The Chief Secretary for Administration and the Chairman of the Constitution and Basic Law Promotion Steering Committee (CBLPSC), Mr Chan Kwok-ki, together with the Convenor of the Working Group on Patriotic Education (Working Group), Ms Starry Lee, a number of non-official members of the Working Group, official members of the Working Group – the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, and the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, tonight (August 9) joined members of the public at a shopping mall in Kowloon City District to watch national team athletes competing in the diving final competition in the Paris Olympic Games.

     National team athletes, Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani, competed in the Women's 3-meter Springboard Diving Final of the Paris Olympic Games. Mr Chan, together with members of the Working Group and the public, watched the live broadcast of the event in the shopping mall and cheered for the two athletes. Everyone enjoyed the lively atmosphere there. They witnessed Chen Yiwen and Chang Yani winning the gold and bronze medals respectively and bringing glory to the country.

     Mr Chan said that he and the Convenor of the Working Group, Ms Starry Lee, visited Beijing this week to learn about the country’s achievements of taking forward patriotic education, to which they will make reference in the context of Hong Kong. They learnt that patriotic education must be intertwined with people’s daily lives so that the spirit of patriotism can take root in society and people's hearts, with sport precisely being an important area of patriotic education.

     Mr Chan added that the motherland is making every effort to develop itself into a country strong in sports by improving people's health, and showcasing the country’s soft power, through sports. The Chinese athletes who unleash their potential, fight hard and bring glory to the country in the Olympic Games are role models. He stressed that we are all Chinese who love and cherish our motherland and hope the motherland will continue to advance and shine brightly on the global stage; and that such resonance and consensus constitute the spirit of patriotism that we are eager to pursue and promote.

     Established in April this year under the CBLPSC, the Working Group comprises the relevant Directors of Bureaux, Heads of Departments, and representatives of the relevant sectors of society. To take forward patriotic education in an all-round manner, the Working Group focuses efforts on four aspects, namely school education; the local community; history, politics, economy and culture; and media publicity. The Working Group co-ordinates the work of government departments and non-governmental organisations in taking forward national education and dovetailing with the Patriotic Education Law of the People's Republic of China, with a view to enhancing education on the country's history, culture and current affairs on different fronts, thereby promoting patriotism and ensuring its continuity from generation to generation.

  

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has all along been committed to combating the sale of chilled or frozen meat disguised as fresh meat. To enhance enforcement efficiency, the FEHD has launched a pilot enforcement operation codenamed "Pearl" in the Eastern and Sha Tin districts since late June. Targeting suspected cases of selling chilled or frozen meat as fresh meat for sale, inspections to licensed Fresh Provision Shops (FPSs) were stepped up, and corresponding follow-up actions were taken against other violations found during the inspections. After conducting in-depth investigations and gathering intelligence, the FEHD raided a licensed FPS in Sha Tin District suspected of selling frozen meat as fresh meat in a blitz operation today (August 9).

     During the operation, FEHD officers raided a licensed FPS at Saddle Ridge Garden Arcade in Ma On Shan, and seized and immediately destroyed around 91 kilograms of suspected frozen pork. The licensee of the FPS concerned is suspected of breaching the licensing condition for the display and sale of frozen meat as fresh meat, and the FEHD is proceeding with the cancellation of the FPS's licence.

     FEHD officers also initiated prosecution against the operator for dirtiness of the premises, while warning letter was issued to the operator for non-compliance with relevant licensing condition by failing to provide delivery notes for inspection.

     The FEHD will strictly enforce the current policies to prevent FPSs whose licences have been cancelled due to violations resuming business at the same location using different identities. During the pilot enforcement operation, the department uncovered a case of suspected false declaration in a licence application using the aforementioned method and has rejected the related application. The department will scrutinise the relevant applications and, if any are found to involve suspected false declarations or other criminal offences, will consider referring them to the relevant law enforcement departments for handling.

     A spokesman for the FEHD said, "Selling of chilled meat or frozen meat disguised as fresh meat breaches the licensing condition and causes food safety problems. Also, this profiteering practice is unfair to other shops that comply with the requirements."

