The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

     Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     The Judiciary has announced that having regard to the situation in the vicinity of Jordan, subject to any directions of the presiding Judge or Judicial Officer concerned and until further announcement, all hearings of the Lands Tribunal and the Labour Tribunal originally scheduled from November 18 to tomorrow (November 21) and thereafter are refixed to a date and time to be notified by the court in due course. All relevant parties to the proceedings affected should keep in view any further notification by the court or public announcements by the Judiciary.

     For enquiries, please call the following hotlines after 8.45am tomorrow:

Lands Tribunal: Hotline: (852) 3916 6147

Labour Tribunal: Hotline: (852) 3916 6148

     The registries and offices of the two Tribunals will remain closed tomorrow until further announcement.

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung; the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee; the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Edward Yau; and the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, met the media this morning (November 20). Following is the transcript of remarks from the media session:

Reporter: Secretary, what is your plan in trying to put through zeal religious leaders, teachers, lawmakers, as well as political heavy-weights and Uni heads, trying to persuade people inside the Polytechnic University to come out? But still, some still are remaining, some would rather go through the sewage system to try and make an escape. Is that wishful thinking on your side to continue to persuade them to peacefully come out and surrender themselves to you, speaking the same line as in the past couple of days? What is your plan to ensure the safe passage of those people out of the Polytechnic University, since you said that it is a dangerous environment inside?         

Secretary for Security: I think it needs all parties to help. If you look at the figures that I have told you, we have around 800 to 900 people who are willing to surrender, so we keep working on that. For those who still haven’t made up their mind to come out to surrender, then of course we will continue to persuade them through all sorts of means. And I think society’s efforts collectively will help. And it is important, I think, that the right message given to them that whatever their self-proclaimed purpose is, if their act contravenes the law, then everybody has to take up their responsibility. And that is an important message because that will be important for Hong Kong to continue as a law-abiding city. And that message must be spread and particularly people who are in the legal sector. I think the message of rule of law is that everybody is equal before the law. And of course I am sure the court will take into consideration individual circumstances and the circumstances regarding individuals. So we have full faith that the whole thing will be dealt in a very just way.  (The Secretary for Security met the media again at 2.20pm at the Legislative Council Complex on the same issue. Please refer to the transcript of remarks issued at 4pm for details.)

Reporter: Mr Lee, do you think the election this week can help to ease the current unrest in Hong Kong or make things worse?  

Secretary for Security: Well, I do not want to speculate on anything. But the most important thing is we will have to tell everybody who are still remaining on the campus, that first of all, it will be dangerous for them to remain. And it will be something that they have to admit that if they contravene the law, they have to face the consequences of the law. The rule of law will ensure that everybody will be dealt with justly. The Police’s effort and the Government’s effort and I think the whole society’s effort is to ensure that the whole thing will be resolved in a peaceful manner as much as we can. So I will not speculate on any positive action to whatever is happening now. But I think it is important that we all try to de-escalate the whole matter.    
 
Reporter: Secretary, could you talk about the images we have seen this morning of uniformed students being lined up at some MTR stations and being checked by the Police? Do you have any concerns on the psychological impact on those students?
 
Secretary for Education: I am not too sure about the details of the particular incidents that you mentioned. But I think when the Police need to take some action, they are just trying to protect the law and order of society. And I think every citizen in society should comply with that. When you talk about whether they will have any psychological effect, I think the school will try their best to help the students to understand what the Police are doing.
 
Reporter: Mr Cheung, can I ask you, the elections this weekend, how important are they for Hong Kong? Do you think they will help ease the current unrest or make things worse?
 
Chief Secretary for Administration: The Government attaches great importance to this upcoming election. This election will be the largest ever. Every single seat will be contested, so it’s a really meaningful, democratic exercise. That’s why we are extremely keen, I stress extremely keen, to see a proper, a safe, a fair, honest and particularly impartial election this Sunday. But much depends on the co-operation of violent protesters. It takes two to tango. No matter how committed we are to maintain law and order, it really counts on whether they co-operate. If they start vandalising, start violence, start arson in many places, blocking the roads, stopping traffic, it will be very difficult for people to go to the election and feeling unsafe, then it will really ruin this election. So I call on everybody to treasure this opportunity, cast your vote, exercise a civic right and protect this upcoming election.

Reporter: Is the Hong Kong Government threatening …… because you kept saying that there will be harm to bilateral relations. It is also a special status given to Hong Kong by the US (United States). Do you have any specific evidence or views that contribute to your repeated statement that this is meddling with Hong Kong’s internal affairs?

