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

     The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) today (December 6) announced the advanced schedule for clearance and rehousing for Phase 3 of the Wah Fu Estate (WFE) redevelopment and the clearance and rehousing arrangements for the Phase 1 of Choi Hung Estate (CHE) redevelopment.
 
     The HA's Strategic Planning Committee discussed the above two plans this morning. The Subsidised Housing Committee and Commercial Properties Committee, at a joint meeting, subsequently approved the rehousing and associated arrangements for domestic and commercial tenants affected by the Phase 1 of CHE clearance exercise.

Advanced schedule for clearance and rehousing for redevelopment of WFE Phase 3
    
     The HA has been co-ordinating closely with other government departments to improve the transport network surrounding redevelopment projects. The Transport and Logistics Bureau and Highways Department reported to the Legislative Council's Subcommittee on Matters Relating to Railways this morning, confirming that the originally proposed heavy rail transit system for the South Island Line (West) will be replaced by the smart and green mass transit systems to improve the technical feasibility and overall cost effectiveness. Upon co-ordination between relevant departments, the sites reserved at existing Wah On House and Wah Lok House for the development of the heavy railway can be released at an earlier time. The HA takes the opportunity to commence demolition at Wah On House and Wah Lok House and construction of the New WFE Phase 1 immediately upon the completion of the population intake at the Wah King Street reception site. The New WFE Phase 1 would become the rehousing resources for Phase 3 clearance tenants of Wah Chui House and Wah King House.
 
     This new arrangement will allow the Phase 3 clearance tenants of Wah Chui House and Wah King House to move in to the New WFE Phase 1 in Q2/2034, advanced by around six years. The target clearance date of Wah Chui House and Wah King House can also be advanced by six years, from 2040/2041 to 2034/2035. The HA will continue to co-ordinate with relevant departments to develop remaining phases of the New Wah Fu Estate.
 
     WFE is a mature community with a friendly neighborhood. Many shops have been established in the estate for many years. In the development work, the HA also focuses on retaining the cultural characteristics of the estates and sustaining the affection for small shops, and assist the featured shops and small shop tenants to continue their services for the community. The HA will discuss with the residents through engagement workshops and consider the retention of shops with unique characteristics and are worthy of retention by way of tailor-made tender arrangements.
 
Phase 1 of CHE redevelopment
 
     As for the CHE redevelopment, the HA announced the clearance and rehousing arrangements for Phase 1, which will include three blocks, i.e. Pik Hoi House, Kam Pik House and Tan Fung House. Affected tenants will have a notification period of about 52 months before the target clearance date in April 2029 when they have to move out of their units. 
 
Public participation to improve the community
 
     Based on the views of stakeholders collected during the District Council consultation and community engagement activities, the HA will carry out the associated arrangements of the redevelopment and the community improvement plans.
 
(1) Enhancement of transport facilities

     The CHE redevelopment provides an opportunity for the Government to make full use of the opportunity to improve the traffic problems at the Choi Hung Interchange. The HA will rearrange the master layout of the estate and set back the existing estate site boundary to vacate part of the land in three phases to accommodate the Government's road improvement works. The HA has included Tan Fung House in the Phase 1 clearance, which aims to provide the land adjacent to the Choi Hung Interchange as early as possible for the relevant government departments to implement road-widening works and provide additional traffic lanes to improve traffic flows. Additional bus lay-bys can also avoid the occupation of the carriageway by the buses while they are waiting to pick up and drop off passengers, thereby improving traffic at the Choi Hung Interchange.
 
