The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Jakarta (HKETO Jakarta) hosted a Chinese New Year dinner in Jakarta, Indonesia, today (February 2) to welcome the Year of the Dragon. Some 300 guests from the local government and the business, academic, cultural and media sectors attended.

     In her welcoming speech, the Director-General of the HKETO Jakarta, Miss Libera Cheng, said that bilateral trade in goods between Hong Kong and Indonesia reached US$5.7 billion in 2022, representing a remarkable year-on-year growth of 12 per cent. Meanwhile, Hong Kong continued to be a top-three source of foreign direct investment into Indonesia, reflecting the close relations between the two places.

     "The Chief Executive led a high-level business and professional delegation to visit Indonesia in July 2023 to call on the President of Indonesia, Mr Joko Widodo, and sign a total of 15 memoranda of understanding and agreements with Indonesian entities, bringing our bilateral ties to new heights," she added.

     She reiterated to the diplomatic envoys of various countries to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that as an important growth engine in the Asia Pacific, Hong Kong's accession to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is beneficial to both the city and other economies in the region. In fact, RCEP member economies collectively accounted for over 70 per cent of Hong Kong's total trade in goods in 2022. Hong Kong will communicate closely with the ASEAN Secretariat and seek continued support from RCEP members to strive for early accession to the world's largest free trade agreement as soon as possible.

     The HKETO Jakarta also used the occasion to give a comprehensive account of Hong Kong's people-to-people ties with Indonesia and other ASEAN countries. Ms Cheng pointed out that the HKETO Jakarta organised a series of well-received cultural programmes in Indonesia last year with a variety of thematic activities such as film festivals, music performances and sports events, with a view to consolidating Hong Kong's status as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange under the 14th Five-Year Plan. Meanwhile, she introduced that Hong Kong is determined to develop into an international hub for post-secondary education by, among others, increasing the quota of the Belt and Road Scholarship by 50 per cent starting from the next academic year, thereby enhancing its attractiveness to outstanding students from Belt and Road countries including Indonesia. In line with the Youth Development Blueprint, the HKETO Jakarta also endeavoured to expand internship opportunities under the ASEAN Internship Scheme for Hong Kong Higher Education Students and offer facilitation to youth delegations from Hong Kong with a view to deepening mutual understanding between the peoples.

     The HKETO Jakarta collaborated with the Hong Kong Tourism Board to set up an exhibition booth at the venue to promote Hong Kong's latest tourism offerings. With the support of the Airport Authority Hong Kong and airlines, a lucky draw session was also featured with round-trip air tickets between Hong Kong and Jakarta distributed to lucky guests to encourage Indonesian tourists to visit Hong Kong.

     Dignitaries joining the dinner included the Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr Lu Kang; the Chinese Ambassador to ASEAN, Ms Hou Yanqi; and the Regional Director of South East Asia and South Asia of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Mr Ronald Ho, as well as representatives of Hong Kong and Indonesian business chambers and senior officials from the Ministry of Investment and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia. Diplomatic envoys of various countries to ASEAN, including the Permanent Representative of Lao DPR to ASEAN, Mr Bovonethat Douangchak; the Permanent Representative of Thailand to ASEAN, Ms Urawadee Sriphiromya; the Deputy Permanent Representative of Singapore to ASEAN, Mr Borg Tsien Tham; the Minister Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Cambodia to ASEAN, Mr Touch Sorana; and the Minister Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Malaysia to ASEAN, Mr Syed Edwan Anwar Syed Ariff Fadzillah, also graced the event.

     The HKETO Jakarta will continue to host events in ASEAN countries within its purview in the coming weeks to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

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

     At the invitation of the Judiciary, the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Administration of Justice and Legal Services visited the New Mega Courtroom at Wanchai Law Courts Building today (February 2) to get a better grasp of the proposed information technology (IT) and audio-visual (AV) infrastructure provisions at the new District Court (DC) Building on Caroline Hill Road.

     Accompanied by the Judiciary Administrator, Ms Esther Leung Yuet-yin, Members received a briefing on the proposed IT and AV infrastructure provisions at the new DC Building on Caroline Hill Road. By observing a demonstration on the use of technology at the New Mega Courtroom at Wanchai Law Courts Building, including digital evidence presentation, voice-to-text technology and AV control of live broadcasting of court proceedings, Members gained first-hand experience of the IT and AV infrastructure provisions to be available at the new DC Building. Members raised questions and expressed their views to the Judiciary on relevant matters.

     Members who joined the visit were the Chairman of the Panel, Mr Martin Liao; the Deputy Chairman, Mr Lam San-keung; Panel members Ms Yung Hoi-yan, Ms Doreen Kong and Ms Maggie Chan; as well as non-Panel members Mr Edward Leung, Mr Benson Luk and Dr Ngan Man-yu.

      

     Police today (February 2) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Wan Chai.
      
