Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (February 16) that due to big waves, the red flag has been hoisted at Silverstrand Beach in Sai Kung District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at the beach.

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (February 15) seized about 1 200 kilograms of suspected scheduled dried shark fins, with an estimated market value of about $3.3 million, at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound.

     Through risk assessment, Customs officers yesterday selected a 40-foot seaborne container, arriving in Hong Kong from Guyana, for inspection. The batch of dried shark fins suspected to be scheduled under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Ordinance) (Cap. 586) was found inside the container.

     The case was handed over to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) for follow-up action.

     Under the Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing, exporting, or possessing any endangered species without a required licence is liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years. For licensing requirements for the species listed on different appendices, members of the public may visit the website: www.cites.hk. For enquiries, please contact the AFCD through email (hk_cites@afcd.gov.hk) or call 1823.

     Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

  

     The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) today (February 16) gazetted a notice to extend the tender period for the contract for Fanling North New Development Area, Remaining Phase: Fresh Water and Flushing Water Service Reservoirs and Associated Works (Contract No. ND/2024/06) to noon on March 15.

     The CEDD invited tenders for the contract on January 5. The tender period was originally scheduled to expire at noon on March 1. Details of the tender notice are available on the CEDD's website (www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/tender-notices/contracts/tender-notices/index.html).

     The CEDD has commissioned Binnies Hong Kong Limited to design and supervise the works. For enquiries, please call the company at 2601 1000 during office hours.

     The annual Bun Carnival in Cheung Chau is coming soon. The Bun Scrambling Final, which is the exciting finale of the event, will be held at the soccer pitch of Pak Tai Temple Playground on Cheung Chau on the night of May 15. Physically fit people aged 18 or above are welcome to take part in the event by submitting applications from February 19 (Monday) to March 18.

     The Bun Scrambling Competition comprises three stages – training, selection of finalists and the Bun Scrambling Final. All applicants who have completed the safety training sessions to be provided on April 7 on bun tower climbing and prevention of falls can enter the finalist selection exercise on the afternoon of April 14.

     The selection contest will be divided into two rounds. Twenty-four contestants recording the shortest time in the preliminary round, including no fewer than six female participants, will be eligible to enter the semi-final, during which they will compete for the 12 finalist places.

     The 12 finalists, comprising no fewer than three female participants, will be shortlisted in the selection exercise to enter the Bun Scrambling Final to be held from 11.30pm on May 15 to 12.45am on May 16.

     All male and female finalists will compete in the same race during the Bun Scrambling Final. They will have to scramble for buns, which carry different scores at different points, on the bun tower within a time limit. The one with the highest total score will be the winner. Moreover, the participant who bags the most buns within the specified time will be the prize winner of "Full Pockets of Lucky Buns".

     To acknowledge the outstanding achievements of the winners and make the event more appealing, an award was introduced with effect from 2016, under which any male or female athlete who has won the first prize three times in the Bun Scrambling Competition will win the award and become the "King of Kings" or the "Queen of Queens" of the competition.

     In addition, local Cheung Chau organisations are invited to take part in the Bun Scrambling Invitation Relay. The three-member teams will compete in the relay which will be held immediately after the individual competition.

     Prospectuses and enrolment forms for the Bun Scrambling Competition will be available from February 19 at the 18 District Leisure Services Offices of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), and sports centres in the Islands District. They can also be obtained from the 2024 Bun Carnival dedicated website (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/bun/index.html).

     Completed enrolment forms should be returned by hand or by post to the Islands District Leisure Services Office of the LCSD at Room 622, 6/F, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong, on or before March 18. Applicants may also fax the forms to 2854 3949.

     The maximum number of entrants for the Bun Scrambling Competition is 200. If the applications received exceed the quota, places will be allocated by ballot. Applicants who live, work or study on Cheung Chau will have priority in the ballot.

     Besides the Bun Scrambling Competition, this year's Bun Carnival will also feature a wide array of activities, including the Student Drawing Competitions and the Climbing Carnival.

     The drawing competitions are open for kindergarten and primary students in the Islands District. The competitions aim to promote the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival's tradition of bun scrambling and local customs among youngsters. The submission of applications has already closed. Winners of the competitions will be notified via their respective schools in mid-March.

     At the Climbing Carnival to be held on May 5, there will be bun tower climbing relay competitions, the bun tower climbing fun day, game stalls, handicrafts and variety shows. A Wishing Bun Tower will also be set up and winning works of the Student Drawing Competitions will be displayed. Members of the public are welcome to join the carnival on the spot. Local tertiary institutions, government departments, public utilities and commercial and industrial organisations are invited to take part in the bun tower climbing relay competition.

     The 2024 Bun Carnival is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee and the LCSD. For enquiries, please contact the Islands District Leisure Services Office of the LCSD on 2852 3220, or visit the 2024 Bun Carnival dedicated website (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/bun/index.html).

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (February 16) that some leisure and sports facilities will be temporarily closed to tie in with the 2024 Tissot UCI Track Nations Cup – Hong Kong, China, which will be staged at the Hong Kong Velodrome (HKV) in Sai Kung District from March 15 to 17. Details are as follows:

(a) All facilities (including the SmartPLAY service counter and Smart Self-service Stations) of the HKV will be temporarily closed from March 9 to 19; and 

(b) The activity rooms, table tennis rooms and changing rooms and toilets at Tseung Kwan O Sports Ground will be temporarily closed from March 9 to 18 for use as the Event Logistics Centre including athlete rest areas and event materials storage facilities. The main sports ground and secondary sports ground (including the Smart Self-service Stations) will remain open as usual. 

     During the closure periods, members of the public may use similar facilities at Hang Hau Sports Centre, Tseung Kwan O Sports Centre, Tiu Keng Leng Sports Centre, Tsui Lam Sports Centre and Po Lam Sports Centre in the same district.