Press release: Relatives of Argentine soldiers killed during the Falklands War visit the Argentine cemetery at Darwin

More than 200 relatives of 90 recently identified Argentine soldiers who lost their lives in the 1982 Falkland war visited the Falkland Islands today (Monday 26 March) to visit their newly marked graves.

As part of a joint project between the UK, Falkland Islands and Argentine Governments and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a forensic team exhumed, analysed and documented the remains in each of the unidentified graves in the Argentine cemetery at Darwin in the Falkland Islands.

Argentina’s Secretary for Human Rights, Claudio Avruj, will accompany the families. Retired British Army Colonel Geoffrey Cardozo, who was responsible for burying the Argentine dead with sensitivity and respect immediately after the conflict, will also accompany the group.

Minister of State for Europe and the Americas, Sir Alan Duncan MP said:

I welcome this visit to the Argentine cemetery at Darwin by family members of the recently identified Argentine soldiers. This important humanitarian project, facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, will provide some comfort to the families of the deceased. When visiting the cemetery the families will find their loved ones properly identified and in a place of great dignity.

I am grateful to the Falkland Islands Government who coordinated the visit, in cooperation with the Argentine Families Commission, and with support by the UK and Argentine Governments. It marks an important development in the UK-Argentina relationship and demonstrates what can be achieved with a positive and constructive relationship.

Notes for Editors:

The visit will include a religious ceremony jointly conducted by Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires, Bishop Eguia Segui, and the Right Reverand Abbott Hugh Allan from the United Kingdom.
Brigadier Baz Bennett, Commander of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands, will deliver military honours for the ceremony. A Scottish Piper and a British military guard will be present.
The DNA identification project was funded by the UK and Argentine Governments. This is a humanitarian initiative that we support in line with our wider obligations under international law.
In the UK-Argentina Joint Communique of 13 September 2016, both countries expressed their full support for a DNA identification process in respect of unknown Argentine soldiers buried in the Falkland Islands.
Over a seven week period (7 June – 20 August 2017), an ICRC forensic team exhumed, analysed and documented the remains of each of the unidentified soldiers. 90 Argentine soldiers were positively identified.

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Press release: Invasive species week: Floating pennywort a spreading menace

Reports of floating pennywort in our rivers and lakes have reached a record high with 50 tonnes of the invasive plant being removed from the River Thames by the Environment Agency in 2017.

Fast-growing plants like floating pennywort can spread into the wild if they are not properly disposed of when removed from garden ponds ponds. The Be Plant Wise campaign has handy tips for gardeners on how to prevent this from happening.

Lord Gardiner, the Biosecurity Minister, will see the effects of floating pennywort on Little Britain lake, Hillingdon, and hear about the work being carried out to prevent this plant from spreading further in the River Colne on Monday, 26 March 2018.

He will also see new signs being put up to encourage fishermen and boaters to Check, Clean, Dry their equipment and clothing to avoid spreading invasive species.

Biosecurity Minister, Lord Gardiner said:

Invasive species pose a real threat to our country’s native plants and animals and cost the economy at least £1.8 billion a year.

The Check, Clean, Dry campaign is playing a key role in raising awareness of these threats – helping to prevent new arrivals and stopping the spread of invasive species already here. It is great to see the whole community of river users supporting this programme to protect the future of our precious native species.

As well as following the Check, Clean, Dry advice, people can help by reporting sightings of invasive plants through the PlantTracker app.

Lord Gardiner’s visit comes as part of a wider push by government to promote Invasive Species Week. The week is an annual awareness-raising campaign organised by the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat (NNSS) and Defra to get members of the public thinking about simple steps they can take to stop the spread of invasive species which threaten Britain’s plants and animals.

Find out more on non-native species.

Below are the themes for Invasive Species Week, which runs until 29 March 2018.

Monday 26 March – Ornamental plants. Be Plant Wise and raising awareness of invasive plants.
Tuesday 27 March – Hitchhikers. Information on the ways that recreational water users, field workers and anyone out in the countryside can help to prevent the spread of INNS, in particular promoting Check Clean Dry.
Wednesday 28 March – Exotic pets. Owners are asked to make sure they never release pets, or allow them to escape, into the wild.
Thursday 29 March – #getINNSvolved – on the last day of Invasive Species Week tell us how you are getting #getINNSvolved.

Joint departmental operation detects illegal activities at open waste recycling sites (with photos)

     In a joint departmental enforcement operation, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) detected that four recycling sites in North District and Yuen Long were suspected to have illegally handled hazardous electronic waste (e-waste). The EPD is now investigating the persons involved and gathering evidence in preparation for instituting prosecutions. The Lands Department (LandsD) also found alleged unauthorised structures at three recycling sites and will take appropriate lease enforcement action.