     The spokesman added, "Anyone selling chilled or frozen meat without permission commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and six months' imprisonment on conviction. The department will continue to conduct regular inspections at licensed FPSs and market meat stalls, and will actively handle complaints. In detecting any irregularities, the FEHD will carry out immediate investigations and take appropriate enforcement action. In addition, the FEHD also proactively investigates suspected cases from time to time and conducts surprise inspections and enforcement actions as necessary. If there is sufficient evidence, prosecutions will be initiated and follow-up action will be taken on any breach of licensing conditions or tenancy agreements. The licences of those FPSs breaching licensing conditions may be cancelled, while the tenancies of market meat stalls breaching tenancy agreements may be terminated."

     â€‹The spokesman stressed that the FEHD is very concerned and has been committed to combating the sale of chilled or frozen meat disguised as fresh meat by taking stringent enforcement actions against the violations. For licence applicants who intend to evade regulations by making false declarations, the FEHD must handle such cases in accordance with the law.

  

     The "Immersive Hong Kong" roving exhibition opened in Guangzhou today (August 9). This is the fourth stop of the exhibition organised by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, following its successful stagings in three Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries, namely Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia.
 
     Organised by the Information Services Department and co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong (GDETO), the Guangzhou exhibition is part of a promotional campaign of the HKSAR Government to showcase the city's new attractions, advantages and opportunities. Themed "Hong Kong – Where the World Looks Ahead", the exhibition invites visitors from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) community to explore the unique potential for tourism, education, business and investment in Hong Kong.

     Through interactive art technology, the "Immersive Hong Kong" exhibition enables visitors to immerse themselves in different virtual scenes representing the city with a creative twist. The five thematic zones, namely "Financial Bridgehead", "I&T Brain Bank", "Blossoming Creativity", "Diversity and Greenery" and "Buzzing Sports Action", feature multiple interactive art projections, light box installations and naked-eye 3D displays, presenting the multifaceted appeal of Hong Kong.
 
     Visitors may also enjoy Hong Kong's vibrant and colourful skyline, illustrated by Hong Kong artist Messy Desk (Jane Lee), at a photo corner in the venue. Promotional videos on Hong Kong and digital panels with information and insights from Mainland companies about their experiences in Hong Kong are also on display, explaining why the city is one of the most desirable places for visiting, living, working and investing.

     Speaking at the opening ceremony today, the Director of Information Services, Mrs Apollonia Liu, said that on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, it is particularly meaningful to hold the exhibition for the first time on the Mainland to introduce to Mainland visitors the latest developments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. With this year also marking the fifth anniversary of the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the GBA, Guangzhou is a perfect venue for the exhibition, as both Hong Kong and Guangzhou are core cities of the GBA.
 
     She said, "Sharing common historic roots and origins, Hong Kong and Guangdong have been working closely in promoting the development of the GBA, which has many opportunities to offer. We hope that through this exhibition, we can demonstrate, in a lively and interactive way, Hong Kong's distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world. We also hope everyone will come to Hong Kong for tourism, study, business or investment, and make use of Hong Kong's international platform to tap into overseas markets and develop their businesses."
 
     Mrs Liu expressed her hope that the exhibition would take visitors on a new immersive journey through various virtual scenes representing Hong Kong, which not only showcase Hong Kong's unique cosmopolitan attractions, advantages and opportunities, but also demonstrate that the city is full of creativity and character. Among the thematic zones, "Buzzing Sports Action" is a newly added element this year. While Hong Kong athletes have achieved remarkable results at the Paris Olympic Games, there will be the 15th National Games next year, with Hong Kong co-hosting the event alongside Guangdong and Macao. The setting up of a thematic zone on sports serves as pre-heat publicity for the upcoming National Games.
      
     The Director of the GDETO, Miss Linda So, stated, "In the five years since the promulgation of the Outline Development Plan for the GBA, the connectivity and integration between Hong Kong and the other cities of the GBA have covered various policy areas and reached an unprecedented high level. The GDETO will continue to serve as a bridge, promoting exchange and co-operation with the local governments, industry, and citizens in the GBA. We will also, through various activities, tell the Mainland communities good stories of Hong Kong and help them better understand the development opportunities and uniqueness of Hong Kong."

     To encourage more people to visit Hong Kong and attend various mega events in the city, an interactive game, "Snap a cool shot @Immersive Hong Kong", is also featured as part of the exhibition. A total of 50 winners will each receive a free set of an admission ticket and a tasting pass for the "Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival 2024" to be held in Hong Kong in October. The prizes are sponsored by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

     The exhibition is being held at OneLink Walk, a major shopping centre in Guangzhou, until August 18. Admission is free, and visitors will be offered souvenirs during the event. More information on the exhibition is available on the dedicated page on the Brand Hong Kong website (www.brandhk.gov.hk/en/campaign/hkpromotion-gba).

