The Hospital Authority (HA) announced today (February 8) that it will implement special measures to cope with the service demand surge during and after the Chinese New Year (CNY) holidays. Measures include strengthening ge… read more
The Transport Department (TD) today (February 8) reminded members of the public that the following special traffic and transport arrangements will be implemented in various districts on Lunar New Year’s Eve (February 9) to facilitate the holiday celebration activities.
Special traffic arrangements
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Road closures and traffic diversion will be implemented in phases from February 9 in various places, including Hong Kong Island (including the vicinities of Causeway Bay, Tin Hau near Victoria Park), Kowloon (including the vicinities of Morse Park in Wong Tai Sin, Wong Tai Sin Temple, Yau Ma Tei Community Centre Rest Garden and Kwun Tong Recreation Ground) and the New Territories (including the vicinities of Sha Tsui Road Playground in Tsuen Wan, Shek Wu Hui in Sheung Shui, Tin Hau Temple Plaza in Tuen Mun and Yuen Wo Playground in Sha Tin). Some parking spaces, taxi stands and public light bus stops located in the above areas, and at Hang Cheung Street in Cheung Sha Wan, Fa Hui Park in Mong Kok, Hoi Bun Road in Kwun Tong and Ko Fong Street in Kwai Tsing will also be suspended.
Public transport service arrangements
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Public transport services on Lunar New Year’s Eve (February 9) will be adjusted as follows:
(1) In connection with the aforementioned road closure arrangements, the bus and green minibus (GMB) routes operating in the affected areas will be subjected to diversion, and the associated bus and GMB stops located within the affected areas and in the vicinities of Fa Hui Park in Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei Community Centre Rest Garden and Hoi Bun Road in Kwun Tong will be suspended or relocated;
(2) The following MTR service enhancements will be implemented:
(a) Island Line, Kwun Tong Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Tseung Kwan O Line, East Rail Line, South Island Line, Tuen Ma Line and Tung Chung Line will strengthen services from 3pm to 5pm;
(b) Island Line, Kwun Tong Line, Tsuen Wan Line, Tseung Kwan O Line, South Island Line, Tuen Ma Line, Tung Chung Line and Light Rail route Nos. 505, 507, 610, 614P, 615P, 706 and 751 will provide overnight services;
(c) The operating hours of MTR bus route Nos. 506, K51 and K54 will be extended;
(3) Nine special bus services (Citybus route Nos. 38S, 976S, KMB route Nos. N64P, N272, N273, N276 and Cross Harbour route Nos. N116, N601 and N603) will be operated in the small hours on the first day of the Lunar New Year (February 10);
(4) Franchised bus companies will also extend the service hours of 26 bus routes (including one Citybus, 23 KMB and two Cross Harbour routes) and adjust the frequency/departure time or cancel some special trips of 192 routes (including 24 Citybus, 103 KMB and 65 Cross Harbour routes); the services of 10 bus routes (including one Citybus, eight KMB and one Cross Harbour routes) will be strengthened;
(5) The operating hours of 10 GMB routes in Kowloon and the New Territories will be extended; and
(6) Tram services will be extended to 1am on the following day.
Central to Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System Services
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The operating hours of the Central to Mid-Levels Escalator and Walkway System will be extended to 3am on the following day.
For details of the special traffic and public transport arrangements, members of the public may visit the TD website (www.td.gov.hk) or mobile application “HKeMobility”. Passengers may also refer to the passenger notices displayed by the relevant public transport operators.
Members of the public are advised to make use of public transport services as far as possible to avoid traffic congestion and unnecessary delays. The TD and the Police will closely monitor the traffic situation and implement appropriate measures when necessary. The Police may adjust the traffic arrangements subject to the prevailing crowd and traffic conditions in the areas. The public should pay attention to the latest traffic news through radio, television or “HKeMobility”. read more
The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Thursday, February 8, 2024 is 105.0 (up 0.1 against yesterday’s index). read more
A traveller who illegally exported incense tree wood chips was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for 30 months at the District Court today (February 8).
A spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said that an outbound male traveller heading to the Mainland, aged 32, was intercepted by Customs officers at the Shenzhen Bay Control Point and about 4.2 kilograms of incense tree (Aquilaria sinensis) wood chips was seized from his backpack on March 12, 2023. The estimated market value of the wood chips was about $630,000.
Upon investigation by the AFCD, the man was charged with illegally exporting endangered species under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (PESAPO) (Cap. 586). The AFCD also applied to the court for an enhanced sentence under the Organized and Serious Crime Ordinance (OSCO), (Cap. 455). He was convicted at the court today. The court set 36-month imprisonment as the starting point for sentencing with 12 months’ reduction for his guilty plea. The AFCD applied to raise the sentence by 25 per cent in accordance with OSCO. The defendant was sentenced to immediate imprisonment for 30 months.
All Aquilaria species, including the native incense tree, are listed under the Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and are regulated under PESAPO in Hong Kong.
According to PESAPO, any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.
The spokesman also pointed out that according to the Forests and Countryside Ordinance (Cap. 96), felling of trees on government land without permission is an offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of $25,000 and imprisonment for one year.
The spokesman appealed to the public not to smuggle agarwood or fell incense trees illegally. To enquire about the importation or exportation of endangered species and to report suspected illegal cases, the public can call the AFCD at 1823 or visit the website www.cites.hk.
​The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (February 8) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about outbreaks of highl… read more