The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     â€‹The Legislative Council Panel on Security observed the Inter-departmental Counter-terrorism Exercise, codenamed Arbalest, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) today (June 24) to learn more about the work of the Security Bureau (SB) and its disciplined services in counter-terrorism.
 
     The exercise simulated local terrorists launching an attack by activating a hazmat device during an international conference at Bauhinia Room in the HKCEC. A large number of participants were injured and contaminated by hazardous substances. The relevant Government departments took action and successfully unravelled the plot and handled the hazardous substances. Following a briefing by representatives of the Fire Services Department (FSD) and the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), Members observed the exercise accompanied by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung.
 
     During the exercise, HKPF's fully-armed Counter Terrorism Response Unit and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau sped to the scene to subdue the terrorists and handle the hazardous material agent respectively. The FSD then utilised a robotic dog and drones for search and aerial monitoring at the scene. It also mounted a rescue operation with the Civil Aid Service, the Auxiliary Medical Service and the Hospital Authority, carrying out mass decontamination for the injured and triaged them for treatment. The Government showcased the Fire Services Mobile Command Unit and Mobile Casualty Treatment Centre, as well as the HKPF's new mobile command station and operational tools during the exercise.
 
     Members took the opportunity to exchange views with representatives of the Government regarding counter-terrorism and emergency response efforts of the SB and its disciplined services. They believed the exercise demonstrated the professionalism and excellent capabilities of various disciplined services in effectively and rapidly responding to unforeseen incidents in Hong Kong. The large-scale inter-departmental exercise, which is held twice a year on average, helps enhance the co-ordination and communication among different units.
 
     Members noted that innovative technologies were widely adopted by the disciplined services during the exercise to enhance operational efficiency. These included the Patient Tagging System for Multiple Casualties Incidents equipped with a chip and a QR code on the triage cards, the Indoor Locating Equipment that monitored the movements of firefighters, and the Hazmat Robotic Dog that provided real-time imaging and data analysis of the environment. The latter two were introduced from the Mainland last year. Members suggested that the Government should allocate more resources to continue leveraging technology to enhance crisis management capabilities and ensure the safety of frontline personnel, so as to provide better protection to the lives of the people.
 
     A total of 15 members and non-members of the Panel on Security participated in the visit.

      

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
 
     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), the Hong Kong Association of Banks and the Chinese Banking Association of Hong Kong co-organised a seminar on the banking sector's support measures for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) today (June 24), which was successfully concluded. Supporting organisations included the Trade and Industry Department's Support and Consultation Centre for SMEs, The Hong Kong Mortgage Corporation Limited, The Chinese Banks' Association, Hong Kong Export Credit Insurance Corporation and Hong Kong Productivity Council. The seminar brought together 200 representatives from the banking sector, trade associations and chambers and SME operators (see Annex 1), who have actively exchanged views on the banking sector's support measures as well as diverse services for SMEs.

     Since the introduction of the nine SME support measures by the HKMA and the Banking Sector SME Lending Coordination Mechanism on March 28 this year, around 7 000 SMEs have benefitted from the measures, involving an aggregate credit limit of over HK$15 billion. Today's seminar enabled the banking sector to further understand the needs of SMEs, while at the same time strengthened customers' awareness of the support measures.

     The three panel discussions covered topics including how banks leverage financial technology, including the HKMA's Interbank Account Data Sharing (IADS) initiative, to help SMEs obtain bank financing in an easier and faster manner, and how banks support the business transformation of SMEs. Several SME operators shared experiences and success stories of how they have benefitted from the banks' support in branching out into other markets and expanding their business to different regions (see Annex 2).

     The HKMA will continue to maintain close communication and exchange with the banking and commercial sectors to support the continuous development of SMEs.

          

     The Labour Department (LD) is investigating a fatal work accident that happened in Tai Kok Tsui this afternoon (June 24) in which a man died.

     The LD immediately deployed staff to the scene upon receiving a report of the accident, and is now conducting an investigation to look into its cause.

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Transport observed the demonstration of functions of eTraffic Ticket Platform at the Police Headquarters today (June 24) to learn more about the new measures and workflow of the Hong Kong Police Force (the Police) in serving fixed penalty notices (FPNs) and demand notices (DNs) by electronic means.

     Members first received a briefing by representatives of the Police on the progress and preparatory work for the electronic traffic enforcement as well as the operation of the eTraffic Ticket Platform website and mobile application. Members noted that the eTraffic Ticket Platform website and mobile application can provide one-stop services for members of the public and facilitate vehicle owners and drivers to check electronic FPNs and DNs information anytime and anywhere, and settle penalties by means of electronic payment.

     Members then observed the demonstration of electronic traffic enforcement workflows, including serving electronic FPNs and DNs through SMS or email to the offending vehicle owner or driver. They also gained insight of the information contained therein such as the vehicle registration mark of the vehicle involved, nature of the offence committed and the date, time and location of the contravention.

     Following the passage of the Electronic Traffic Enforcement (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2023 by LegCo on June 19 this year, the Government targets to gradually implement the electronic FPNs in 2025 and roll out different functions of eTraffic Ticket Platform by phases. During the visit, Members took the opportunity to exchange views with representatives of the Police in enhancing the overall efficiency of traffic enforcement through the application of technology and facilitating the Smart Mobility initiatives.

     Members who participated in the visit were the Chairman of the Panel on Transport, Dr Chan Han-pan, and Panel members Mr Frankie Yick, Mr Kenneth Lau; as well as a non-Panel member Ms Judy Chan.

      

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (June 24) announced that a trace amount of metabolite (AOZ) of furazolidone (a type of nitrofurans), a non-permitted veterinary drug, was found in a sample of prepackaged frozen shrimp. Members of the public should not consume the affected batch of the product. The trade should also stop using or selling the affected batch of the product immediately if they possess it. The CFS is following up on the case.
      
     Product details are as follows:
 
Product name: (Not available in English)
Place of origin: Vietnam
Packer: Cheung Kee Sea Products (Hong Kong) Ltd.
Net weight: 250 grams
Best-before date: December 30, 2025
 
     A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS collected the shrimp sample from an online shop for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that it contained AOZ at a level of 9.2 parts per billion."
      
     "The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity and instructed it to stop sale and remove from shelves the affected batch of the product. According to the CFS's instructions, the packer has initiated a recall on the affected batch of the product. Members of the public may call its hotline at 2858 9262 during office hours for enquiries about the recall of the product concerned," the spokesman added.
      
     The CFS will alert the Vietnamese authorities and the trade, and will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action. An investigation is ongoing.