A man who went missing in Tseung Kwan O has been located.
Wong Shing-kee, aged 76, went missing after he was last seen at MTR Tseung Kwan O Station on November 20 afternoon. His family made a report to Police on the same day.
The man returned to his residence this afternoon (November 23). He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, convened the cross-bureau and interdepartmental steering meeting on the preparatory work for the District Council Ordinary Election (DCOE) today (November 23), and was briefed by responsible officials regarding the preparatory work for the polling of the seventh DCOE, which will be held on December 10. He also instructed and advised on the overall plan.
Mr Lee said, "This election is the first major territory-wide election after improving the district governance system and reforming the District Councils (DCs) and is of particular significance. In light of the District Council election that will take place in around two weeks' time, various bureaux and departments should ensure that the election will be conducted in an open, fair, honest, safe and orderly manner. They should endeavor their best in their preparation to achieve four targets: to ensure the polling and counting processes be completed efficiently, to prevent corrupt and illegal conduct, to deliver their best at publicity work and to encourage the public to cast their votes."
The ​Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung; the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin; and the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, together with heads and representatives of other relevant bureaux and departments reported their progress and coordination efforts regarding the preparations for the election.
Mr Lee instructed various bureaux and departments to continue stepping up publicity efforts. By way of actively launching the activities through diverse platforms and creative means targeting all sectors of the community, the public can fully understand that improvements to the district governance system and reforms to the DCs are highly relevant to the public’s livelihood and important to improving governance at the district level, thus motivating the public to cast their votes on the polling day.
Mr Lee also stated that the civil service should shoulder the responsibility of supporting and implementing the policies relating to the District Council election. The civil service should lead by example and fulfill their civic responsibility by casting their votes on December 10 to elect DC members who have the capability and dedication. This will assist bureaux and departments to better grasp the pulse of the community, provide more effective services that cater the needs of the public, and as a result benefit the community.
Mr Lee reminded various bureaux and departments to stay vigilant and resolve any risks, including disruptions and interference, attacks and smearing, and even acts of "soft resistance" against the election. We should adopt the bottom-line thinking, be well-prepared, and take prompt responsive actions, to handle different kinds of contingencies effectively, so as to ensure the election on December 10 can be smoothly completed in a fair, just, clean, safe and orderly manner.
The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about a fatal work accident that happened at a construction site at the Peak this morning (November 23), in which a male worker, while inspecting an excavator at the construction site, was knocked down by another excavator in the vicinity. He was certified dead later in hospital. The LD is saddened by the death of the worker and expresses its deepest sympathy to his family.
The LD's spokesman said, "We commenced an immediate on-site investigation as soon as we were notified of the accident and will issue suspension notices to the contractors concerned, suspending the operation of all excavators at the construction site. The contractors cannot resume the work process until the LD is satisfied that measures to abate the relevant risks have been taken."
The spokesman added, "We will complete the investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation."
The general duty provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance require employers to provide safe working environments, plant and systems of work for their employees. Those who contravene the relevant provisions are liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for two years on conviction on indictment; or $3 million and imprisonment for six months on summary conviction.
In regard to today's accident, the LD will issue a Work Safety Alert through its website and by email, giving a brief account of the accident concerned to duty holders, workers' unions, professional bodies of safety practitioners and others, and reminding the industry of the importance of following safety precautionary measures to prevent a recurrence of similar accidents.
The LD will also remind the employer concerned of the liability for employees' compensation under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, assist family members of the deceased to claim employees' compensation and closely follow up on the case. For those with financial difficulties, the LD will assist them to apply for appropriate emergency funds. Subject to the needs and wishes of family members of the deceased, the LD will also liaise with the Social Welfare Department for financial or other assistance.
For the sake of securing the safety and health of employees at work, the LD appeals to employers to provide plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health. Employees should co-operate with their employers, adopt all safety measures and use personal protective equipment provided properly to avoid endangering their own work safety and that of other workers.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) today (November 23) announced that samples taken from a pig farm in Yuen Long had tested positive for African Swine Fever (ASF) virus.
