The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) is very concerned about an incident today (October 21) where a wild pig injured a member of the public in Mong Kok Flower Market. &nb… read more
Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, at the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Week 2023@Bangkok in Bangkok, Thailand, today (October 21):
Minister Sermsak (Minister of Culture of the Kingdom of Thailand, Mr Sermsak Pongpanit), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon! Welcome to the opening ceremony of the Hong Kong Week 2023@Bangkok.
Hong Kong and Bangkok enjoy close ties. In recent years Thai cultural and arts offerings are always well-received in Hong Kong. Likewise, the pop culture and high arts offerings from Hong Kong are also very popular among citizens in Thailand.
Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Cooperation between Hong Kong and Thailand in 2018, we have developed even deeper cultural partnership and bonding. It is our pleasure to present our overseas edition of Hong Kong Week in Bangkok, to showcase to our Thai friends Hong Kong’s enchanting arts and cultural offerings.
In the coming weeks, we will connect Hong Kong’s unique artistry and creativity with audiences and viewers in Bangkok. We have brought a wide variety of programmes, covering music, dance, intangible cultural heritage, film and fashion to showcase the essence of our East-meets-West cultural DNA, our Chinese and Hong Kong stories, and our aesthetics.
Our Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, one of Asia’s foremost orchestras, will perform two concerts during the festival and the Hong Kong Dance Company will also present an award-winning piece, Convergence, fusing Chinese martial arts and dance and presenting our rich Chinese cultural treasures in a modern way.
If you are more interested in our films and fashion, or Hong Kong-style milk tea making technique with local characteristic, please join us at our film screenings, fashion presentations, and thematic exhibition on Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage.
Taking the opportunity, we would also like to introduce to you our young talents and aspiring artists, as well as promote exchanges between them and our Thai counterparts.
Our young musicians in arts groups “SENZA A Cappella” and “Respire Harmonica Ensemble” will perform the best of Hong Kong pop songs for the audience in Thailand. Students of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, our number one performing arts institute in Asia, will collaborate with students of Mahidol University for a wind and brass concert. I look forward to the sparks and inspirations from the events.
I am sure that the Hong Kong Week will bring rich and dazzling performances to the audiences here in Bangkok, and provide platforms and networking opportunities for Hong Kong artists, expanding their horizons and audience base, thereby contributing to the development of Hong Kong into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange.
Last but not least, I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to Thailand’s Ministry of Culture and Mahidol University, along with all other Thai and Hong Kong partners for their generous support for the Hong Kong Week.
I wish Hong Kong Week 2023@Bangkok a resounding success and I hope all of you will enjoy the opening concert and other performances of our Hong Kong Week. Thank you. read more
Following is the video speech by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, at the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Week 2023@Bangkok today (October 21):
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Hello everyone. Sah wah dee khrap. Welcome to the opening ceremony of Hong Kong Week 2023@Bangkok. We are excited to bring to Bangkok the first ever overseas edition of our flagship Hong Kong Week events, to showcase Hong Kong’s unique culture of artistry and creativity.
Under the unique “one country, two systems” principle, Hong Kong is where the China advantage and the global advantage converge in a single city.
As a pluralistic metropolis blending Chinese and Western cultures, Hong Kong is a strong believer of the promotion of mutual understanding among peoples of different places through cultural exchange.
We are eager to share the artistic achievements of our Asia’s world city with audiences from every part of the world. We also endeavour to bring quality artworks encompassing rich Chinese culture to more overseas cities, giving play to our unique strengths as a conduit between the Mainland of China and the rest of the world.
With a long and vibrant history, Thailand is fast becoming a cultural centre of the region. From mesmerising folklore and legends, to the vivid development of modern and contemporary art, Thailand’s cultural scenes continue to fascinate the world.
This year, we are glad to hold our first overseas Hong Kong Week in Bangkok to further enhance the exchanges and collaboration in arts and culture, and creative industries between our two cities.
The Hong Kong Week features diverse programmes, from music, dance and film, to fashion and intangible cultural heritage events. The eventful programme provides lots of opportunities for artists in Hong Kong and Bangkok to collaborate and exchange ideas.
With the passion of our artists, I am confident that this three-week festival will be filled with colours and sparks. Confident, as well, that it will bolster cultural appreciation and ties between our peoples.
Looking ahead, I hope more of our friends from Thailand would come to Hong Kong, to see for yourselves the unparalleled and plentiful opportunities, and feel the energy of our dynamic city. We welcome all of you in Hong Kong, for travel, for work, for studies, or even for investment.
I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all our dedicated partners, in particular the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Thailand, and Mahidol University, for giving your tremendous support to this Hong Kong Week.