     An EPD spokesman today (March 26) said that the department’s enforcement officers conducted a joint operation with the Fire Services Department (FSD), LandsD and the Planning Department (PlanD) on two consecutive days (March 22 and 23). The operation, entitled “Operation Shine”, aimed at conducting surprise inspections at open waste recycling yards in North District and at San Tin in Yuen Long, to check whether their operations complied with the land lease conditions or legal requirements on pollution control, fire safety and land use.

     The EPD found that four open waste recycling sites located at Ping Che and Man Kam To in North District and San Tin in Yuen Long, were allegedly involved in illegal collection, storage and handling of large quantities of hazardous e-waste, which is regulated as chemical waste. About 20 tonnes of hazardous e-waste were found during the operation, mainly including waste printed circuit boards (PCBs), lead-acid batteries and rechargeable batteries, with an estimated export market value of around $2 million. Separately, PlanD is also investigating whether there was any violation of land-use controls at the above recycling sites. The FSD also reminded responsible persons and staff of the recycling sites about fire safety requirements during the operation.

      An EPD spokesman said, “The EPD has all along been taking stringent action against illegal collection, storage, disposal, import and export of hazardous e-waste by recycling sites, and will continue to conduct enforcement operations with relevant departments and prosecute the offenders.”

The spokesman stressed that dismantled or destroyed PCBs, LCD monitors and cathode ray tubes are hazardous e-waste, containing heavy metals and other toxic substances. They are classified as chemical waste and are regulated under the existing laws on chemical waste disposal. Chemical waste is hazardous by nature and, if not properly controlled, will pollute the environment and pose a risk to the health of relevant trade practitioners and the general public. Hence, the Government has been applying stringent control of the recycling and handling of hazardous e-waste in accordance with the existing law.

The EPD reminded recycling operators that they should strictly comply with the relevant law on the control of chemical waste. They should register with the EPD in accordance with the law if they produce chemical waste. Chemical waste must be properly packaged, labelled and stored, as well as collected by licensed chemical waste collectors for delivery to licensed chemical waste disposal facilities for disposal. A permit has to be obtained from the EPD for exporting such waste to designated chemical waste facilities overseas for recycling or disposal. First-time offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months’ imprisonment. For subsequent offences, offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $500,000 and two years’ imprisonment.

Members of the public may visit the EPD’s website for more information about the control of chemical waste: www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/guide_ref/guide_cwc.html.

S for IT visits Yau Tsim Mong District (with photos)

     In his visit to Yau Tsim Mong District today (March 26), the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Nicholas W Yang, inspected a proposed road section for the installation of smart lampposts, visited the Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters and met with district council members.

     The visit was conducted in the presence of the Chairman of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council (YTMDC), Mr Chris Ip, and the District Officer (Yau Tsim Mong), Mrs Laura Aron. Mr Yang first made a site inspection along Nathan Road, where officers from the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer gave an on-site briefing on the proposed sites for lamppost installation and factors to be considered in the construction of the Multi-functional Smart Lampposts pilot scheme. The road sections concerned are a section of Nathan Road, a section of Canton Road and a section of Salisbury Road in Tsim Sha Tsui. The exact locations of smart lampposts are subject to detailed technical assessments and consultations with district councils.

     To drive the development of a smart city, the Government will implement the Multi-functional Smart Lampposts pilot scheme in four selected districts, namely Central/Admiralty, Causeway Bay/Wan Chai, Tsim Sha Tsui and Kwun Tong/Kai Tak Development Area. About 400 new lampposts with smart devices will be installed to collect various types of data to strengthen city and traffic management. The data collected will be provided free to the public through the data.gov.hk portal for development of more innovative applications. Multi-functional Smart Lampposts are also suitable for installing cell stations of fifth generation (5G) mobile communications services and providing Wi-Fi services to the public and tourists.

     Mr Yang then visited the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) Headquarters where the Director of the HKO, Mr Shun Chi-ming, introduced the microclimate stations and HKO’s applications in innovation and technology to enhance public services and communication with the public. The HKO has microclimate stations installed at its headquarters to collect weather data within a small area for analysis, and to facilitate analytics, of urban microclimate and weather change. The HKO will also launch the “Integrated Urban Weather Monitoring and Data-sharing Platform for Smart Cities” project funded by TechConnect Block Vote.

     The $500 million TechConnect Block Vote set up by the Innovation and Technology Bureau supports government departments in planning and implementing technology projects with adoption of suitable technologies to enhance operational efficiency and public service delivery. Launched in mid-2017, the scheme has supported funding of over $150 million for more than 20 applied technology projects or studies.