     Choi Kin-fan, aged 55, went missing after he left a hospital on Queen’s Road East on December 24, 2023 night. His family made a report to Police yesterday (February 1).
 
     He is about 1.63 metres tall, 77 kilograms in weight and of fat build. He has a round face with yellow complexion and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a grey jacket, blue trousers, and blue shoes.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Persons Unit of Kowloon West on 3661 8036 or 9020 6542 or email to rmpu-kw@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.
 

  

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Advisory Council on AIDS:
 
     The Hong Kong Advisory Council on AIDS (ACA) convened a meeting today (February 2). ACA members were briefed by the Department of Health (DH) on the latest situation of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and relevant high risk behaviours in Hong Kong, including the use of psychotropic substances among the people concerned and its impact on local HIV control efforts.
      
     The ACA acknowledged the evolving landscape of an international public health concern that people conducting high-risk behavior use psychotropic substances to enhance their sexual experiences. According to studies, using psychotropic substances in a sexualised context will increase the risk of acquisition of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). It may also lead to mental health issues, other adverse health outcomes and even death. The behaviour of using psychotropic substances by men who have sex with men in a sexualised context is known as chemsex internationally.
      
     The DH's literature review indicated that the prevalence of chemsex among men who have sex with men in Europe, the United States and Australia, etc, ranged from 10 per cent to 55 per cent, and it is approximately 19 per cent in Asia. Local studies estimated chemsex prevalence among men who have sex with men in Hong Kong to be 12 per cent to 19 per cent. The ACA has been concerned with the local trend of chemsex and the consequences inflicted by it on participants. According to the Recommended HIV/AIDS Strategies for Hong Kong (2022-2027) (the Strategies) published by the ACA in 2022, tailored interventions for subgroups of concern within a priority population (such as chemsex users) should be developed in accordance with their unique needs. It is necessary to integrate holistic services, including HIV testing and sexual health assessment, harm reduction and mental health support services. The Strategies placed significant emphasis on the importance to eliminate labelling and stigmas. To create an inclusive and accepting environment to facilitate those needed to access HIV and related services, efforts should be sustained to enhance the understanding of and sensitivity towards sexual minorities of service providers including healthcare workers.
      
     To address the latest situation of chemsex, the ACA will partner with the Hong Kong Society for HIV Medicine and other collaborating organisations to organise a seminar on chemsex. The seminar will serve as an effective interdisciplinary platform to provide updated information of chemsex to relevant stakeholders, and facilitate discussion of the best strategy. The seminar will also enhance relevant service providers to pool their resources and expertise to create a more comprehensive approach to meet the needs of people concerned.
      
     During the meeting, the DH briefed members that a programme providing one-stop sexual health service for sexual minorities, namely The Commons will be launched on February 5. The ACA extended its appreciation to the DH for this endeavor to provide a combined HIV prevention programme for people conducting high-risk behaviour. The ACA considered that The Commons can foster close collaboration between government departments and non-governmental organisations, which will help create an inclusive and accepting environment.

     Since its establishment in 1990, the ACA has been keeping under review local and international trends and development relating to HIV infection and AIDS. It has also played a pivotal role in advising the Government on policy relating to the prevention, care and control of HIV infection and AIDS in Hong Kong. The ACA has published six sets of recommended HIV/AIDS strategies which served as blueprints for the AIDS response in Hong Kong.

     For more information on the previous and latest recommended HIV/AIDS strategies published by the ACA, please visit the ACA website (www.aca.gov.hk/english/index.html). For information about the local situation and programme on AIDS, please visit the website of the Virtual AIDS Office of the DH (www.aids.gov.hk).

  

     The interdepartmental Pest Control Steering Committee (PCSC) held its 17th meeting today (February 2) to learn the latest progress in handling food waste by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), to discuss the new rodent surveillance programme of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), and to examine the work progress of departments since the launch of the Cross-sectoral Territory-wide Anti-rodent Action (the Action) at end 2022, as well as the anti-rodent work plan for the coming year.
 
The EPD's latest progress in handling food waste
 
     In the meeting, the EPD introduced its work in promoting a food wise and waste less culture, and the collection and recycling of food waste. With a view to handling food waste in a sustainable and hygienic manner, separating food waste from general waste not only can utilise organic resources effectively, turning waste into energy and resources, it can also improve the surrounding environmental hygiene and help reduce food sources for rodents. In addition to providing free point-to-point collection services for premises with a larger quantity of food waste, the EPD is gradually installing smart food waste recycling bins with a sealed design and odour abatement function in all public rental housing estates across Hong Kong, as well as in private housing estates through funding projects, for residents to use. The EPD is also progressively setting up public food waste collection points (e.g. at the recycling stores GREEN@SHAM SHUI PO and GREEN@EASTERN) or community food waste mobile collection spots (e.g. in locations packed with eateries and in the vicinity of village houses or single-block buildings in Sha Tin District) in suitable venues to provide more convenient recycling options for the public. Furthermore, the EPD has set up fixed or mobile food waste collection points near street-level eateries clusters, such as refuse collection points under the FEHD, suitable street corners and rear lanes, using covered recycling bins to collect food waste from small-scale eateries. The EPD will explore more new technologies for food waste treatment suitable for use in Hong Kong, and continue to encourage the public and various sectors to participate in food waste recycling.
 
