula comprises two elements – the LPG international price and the LPG operating price. The LPG international price refers to the LPG international price of the preceding month. The LPG operating price is adjusted on February 1 and June 1 annually according to the average movement of the Composite Consumer Price Index and the Nominal Wage Index.
      
     The auto-LPG ceiling prices for respective dedicated LPG filling stations in July 2024 are as follows:
      

 
     The spokesman said that the details of the LPG international price and the auto-LPG ceiling price for each dedicated LPG filling station had been uploaded to the EMSD website (www.emsd.gov.hk) and posted at dedicated LPG filling stations to enable the trades to monitor the price adjustment.
      
     Details of the pricing adjustment mechanism for dedicated LPG filling stations can also be viewed under the "What's New" section of the department website at www.emsd.gov.hk/en/what_s_new/current/index.html.