     During his meeting with district council members, Mr Yang spoke about the Smart Lampposts pilot scheme and listened to members’ views on innovation and technology development. On the way to the YTMDC, Mr Yang dropped in at the local floral and horticultural hub along Flower Market Road in Prince Edward.

LegCo to consider Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2017

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (March 28) at 11.30am (or immediately after the meeting for the Chief Executive’s Question Time to be held at 11am) in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, the Second Reading debate on the Medical Registration (Amendment) Bill 2017 will resume. If the Bill is supported by Members and receives its Second Reading, it will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bill and its report is adopted by the Council, the Bill will be set down for the Third Reading.

In addition, the Second Reading debate on the Chinese Medicine (Amendment) Bill 2017 will also resume. If the Bill is supported by Members and receives its Second Reading, it will stand committed to the committee of the whole Council. After the committee of the whole Council has completed consideration of the Bill and its report is adopted by the Council, the Bill will be set down for the Third Reading.

On Members’ motions, Mr Chu Hoi-dick will move a motion on the reform of two-tier Councils and statutory bodies. The motion states: “That the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China adopted on August 31, 2014 the Decision of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on Issues Relating to the Selection of the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region by Universal Suffrage and on the Method for Forming the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in the Year 2016 (the August 31 Decision), and the constitutional reform of Hong Kong has since remained stagnant; the subsequent social movement also failed to change the constitutional situation of Hong Kong for the time being; some critics have denounced civil resistance as ‘internal attrition’, yet that is actually one of the most important democratic ideologies and debates since the handover of sovereignty in 1997; the voter turnout rates and the numbers of voters of the District Council Election in 2015 and the Legislative Council Election in 2016 were evidences of Hong Kong people’s commitment to political participation; apart from focusing on striving for selecting the Chief Executive and forming the Legislative Council by universal suffrage, Hong Kong people should also grasp the opportunity of the democratic ideology to review the roles, compositions, powers and functions of various tiers of the existing political system which is executive-led in name but centralisation of power in reality, so as to provide the important conditions for selecting the Chief Executive and forming the Legislative Council by universal suffrage; in this connection, this Council urges the SAR Government to reform the existing relationships among the Legislative Council, District Councils and statutory bodies and their respective roles, and the specific proposals include:

(1) amending Article 74 of the Basic Law and reforming the Private Bills Ordinance to relax the requirements of introducing bills by Legislative Council Members, so that the Legislative Council can have real legislative power;

(2) reforming the Public Finance Ordinance to further affirm the roles of the Legislative Council in amending government financial proposals and budgets;

(3) giving District Councils real powers of district administration, so that District Councils can have the powers of the former Urban Council/former Regional Council in formulating estimates of expenditure and managing municipal affairs;

(4) conferring the right of community planning on District Councils, and instructing the democraticed Town Planning Board to handle ‘appeal’ cases involving community planning by District Councils, so as to monitor the work of District Councils in respect of community planning; and

(5) reviewing the powers, functions and compositions of various statutory bodies (including introduction of elected members or directors) to enhance their information transparency and accountability.”

Dr Helena Wong and Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan will move separate amendments to Mr Chu’s motion.

Mr Shiu Ka-fai will move a motion on stimulating internal demand and opening up new visitor sources. The motion states: “That, given the Government’s ample fiscal reserves and fiscal stability, this Council urges the Government to make good use of this favourable state of public finance for launching more measures to improve people’s livelihood, so as to return wealth to people and stimulate internal demand; the Government should at the same time expedite the provision of additional tourism supporting facilities to upgrade Hong Kong’s visitor receiving capability and capacity, and alleviate the inconvenience caused by visitors to members of the public through better diversion, so as to open up new visitor sources for the benefit of the tourism, retail, catering and transport sectors, etc. and the overall economy of Hong Kong.”

Dr Kwok Ka-ki, Mr Jeffrey Lam, Mr Yiu Si-wing, Mr Michael Tien, Dr Chiang Lai-wan, Mr Wu Chi-wai and Mr Lam Cheuk-ting will move separate amendments to Mr Shiu’s motion.

     During the meeting, Members will also ask the Government 22 questions on various policy areas, six of which require oral replies.

     The agenda of the above meeting can be obtained via the LegCo Website (www.legco.gov.hk). Please note that the agenda is subject to change, and the latest information about the agenda could be found on the LegCo Website.

Members of the public are welcome to observe the proceedings of the meeting from the public galleries of the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. They may reserve seats by calling 3919 3399 during office hours. Members of the public can also watch or listen to the meeting via the “Webcast” system on the LegCo Website.