(2) Sustaining affection of small shops and conserving cultural characteristics 

     The aforementioned tailor-made tender arrangements for the shops in WFE will also apply to tenants under the Phase 1 clearance of the CHE redevelopment. To sustain the affection for small shops and assist the featured shops and small shop tenants in the community to continue their business operations, the HA will identify the tenants of shops with unique characteristics and are worthy of retention through community engagement exercises, and engage them in bidding for new commercial premises reserved in the reception estates or the redeveloped estates in the original site, or other designated vacant shops and shops and stalls in the HA's existing retail facilities. Successful bidders will be given a three-month rent-free period for the new tenancy. The HA will gauge the views of the community and the intention of affected tenants through community engagement activities before finalising the detailed arrangements. If the eligible tenants do not participate in the tailor-made tender arrangements, they will be granted a lump sum payment of $125,000 in lieu. As usual, eligible commercial tenants under fixed-term tenancies paying market rent will be offered ex gratia allowances equivalent to 15 times the monthly exclusive rent as specified in the tenancy agreement applicable on the date of formal announcement of clearance. The HA will also consider incorporating the unique design elements of the existing estate into the design of the estate and adopt new architectural design techniques and consider retaining the cultural characteristics of CHE, for example, the traditional shop signboards and retail street design.   
 
(3) Care for tenants' needs

     The HA will take care of the tenants in need during the CHE redevelopment, especially the elderly, through internal transfers. Under the current policy, tenants who have difficulties in continuously living in their existing flats due to special circumstances may apply for transfer to a flat in the same estate. If the elderly tenants currently living in the domestic blocks in the Phase 1 clearance have need to be transferred to the domestic blocks in the Phase 2 and 3 clearance, they can apply for an internal transfer, and the applications will be considered with discretion. However, there are no available flats in CHE for allocation to one-person households. Therefore, one-person households will only be arranged to be transferred to other housing estates.
 
(4) Diverse rehousing options

     Various rehousing options will also be offered to the affected tenants. There are about 1 970 households currently living in the domestic blocks involved in the Phase 1 clearance. The new Mei Tung Estate in the same district, providing about 2 450 Public Rental Housing (PRH) units with anticipated intake in 2028 to 2029 will be used as the reception estate and be able to accommodate all the affected households. Affected tenants may also choose to move to refurbished PRH units in any district of their choice, subject to availability of resources. In view of the encouraging sales responses of Green Form Subsidised Home Ownership Scheme (GSH) 2023 and continuous requests from CHE tenants in seeking further opportunities to purchase subsidised sale flats (SSFs) in nearby locations in lieu of rehousing, apart from the 1 467 flats provided in Wang Chiu Road Phase 2 in Kowloon Bay which was announced to be converted to a GSH project at the end of last year, the HA's Strategic Planning Committee has also approved at the meeting today to convert the PRH development at Wang Chiu Road Phase 1 with 2 576 flats to a GSH project. In total, two projects will provide 4 043 flats for sale. Subject to members' endorsement of the proposed conversion and endorsement by the Subsidised Housing Committee on the sales arrangements of the relevant sale exercises, affected tenants of the CHE Phase 1 clearance will be accorded priority to purchase SSFs before the target clearance date if they would like to purchase SSFs in lieu of rehousing, including GSH flats of the Wang Chiu Road Phase 1 and Phase 2.
 
(5) Details of allowance
     
     Domestic tenants affected by the clearance will be offered a Domestic Removal Allowance ranging from $10,030 to $31,910, depending on the household sizes, to help meet part of their moving expenses. One-person and two-person households may also opt to receive a Singleton/Doubleton Allowance (SA/DA) in lieu of rehousing to a PRH unit. In this regard, the joint meeting today endorsed the adjustment of the SA/DA rates to $78,820 and $96,050 respectively.
 
(6) Community Service Team

     As with previous clearance projects, a Community Service Team will be set up and stationed on-site in the estate to help maintain effective communications between the HA and affected households, in particular elderly people, and offer services including assistance in moving out of their existing flats and adapting to their new living environment.
 
     The HA will announce the latest news and developments in due course based on the progress of the WFE and CHE redevelopment.

