Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (November 11). They are, on Hong Kong Island, The Royal British Legion (Hong Kong & China Branch); in Kowloon, Greeners Action; and in the New Territories, Hong Kong Kidney Foundation Limited, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.

     Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people to distinguish among the three flag-selling activities.

     Information on the three flag-selling organisations on November 11 is as follows:
 

     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities, including any updated information, covered by the issued Public Subscription Permits have been published on the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing information on contact methods of the flag-selling organisations and the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/ngo/controlofc/flagdays) for reference. For enquiries, please call the SWD's hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678.

     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.

     The Hong Kong String Orchestra (HKSO) gave a superb performance in Athens, Greece, on November 9 (Athens time), the first date of its "Strings of the Bauhinia" Central and Eastern Europe tour along the Belt and Road countries from November 9 to 18.

     The HKSO, one of Hong Kong's outstanding arts projects recognised by the China National Arts Fund, is supported by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) for conducting cultural exchange activities outside Hong Kong to showcase Chinese artistic excellence as well as to tell the good stories of Hong Kong.

     The tour is performing two concerts in Greece, and one concert each in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Romania, led by its founder and artistic director, virtuoso Ms Yao Jue, on the special occasions of the 10th anniversaries of the "Belt and Road Initiative" and also the establishment of the HKSO in Hong Kong.

     The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) was happy to support the HKSO in person with its guests in Greece on its first night in Athens, which is also the closing event for the "China-Greece Year of Culture and Tourism". The Under Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Raistlin Lau, was also in Athens to applaud the inaugural concert of the tour.

     The HKETO, Brussels is helping to promote the concerts to its contacts in government, business and cultural circles in the cities. The Deputy Representative of the HKETO, Brussels, Miss Fiona Li, said there was no better way in forging people-to-people bonds and bridging the gap between different cultures along Belt and Road than sharing music. The concert tour also highlighted the efforts of the Government of HKSAR in grooming music talents with a view to developing Hong Kong to be an international arts and cultural exchange hub. Noting that the HKSO had achieved significant recognition in Hong Kong and internationally for its "music uniqueness in fusing Easter and Western influences", she said it was emblematic of Hong Kong as an East-meets-West cultural centre, bearing a unique role in promoting the "Belt and Road Initiative". 

     The HKSO aims to pave the way for young music graduates towards a professional career. By nurturing and engaging home grown talents it contributes to establishing Hong Kong as an international arts and cultural hub.

      

     The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about a fatal work accident that happened at a construction site in Tung Chung this afternoon (November 10), in which a male worker working on the ground was struck by an aluminum board that fell during the lifting operation. He sustained head injury and 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 issued suspension notices to the contractors concerned, suspending work relevant to aluminum boards at the 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 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government was notified by the Shenzhen authority today (November 10) that all clearance services at the Man Kam To Boundary Control Point will fully resume at 7am next Monday (November 13).

     The Director of Architectural Services, Mr Edward Tse, was deeply saddened by the passing of a staff member of its contractor in an incident that happened at the construction site of the Hospital Authority Supporting Services Centre in North Lantau today (November 10). Mr Tse visited the construction site immediately after the accident to understand the situation and met the family of the deceased at North Lantau Hospital, expressing his deepest condolences to them. The Architectural Services Department (ArchSD) has requested the contractor to provide appropriate assistance to the deceased's family.

     The incident happened today at about 1.45pm, when a 58-year-old male worker was found injured and unconscious on the ground on the site. The injured worker was sent by the ambulance to North Lantau Hospital for urgent medical treatment and was later certified dead.

     The ArchSD will render full assistance to relevant departments to investigate the cause of the incident and related works have immediately been suspended.

     The Development Bureau (DEVB), being the party to procure services for public works, has immediately suspended the contractor concerned from tendering for public works contracts pursuant to the regulating regime in response to the incident. Subject to the investigation findings, the DEVB will impose, as necessary, further regulating actions on the contractor concerned later on, including extension of the period of suspension from tendering for public works contracts and even removal from the List of Approved Contractors for Public Works.