Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, today (November 30) held the stakeholders engagement session of the Commission on Children and announced the launch of the territory-wide “Caring for Our Kids” Campaign.
 
     Speaking at the opening session, Mr Cheung said that children would be the future and hope for Hong Kong. The current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government attaches great importance to the healthy physical and mental growth of children and has set up a Commission on Children with cross-bureau and departmental representation. The Commission engages child concern groups to address in a focused manner issues that children face while growing up. He thanked representatives from different sectors and professions for participating in the stakeholders engagement session and sharing valuable experience and knowledge on child welfare over the years, with a view to integrating child development issues into the policy agenda. He called on all quarters of society to team up to safeguard the rights and well-being of children for building a pro-child and inclusive society.
 
     Some 50 representatives from social welfare non-governmental organisations, the education and medical sectors as well as children’s rights groups attended the engagement session. They shared their views and experiences in four parallel breakout sessions covering the safety and basic needs of children, protection for children, listening to children’s voices as well as the growth and development of children. They are in line with the four major rights set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, namely the right to survival, protection, participation and development.
 
     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong, and members of the Commission also attended to garner stakeholders’ views on an extensive range of issues related to children’s interests and well-being. The cross-discipline discussions today are key to reinforcing the role of the Commission and developing children-related policies and measures in further promoting children’s rights. The Commission will consolidate views collected today to map out future work plans.
 
     The engagement session also marked the launch of a series of educational and publicity activities under the “Caring for Our Kids” Campaign to raise public awareness on children’s rights and well-being through tripartite collaboration among the community, business sector and the Government. A new Announcement in the Public Interest of the Campaign was premiered and a thematic webpage (www.coc.gov.hk/en/cok.html) with details of activities has been rolled out in the Commission’s website.

    

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, at a media session after attending a radio programme today (November 30):

Reporter: Secretary, by pulling some of these universities’ funding request, does the Government have any timetable on when these funding requests will be re-tabled to LegCo (Legislative Council)? As after this LegCo term, it will mean a start over of the legislative process. Is the Government really being fair to universities and actually bringing politics into education? Second, after the clashes at the universities, is it really doable and is it really reasonable to limit access to university campus, because universities already have security teams. So is it really necessary to look into limiting access?

Secretary for Education: On the temporary pulling out of these items from the FC (Finance Committee) agenda or the PWSC (Public Works Subcommittee) agenda, for example, for the item on the PWSC agenda, it is about a library extension and is an item led by the EDB (Education Bureau). We need more time to work with the management of PolyU (The Hong Kong Polytechnic University) to firm up the timetable and also to reconfirm the design of the whole extension before we go to the PWSC again. And for the other items which are led by the FHB (Food and Health Bureau), I think it is also their intention to resubmit the item when they have a chance to further discuss with some LegCo members to further explain some of their projects to the members. So I think it is still our target to resubmit all these proposals to the LegCo within this legislative session. Regarding the limit of access to the campus, I think it all depends on individual campuses. Some of them are very big and it may not be feasible to have a very strict control over access. But I think, the management, also together with our support, will consider all possibilities. The idea is to maintain the safety of the campus for every one of the university, including students, as well as teaching staff.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) read more

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (November 29) conducted an operation against the sale of counterfeit corner strips and seized about 115 000 suspected counterfeit items with an estimated market value of about $1 million.

     Acting on information alleging that suspected counterfeit corner strips were sold by a construction material company, officers took action yesterday under the trademark owner’s assistance after an investigation. The batch of suspected counterfeit items were seized during a raid against the company’s office premises and warehouse in Yuen long.

     A 38-year-old company director was arrested.

     Investigation is ongoing.

     Customs will continue to step up its inspection and enforcement action against the sale of counterfeit goods.

     Customs reminds consumers to purchase goods at reputable shops and to check with the trademark owners or authorised agents if authenticity of a product is in doubt.

     Traders are also reminded that they must be cautious in procurement as the sale of counterfeit goods is a serious crime and offenders are liable to criminal liability. 

     Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who sells or possesses for sale any goods with a forged trademark 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 infringing activities to the Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

    

     Yim Tin Tsai Arts Festival 2019, as organised by the Tourism Commission, is launched today (November 30). Through collaboration amongst local artists, youngsters and Yim Tin Tsai villagers, the Arts Festival has turned Yim Tin Tsai into an “open museum”, bringing a new and unique travel experience integrating arts, religion, culture, heritage and green elements to visitors.
 
     Spanning over three years, the Arts Festival bears three key concepts of “Sky, Earth and Man”. This year’s Arts Festival themed “Sky” is held from today to December 29. Seventeen groups of artworks created by local artists and youngsters are displayed at Yim Tin Tsai and Sai Kung Waterfront Park. A series of interactive activities including cultural ecology guided tours, salt-making and Hakka teacake-making workshops, themed talks, musical performances, etc. will be organised to provide visitors with an opportunity to experience the artistic atmosphere of Yim Tin Tsai and understand its history and culture.
 
     Speaking at the launch ceremony of the Arts Festival, the Commissioner for Tourism, Mr Joe Wong, said Sai Kung is known as the “back garden of Hong Kong”. Yim Tin Tsai is a unique island in Sai Kung where Western Roman Catholicism blends with Chinese Hakka culture. The island is also blessed with mangroves and rich ecology.
 
     Mr Wong remarked that visitors could experience the artistic ambience, unique historical culture and natural beauty of Yim Tin Tsai in the Arts Festival. He hoped that the Arts Festival can also help introduce visitors to other attractions of Sai Kung where they can fully appreciate the beauty of the “back garden of Hong Kong”.
 
     As announced in the Budget Speech last year, the Government would organise a new pilot initiative at Yim Tin Tsai which integrates multifarious tourism elements. With the support of Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong and the villagers of Yim Tin Tsai, the Arts Festival is smoothly launched today after two years of collaboration.
 
     Seven local artists and over 70 students from the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Design Institute took part in the co-creation work of Yim Tin Tsai Arts Festival 2019. After the Arts Festival, some of the artworks showcased will become permanent exhibits for visitors’ appreciation.
 
     Elements of smart tourism are also incorporated into the Arts Festival. Visitors can make use of the QR codes attached to the artworks and signages to connect to the website of the Arts Festival, for better understanding of the stories of Yim Tin Tsai and the artists’ creative ideas.
 
     In addition, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has set up a photo exhibition at Sai Kung Waterfront Park to introduce other attractions of Sai Kung, such that visitors could learn more about the beautiful landscape in the district. The exhibition will be held concurrently with the Arts Festival.
 
     For details of Yim Tin Tsai Arts Festival 2019, please visit the website at www.YimTinTsaiArtsFestival.hk. read more

     Police advise motorists that special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Sha Tin to facilitate the race meeting tomorrow (December 1).      The arrangements will come into effect two hou… read more