Police are investigating a murder and attempted suicide case happened in Tseung Kwan O yesterday (June 29) in which a man died.

     At 11.50pm, Police received a report saying that a 32-year-old woman allegedly attacked her 30-year-old husband with a knife inside a flat on Lohas Park Road, and attempted to commit suicide.

     Police officers sped to the scene and found a man lying on the sofa. Sustaining serious injury on neck, he was rushed to Tseung Kwan O Hospital in unconscious state and was certified dead at 0.31am today (June 30). Police also located a woman at scene at the same time.

     After initial investigation, Police arrested the woman for murder today. Sustaining no superficial injuries, she was sent to Tseung Kwan O Hospital in conscious state. She is being detained for enquiries.

     A fruit knife which was in suspected connection with the case was seized at scene. Post-mortem examinations will be conducted later to ascertain the cause of death.

     Investigation by the District Crime Squad of Tseung Kwan O District is underway.

     â€‹As the Heat Stress at Work Warning is now in effect, the Labour Department (LD) reminds employers and employees to take appropriate measures during the effective period of the warning to prevent heat stroke when working in hot weather or hot environments.
      
     Employees who work outdoors or in non-air-conditioned indoor environments face high levels of heat stress and are at a relatively higher risk of heat stroke. Employers should assess the risk factors of heat stress for employees at work and, based on the identified risk factors, take necessary preventive and control measures, including rescheduling work periods, setting up shading covers, providing ventilation and heat dissipation equipment, and reminding employees to replenish water and rest in a timely manner.
      
     The Heat Stress at Work Warning is formulated by the LD based on the Hong Kong Heat Index. There are three levels of the warning: Amber, Red and Black, which help employers and employees better understand the level of heat stress while working outdoors or indoors without air-conditioning systems.
      
     A spokesman for the LD said that when the department issues the Heat Stress at Work Warning, employers must refer to the criteria and recommendations provided in the "Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work" to conduct risk assessments, according to the workloads and other relevant heat stress risk factors, for employees who work outdoors or in non-air-conditioned indoor workplaces. Appropriate rest breaks should be arranged every hour, as far as reasonably practicable, based on various levels of the Heat Stress at Work Warning, to reduce employees' risk of heat stroke.
      
     Employees must also follow instructions to rest on time. Whenever there are any symptoms of heat-related illnesses, such as headache, dizziness, thirst, and nausea, they should rest in a cool and shady place, drink water, and inform employers/supervisors to take appropriate action immediately.
      
     The LD issued the "Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work", detailing the various risk factors that should be considered when conducting heat stress risk assessments and recommending corresponding control measures for identified risk factors for employers' and employees' reference. For the Heat Stress at Work Warning and related guidelines, please refer to the department's thematic webpage: www.labour.gov.hk/eng/news/prevention_of_heat_stroke_at_work.htm.

     The Buildings Department (BD) today (June 30) launched the final stage, i.e. Stage 3 of the Electronic Submission Hub (ESH) (esh.bd.gov.hk) to accept all types of plan submissions and related applications, including general building plans and plans for alteration and addition works, under the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123) (BO). The 35 government departments and organisations responsible for processing such plans, building professionals and stakeholders could witness enhanced efficiency through ESH adoption.

     While paper submission is allowed, building professionals are encouraged to opt for ESH to fully utilise its many features and enjoy its benefits, including:

(a) Enhanced efficiency of the Centralised Processing System (CPS) in full electronic form

     Thirty-five government departments and organisations (CPS participants) including the BD may instantly and concurrently receive all types of building plans and documents via the electronic platform, obviating the need for transmission of paper documents between BD and CPS participants, thus enhancing efficiency. The ESH allows easy tracking of progress at different departments and more convenient and direct communication between the applicants, BD and CPS participants, thus enhancing transparency of plan processing. 

(b) Promoting greater use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology

     In March 2024, the BD officially launched the BIM Area Tool for design review and compliance checking of floor area calculations in general building plans using BIM. This BIM Area Tool saves time and manpower in verifying numerical accuracy of the calculations for compliance with the BO. The full implementation of ESH will further promote the use of BIM technology and pave the way towards the goal of full adoption of BIM for preparation of electronic submission of building plans. 