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, attended a seminar in Beijing this morning (December 6) together with the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, and the Director of Hong Kong Talent Engage, Mr Anthony Lau. The seminar was convened by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MoHRSS) to exchange views on promoting talent exchanges and co-operation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and to deepen and forge the work of building Hong Kong into an international hub for high-calibre talent. Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Mr Wu Xiuzhang, Deputy Secretary General of the People’s Government of Guangdong Province Mr Sun Zhe, and Deputy Director of the Education and Youth Development Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government Mr Teng Sio-hong also attended the meeting and delivered speeches.  
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     At the seminar, Mr Chan said that, "This year marks a fruitful year for integrated talent development in the GBA, achieving various significant milestones, including the signing of the framework agreement on promoting Guangdong-Hong Kong talent co-operation between the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government in January this year, and establishing a co-operation mechanism to enhance co-operation between the two places in respect of talent cultivation, attraction, and exchanges. In May this year, to further attract and retain talent, the 9+2 cities of the GBA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to jointly strengthen services provided for talent in the region and create an environment more favourable for talent settling down."
      
     Mr Chan said that Hong Kong has brought together diversified talent from around the globe, and has served as a window for outside talent for the GBA and the country. Hong Kong will play the important roles of building an international hub for post-secondary education, attracting innovation and technology talent and leading technology enterprises, and strengthening Hong Kong's status as an international talent hub, with a view to making greater contributions to Hong Kong and the country's high-quality development, and accelerating the process of building China into a great country through modernisation.
      
     "Each city of the GBA possesses unique advantages on development, and has ample room for collaboration. Looking ahead, I have confidence that Hong Kong will build on our past efforts to continue to enhance the GBA's strategic planning on areas including the admission, nurturing and mobility of talent, with a view to expediting the enhancement of the ability to attract and gather talent in the GBA to make a greater contribution to the high-quality development of our country," Mr Chan concluded.
      
     Witnessed by Mr Chan, Mr Sun signed at the seminar an MOU on behalf of the Labour and Welfare Bureau of the HKSAR Government, together with the MoHRSS, the Human Resources and Social Security Department of Guangdong Province (GDHRSSD), and the Talent Development Committee of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government (MTDC). The MOU will help the GBA to jointly build a pilot international hub for high-calibre talent, a demonstration zone of interface and reform of talent-related regulations, a strategic fulcrum of innovation and entrepreneurship of talent in the GBA, an innovative co-operation zone of skilled workforce training, and a high-quality development zone of human resources. The MOU will consolidate efforts of different parties and expedite the creation of a strategic fulcrum for the building of a talent-rich country.
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     The seminar was attended by the MoHRSS, the GDHRSSD, and the MTDC, together with representatives from the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau of Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai of Guangdong Province, etc.
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     Mr Chan and the delegation will depart from Beijing for Hong Kong this afternoon.

    

     In response to the Japanese Government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on December 5 to noon today (December 6), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 194 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 52 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 103 889 samples of food imported from Japan (including 67 017 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 23 416 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

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

      Exchange Fund Bills tender results:
 

 
* "Pro rata ratio" refers to the average percentage of allotment with respect to each tender participant’s tendered amount at the "highest yield accepted" level.

     Hong Kong Customs on December 1 detected a suspected case of using an ocean-going vessel to smuggle goods to Pakistan at the Kwai Chung Container Terminals. A large batch of suspected smuggled earphones and skincare products with an estimated market value of about $23 million was seized.
 
     Through intelligence analysis and risk assessment, Customs discovered that criminals intended to use ocean-going vessels to smuggle goods, and thus formulated strategies to combat related activities.
 
     On December 1, Customs officers identified for inspection an ocean-going vessel preparing to depart from Hong Kong for Pakistan. A large batch of suspected smuggled earphones and skincare products were found to be concealed in four machines inside a container which was declared as containing machines, air-conditioners, electronic parts, etc.
 
     An investigation is ongoing. The likelihood of arrests is not ruled out.
 
     Customs is the primary agency responsible for tackling smuggling activities and has long been combating various smuggling activities on all fronts. Customs will keep up its enforcement action and continue to resolutely combat sea smuggling activities through proactive risk management and intelligence-based enforcement strategies, and carry out targeted anti-smuggling operations at suitable times to crack down on related crimes.
 
     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years upon conviction.
 
     Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).