                              

The following is issued on behalf of the Office of The Ombudsman:

     The Ombudsman, Mr Jack Chan, today (August 9) announced the launch of a direct investigation to carefully examine the respite services for supporting carers of elderly persons and persons with disabilities.
 
     In recent years, there have been tragic incidents from time to time when carers succumb to unbearable pressure. Failure to rescue in cases involving "the elderly caring for the elderly", "the elderly caring for the disabled", and "the disabled caring for the disabled" have also resulted in tragic incidents. The hardships of life and immense pressure faced by carers are long-standing livelihood problems. Meanwhile, the Office of The Ombudsman has noticed that the current-term Government has put in place various targeted support measures for carers, including expanding the network of respite services and launching the designated hotline for carer support.
 
     The Social Welfare Department is responsible for planning and overseeing respite services, which provide short-term day and residential respite services to elderly persons and persons with disabilities in need, to temporarily relieve carers both physically and mentally. However, government statistics showed that the respite services may be underutilised. The Office has also noted that there are concerns over existing respite services, including location spread imbalance, complicated application procedures and lack of support.
 
     Mr Chan said, "Carers are the life pillars for the elderly and persons with disabilities. Their caregiving role is crucial and indispensable for the survival of the care recipients. Although the Government has adopted a multipronged approach in rendering support for the carers, I want to carefully examine whether there is room for further enhancement of the existing support measures, in order to better alleviate the difficulties faced by the carers and improve their living standards. Hence, I have decided to launch a direct investigation operation to examine the operational arrangements for respite services for the elderly and persons with disabilities, including service planning, application procedures, support and information provided for carers, monitoring on usage and service quality, as well as promotion and publicity, with a view to making targeted recommendations to the Government for improvement where necessary."
 
     The Ombudsman welcomes views from members of the public on this topic. Written submissions should reach the Office of The Ombudsman by September 9, 2024:
 
Address: 30/F, China Merchants Tower, Shun Tak Centre, 168 – 200 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong
Fax: 2882 8149
Email: complaints@ombudsman.hk

     The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, today (August 9) met with summer interns of the Post-Secondary Student Summer Internship Programme to listen to their sharing of experiences and feelings during the internship, and encouraged young people to actively equip themselves to seize the opportunities brought by green transformation.
 
     When sharing their work experiences, participants of the internship programme mentioned that the programme provide them the opportunities to participate in environmental protection work in different areas. These tasks are of special significance to protecting the environment and they would be interested in participating in them in the future. 
 
     Mr Tse expressed his delight with the enthusiasm of young people to join the environmental protection industries. He pointed out that promoting green and low-carbon energy transition is now a dominant trend. This is not only for environmental protection and combatting climate change, but also a promising sector for economic development. It has brought enormous opportunities to Hong Kong, such as the development of various low-carbon technologies, green energy, energy storage and other emerging green industries, boosting economic growth and creating employment opportunities, which open up more development opportunities for young people.
 
     Mr Tse said that with numerous opportunities brought by green transformation, young people should seize the internship opportunities to accumulate experience in the actual work environment and actively equip themselves, laying a good foundation for their future career in environmental protection.
 
     Through the internship training, participants can learn more about government initiatives, including promotion of waste reduction and recycling, new energy development, promotion of electric vehicles, and construction of green buildings, with the aim of reducing carbon emissions and energy consumption, while creating a more comfortable and liveable environment in the city. 
 
     This year, a total of 55 students from local and overseas tertiary institutions participated in the summer internship programme organised by the EEB and Environmental Protection Department (EPD). The interns were assigned to work in different units of the EEB and the EPD, covering positions related to environmental protection, ecological conservation, green energy and energy conservation, climate change and sustainable development.
 
     This year's summer internship programme lasted eight weeks from June to August. Apart from working in different units of the EEB and the EPD to gain practical experience, the interns have been arranged to visit various types of recycling facilities, including the Green@Community Recycling Network and glass bottle recycling facilities, as well as environmental protection infrastructure, such as T · PARK, the waste electrical and electronic equipment treatment and recycling facility WEEE ∙ PARK and the West New Territories Landfill, to learn more about the development of environmental protection facilities.