An AFCD spokesman said, "AFCD staff yesterday (November 22) and today inspected a licensed pig farm at Lau Fau Shan, Yuen Long, and took samples from 62 pigs for testing. Results so far showed that samples from at least 5 pigs tested positive for ASF virus. The AFCD has immediately suspended transportation of any pigs from the farm concerned until further notice according to the contingency plan on ASF. The AFCD is arranging culling of all pigs, totaling around 1 900, on the farm concerned for the sake of prudence. The culling operations will commence on Saturday (November 25).”
He further said, "AFCD staff immediately notified all local pig farmers of this incident and reminded them to alert the AFCD immediately if abnormal health condition is observed in pigs. In addition, AFCD staff inspected the other three pig farms within three kilometres of the index farm. One of these pig farms has no pigs on farm. For the other two pig farms, samples were taken from pigs for ASF testing. Test results were all negative and no abnormalities were found in the health of those pigs. For the sake of prudence, the AFCD has also temporarily suspended movements of pigs on these farms until further notice. No reports of abnormalities from pig farms outside the three-kilometre zone have been received so far. AFCD staff had reminded local pig farmers to ensure biosecurity measures have been properly implemented; and continue close surveillance to detect pigs with abnormalities and if a farm is infected as early as possible."
The spokesman stressed that ASF is not a zoonotic disease and will not infect humans, hence does not cause any food safety risk. Pork cooked thoroughly is safe for consumption. Members of the public do not need to be concerned.
The present case does not affect the operation of local slaughterhouses nor the overall supply of live pigs. Since June 2019, a daily clearance arrangement whereby live pigs will be slaughtered within 24 hours upon admittance has been imposed in Sheung Shui and Tsuen Wan slaughterhouses. Under the arrangement, lairages in different areas of the slaughterhouses will be cleared out and undergo thorough cleaning and disinfection every day to further enhance the bio-security of, and minimise the risk of infection among pigs, in the slaughterhouses.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the AFCD will continue to stringently conduct cleaning and disinfection of Mainland live pig transportation vehicles and their counterparts for local pigs at slaughterhouses to minimise the risk of cross infection of ASF. Mainland live pig vehicles and local ones should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected every time they leave the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse (SSSH), and the respective designated positions for their cleaning and disinfection are separated. Manpower and equipment of the SSSH have been strengthened immediately for cleaning and disinfection of the vehicles. In light of these stepped up measures, the slaughterhouses need not be closed and other pigs need not be culled.
As culling operations take time, the AFCD will release updated operation information every day starting from November 25 on the departmental web page, www.afcd.gov.hk for the public.
The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, met with a delegation led by the Head of Civil Service of Singapore, Mr Leo Yip, under the Singapore-Hong Kong Permanent Secretaries Exchange Programme (Exchange Programme) at Central Government Offices today (November 23).
Welcoming the delegation's visit to Hong Kong, Mrs Yeung said the civil service of Hong Kong and Singapore have always maintained close ties and exchanges to share experiences and ideas. While reciprocal visits among senior civil servants of the two governments could not be materialised in the past few years under the COVID-19 epidemic, it is encouraging to see that this Exchange Programme has resumed today.
Mrs Yeung exchanged with the the delegation experiences in recruitment and training of civil servants. Both sides noted that with the fast-changing international political, economic and technological situations, as well as the gradually changing aspirations of the younger generation, investment in continuous training at all levels of the civil service and the provision of diverse opportunities for young people were important in enhancing the capability of civil servants to cope with the challenging global environment, maintaining the satisfaction civil servants obtain from their work and increasing the attractiveness of the civil service as a career for young people.
Concluding the meeting, Mrs Yeung said that Hong Kong and Singapore have all along had much in common and it is important for continuous exchanges and co-operation among civil servants in the two governments to take place. She looked forward to continue promoting people-to-people bonds between Hong Kong and Singapore in future and finding new areas for further collaboration.
