The following is issued on behalf of the Major Sports Events Committee:
 
     The Major Sports Events Committee (MSEC) has awarded "M" Mark status to the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open 2024, which will be held from December 31, 2023, to January 7, 2024.
      
     The Chairman of the MSEC, Mr Wilfred Ng, said today (December 27) that like all other "M" Mark events, this tournament will not only add colour and vibrancy to Hong Kong and thereby bring in more visitors from abroad, but also showcase Hong Kong's capability to host world-class events and enhance Hong Kong's position as a centre for major international sports events.
      
     "This edition of the event marks the return of the ATP Professional Tennis Tour to Hong Kong for the first time in 21 years. Elite men's tennis players from around the globe will compete at the iconic Victoria Park Tennis Court. Tennis fans and the general public are all eager to savour the thrill of witnessing these elite male players pushing their limits to vie for the championship," Mr Ng said.
              
     The "M" Mark System aims to encourage and help local "national sports associations" and private and non-government organisations to organise more major international sports events and nurture them into sustainable undertakings. Sports events meeting the assessment criteria will be granted "M" Mark status by the MSEC. Funding support will also be provided to some events.
      
     For details of "M" Mark events, please visit www.mevents.org.hk.

     â€‹Hongkong Post announced today (December 27) that, as advised by the postal administration of Thailand, mail delivery services to Thailand for areas with the postcodes listed below are subject to delay due to flooding.
 

     The Government today (December 27) announced the appointment of Dr Alex Chan Siu-kun as the Chairman of the Committee on Self-financing Post-secondary Education (CSPE), the appointment of 10 new members including two new members recruited under the Member Self-recommendation Scheme for Youth (MSSY), and the reappointment of five incumbent members. The appointments are for a term until October 31, 2025.

     The Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, said, "Dr Chan previously served as the Chairman of the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications. He has a deep understanding of the self-financing post-secondary education sector. I believe that, under his capable leadership and with the participation of local and non-local members from the post-secondary education and other professional sectors, the CSPE will continue to discharge its functions to the fullest and proactively support the parallel development of the self-financing and publicly-funded post-secondary education sectors."

     Dr Choi also expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the outgoing Chairman, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung. She said, "Professor Cheung had served as the Chairman of the CSPE since 2017, and concurrently chaired the Task Force on Review of Self-financing Post-secondary Education till 2018. Under his exemplary leadership, the CSPE tendered invaluable advice to the Education Bureau on the quality enhancement, strategic co-ordination and targeted support of the self-financing post-secondary education sector, making significant contributions to facilitating the self-financing sector in addressing the manpower needs of different sectors."

     Dr Choi also thanked the outgoing members, Professor Chetwyn Chan Che-hin, Mr Francis Cheng Cho-ying, Professor Adrian Dixon, Professor Mark Kamlet, Mr Andrew Lam Siu-lo, Professor William Lee Keng-mun, Mrs Ruth Lee Shek Yuk-yu, Professor Isabella Poon Wai-yin, Mr Wilfred Wong Kam-pui and Ms Winnie Yeung Cheung-wah, for their valuable contributions during their tenure.

     The membership of the new term of the CSPE is as follows:
 
Chairman
Dr Alex Chan Siu-kun
 
Members
Mrs Cindy Chow Lok Mei-ki^
Professor Ronald Chung Chi-kit@
Ms Florence Chung Wai-yee^
Ms Jacqueline Alee Leung@
Ms Carrie Leung Ka-lai@
Ms Lorraine Lo Chun-yu#
Ms Bubble Lui Hiu-lam#
Professor Lui Yu-hon
Professor Pong Ting-chuen@
Professor Michael Spence^*
Professor Julia Tao Lai Po-wah@
Professor Wong Kwok-yin^
Mr Rex Wong Siu-han^
Ms Wong Siu-ling^
Mr Andrew Young Meng-cheung^
Professor Yuen Kwok-kit^
Chairman of the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications or his representative
Chairman of the University Grants Committee or his representative
Deputy Secretary for Education (1)
 
^ New members
@ Reappointed members
# New members recruited under the MSSY
* Non-local member

     The CSPE was established in April 2012 to provide strategic and policy advice to the Government on measures to promote, facilitate and co-ordinate the development of the self-financing post-secondary education sector in terms of scope of operation, quality and governance.

     Furthermore, the Government provides more opportunities for young people to participate in policy discussion through the MSSY. The newly appointed members recruited under the MSSY are Ms Lorraine Lo Chun-yu and Ms Bubble Lui Hiu-lam.

     The Labour Department (LD) will hold a public talk entitled "Work & Healthy Lifestyle" on January 4 (Thursday) at 3.30pm. The talk will introduce a balanced diet, regular exercise, sufficient rest and stress management to encourage employees to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
 
     The LD will hold another talk entitled "Prevention of Upper Limb Disorders" on January 16 (Tuesday) at 7.15pm. The talk will introduce the causes and preventive measures of upper limb disorders to enhance employees' awareness of the issues.
 
     Both talks, which will include demonstrations and practice of workplace exercises, will be given by the LD's occupational health nurse in Cantonese at the Lecture Theatre of the Hong Kong Central Library, 66 Causeway Road, Causeway Bay. Admission is free but pre-registration is required. Interested participants can register online (www.oshsreg.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call 2852 4040.

     The Transport Department (TD) today (December 27) announced that two auctions of traditional vehicle registration marks will be held on January 13 (Saturday) and 14 (Sunday), in Meeting Room N101, L1, New Wing, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.

     "A total of 350 vehicle registration marks will be put up for public sale at each auction. The lists of marks have been uploaded to the department's website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/index.html," a department spokesman said.

     Applicants who have paid a deposit of $1,000 to reserve a mark for auction should also participate in the bidding (including the first bid at the reserve price of $1,000). Otherwise, the mark concerned may be sold to another bidder at the reserve price.

     People who wish to participate in the bidding at the auction should take note of the following important points:

(1) Successful bidders are required to produce the following documents for completion of registration and payment procedures immediately after the successful bidding:
(i) the identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) the identity document of the purchaser if it is different from the successful bidder;
(iii) a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation if the purchaser is a body corporate; and
(iv) a crossed cheque made payable to "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" or "The Government of the HKSAR". (For an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed.) Successful bidders can also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS). Payment by post-dated cheques, cash or other methods will not be accepted.

(2) Purchasers must make payment of the purchase price through EPS or by crossed cheque and complete the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark immediately after the bidding. Subsequent alteration of the particulars in the memorandum will not be permitted.

(3) A vehicle registration mark can only be assigned to a motor vehicle which is registered in the name of the purchaser. The Certificate of Incorporation must be produced immediately by the purchaser if a vehicle registration mark purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.

(4) Special registration marks are non-transferable. Where the ownership of a motor vehicle with a special registration mark is transferred, the allocation of the special registration mark shall be cancelled.

(5) The purchaser shall, within 12 months after the date of auction, apply to the Commissioner for Transport for the registration mark to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. If the purchaser fails to assign the registration mark within 12 months, allocation of the mark will be cancelled and arranged for re-allocation in accordance with the statutory provision without prior notice to the purchaser.

     For other auction details, please refer to the Guidance Notes – Auction of Traditional Vehicle Registration Marks, which can be downloaded from the department's website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/tvrm_auction/index.html.