Author Archives: hksar gov

     Owing to the thunderstorm warning, the flag-raising ceremony to be conducted at Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai at 8am today (April 23) will be cancelled.      If the thunderstorm warning is ca… read more

     The Labour Department (LD) is investigating a fatal work accident that happened in Sha Tin last night (April 22) in which two men died.      The LD immediately deployed staff to the scene upon r… read more

     The Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Ms Louise Ho, led a delegation of Hong Kong Customs to visit the Bahrain Customs Affairs (BCA) to discuss matters on Customs co-operation and sign the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) with the President of the BCA, Mr Shaikh Ahmed bin Hamad Al Khalifa, in Al Hidd today (April 22) to strengthen mutual trade relationship and foster greater security in the global supply chain. The Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, Mr Oscar Chow, and the Chairman of Asia, Africa and Middle East Committee of General Committee of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce (HKGCC), Mr Jonathan Lamport, were present to witness the signing ceremony.
      
     During the trip, Ms Ho and the delegation also visited the Khalifa bin Salman Port and joined the delegation of the HKGCC and the Hong Kong Bahrain Business Association to visit the Bahrain International Investment Park with an aim to enhancing the trade and cultural ties between Hong Kong and Bahrain.
      
     The signing of the MRA is a milestone of fostering the connection and collaboration between Hong Kong and Bahrain. The MRA will reinforce international cargo security while facilitating legitimate cross-boundary cargo movements of the two places and bringing significant benefits to AEOs in both sides, as well as enhancing their competitiveness in the international market.
      
     The Hong Kong AEO Programme was launched in 2012. The signing of the MRA with Bahrain brings the number of MRAs ratified between Hong Kong Customs and other Customs administrations to 15 in total. The other 14 Customs administrations which Hong Kong has signed MRAs with are the Mainland, India, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Canada, Mexico, Indonesia and Macao, China. Under the MRA, AEOs from the signatory countries or regions can enjoy reciprocal trade facilitations including reduced inspection rate and prioritised clearance.
      
     Hong Kong Customs is dedicated to extending the MRA networks, in particular with Belt and Road economies including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council Member States in the Middle East region. The AEO MRA Action Plan with Saudi Arabia was signed last year, marking a significant step towards the conclusion of the MRA in the near future. Hong Kong Customs will continue to take active steps to reach MRAs with major trading partners so as to bring more trade facilitation benefits to AEOs.

              

     In response to the Advisory Council on the Environment (ACE)’s decision to endorse the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on San Tin/Lok Ma Chau Development Node with conditions in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance (EIAO) after discussion at its meeting today (April 22), an Environmental Protection Department (EPD) spokesman said:

     “The statutory EIA process in Hong Kong is a professional, objective and open system. The Technical Memorandum on EIA Process (TM) and EIA Study Briefs lay down objective and clear principles, procedures, guidelines, requirements and criteria for various EIA matters. The EIAO aims to assess the environmental acceptability of the development proposal submitted by the project proponent.

     “The Director of Environmental Protection will review in detail the EIA report with comprehensive and careful consideration of the requirements of the EIA Study Brief and the TM, as well as comments on the environment raised by the public and the ACE during the public inspection period, before making the decision on whether to approve the EIA report and the conditions to be imposed if the EIA report is approved.” read more

     The Civil Service Bureau (CSB) today (April 22) conducted the second drill under the “government-wide mobilisation” level, codenamed “Exercise Touchdown II”, to test the ability of bureaux/departments (B/Ds) to mobilise their rostered staff and to provide transport and logistics support within a short period of time following the activation of the mobilisation protocol. The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, and the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, inspected the operation drill at the Cheung Wah Community Hall in Fanling.

     Mr Chan said that the enhanced mobilisation protocol is an important initiative of the current-term Government to further improve governance, improve the systemic resilience and enhance the Government’s emergency response capabilities, ensuring that the Government can mobilise government staff in a more organised, systematic and efficient manner in case of major incidents so as to achieve the objective of “early planning and early intervention”. He instructed colleagues to make a proper deployment in response to major or unexpected incidents, and fully support the operation of the mobilisation protocol. He also urged them to uphold the spirit of “putting the people first and addressing people’s pressing needs”, stand united when facing different challenges and serve the public to their best abilities.
 
     Mrs Yeung said that the “Exercise Touchdown II” helps to further familiarise the participating B/Ds with the process and arrangements for activating the mobilisation protocol. The CSB will continue to conduct drills at an appropriate time with a view to consolidating and enhancing the mobility and responsiveness of government staff, and cultivating flexibility and efficiency in the organisational culture. The Government will continue to strengthen the execution capabilities of all participating B/Ds under the mobilisation protocol, and remind the designated personnel on roster to remain vigilant and to form a quick response unit (QRU) promptly to provide responses decisively in the event of major incidents.
 
     The drill simulated a scenario in which a super typhoon was approaching Hong Kong and its associated torrential rain might result in serious flooding in some low-lying areas. It was therefore necessary for the Government to promptly mobilise staff across departments to form a QRU to provide support. All B/Ds were notified by the CSB and around 10 000 designated personnel were put on standby. Among them, 46 B/Ds had to deploy a total of around 700 staff members to assemble at designated locations within a specified time as soon as possible. About 260 staff members were required to assemble at the Cheung Wah Community Hall in Fanling and the remaining staff were required to assemble at designated locations of their respective B/Ds for a briefing. The Government Logistics Department also participated in the drill and arranged vehicles and designated supplies to arrive at the Cheung Wah Community Hall. The whole drill lasted for about four hours.
 
     The Chief Executive announced in the 2022 Policy Address the enhancement of the mobilisation protocol with B/Ds drawing up their lists of designated personnel in advance to ensure that manpower can be mobilised promptly to form a QRU to provide reinforcement in the event of major incidents requiring considerable manpower support. On February 16, 2023, the Government conducted the first drill. In September 2023, more than 600 government staff from 16 B/Ds participated in the mobilisation operations to assist in the recovery work at various districts following the passage of Super Typhoon Saola and the torrential rain.