Chief Secretary for Administration: I will leave this to Mr Yau.

Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development: Let me clarify one point. You were saying that Hong Kong’s separate customs territory status is given by the US. This is factually wrong. Constitutionally, under Article 116 and Article 151 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong is given this special status where we can represent ourselves as a separate customs territory and also represent ourselves using Hong Kong, China, differentiating from the Mainland in taking part in many of the multilateral trading regimes, such as APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). Just to give you some examples. This is not a gift from a single country. It is a constitutional right and a privilege given to Hong Kong under the “one country, two systems” principle.
 
     The second point is that the US has all along been respecting this “one country, two systems” principle, as they often proclaim. I think the existing US policy towards Hong Kong gives us that respect. Any unilateral change of their stance will not change Hong Kong’s constitutional status because we will remain a separate customs territory, and a member alongside with the Mainland of China and the US in the WTO. Certainly, I think such unilateral measure will affect, if not harm, the mutual and common interests between Hong Kong and the US, noting that we are major trading partners, not to mention that every year, the US enjoys the largest trade surplus from Hong Kong and trade is a two-way street. Any ways that affect the relationship will certainly hamper the relationship.
      
     I also mentioned that our relationship is more than trade and dollar sign. When we are talking about human rights and democracy, I must say that these rights are protected by the Basic Law of Hong Kong. Article 4 of the Basic Law protects human rights. We have seen all these rights including rights given to anybody working and reporting in Hong Kong being protected. On these we have our self-interests to do good, so I don’t see any valid reasons for changing that. That also explains why in our statement, we strongly object to any attempt by any country to try to influence Hong Kong’s own interests, and that’s also why I said the US’ piece of Act recently passed by the House and the Senate respectively is unwarranted and unnecessary.
      
     I also mentioned that the passage of such legislative attempt would stand a chance of sending a wrong signal to the situation of Hong Kong. I don’t want people to be mistaken. The unwarranted foreign intervention is adding fuel to fire in this rough situation of Hong Kong. Certainly, I don’t see there’s any possible way that this will de-escalate the situation we are having, so I would urge people to refrain from meddling with the already delicate situation of Hong Kong. The problem of Hong Kong is of course a matter for Hong Kong people, the Hong Kong community and our government. We are trying every endeavor to improve the situation and I would urge all parties to work together. As the Chief Secretary and our colleagues often mention, we are working on a very tough pathway, we need people to understand and work together and certainly we don’t want any distorted pictures to make the situation more convoluted. Thank you.

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

     A woman was fined $8,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (November 20) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.
      
     The courts heard that in August 2017, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected a suspected unlicensed guesthouse on Man Yuen Street in Jordan. During the inspection, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented a room in the guesthouse on a daily basis.
      
     According to the OLA's record, the guesthouse did not possess a licence under the Ordinance on the day of inspection. The woman responsible for managing the premises was charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.
      
     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and can lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years' imprisonment.
           
     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".

     Following is a question by the Hon Kenneth Leung and a reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, in the Legislative Council today (November 20):
 
Question:
 
     Since the eruption of the disturbances arising from the opposition to the proposed legislative amendments in June this year, the Police have repeatedly fired tear gas rounds in densely populated areas or even indoor areas. It is learnt that the crystalline particles of the various types of compounds in tear gas, which are non-volatile, will settle downward and may be carried away by the wind and adhere to objects, including textile fibres and the air circulation systems of buildings, posing a threat to public health in the long term. Furthermore, the results of some experiments conducted overseas have shown that groups which have been exposed to tear gas may have a higher risk of developing chronic respiratory problems in future, such as morning cough, production of thick sputum, chest pain, damages to lung tissue and breathing difficulty. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) of the number of person-times for medical consultations sought on respiratory diseases by persons who reported to have been exposed to tear gas and the relevant incidence rates, the average 24-hour concentrations of fine respirable suspended particulates in those areas on those days on which the Police fired tear gas rounds there, since June this year, and the outcome of a comparison of such data with the relevant data for the same period last year;
 
(2) whether it has grasped the data and information related to the impacts of tear gas residue on human body and the environment; and
 
(3) whether it will arrange professionals to check the concentration of tear gas residue in the indoor areas and nearby buildings affected by tear gas, and thoroughly clean up the contaminants concerned; if not, of the justifications for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Government appeals to the public to express their demands in a peaceful and rational manner, to tolerate different views expressed in the community, and to respect the rule of law.
      
