Tag Archives: China

     The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, met with the Managing Director of CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP) today (June 13) to express deep concern over the power outage incident that occurred in the Wong Tai Sin area last night (June 12).
 
     Stable and reliable power supply is very important to the daily lives of the public and every level of economic activities in Hong Kong. Recently, there have been a number of voltage dips and power supply interruption incidents, and the frequency of these incidents has led to concerns about whether CLP’s service quality is on the decline. This incident should not be treated as an isolated event, and CLP needs to examine its company culture and management system for the entire power supply system to identify the root causes of the problem, make fundamental improvements to reduce the chances of similar incidents in the future, and maintain the stable and reliable power supply that Hong Kong has always been proud of.
 
     At the meeting, Mr Tse made a request to the Managing Director of CLP for CLP to allocate resources for an independent consultant. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) will be responsible for engaging an independent consultant, who will report to the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services (DEMS) after:
 
(1) Conducting a re-examination of all voltage dips and power supply interruption incidents that occurred in the past three years, listing the causes, improvement measures, implementation status of the measures, and their effectiveness; 

(2) Conducting a comprehensive review of the safety design of the power supply system, its capability to withstand the impact of external factors, the arrangements for maintenance and preventive maintenance, the procurement and inspection system for materials, the supervision and quality assurance standards, as well as personnel qualification, training and retraining requirements; and 

(3) Providing comprehensive recommendations on how to enhance the stability and reliability of the power supply, and reduce the chances of similar incidents in the future. 

     The EMSD will form a task force with CLP to work on the above requirements, with a view to completing the tasks and submitting a report within 12 months. The DEMS will also invite local experts and scholars to establish a steering committee to work together in supervising the work of the independent consultant and advise on the report. At the same time, the Environment and Ecology Bureau will continue to negotiate with CLP on modifying the Scheme of Control Agreement by introducing terms of penalty to facilitate a reduction in the occurrence of electrical incidents.
 
     Furthermore, the EMSD has requested that CLP identify the cause of the power supply incident last night and submit a detailed report within four weeks in accordance with the Electricity Ordinance (Cap. 406).

  

     An owner of premises was convicted with a criminal record and fined $18,000 by the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts on June 12 for the premises being used as an unlicensed guesthouse, which contravened the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.

     The court heard that officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department had identified a suspected unlicensed guesthouse being operated in Kowloon. The OLA officers posed as lodgers and rented a room in the premises concerned. According to the OLA’s records, the guesthouse did not have a valid licence on the date of lodging. The OLA invoked section 5A(1) of the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance and instigated prosecution against the owner of the premises.

     Section 5A(1) of the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance stipulates that if any premises are a hotel or guesthouse while no licence is in force for the premises, each of the owners and tenants of the premises commits an offence.

     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed hotel or guesthouse is a criminal offence. The owner of the subject premises, unless a statutory defence can be established, also commits a criminal offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of $500,000 and three years’ imprisonment. A conviction will result in a criminal record. The court may also issue a six-month closure order for premises involved in a repeated offence.

     The list of licensed hotels and guesthouses is available on the OLA’s website (www.hadla.gov.hk) and the mobile application “Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses” for public reference. Anyone with information about suspected unlicensed hotels and guesthouses should immediately report it to the OLA through the hotline (tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), or by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website, or through the mobile application. read more

     The Correctional Services Department (CSD) today (June 13) held the first Rehabilitation Partners Award Scheme Award Presentation Ceremony to honour 120 non-governmental organisations, charitable institutions, commercial o… read more

     The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, and the Director General of the Research Office of the Supreme People’s Court, Mr Zhou Jiahai, today (June 13) in Beijing signed a memorandum of understanding on establishing a standing interface platform on judicial and legal co-operation in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), which serves as a regular and institutionalised high-level official communication mechanism for deepening exchanges and co-operation and taking forward the work on the interfaces of mechanisms, regulatory frameworks and talent. Before the signing of the memorandum of understanding, the Executive Vice-president of the Supreme People’s Court, Mr Deng Xiuming, met with Mr Cheung and his delegation.

     The establishment of the interface platform is one of the policy initiatives in “The Chief Executive’s 2023 Policy Address”, and also an important measure in the Department of Justice’s Action Plan on the Construction of Rule of Law in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for strengthening the interface of the communication mechanism between the Mainland and Hong Kong.

     The two sides reached an agreement on various fronts to enhance the advantages of the GBA development, including the establishment of a standing interface mechanism to deepen the judicial and legal interface of regulatory frameworks in the GBA, thereby enhancing the cross-boundary multifaceted dispute resolution mechanism; strengthening exchanges and co-operation in the training of foreign-related legal talent; and conducting regular exchanges and visits of relevant officers.

     Under the framework of the interface platform, high-level joint meetings between the two sides will be convened at least once a year to set the work priorities for the next stage, jointly prepare the work plans and programmes and notify each other on a regular basis.

     Mr Cheung said the standing interface platform would enable the two sides to advance closer and smoother practical and research work on judicial and legal matters relating to the GBA, and better utilise the unique advantages of “one country, two systems and three jurisdictions” of the GBA, so as to consolidate Hong Kong’s status as a centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region, serving the high-quality development of the country and the construction of the rule of law in the GBA. read more

     The Government’s inter-departmental working group responsible for tackling management issues of oyster rafts in Deep Bay started to remove oyster rafts not authorised to temporarily remain at that location (i.e. oyster rafts without markers) today (June 13).

     The working group provided markers with unique identification numbers to local oyster farmers whose oyster rafts had been authorised to temporarily remain in Deep Bay. These markers should be attached to their corresponding oyster rafts for the working group to inspect. The working group started to remove oyster rafts without attached markers as well as all associated items today under the Shipping and Port Control Ordinance (Cap. 313) in accordance with the first phase of the management plan.  

     A spokesman for the working group said, “The working group will continue taking appropriate action, including the removal operation. Persons related to these oyster rafts may also be legally liable. The working group will assess factors such as navigational safety, water quality, and environmental conditions in Deep Bay, as well as the condition of oyster rafts authorised to temporarily remain in the next stage. With reference to this assessment, the working group will determine the culture area, actual number of oyster rafts, and culture locations to be permitted for oyster cultivation in Deep Bay under the management plan.” 

     The Government’s inter-departmental working group consists of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the Lands Department, the Hong Kong Police Force, the Marine Department, the Environmental Protection Department, and the Home Affairs Department. Members of the public can call 2150 7093, fax to 2314 2866 or email mailbox@afcd.gov.hk to contact the working group.