Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (December 14) that due to big waves, the red flag has been hoisted at Clear Water Bay Second Beach in Sai Kung District. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at the beach.

     Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (December 14). They are, on Hong Kong Island, Hans Andersen Club Limited; in Kowloon, 1st Step Association Limited; and in the New Territories, Tin Shui Wai Women Association Limited, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.
 
     Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people distinguish between the three flag-selling activities.
 
     Information on the three flag-selling organisations on December 14 is as follows:
 

 
     For enquiries, please call the SWD's hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678. Information on flag days is available at the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_whatsnew) and the GovHK portal (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing contact information of the flag-selling organisations and information on the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_controlofc/sub_recentlyap). For enquiries about the detailed flag-selling arrangements, please contact the individual flag-selling organisations.
 
     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities covered by the Public Subscription Permit issued by the SWD have also been uploaded to the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/fundraising).
 
     If any flag day activities are suspected to be fraudulent, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.

     "Mila", a chamber opera presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Asia Society Hong Kong Center, was performed in San Francisco, the United States on December 12 (San Francisco time). Called "quirky, quintessentially Hong Kong, and bold" by Time magazine, "Mila" explores the cultural richness and diversity of Hong Kong and was produced by an international cast and creative team from the US, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

     Supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (SFETO), a pre-performance reception was held to welcome the San Francisco audience. Addressing the audience before the performance, the Director of the SFETO, Mr Ivanhoe Chang, said this one-act opera has not only brought together a contemporary narrative that is pertinent in Hong Kong, but also promotes a meaningful cultural connection between East and West.

     "Hong Kong is a dynamic and diverse cultural metropolis and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is very committed to the development of the arts. Our office also strives to promote the cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and the western part of the US," Mr Chang said.

     He thanked the Asia Society for taking the production to San Francisco. The four-member cast comprises Hong Kong-born sopranos Amanda Li and Joanna Shao, New York-based bass-baritone Joseph Beutel and Manila-based soprano Stefanie Quintin. The creative team includes American-born composer Eli Marshall, New York-based music director Neal Goren, award-winning playwright Candace Chong and Hong Kong theatre director Chan Chu-hei.

    

     Police arrested three men and two women, aged between 15 and 18, yesterday (December 13) in suspected connection with a murder case in Sheung Shui on November 13.
      
     At noon on November 13, Police received a report from a passerby that a man was assaulted by someone with bricks outside 2 Lung Wan Street, Sheung Shui. The 70-year-old man was rushed to North District Hospital in unconscious state and later referred to Prince of Wales Hospital for treatment. The man was certified dead on the next day.

     After investigation, the three men and two women were arrested in Sheung Shui and Tai Po for murder, taking part in a riot and wounding.
      
     The five arrestees are being detained for further enquiries.

     Investigation by the Regional Crime Unit of New Territories North is underway.
 

     A Correctional officer stopped a male person in custody from committing self-harm at Queen Mary Hospital Custodial Ward (QMHCW) today (December 13).

     At 12.41pm today, the 60-year-old person in custody was found banging his forehead against a gate inside a ward of QMHCW. An officer immediately ordered him to stop the act and called for reinforcement. The person in custody was found conscious. Immediate treatment was provided to him by the medical staff of the hospital. A clinical psychologist of the department will follow up on the case.

     A spokesman for the Correctional Services Department said, "The department uses all possible measures to prevent persons in custody from attempting suicide or self-harm. These measures include administrative arrangements, improvement of institution facilities, staff training and first aid services."

     The person in custody was sentenced to imprisonment for the offence of burglary in January 2019.