     The Government fully understands the public's concern on the environmental and health impact of tear gas. In consultation with the Security Bureau, the Department of Health (DH), the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Hospital Authority (HA), consolidated reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Kenneth Leung is as follows:

(1) According to the HA, there were cases where people attended the accident and emergency (A&E) departments of the HA due to discomfort after exposure to tear gas. Those who were exposed to tear gas generally experienced mild respiratory and skin irritation, and there was no serious health impact reported. Most of them could be immediately discharged after rinsing and receiving treatment at the A&E departments. Decontamination facilities are available at all 18 A&E departments of the HA for treating patients who have been exposed to biochemical/hazardous substances. Healthcare personnel are also experienced in treating these cases. The DH and HA do not maintain statistics of relevant attendances and incidence rates.
 
     In terms of environmental impact, tear gas is mainly a particulate compound. Since it is heavier than air, its dispersion is limited. The EPD has analysed all the particulate matter (PM) data recorded at the air quality monitoring stations near the areas where tear gas was launched since June this year. The analysis is done by comparing the PM levels recorded at the monitoring station during the period when tear gas was launched and the period before, as well as comparing the data with those recorded at other monitoring stations near the areas where no tear gas was launched. According to the analysis, the EPD did not find any anomalies in the PM levels recorded at the monitoring stations near the areas where tear gas was launched.  On the other hand, there were instances showing that when arson activities took place near a monitoring station, the PM concentrations recorded at the station increased to high level for several hour which was almost double the normal levels for that day. This reflects that arson activities will significantly affect the air quality in the vicinity. In the past few months of social events, various protestors hurled thousands of petrol bombs and committed arson at various locations. Activities included open burning of refuse, sundries, shops and even vehicles. These arson attacks generated large amount of smoke and toxic chemicals (including dioxins).
      
     As regards the water environment, the EPD did not find any anomalies in the monitoring results recorded at any water quality monitoring stations since June this year.
 
(2) and (3) On the health effects of tear gas, the DH has uploaded health information on tear gas to the website of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) for general public's reference. Please refer to the Annex for the relevant health information. In general, health effects of tear gas depend on a number of factors such as the specific chemical composition of the tear gas, duration and dose of exposure, exposure route, health conditions of the individuals and the physical environment during exposure. Individuals who had been exposed to tear gas with persistent symptoms should promptly consult healthcare professionals.
 
     Cleansing should be carried out should a household is suspected of effects from tear gas residue.  Disposable cleaning items are preferable. Suitable personal protective equipment such as masks, rubber gloves and rubber aprons should be worn. In general, surface with residual materials could be wiped by cloth soaked with soapy water but hot water should not be used in order to avoid evaporating the materials.  Also, residual materials should not be stirred up and therefore tools such as high pressure water jet and brooms, as well as electric fans, should not be used. The disposable cleaning items should be properly packed (such as in a sealed plastic bag) after cleaning and then disposed. 
      
     On the environmental impact of the tear gas residue, since the tear gas is mainly a particulate compound and heavier than air, it will settle on the ground soon after it is launched. The residue in general will settle on surface of objects, and it will not suspend in the air for a long time. As mentioned in the first part of the reply, there are no anomalies found in the PM levels recorded at any air quality monitoring stations since June this year. As regards the water environment, the EPD did not find any anomalies in the monitoring results recorded at any water quality monitoring stations since June this year.
      
     The FEHD has issued guidelines to its employees and cleansing service contractors, including points to note and the use of personal protective equipment for cleansing the residues of chemicals in venues under the management of the FEHD. The guidelines stipulate, among others, that cleansing workers should wear face masks, rubber gloves, rubber aprons when conducting relevant work, and put on respirators (N95 type or compatible), goggles and caps if considered necessary. Cleansing workers should, upon discovery of dangerous goods or chemical waste, report to the FEHD which will then refer the case to the relevant departments. The FEHD also conducts routine and surprise inspections to check on its cleansing service contractors' performance.

     Police today (November 20) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Tuen Mun.

     Lam Kam-wah, aged 73, went missing after he left his residence in Shan King Estate on November 11 morning. His family made a report to Police on November 15.

     He is about 1.65 metres tall, 50 kilograms in weight and of thin build. He has a pointed face with yellow complexion and short straight grey hair. He was last seen wearing a brown short-sleeved T-shirt, dark blue trousers and black slippers.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of New Territories North on 3661 3115, 6273 5787 or email to rmpu-ntn-1@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.