The Government announced today (November 14) that the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, has appointed or reappointed the following persons as Board members of the Hong Kong Dance Company Limited for a period of two years until the conclusion of the company's Annual General Meeting in 2026.
 
Ms Christine Leung Wan-chong (reappointment)
Ms Melissa Kaye Pang (reappointment)
Mr Ronald Wu Keng-hou (reappointment)
Mr Ting Tin-yau (new appointment)

     Subsequent to the announcement last week that a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1 subtype) was detected in an environmental sample from the Mai Po Nature Reserve (MPNR), the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) was notified by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) yesterday (November 13) that a sample from a dead wild bird and another environmental sample from the MPNR also tested positive for H5N1 subtype highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, a spokesperson for the AFCD said today (November 14).

     In collaboration with the AFCD, a research team of the School of Public Health, HKU, collects samples from the MPNR regularly for avian influenza surveillance. A sample from a Eurasian wigeon and an additional environmental sample collected on November 6 have been confirmed to be positive for H5N1 virus.

     An AFCD spokesman said the World Wide Fund for Nature Hong Kong, the managing organisation of the MPNR, has stepped up cleaning and disinfection of tourist facilities, including bird hides and a floating boardwalk. A disinfectant carpet has been placed at the entrance of the MPNR for visitors to disinfect the soles of their shoes. In addition, the AFCD is closely monitoring the situation of birds in the MPNR and has put up notices to remind visitors to pay attention to personal hygiene.

     There are no chicken farms within three kilometres of where the sample has been collected. The AFCD has strengthened avian influenza surveillance and is closely monitoring the situation of local poultry farms and wholesale markets. Poultry farmers, pet bird shop owners, and licence holders of bird exhibitions are reminded from time to time to ensure that proper precautions against avian influenza are implemented.

     "People should avoid contact with wild birds and live poultry as well as their droppings. They should clean their hands thoroughly after coming into contact with them. The public can call 1823 for the AFCD's follow-up if they come across birds suspected to be sick or dead, including the carcasses of wild birds and poultry," the spokesman said.

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will continue to be vigilant over live poultry stalls. It will also remind stall operators to maintain good hygiene.

     The Department of Health will keep up with its health education to remind members of the public to maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene to prevent avian influenza.

     The AFCD, the FEHD, the Customs and Excise Department and the Police will strive to deter the illegal import of poultry and birds into Hong Kong to minimise the risk of avian influenza outbreaks caused by imported poultry and birds that have not gone through inspection and quarantine.

     All relevant government departments will continue to be highly vigilant and strictly enforce preventive measures against avian influenza. Health advice about preventing avian influenza is available on the AFCD website at www.afcd.gov.hk/english/quarantine/qua_live/H5N1_healthadvice.html.

     Hong Kong Customs conducted a three-week enforcement operation codenamed "Nunchaku" from October 22 to November 11 to combat counterfeit goods activities involving cross-boundary transshipments during the Double 11 Festival shopping period. During the operation, Customs detected 35 related cases and seized about 3.25 million items of suspected counterfeit goods with an estimated market value of over $90 million. One person involved in the cases was arrested.  

     Customs discovered that criminals intended to ship counterfeit goods abroad via Hong Kong to meet the huge shopping demand during the Double 11 Festival. As such, through risk assessment, Customs inspected seven containers at the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal Customs Cargo Examination Compound and two incoming lorries at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point Inbound Cargo Examination Building. After inspection, Customs officers seized a total of about 78 000 suspected counterfeit goods with a total estimated market value of about $27 million.

     Moreover, through intelligence analysis and detailed investigations, 26 related cases were uncovered in a number of local logistics companies. In the operation, Customs officers mounted strike-and-search actions against about 30 logistics companies in Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi, Yuen Long and Tsuen Wan, seizing about 3.17 million suspected counterfeit goods, including watches, footwear, clothing and glasses, with a total estimated market value of about $63 million.

     Investigations into the above-mentioned cases are ongoing. One person involved in the cases was arrested, and he has been released on bail pending further investigation.

     Customs appeals to consumers to purchase goods from reputable shops or websites and to check with trademark or copyright owners or authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt to avoid buying counterfeit or infringing goods.

