The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO Berlin) is presenting six Hong Kong productions in a dedicated "Hong Kong Heroines" section at the 17th Five Flavours Asian Film Festival, taking place from November 15 to December 3 (Warsaw time) in Warsaw.

     On the occasion of the Festival's opening ceremony, the Acting Director of HKETO Berlin, Miss Bonnie Ka, acknowledged the great collaboration with the Festival. "I am glad to share that the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Berlin has been a partner of the festival for over 10 years now. The Five Flavours Asian Film Festival has always been a unique stage for outstanding films from East and Southeast Asia for the Polish audience," Miss Ka said.

     The "Hong Kong Heroines" section is the main part of this year's festival. The opening film of the section, "An Autumn's Tale", is an award-wining classic of Hong Kong cinema, directed by Mabel Cheung. This lovingly told film is an iconic romantic drama, and a modern-day fable that captures the notions of diasporic identity and the myth of the American dream. It also captures a unique perspective on what it means to be a Hongkonger in a distant land.

     "Hong Kong has always been a melting pot where East meets West, connecting people from different cultures. We are also establishing ourselves as an international cultural exchange hub," Miss Ka added. Hong Kong is mapping out a blueprint for arts and culture and creative industries development, nurturing a diverse talent pool, and upgrading cultural infrastructure to further enhance the relevant ecosystem.

About HKETO Berlin
 
HKETO Berlin is the official representative of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in commercial relations and other economic and trade matters in Poland as well as Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Switzerland.

    

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
 
     Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH) today (November 16) reminded members of the public to stay alert to fraudulent calls.

     As informed by members of the public, people have received calls claimed to be calling from KWH and in the form of pre-recorded messages requesting the recipients to provide personal information in order to collect a document. KWH has already reported the matter to the Police.

     KWH reiterates that hospital staff will contact patients by phone in person, and will provide relevant information to verify the identity of both parties. Members of the public are advised not to disclose personal information during any unidentified phone calls, and report any suspected fraudulent calls to the Police.

     â€‹The Hong Kong Special Administrative Regions Government is pressing ahead with the development of Hong Kong's digital economy and smart city. The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) will continue to proactively encourage and assist bureaux/departments (B/Ds) in making good use of technology to deliver more digital government services which will bring convenience and benefit to the public and businesses.

     To more effectively promote the digital transformation of government services and meet citizens' expectations, the OGCIO today (November 16) announced a new measure for B/Ds with a view to strengthening the preparation for the rollout of their information technology (IT) systems which provide large-scale digital government services.

     Before rolling out selected IT systems providing large-scale digital government services, the respective B/Ds are required to subject the IT systems to additional load tests and stress tests to be conducted by an independent third party arranged by the OGCIO and to obtain positive confirmation from the OGCIO.

     The OGCIO further reminds all B/Ds again to ensure that thorough assessment, testing and contingency plan for their digital services have been duly completed before system rollout.
      
     A spokesman for the the OGCIO stressed, "The OGCIO will assist B/Ds in conducting additional tests for selected IT systems providing large-scale digital services before rollout. This being so, as the concerned system is an integral part of the public service provided by the relevant B/Ds, the B/Ds have the responsibility and an important role to play in ensuring the service quality and smooth operation of the system and service concerned."
      
     The OGCIO will continue to collaborate closely with all B/Ds by providing technical support and advice on system enhancement, in order to ensure that B/Ds have made adequate preparation for the rollout of their large-scale digital services to meet the service needs of the general public.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) announces the test results regarding the coating thickness of the Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH) cable trunking as follows:

     The HA appointed an independent expert to test the coating thickness of the cable trunkings at KWH earlier. Report submitted to the HA by the independent expert confirms that the thickness of the coating material does not meet the specification standards stated on the contract. The HA has taken follow-up actions against the contractor regarding the results and terms of contract. Meawhile, the HA has requested the contractor to conduct a detailed investigation and explain reason for violation. If any criminal elements are found, the HA will report to law enforcement authorities for further investigation.

    The Chief Manager (Capital Planning) of the HA, Mr Andrew Wong, said, "The independent expert appointed by the HA conducted a series of tests on the cable trunking of KWH, including arranging for a technician from an accredited laboratory to measure the thickness of the coating by elcometer on-site and instructing HA's facility personnel to collect cable trunking samples on site and sent to an accredited laboratory for thorough testing, measuring the thickness and weight of the cable trunking coating material with specialised laboratory equipment. The test data showed that the thickness of the cable trunking coating material is less than the standard of 20μm, amid the weight does not meet the relevant standard of 275 gram per square metre. The independent expert confirmed that the thickness and weight of the cable trunking coating are substandard and do not meet the standards stipulated in the project contract."