The FEHD's anti-rodent work
 
     In the meeting, the representative of the FEHD reported its anti-rodent work in the past year. The work included increasing the number of overnight rodent control roving teams to 31, continuing the application of various anti-rodent new technologies and tools, and extending the trial scheme to allow licensed food premises to place temporary large-size waste containers in their adjacent rear lanes for temporary storage of waste, etc. To tie in with the Year-end Clean-up Campaign, from mid-December 2023 to February 2024, the FEHD has deployed additional 57 mini-street washing vehicle teams/high pressure hot water cleaner teams, 58 mobile cleansing teams, 37 overnight rodent control roving teams, 330 alcohol rodent trapping devices in its refuse collection points, and set up 205 temporary junk collection points in order to strengthen street cleansing services and enhance the effectiveness of anti-rodent work.
 
     The PCSC noted that the FEHD caught a total of around 63 300 live rodents in 2023, which is about 40 per cent more than the 45 400 live rodents caught in 2022. If both live and dead rodents are considered, the FEHD caught a total of around 97 800 rodents, which is about 30 per cent more than the 77 200 rodents caught in 2022. The FEHD has conducted strategic anti-rodent operations at 108 priority rodent black spots throughout the territory and eliminated around 60 per cent of priority rodent black spots (a total of 70) in 2023, achieving the key performance indicator set out in the 2022 Policy Address.
 
     In the forthcoming year, the FEHD will continue to conduct anti-rodent operations targeting priority rodent black spots, including 38 remaining black spots, and 59 newly identified black spots, with a view to achieving the target of reducing the number of black spots by 60 per cent by end 2024 as set out in the 2023 Policy Address.
 
Progress of the Action
 
     Representatives of relevant departments reported their work taken under the Action. For instance, the Hong Kong Housing Authority has continued to implement the Anti-rodent Action in Estates in its public housing estates to strengthen daily cleaning and anti-rodent work, and has installed mobile surveillance systems in locations with serious rodent infestations to detect rodent activities, as well as adopting other new rodent control devices, etc. A new performance pledge has been implemented by the Housing Department (HD) in January 2024, requiring officers to arrive on the spot within two hours upon receiving a rodent complaint, and take follow-up actions as appropriate. Moreover, District Offices have incorporated anti-rodent services into the service contracts for providing cleaning services to the common areas of "three-nil" buildings on a need basis. All departments agreed to continue to strengthen rodent prevention and control measures in premises under their respective management, to strengthen internal monitoring and assessment of the outcome of rodent control work, and to actively encourage relevant sectors and stakeholders to co-operate with the Government's work, eliminating rodents' fundamental survival conditions of food, harbourage and passages from their respective areas.
 
The FEHD's new rodent surveillance programme
 
     With a view to more accurately reflecting the situation of rodent infestation, the FEHD has earlier collaborated with a local university in studying the use of thermal cameras with artificial intelligence technology for monitoring rodent activities, in order to replace the original survey method using the ratio of sweet potato baits gnawed by rodents for generating the Rodent Infestation Rate (RIR).
 
     Based on the trial results conducted in individual districts last year, starting from January 2024, the FEHD has been conducting a new Rodent Activity Survey (RAS) in all 19 districts of the FEHD across the territory in lieu of the original Rodent Infestation Survey (RIS). In each district, the FEHD will take into account factors including complaint figures, number of rodents caught, and views from local stakeholders, etc, to identify approximately 100 survey locations for installation of thermal cameras. Thermal images will be captured at every two-minute interval from 7pm to 7am for three consecutive nights. Artificial intelligence technology will then be used to analyse the images showing the presence of rodents. The FEHD will enumerate a Rodent Absence Rate (RAR) for each district, which is based on the number of thermal images with no rodent detected in all survey locations of the district out of the total number of thermal images taken. The FEHD will take targeted anti-rodent actions based on the RAR, and deploy more effective anti-rodent actions in black spots.
 
     As per previous practice, the new rodent surveillance programme will be conducted biannually, with the first phase covering public areas where the FEHD provides pest control services. The survey will be extended to venues managed by other departments (including the HD and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department) depending on the actual circumstances.
 
     The final RIS has been concluded in the latter half of 2023. During this period, the RIR is 3.5 per cent, which represents an improvement from the 4 per cent figure in the first half of 2023, and indicates that rodent infestation in public areas in the territory was not extensive during the survey period.
 
     The meeting was chaired by the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong. Participants of the meeting came from three policy bureaux and 20 government departments and organisations.