I wish Hong Kong Week 2023@Bangkok a great success, and everyone an enjoyable afternoon at the reception and the opening concert. Thank you.
read more
​The Buildings Department (BD) launched Building Safety Week 2023 today (October 21), with a view to further promoting building safety messages to the public through a series of activities, and to connect with the public and the building industry to create a safe and sustainable living environment for the community.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Building Safety Week 2023 at Citywalk today, the Permanent Secretary for Development (Planning and Lands), Ms Doris Ho, said that safeguarding building safety is an important task for people’s livelihood. The Government has adopted a multi-pronged approach, through enforcement, support and promotion, to help the public build and upkeep their ideal homes.
Ms Ho said that the Government has been motivating owners to carry out regular maintenance and repair for their buildings. Partnering with the Urban Renewal Authority, the Government has launched a number of building rehabilitation programmes to provide financial and professional technical support to the owners in need. She called on the public to conduct regular “health checks” for the buildings. Proper management and timely maintenance not only help extend the life of the buildings, but also make the buildings healthier and more long-lasting, providing a safe and happy living environment for residents.
Delivering a welcome speech at the opening ceremony, the Director of Buildings, Ms Clarice Yu, said that the spalling of concrete or rendering from the external walls of buildings in recent months, as well as the demolition of part of the structural walls of a unit, have shown that many owners are facing the ageing of their buildings and have insufficient knowledge of building safety, which results in building neglect. In this regard, apart from organising various activities actively to enhance public awareness of building safety, the BD has also co-operated with building professional institutes and industry members to disseminate building safety messages to the community. This June, the BD, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, the Structural Division of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, launched a series of educational and publicity activities on the proper carrying out of alteration works.
Ms Yu said that to foster a building safety culture and remind owners of their responsibilities to maintain their properties and refrain from carrying out unauthorised building works, the BD will continue to co-operate with various stakeholders to produce a variety of educational materials and step up publicity to promote building safety.
Building Safety Week is a major event of the BD’s annual education and publicity efforts. During the week, the Building Safety Carnival, which runs from today to October 27 at Citywalk, aims to help members of the public acquire proper building safety knowledge through playing games in a relaxed manner.
The BD will organise the Buildings Department Inno Tech Open Day on October 25 and 26 at the BD Headquarters, West Kowloon Government Offices. The BD will demonstrate several innovative technologies, introduce the operation of the BD’s Mobile Command Unit and the use of drones to inspect the external walls of buildings and the like. A number of talks on building safety, including the mandatory building and window inspection schemes, interior alteration and addition works and Modular Integrated Construction will also be held at the Open Day. Members of the public can visit the BD’s website (www.careyourbuilding.bd.gov.hk/en/events_publicity/31.html) for more details about Open Day activities and registration matters.
In addition, the BD will hold the Building Safety Symposium on October 27 at the Hong Kong Palace Museum as the closing event of Building Safety Week 2023.
For the latest updates on Building Safety Week 2023, please visit the webpage of the BD (www.bd.gov.hk/en/whats-new/events-and-publicity/index.html). read more
A total of 40 nomination forms for the 2023 District Council Ordinary Election were received by the Returning Officers for the 18 District Committees constituencies (DCCs) and 44 District Council geographical constituencies (DCGCs) today (October 21).
This brings to 322 the total number of nomination forms received since the start of the nomination period on October 17. The nomination period will continue until October 30.
The number of nomination forms received for each District Council is as follows:
| DCCs | DCGCs | |||
| District Council | No. of nomination forms received today | Cumulative total | No. of nomination forms received today | Cumulative total |
| Central and Western District Council | 0 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| Eastern District Council | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 |
| Kowloon City District Council | 1 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| Kwun Tong District Council | 0 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| Sham Shui Po District Council | 4 | 9 | 3 | 8 |
| Southern District Council | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Wan Chai District Council | 0 | 5 | 1 | 3 |
| Wong Tai Sin District Council | 0 | 10 | 0 | 8 |
| Yau Tsim Mong District Council | 0 | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| Islands District Council | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 |
| Kwai Tsing District Council | 0 | 12 | 1 | 7 |
| North District Council | 1 | 9 | 1 | 6 |
| Sai Kung District Council | 3 | 15 | 2 | 10 |
| Sha Tin District Council | 4 | 19 | 8 | 14 |
| Tai Po District Council | 1 | 11 | 1 | 8 |
| Tsuen Wan District Council | 0 | 9 | 1 | 8 |
| Tuen Mun District Council | 0 | 11 | 0 | 9 |
| Yuen Long District Council | 1 | 17 | 2 | 10 |
| Total | 15 | 168 | 25 | 154 |