     Customs reminds practitioners in the logistics industry to comply with the requirements of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO) and to check with trademark owners or authorised agents if the authenticity of a product is in doubt when handling cargoes. The department also reminds traders or online sellers not to sell counterfeit or infringing goods and to be cautious in merchandising since selling counterfeit or infringing goods is a serious crime and offenders are liable to criminal sanctions.

     Customs will continue to step up inspections and conduct intelligence-led enforcement to vigorously combat counterfeit and infringing goods activities at different levels.

     Under the TDO, any person who imports or exports or sells or possesses for sale any goods to which a forged trademark is applied commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years. 

     Members of the public may report any suspected counterfeiting or infringing activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

  

     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, led a delegation to attend the 6th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Conference on Inheritance, Innovation and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Dongguan today (November 14) to have in-depth exchanges and discussions on Chinese medicine (CM) services, education and industry development with officials from the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (NATCM), the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), Guangdong Province and GBA cities, with a view to fostering collaboration.
 
     Professor Lo said, "The year's conference has its theme on 'Developing New Quality Productive Forces to Facilitate CM Development in the GBA', echoing the spirit of deepening the reform of the medical and healthcare system, and enhancing the inheritance and innovation development mechanism of CM as highlighted in the Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. Hong Kong has been participating in taking forward and deepening the construction of the CM highlands and high-quality development of CM in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. Over the past year, the Hong Kong SAR Government fully exploited the advantages of CM and integrated Chinese-Western medicine (ICWM) in the healthcare system that has been adopting both Chinese and Western medicine on a dual-track basis, and significantly increased the number of public hospitals and service points providing ICWM services. The Government Chinese Medicines Testing Institute (GCMTI) of the Department of Health also launched the Digital Herbarium for Chinese Medicines website, which is open for use by members of the public, the industry and international scientific research institutions. The Hong Kong SAR Government will continue to introduce innovative measures in multiple aspects, including CM healthcare services and inpatient services, CM standards and application of CM data sources, as well as scientific research, in order to develop Hong Kong into a bridgehead for the internationalisation of CM.
 
     "The year of 2025 will be a notable year for CM development in Hong Kong. By the end of 2025, the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong (CMHHK) and the permanent GCMTI building will have their services commenced in phases. The CM Development Blueprint will also be released at the end of 2025. I am honoured that it will be Hong Kong's turn to host the 7th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Conference on Inheritance, Innovation and Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine next year. I am looking forward to meeting you all in Hong Kong then to witness our key milestones of CM development as well as experiencing the charm of the city as an events capital."
 
     Professor Lo also witnessed at the conference the signing of framework agreements on co-operation in CM talent cultivation by the Health Bureau of the Hong Kong SAR Government (HHB) and the Health Bureau of the Macao SAR Government with the Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau of Guangdong Province (TCMBGD) respectively. The framework agreements aim to strengthen the interaction and collaboration in cultivating CM talent and establish a long-term and efficient collaboration mechanism. He also witnessed the signing of various agreements on multiple GBA CM co-operation projects, including the Co-operation Framework on GBA CM Visiting Scholars Programme between the Hospital Authority (HA) and Guangdong Second Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, with a view to strengthening professional clinical exchange and promoting the development of ICWM services.
 
     Representatives of the HHB, the Department of Health (DH) and the CMHHK participated in the plenary session, roundtable discussion and keynote session of the conference respectively to update attendees on the latest developments and policy visions of CM in Hong Kong, the city's effort in contributing to the nation's promotion of the internationalisation of CM, the future development of the CMHHK, etc.
 
     In the afternoon, some members of the delegation attended the meeting on the co-operation mechanism of the construction of CM highlands in the GBA convened by the NATCM to exchange views on the latest developments of the construction of CM highlands in the GBA.
 
     The next conference will be held in Hong Kong. A representative of the TCMBGD handed over the conference flag to a representative of the HHB at the closing ceremony of the conference.
 
     Co-organised by the TCMBGD, the HHB, the Health Bureau of the Macao SAR Government and the Dongguan Municipal People's Government, this year's conference aims to press ahead with the in-depth integration of CM development in the GBA and the full implementation of the Outline Development Plan for the GBA and the Construction Plan for the Chinese Medicine Highlands in the GBA (2020-2025). 
 
     Members of the Hong Kong delegation included the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; the Project Director of the Chinese Medicine Hospital Project Office of the HHB, Dr Cheung Wai-lun; the Commissioner for Chinese Medicine Development of the HHB, Dr Vincent Chung; the Assistant Director of Health (Chinese Medicine), Dr Edmund Fong; and the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko; as well as a number of officials of the HHB, the DH and the HA. The Hospital Chief Executive of the CMHHK, Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, also joined the delegation for the conference.

          

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (November 14) that 87 Lunar New Year (LNY) fair stalls which were not taken at auctions held earlier would be available to the public for renting at their upset prices from November 21 to 27, on a first-come, first-served basis.

     â€‹The LNY fairs will be held from January 23 to 29, 2025. The above mentioned stalls are seven fast food stalls, 18 wet goods stalls, seven large size dry goods stalls and 55 regular size dry goods stalls. Locations and prices are as follows: 
      

          
     â€‹The number of remaining stalls may be subject to change and the actual number of stalls available for renting will be released on November 21.
     
     â€‹People who are interested in renting a stall should approach the following FEHD offices, as appropriate, to apply in person from 9.30am to 12.30pm or 2.30pm to 4.30pm during the abovementioned renting period:
      

     Applicants must be at least 18 years old and ordinarily reside in Hong Kong. Each applicant may select only one stall at a time. Successful applicants shall comply with all the stipulations and provisions as set out in the licence agreement. An FEHD spokesman stressed that the public should not assign, sublet, transfer or otherwise part with any of the benefits or obligations of the licence agreement of the LNY fair stalls. Otherwise, the department is entitled to terminate the agreement and the licensee shall immediately vacate the stall.

     All fair sites will be made available to the licensees three days in advance of the fairs (from January 20 to 22, 2025) for the setting up of stalls. In the event of any unforeseeable incident that will cause a shortening of the whole licence period (including the duration for setting up stalls and the business period of the fair), the Government has the right to postpone the commencement date and shorten the duration of the period. The let out price (licence fee) paid will be refunded to the licensee on a pro-rata basis without interest.
 
     Stall licensees must completely remove the stall structure and all paraphernalia, together with all refuse, debris and unsold commodities (whether damaged or otherwise), from the licensed area before 7am on January 29, 2025 (9am for the Victoria Park LNY Fair).

     The FEHD reminded licensees that the stalls are solely for the purpose of selling and promoting the sale of the permitted commodities, and no other activities are allowed in the licensed area. If the FEHD considers that any activity conducted by the licensee to publicise, promote, display, show or sell any permitted commodities in the venue is unlawful, contrary to the interest of national security, immoral or incompatible with the object of the LNY fair, the FEHD is entitled to direct the licensee to stop conducting such activities and the licensee must immediately comply with the direction.

     Stall licensees should not destroy, damage or abandon any unsold commodities at or in the vicinity of the stall. They may surrender unsold flowers and plants left behind at the stall to the FEHD at no charge, cost or compensation whatsoever, before 7am on January 29, 2025 (9am for the Victoria Park LNY Fair).

     According to the licence agreement, except inside designated stalls, licensees must not keep, store or use any compressed helium cylinder in the licensed area. Whereas licensees of the designated stalls may keep, store or use helium cylinders in the licensed area, the quantity of helium should be such that a licence is not required pursuant to the Dangerous Goods (Application and Exemption) Regulation 2012 (Cap. 295E), i.e. equivalent to 150 litres of helium. Sales of floatable LED glowing balloons and aquarium fish by stall licensees are prohibited at the LNY fairs.

     In addition, as stated in the licence agreement, the height of dry goods stalls must not exceed 3 metres from ground level. The height of wet goods stalls and fast food stalls must not exceed 4.5m from ground level. For wet goods stalls and fast food stalls with a height of more than 3m from ground level, the licensee must, at his own costs, provide the FEHD with the original certificate issued by an authorised person, a registered structural engineer, or a competent person under the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations (Cap. 59I) to certify the structural safety of the structure in the licensed area before the fair is opened to the public. The licensee must also affix a copy of the aforesaid certificate on the structure of the stall.

     Public notices and details of the renting of 2025 LNY fair remaining stalls on a first-come, first-served basis are available at the FEHD website (www.fehd.gov.hk) or call the FEHD hotline at 2868 0000.