(c) Environmental friendliness

     Since the launch of the first and second stages of ESH in 2022 and 2023 respectively, the ESH has saved over 66,000 sheets of A1 sized paper drawings and over 4.8 million pages of paper documents. With the launch of Stage 3 of ESH covering general building plans, registered building professionals no longer have to print some 10 copies of the plans for BD and different CPS participants to process the submissions. Not only will paper be saved, the need for printing and transportation for deliveries will also be saved, further contributing to a more environmentally friendly and sustainable development. 

     The launch of Stage 3 of ESH marks a significant milestone in achieving the initiative under the Smart City Blueprint for Hong Kong. The BD will continue to enhance and improve the system’s capacity in light of users’ feedback to pave the way for mandating e-submissions of building plans in 2027. 

     Starting in 2024, the BD organised a series of briefing sessions and workshops for building professionals and stakeholders to introduce the features of ESH and highlight its benefits. Additionally, the BD arranged multiple visits to provide technical support and hands-on assistance at their offices as well as to gather feedback for further system improvement. Such promotional activities will continue after the launch of Stage 3 of ESH. 

     The BD strongly encourages registered building professionals to submit plans electronically via the ESH. Practice Note for Authorized Persons, Registered Structural Engineers and Registered Geotechnical Engineers ADM-17 and Practice Note for Registered Contractors 42 have been published on the BD website (www.bd.gov.hk). A dedicated hotline at 3580 1000 and an email address at esh-helpdesk@bd.gov.hk have also been set up to provide technical support to users.

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 (June 30) that due to big waves, red flags have been hoisted at Shek O Beach and Deep Water Bay Beach in Southern District, Hong Kong Island; Pui O Beach and Hung Shing Yeh Beach in Islands District; Hap Mun Bay Beach in Sai Kung District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at these beaches.

     Hong Kong Customs, in the name of Hong Kong, China, was elected yesterday (June 29) as the Vice-Chairperson for the Asia/Pacific (A/P) region of the World Customs Organization (WCO) (2024-26).

     The Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Ms Louise Ho, from June 27 to 29 led a delegation to attend the 143rd/144th Customs Co-operation Council Sessions of the WCO in Brussels. Upon election, she said it was an honour for Hong Kong Customs to take on this important role in leading the development of the A/P region. This is the second time since 2000 that Hong Kong, China has served as Vice-Chairman for the A/P region of the WCO, which is even more significant. The global economy has undergone tremendous changes over the past two decades, and the A/P region has become the region with the highest growth potential in the world in the 21st century. The role of Hong Kong Customs in representing the A/P region in the WCO is in line with the interests of the country and Hong Kong, both in terms of national strategy and Hong Kong's development opportunities. It is strategically significant for Hong Kong Customs to take the lead in promoting co-operation with the A/P region, which is conducive to promoting Hong Kong's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative and strengthening the collaboration among the country, Hong Kong and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. By playing this pivotal role, Hong Kong Customs hopes to safeguard multilateralism, promote international co-operation and enhance the effectiveness of law enforcement in the region, thereby contributing to the development of the country and Hong Kong.

     During the handover ceremony, Ms Ho commended Australia, the outgoing Vice-Chairperson A/P, for their outstanding work and remarkable achievements over the past two years. She expressed gratitude to all A/P members for their unanimous support and vote of confidence in Hong Kong Customs to take up this important position. Ms Ho affirmed that Hong Kong Customs would strive to strengthen co-operation among regional members and co-ordinate diversified activities according to the region's development needs.

     In between the Council sessions, Ms Ho met with the Secretary General of the WCO, Mr Ian Saunders, and briefed him on the preparations for Hong Kong Customs' assumption of the vice-chairmanship, stressing that full preparations and deployment had been made for the work in the next two years. She also held a bilateral meeting with the Governor of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority of Saudi Arabia, Mr Suhail bin Muhammad Abanmi, to enhance mutual communication. Furthermore, Ms Ho actively engaged in dialogue exchange with heads of Customs administrations worldwide, including the Director General of the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security of the United Arab Emirates, Mr Ahmed Abdullah Bin Lahej Al Falasi; the Commissioner General of the Maldives Customs Service, Mr Yoosuf Maaniu Mohamed; the Director General of the Singapore Customs, Mr Tan Hung Hooi; the Commissioner of Bureau of Customs of the Republic of the Philippines, Mr Bienvenido Y Rubio; and the Director General of the Thai Customs Department, Mr Theeraj Athanavanich. They discussed the Customs Co-operative Arrangement, the Authorized Economic Operator Mutual Recognition Arrangement and co-operation in other aspects of Customs.

     During the visit, Ms Ho and the delegation visited the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels.