The Government announced today (December 27) that the Chief Executive has made appointments and re-appointments to the four Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) advisory committees, namely the Advisory Committee on Corruption (ACOC), the Operations Review Committee (ORC), the Corruption Prevention Advisory Committee (CPAC) and the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations (CACCR), and to the ICAC Complaints Committee (ICC). All of the appointments and re-appointments are for a term of two years with effect from January 1, 2020. 
 
ACOC
 
     The Chief Executive has re-appointed Mr Evan Au Yang Chi-chun and Ms Eirene Yeung as members of the ACOC.    
 
     The ACOC advises the Commissioner of the ICAC on any aspects of the problem of corruption in Hong Kong, and keeps the operational, staffing and administrative policies of the ICAC under review.  
 
ORC
 
     The Chief Executive has re-appointed Mr Benjamin Tang Kwok-bun as the Chairman as well as Ms Teresa Au Man-yee and Dr Emily Chan Po-shan as members to the ORC. A new member appointed to the Committee is Dr Aron Hari Harilela.
 
     Dr Harilela is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of a locally based company. He is also currently the Chairman of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.

     The ORC oversees all ICAC investigations. It reviews corruption complaints received and investigations conducted by the ICAC to ensure that they are handled effectively and efficiently. It also examines circumstances where search warrants are authorised by the Commissioner, where persons have been put on bail for more than six months, and where investigations have been lasting for over a year or require substantial resources.
 
CPAC
 
     The Chief Executive has re-appointed Mr Adrian Wong Koon-man as the Chairman of the CPAC. Mr Alan Yau Hoi-ngan and Professor Emily Chan Ying-yang have also been re-appointed to the Committee as members. Mr Albert Su Yau-on has been appointed as a new member of the Committee.
 
     Mr Su is the Chief Executive of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals. Prior to joining the social welfare sector, he was Assistant Commissioner for Transport in the Government. 
 
     The CPAC receives and calls for reports from the ICAC about practices and procedures of government departments, public bodies and the private sector which may be conducive to corruption. It also advises the Commissioner on what areas should be examined and the degree of priority to be accorded to each.
 
CACCR
 
     The Chief Executive has re-appointed Professor Timothy Tong Wai-cheung as the Chairman of the CACCR. Ms Bonnie Chan Shum-yue, Ms Quince Chong Wai-yan, Mr Lau Chi-kuen and Ms Gigi Wong Ching-chi have also been re-appointed to the Committee as members. 
 
     The CACCR advises the Commissioner on appropriate measures to foster public support in combating corruption and to educate the public against the evils of corruption. It also monitors community response to the ICAC's work and public attitudes towards corruption in general.
 
ICC
 
     The Chief Executive has re-appointed Mr Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung as the Chairman and Dr Anissa Chan Wong Lai-kuen as a member to the ICC. Ms Eunice Yung Hoi-yan, Mr Steven Ho Chun-yin, Dr Tik Chi-yuen and Ms Connie Lau Yin-hing are newly appointed as members of the Committee.
 
     Ms Yung is an incumbent Legislative Council Member. She is a barrister by profession.     
 
     Mr Ho is also an incumbent Legislative Council Member. He is an independent non-executive director of a locally listed company.  
 
     Dr Tik is the Chief Executive of an education organisation. He is a former Legislative Council Member.
 
     Ms Lau had been The Ombudsman for five years before her retirement in early 2019. Prior to that, she was the Chief Executive of the Consumer Council.
 
     The ICC monitors the handling of non-criminal complaints against the ICAC, reviews the ICAC procedures and practices which may lead to complaints, and makes recommendations when necessary.
 
     The Government expresses its gratitude to all outgoing members of the above-mentioned committees, who are retiring on December 31, 2019, for their valuable contributions to the work of the respective committees.
 
     The updated non-official membership lists of the four ICAC advisory committees and the ICC are at the Annex.

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (December 27) visited the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) in Tsim Sha Tsui, which had undergone a facelift and was reopened to the public at the end of last month. Mrs Lam reviewed the architectural features and new facilities.

     Having been closed since August 2015 for a major expansion and renovation, the HKMoA reopened on November 30. Adopting a modern architectural design, the Architectural Services Department has introduced a number of new features to the HKMoA. Together with the enhanced connection between the Art Square in Salisbury Garden and the outdoor Art Corridor, the museum is a prominent attraction on the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront. After expansion, the total exhibition area has increased by about 40 per cent and the number of galleries has increased from seven to 12, including a two-storey gallery allowing the display of large-sized artworks.

     Mrs Lam toured four of the 11 current exhibitions, namely "Ordinary to Extraordinary: Stories of the Museum", "From Dung Basket to Dining Cart: 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Wu Guanzhong" and "A Pleasure Shared: Selected Works from the Chih Lo Lou Collection", which showcase the cultural legacy, and "Classics Remix: The Hong Kong Viewpoint", displaying Hong Kong's art lineage.

     Mrs Lam said that she was particularly impressed by the exhibitions of the works of Mr Wu Guanzhong and the Chih Lo Lou collection, as the two donation ceremonies of the art treasures were hosted by her at Government House last year. She was very pleased to see the official establishment of a presence for these world-class art collections in the HKMoA in a long-term exhibition for appreciation by local and overseas visitors. Mrs Lam said she was also pleased to know that the donors of the art works, family members of Mr Wu and Mr Ho Iu-kwong, had visited the exhibitions and were satisfied with the arrangements.

     Looking forward to the commissioning of the M+ Museum and the Hong Kong Palace Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District, Mrs Lam said that the two world-class museums and the HKMoA will stand as unique landmarks for culture, arts and tourism on the Victoria Harbour waterfront, thus raising the level of Hong Kong's art and culture to a higher level.

        

     A man who went missing in Western District has been located.

     Wong Ko, aged 69, went missing after he left an elderly home on Second Street, Western District on December 21 morning. Staff of the elderly home made a report to Police on the same day.

     Police located the man at a hospital in Chai Wan this afternoon (December 27).

     In response to media enquiries regarding an open letter from a group of members of the RTHK Programme Advisory Panel to the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, a spokesman for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau (CEDB) said the following today (December 27):

     As a government department, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) has been allocated resources through the Government's resource allocation mechanism to provide public service broadcasting. 

     The Government has pointed out on several occasions that the cumulative total amount of expenditure of RTHK in the past nine years has increased by more than two times (117 per cent), which is higher than the cumulative increase of the Government's recurrent expenditure of the same period. RTHK's civil service posts also recorded an increase of more than 40 per cent. RTHK should thus have sufficient resources to meet operational needs.

     As the Director of Broadcasting has pointed out at an earlier meeting of the Legislative Council Panel on Information Technology and Broadcasting, RTHK has been allocated resources under the established mechanism and the CEDB has been supportive of RTHK's requests for resources.

     RTHK of course should make effective use of resources to ensure proper use of public money.

     In fact, amid the social unrest in Hong Kong over the past six months, all government departments and public servants in different grades must perform their roles dutifully and make extra efforts in order to maintain effective public services.

A man who went missing in Sau Mau Ping has been located.

Lee Man-kuen, aged 91, went missing after he left his residence in Kwun Tong Garden Estate on December 25 afternoon. His family made a report to Police on the same day.

Police located the man at a hospital in Yau Ma Tei this afternoon (December 27).