Hongkong Post announced today (December 8) that selected philatelic products issued by China Post, Macao Post and Telecommunications, Liechtensteinische Post AG and Royal Mail will be available for sale from December 12 (Tuesday).
 
     2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. China Post issued a set of commemorative stamps featuring flowers, a peace dove and the number 10 formed by elements such as a road and rail vehicle, a cargo ship and a crane, together with the "Golden Bridge on the Silk Road", to present the idea of connectivity and win-win co-operation. Meanwhile, Macao Post and Telecommunications also issued philatelic products to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative.
 
     As for overseas postal administrations, Royal Mail celebrates the wonderful wizard world of Harry Potter with a set of special stamps. For over 20 years, the world has been captivated by Harry Potter films, which culminated in an epic finale. The special stamps, focusing on the Battle of Hogwarts and the characters, both good and evil, as they appear in the later films, are highly collectable and not to be missed by movie fans.
 
     Postal administrations around the world have issued all kinds of Christmas stamps to ring in the Christmas cheer. Royal Mail celebrates Christmas with a set of special stamps inspired by Christmas carols, featuring new illustrations created using block-printing techniques. Liechtensteinische Post AG released a set of special stamps featuring Christmas baubles adorned with traditional motifs of people celebrating Christmas, showing that the magic of Christmas knows no bounds of age and territory.
 
     The selected philatelic products will be available for sale at the Hongkong Post online shopping mall ShopThruPost (shopthrupost.hongkongpost.hk), Tsim Sha Tsui Post Office and Sha Tin Central Post Office starting from 9am on December 12 while stocks last. These products will also be available at PostShop of the General Post Office starting from 10am on the same day. Details of each product, the prices and sales quotas are set out in the Appendix. For further information, members of the public may visit the Hongkong Post Stamps website (stamps.hongkongpost.hk) or call the Hongkong Post Philatelic Bureau hotline at 2785 5711.

                

     â€‹The Government published in the Gazette today (December 8) the Building Management (Amendment) Bill 2023 (the Bill).

     The Bill seeks to amend the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344) (BMO) in the following three areas:
 

1. imposing voting-in-person and disclosure requirements for "large-scale maintenance procurement", and imposing additional requirements for other "high-value procurement";
    
2. imposing or adjusting certain requirements in relation to financial statements and other accounting documents of buildings; and
    
3. introducing criminal sanctions against failure to keep certain documents concerning building management.

     A Government spokesman said, "With a growing number of aged buildings in need of repair and renovation, owners are increasingly concerned about major building maintenance. There has also been a strong call from the community for better control over how the management committees (MCs) of owners' corporations (OCs) handle day-to-day management of OCs. To address these public concerns, the Bill proposes amendments to the BMO to require the personal participation of a certain number of owners in decisions on 'large-scale maintenance procurement', to improve the transparency and accountability of the operation of MCs, as well as enhancing deterrence against non-compliance with the BMO."

     The spokesman continued, "Private buildings are the property of owners and it is the owners' responsibility to manage their buildings properly. The BMO provides a legal framework for owners to form OCs, and sets out the powers, duties and operation of OCs, so as to facilitate the day-to-day operation of OCs."

     â€‹The Bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council for first reading on December 13 this year.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Livi Bank Limited relating to fraudulent social media accounts, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.

     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks' websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).

     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the social media accounts concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     The Electronic Traffic Enforcement (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2023 was gazetted today (December 8) for establishing a legal framework to allow the Hong Kong Police Force (the Police) to use electronic means to serve penalty tickets against traffic offences or contraventions.

     The issuance of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) of traffic contraventions by electronic means is one of the new initiatives to promote "Smart Mobility" in the Government's Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong with a view to increasing the overall efficiency of traffic enforcement through the application of technology. In the long run, the new regime is expected to foster better driving attitude among drivers, which is conducive to reducing traffic accidents and illegal parking, so as to enhance road safety and alleviate traffic congestion.

     A spokesperson for the Transport and Logistics Bureau said, "The existing legislation does not allow the issuance of FPNs of traffic contraventions by electronic means. Hence, we have to amend the legislation to allow the Police to serve FPNs by electronic means, including SMS or email, and to allow the Transport Department to collect mobile phone numbers or email addresses from vehicle owners and drivers for traffic enforcement purpose. Our target is to effect the electronic traffic enforcement regime progressively in 2024."

     The Police will also launch a dedicated website and a mobile phone application for the new initiative to enable registered vehicle owners and drivers to check their FPNs and take relevant follow-up actions anytime, anywhere, including the settlement of fixed penalties by means of electronic payment. To assist the public in adapting to the new initiative, the existing mode of paying fixed penalties will be retained. Before the implementation of the new initiative, the Police will enhance education and publicity efforts to help registered vehicle owners and drivers better understand the implementation of electronic FPNs. 

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Transport and the Transport Advisory Committee were consulted on the legislative proposal. Members generally supported the proposed arrangements.

     The Bill will be introduced into the LegCo for First and Second Reading on December 13.

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (December 8) announced that the department collected eight liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) samples from auto-LPG filling stations and LPG terminals on a random basis in November 2023 for laboratory tests. The results show that the LPG quality of all these samples complied with auto-LPG specifications.
 
     The detailed test results are available on the EMSD’s website (www.emsd.gov.hk/en/rl/lpg_sample_analysis_simple). Enquiries can also be made to the EMSD's hotline on 2333 3762.
 
     In addition, the EMSD has been vetting independent third-party test reports submitted by LPG supply companies for each shipment to ensure that the quality of imported LPG complies with the specified requirements.