Tag Archives: China

     A spokesman for the Development Bureau (DEVB) said today (October 11) that the Government attached great importance to construction safety. In response to the fatal industrial incident at a construction site at To Wah Road, Kowloon yesterday (October 10), the DEVB, being the party to procure services for public works, imposed regulating actions on the contractor and subcontractor involved pursuant to the regulating regime.
 
     The spokesman said that the contractor concerned is on the List of Approved Contractors for Public Works and the List of Approved Suppliers of Materials and Specialist Contractors for Public Works (the Lists), while the sub-contractor is on the latter. 
 
     The contractor concerned, which was involved in a tower crane accident occurred at a construction site on Anderson Road in Sau Mau Ping last year, has been suspended from tendering for public works contracts in all categories until December 31, 2023. In response to the fatal industrial incident occurred yesterday, the DEVB is now initiating further regulating action on the contactor pursuant to the regulating regime and has served a notice to the contactor, specifying that the contractor’s eligibility for tendering for public works contracts in all categories will be further suspended until December 31, 2024.
 
     The DEVB also suspended today the subcontractor concerned from tendering for public works contracts in all categories for three months pursuant to the regulating regime. The subcontractor has to conduct an independent safety audit to review its safety management system. Taking cognisance of the outcome of the independent safety audit, the subcontractor is required to submit an improvement action plan and implement improvement measures, with a view to demonstrating that it has an effective safety management system before uplifting of the suspension from tendering can be considered. 
 
     Relevant government department is investigating this industrial incident and will handle it in accordance with the law. Subject to the investigation findings, the DEVB, being the procurement party, will impose further regulating actions on the contractor and subcontractor concerned later on, including extension of the period of suspension from tendering for public works contracts and even removal from the Lists.
 
     Regarding the tower crane accident that occurred at a construction site on Anderson Road in Sau Mau Ping in September 2022, the Labour Department and the Buildings Department have completed investigations and initiated prosecution against the relevant duty holders (including the above-mentioned contractor). The police is also actively conducting in-depth investigations into the case. read more

     Hong Kong Customs today (October 11) conducted an enforcement operation to combat infringement activities involving unauthorised communication of copyright works to the public. Preliminary figures show that about 1 200 suspected illicit streaming devices and a batch of computers and video equipment, with an estimated market value of about $1.4 million, were involved in the operation.

     Customs earlier received information from a copyright owner alleging that some retail shops were offering customers illicit streaming devices, namely TV set-top boxes and designated application programs, for watching infringing audiovisual contents, which were suspected of communicating copyright works to the public without authorisation.

     After an in-depth investigation and with the assistance of the copyright owner, Customs officers took enforcement action today and raided 10 retail shops which were suspected to be connected with the cases in Sham Shui Po and Yuen Long respectively and seized the batch of suspected illicit streaming devices.

     During the operation, six men aged between 25 and 39 were arrested. They included three shop owners and three salespersons.

     An investigation is ongoing. The likelihood of further arrests has not been excluded.

     It is the first time to apply “communication right” in enforcement operations against infringement activities involving illegal streaming devices since the implementation of the Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2022. Customs reminds merchants not to take part in activities involving unauthorised communication of copyright works to the public. Also, members of the public should respect intellectual property rights and not to buy any illicit streaming devices. Unknown websites connected with the illicit streaming devices might contain computer viruses or malware which can pose a risk to users.

     Under the Copyright Ordinance, any person who without the authorization of the copyright owner, communicates a copyright work to the public for the purpose of or in the course of any trade or business that consists of communicating works to the public for profit or reward; or communicates the work to the public to such an extent as to affect prejudicially the copyright owner, commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is imprisonment for four years and a fine of $50,000 in respect of each copyright work.

     Members of the public may report any suspected infringing activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).

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     Police today (October 11) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Tin Sum.      Wong Kwan-kai, aged 65, went missing after he left his residence in Pok Hong Estate on… read more

     The Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Zoonotic Diseases (JSC) under the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health convened a meeting today (October 11) to discuss and issue the updated consensus interim recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccines in Hong Kong.

     Taking into account the latest recommendations by the World Health Organization, as well as the local situation of COVID-19, overseas practice and latest scientific evidence, the JSC updated its recommendations today.

     Noting that the local activity of COVID-19 may be higher in winter, the JSC recommended a booster dose to be given at least six months after the last dose or COVID-19 infection (whichever is later), regardless of the number of doses received previously, for the following high-risk priority groups before a possible COVID-19 winter surge in the upcoming months for enhanced protection:
 

1. older adults aged 50 or above including those living in residential care homes;
2. persons aged 18 to 49 years with underlying comorbidities;
3. persons with immunocompromising conditions aged 6 months and above;
4. pregnant women; and
5. healthcare workers.

     Also, as a peak of seasonal influenza usually happens during winter, experts also highly recommended members of the public, especially those high-risk individuals, to receive COVID-19 vaccination and seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) at the same time as soon as possible to guard against the possible COVID-19 upsurge and influenza season which may appear simultaneously.

     The JSC recommended that any available vaccines (i.e. inactivated/mRNA ancestral strain vaccines or mRNA bivalent vaccine) should be used before the possible winter surge since they continue to provide benefit against severe disease. In this connection, the CHP urges citizens, in particular the high-risk groups, to receive COVID-19 vaccination as early as possible.

     During the meeting, the use of new generation XBB mRNA vaccine was also discussed. Experts reviewed the latest epidemiology, scientific evidences of relevant vaccines and overseas vaccination practice, and considered that the XBB vaccine, when available in Hong Kong, could be used. In case of a limited local supply of the XBB vaccine, priority should be given to those with higher risks (e.g. elderly persons living at residential care homes).

     â€‹Details of the interim recommendations are available on the CHP’s website at www.chp.gov.hk/en/static/24008.html. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public in Hong Kong that Moonbank as referred to on the website (https://www.moonbank.me) does not have the authorization of the Monetary Authority under the Banking Ordinance (the Ordinance) to carry on banking business, or the business of taking deposits, in Hong Kong; and Moonbank does not have the approval of the MA to establish a local representative office in Hong Kong under the Ordinance.
      
     Given the global nature of the Internet, members of the public are reminded to verify the status of any organisation making use of the Internet to offer bank accounts to, or to solicit deposits from, the public in Hong Kong prior to transferring any funds to, or providing any personal information to, any such organisation.
      
     A list of Authorized Institutions is available on the HKMA’s website (www.hkma.gov.hk). Members of the public may also check the status of any entity which appears to be soliciting deposits from the public in Hong Kong, or holding itself out as a bank or deposit-taking company in Hong Kong, by emailing the HKMA’s public enquiry service (publicenquiry@hkma.gov.hk). read more