Police are investigating a fatal traffic accident in Pat Heung today (February 16) in which a 27-year-old man died.

     At 12.48pm, the 27-year-old man was riding a bicycle downhill along Lam Kam Road towards Yuen Long. The cyclist reportedly lost control and fell onto the ground.

     Sustaining head injuries, the man was rushed to Pok Oi Hospital in unconscious state and was certified dead at 1.37pm.
      
     Investigation by the Special Investigation Team one of Traffic, New Territories North is underway.

     Anyone who witnessed the accident or has any information to offer is urged to contact the investigating officers on 3661 3800.

     Eight landlords of subdivided units (SDUs) who contravened Part IVA of the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) Ordinance (Cap. 7) (the Ordinance) pleaded guilty and were fined a total of $9,300 today (February 16) at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts. Since the Ordinance has come into force, a total of 125 SDU landlords have been convicted of contravening the Ordinance.
 
     The offences of these landlords include (1) failing to submit a Notice of Tenancy (Form AR2) to the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation within 60 days after the term of the regulated tenancy commenced; and (2) failing to provide the tenant with a rent receipt. One of the landlords who contravened four offences under (1) above was fined $3,200.
 
     The Rating and Valuation Department (RVD) earlier discovered that the landlords failed to comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance. Upon an in-depth investigation and evidence collection, the RVD prosecuted against the landlords.
 
     A spokesman for the RVD hopes that these convictions will send a strong message to SDU landlords that they must comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance, and also remind SDU tenants of their rights under the Ordinance. He also stresses that the RVD will continue to take resolute enforcement action against any contraventions of the Ordinance. Apart from following up on reported cases, the RVD has been adopting a multipronged approach to proactively identify, investigate and follow up on cases concerning landlords who are suspected of contravening the Ordinance. In particular, the RVD has been requiring landlords of regulated tenancies to provide information and reference documents of their tenancies for checking whether the landlords concerned have complied with the requirements of the Ordinance. If a landlord, without reasonable excuse, refuses to provide the relevant information or neglects the RVD's request, the landlord commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 3 ($10,000) and to imprisonment for three months. Depending on the actual circumstances and having regard to the information and evidence collected, the RVD will take appropriate actions on individual cases, including instigating prosecutions against suspected contravention of the Ordinance.
 
    The RVD spokesman appeals to members of the public to come forward and report to the RVD promptly any suspected cases of contravening the relevant requirements. This would help curb illegal acts as soon as possible. Reporting can be made through the telephone hotline (2150 8303), by email (enquiries@rvd.gov.hk), by fax (2116 4920), by post (15/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon), or in person (visiting the Tenancy Services Section office of the RVD at Room 3816-22, 38/F, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, and please call 2150 8303 to make an appointment). Furthermore, the RVD has provided a form (Form AR4) (www.rvd.gov.hk/doc/en/forms/ar4.pdf) on its website to facilitate SDU tenants' reporting to the RVD.
 
     The RVD reminds that pursuant to the Ordinance, a regulated cycle of regulated tenancies is to comprise two consecutive regulated tenancies (i.e. the first-term tenancy and second-term tenancy) for an SDU, and the term of each regulated tenancy is two years.  A tenant of a first-term tenancy for an SDU is entitled to be granted a second-term tenancy of the regulated cycle, thus enjoying a total of four years of security of tenure. Since the first batch of regulated tenancies already approached their second-term tenancies, the RVD has started a new round of publicity and education work in order to assist SDU landlords and tenants to understand the important matters pertaining to the second-term tenancy, and procedures that need to be followed about two months prior to the commencement of the purported second-term tenancy. In addition, the RVD has started issuing letters enclosing relevant information to the concerned landlords and tenants of regulated tenancies by batches, according to the expiry time of their first-term tenancies, to remind them about their respective obligations and rights under the Ordinance. These landlords and tenants may also visit the dedicated page for the second-term tenancy on the RVD's website (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/tenancy_matters/second_term_tenancy.html) for the relevant information, including a concise guide, brochures, tutorial videos and frequently asked questions, etc. SDU landlords and tenants are also advised to familiarise themselves with the relevant statutory requirements and maintain close communication regarding the second-term tenancy for handling the matters properly and in a timely manner according to the Ordinance.
 
     For enquiries related to regulated tenancies, please call the telephone hotline (2150 8303) or visit the RVD's webpage (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/our_services/part_iva.html) for the relevant information. 