     The HA has been following up on the test result submitted by the independent expert and has written to the contractor again, requesting the contractor to explain the substandard coating thickness of the cable trunking. The HA will pursue its liabilities in accordance with the contract terms and has also instructed the project consultant and contractor to take the following remedial measures:
 

• Reinstall the substandard cable trunking in a prioritised manner without affecting the operation of the hospital (including strengthening arrangements for inspection, maintenance and repair etc even when replacement for cable trunking are not yet required); and
• Bear the additional expenses and losses incurred by the HA due to the substandard materials.

     Mr Wong emphasised again that the cable trunking coating is used to cover the metal shell of the cable trunking to prevent rusting and does not pose additional risks to the safety of patients and staff nor impact on the building's structure, fire safety and hospital operations. The cable trunking is mainly installed in sealed maintenance ducts or roof ceilings. They serve as conduits for storing cables, which are normally non-accessible to patients or the public. However, the substandard thickness of the coating may limit the durability of trunking. The HA has required the contractor to take all practical remedial measures. The HA will also comply with the new measures introduced to all public works projects in accepting or testing the materials provided by contactors and suppliers.

     With regard to media reports on the alleged use of cable trunkings with coating thickness not meeting the standard in Kwong Wah Hospital Redevelopment project under the Hospital Authority, the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD) today (November 16) said that it is following up the matter in conjunction with relevant government departments and public organisations responsible for public works projects.
 
     A spokesman for the ArchSD said, "The Government takes the matter very seriously. The ArchSD, together with relevant government departments and public organisations, are following it up in a prioritised manner, with regard to approximately 148 ongoing works contracts involving cable trunkings, by taking samples and arranging testing and reporting by accredited laboratories, so as to verify the compliance with the contract requirements on coating. The sample testing of the first batch involving around 38 ongoing works contracts is expected to be completed within three to four weeks."
 
     "If any non-compliance with the required coating thickness under the contract is found after testing, we will require the contractor of the relevant works contract to give explanations and make appropriate arrangements in accordance with contract terms. Such arrangements may include:
 

• without affecting the operation of the relevant facilities and in a prioritised manner having regard to actual circumstances, replacing the cable trunkings which do not meet the standard;
• for materials which cannot be replaced shortly (for example, replacement works would require prolonged fencing-off of certain areas in the facilities because of the cable trunkings’ locations and areas, hence affecting public use), we will request the contractor(s) to take other practicable remedies including strengthening inspection and maintenance, etc.;
• the relevant government departments and public organisations will also claim the contractor(s) any additional expenses and losses incurred by the non-compliance of standard of the material in accordance with the contract terms.  

     If the follow-up reveals that criminal elements may be involved, the case will be referred to law enforcement authorities for further investigation," added the spokesman.
 
     "The coating is used to cover the metal shell of cable trunking so as to prevent rusting. It does not support any electrical conduction and signalling. Insufficient thickness might limit the durability of cable trunking but it has no risk of electrical leakage and does not pose any risks to the safety and health of the building users, the building's structure, fire safety and operations of the relevant government departments or public organisations," stressed the spokesman.
 
     In view of the large number of construction materials involved in construction projects, government departments and public organisations have been adopting a risk-based approach in implementing corresponding inspection and acceptance procedures for different materials. According to the current practice, contractors are required to provide documentary proof (including manufacturer's certificate of accreditation to recognised Quality Assurance System and test report of the materials by accredited laboratories) to confirm compliance of the material with the specified standard. As coating of cable trunking does not affect structural safety of buildings and is not a major building component, the abovementioned documents are required without specification of the manner and form.
     
     In view of the incident, the ArchSD has reviewed the abovementioned inspection and acceptance procedures. In conjunction with relevant government departments and public organisations, it would enhance the procedures for inspection and acceptance of coating of cable trunkings for their respective works projects as follows:
 

1. imposing more specific requirements for documentary proof from contractors on coating of cable trunking, including specifying that the manufacturer's certificate of accreditation to recognised Quality Assurance System submitted should have been issued within the past three years; and that the test report by an accredited laboratory submitted should show that the material tested is of the same batch as material used for the contract; and 
2. considering that the incident concerns coating of cable trunkings, following the risk-based approach, on-site sample tests will be conducted as part of the inspection and acceptance procedures for coating of cable trunkings. 

     The spokesman added, "The abovementioned enhanced inspection and acceptance procedures will be included in the contracts of relevant ongoing and new works".