     Police today (February 16) appealed to the public for information on a girl who went missing in Tin Shui Wai.

     Chan Tin-sum, aged 16, went missing after she left her residence in Tin Shui Estate on February 8 afternoon. Her family made a report to Police on the same day.

     She is about 1.55 metres tall, 45 kilograms in weight and of thin build. She has a pointed face with yellow complexion and long straight black hair. She was last seen wearing a black and white jacket and black trousers.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing girl or may have seen her is urged to contact the Regional Missing Persons Unit of New Territories North on 3661 3127 or 6273 5787 or email to rmpu-ntn-1@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

  

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) released today (February 16) the Hong Kong's trade in services (TIS) statistics for 2022, with detailed breakdowns by service component and by main destination/source.

     Comparing 2022 with 2021, the value of total exports of services rose by 5.8% to $650.5 billion, and that of total imports of services increased by 3.2% to $495.2 billion. An invisible trade surplus at $155.4 billion, equivalent to 31.4% of the value of total imports of services, was recorded in 2022.  This was larger than the corresponding surplus of $135.0 billion in 2021, equivalent to 28.1% of the value of total imports of services in 2021.

Analysis by service component

     Analysed by service component, transport was the largest component in exports of services, accounting for 40.1% of the value of total exports of services in 2022.  This was followed by financial services (31.0%) and other business services (17.1%).

     As for imports of services, transport accounted for 31.1% of the value of total imports of services in 2022, followed by manufacturing services (18.3%) and other business services (18.3%).

     Amongst various service components, the net exports of financial services contributed most significantly to the overall invisible trade surplus, at $141.0 billion in 2022. This was followed by transport ($107.1 billion) and other business services ($20.7 billion). 

     On the other hand, manufacturing services imported by Hong Kong in outward processing were substantial, resulting in a deficit of $90.7 billion in 2022. This was followed by travel ($18.5 billion) and charges for the use of intellectual property ($10.6 billion).

Analysis by main destination/source 

     The United States of America (the USA) and the mainland of China (the Mainland) were the top two main destinations of exports of services of Hong Kong, accounting for 23.7% and 19.0% respectively of the value of total exports of services in 2022. They were followed by the United Kingdom (the UK) (11.8%), Germany (5.4%) and Taiwan (5.2%).

     The Mainland and the USA were also the top two main sources of imports of services, accounting for 39.8% and 15.3% respectively of the value of total imports of services in 2022. They were followed by the UK (7.0%), Singapore (7.0%) and Japan (4.6%).

     Analysed by region, Asia was the most important destination of the exports of services of Hong Kong, accounting for 41.6% of the value of total exports of services in 2022, followed by North America (25.7%) and Western Europe (25.6%).

     For imports of services, Asia was also the most important source, accounting for 60.8% of the value of total imports of services in 2022, followed by North America (17.2%) and Western Europe (16.3%).

Further information

     Table 1 presents exports, imports and net exports of services by service component in 2021 and 2022.

     Table 2 presents exports of services by main destination and imports of services by main source in 2021 and 2022. 

     Table 3 presents exports, imports and net exports of services by region of destination/source in 2021 and 2022.

     More detailed TIS statistics will be given in the report "Hong Kong Trade in Services Statistics in 2022". Users can browse and download this report at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1020011&scode=240) as from end-February 2024.

     The TIS statistics have incorporated the latest international recommendations given in the Manual on Statistics of International Trade in Services 2010. For details, please refer to the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/scode240.html). They are compiled mainly based on data obtained from the Annual Survey of Imports and Exports of Services conducted by the C&SD, supplemented by data from other relevant sources. The TIS statistics for 2022 are subject to minor revision when more data from supplementary sources become available.

     For enquiries about TIS statistics, please contact the Trade in Services Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7415; email: tis@censtatd.gov.hk).

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (February 16) released the latest grading of water quality for four gazetted beaches that are open all year round for swimming.
      
     Four beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1).
 
Grade 1 beaches are:           

      
     Compared with the grading released last week, there was no change in the grading for these beaches.
      
     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.
      
     While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, an EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.
      
     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD's website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666. Members of the public can also obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches that are open for swimming through the Beach Water Quality Forecast mobile application (available for download from: www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQApp) or the dedicated beach water quality forecast page (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast) on the EPD's beach thematic website.