Owing to the thunderstorm warning, the flag-raising ceremony to be conducted at Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai at 8am today (June 9) will be cancelled.
If the thunderstorm warning is cancelled and weather conditions permit by then, the flag-raising ceremony may be resumed without further notice.
​Hong Kong Customs detected a dangerous drugs internal concealment case involving two incoming passengers at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 2.2 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $2 million on June 6.
A 34-year-old male passenger and 38-year-old female passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, on June 6. During Customs clearance, Customs officers found them to be suspicious, and suspected that they had dangerous drugs concealed inside their body cavities. They were then escorted to hospital for examination.
While waiting for examination in the hospital, the man discharged pellets of suspected cocaine in the washroom. He was arrested immediately. Upon examination, the woman was confirmed by a doctor not to have foreign objects concealed inside her body cavity. Suspecting that she was in connection with the case, she was arrested accordingly. As at 3pm today (June 8), the arrested man has excreted 201 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 2.2kg in total.
Upon investigation, the arrested persons have been jointly charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts on June 10.
Following the resumption of normal travel and exchanges with the Mainland and other parts of the world, the number of visitors to Hong Kong has also been increasing steadily. Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking 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).
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
​The Hong Kong Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service (BTS) today (June 8) held its Annual Donor Award Ceremony to commend outstanding regular blood donors. The BTS also announced that a total of 3 908 donors gave blood 25 times or in its multiples in 2023/24, which breaks the BTS record for two consecutive years. On behalf of all patients who have received blood transfusion treatment, the BTS would like to express its sincerest gratitude to all the enthusiastic blood donors.
The officiating guests of award presentation included the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee; the President of the Hong Kong Red Cross (HKRC), Mr George Joseph Ho; the Chairperson of the HKRC, Dr Lau Chor-chiu; the Chairman of the BTS Hospital Governing Committee, Mr Ignatius Chan; and the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority (HA), Dr Tony Ko, etc.
Dr Lee said, "A steady supply of blood is getting more crucial when the demand for healthcare services is growing with an ageing population. I particularly welcomed the BTS' strategy in enlisting the youth community as a new force for blood donation and urged blood donors to engage their family and friends in making it a habit to donate blood. The Government would continue to give full support to blood donation activities, including holding another blood donation event at the Central Government Offices next week with participation of government staff to appeal more businesses and organisations in organising blood donation activities."
Dr Ko stated that, "A sustainable and stable blood supply is of utmost importance to the healthcare system. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all blood donors across Hong Kong, whose donations have enabled patients to receive appropriate blood transfusion treatments. The HA has been strongly supportive of blood donation activities, and many healthcare professionals are outstanding blood donors who are dedicated to safeguarding patients' wellbeing both at work and in their personal lives."
Dr Lau reiterated that the BTS has been continuously promoting the recruitment of young blood donors by visiting various universities and secondary schools to organise campus blood donation activities, with the aim of cultivating a habit of regular blood donation among the youth. He hopes to see more young faces at the blood donation award ceremony in the future.
A total of 126 400 donors donated nearly 213 000 units of blood, turning into over 342 800 units of blood products for clinical treatment after they underwent processing and testing at the various laboratories of the BTS this year.
In addition to individual donation awards, Elite Partnership Awards were presented to following corporate, community and academic partners, in recognition of their enthusiastic support and remarkable achievements for blood donation. The respective winners are:
Elite Partnership Award – Corporate Partners
Elite Partnership Award – Community Partners
Elite Partnership Award – Community Partners (Blood Donation Vehicle)
Elite Partnership Award – University
Elite Partnership Award – Secondary School
The BTS invites members of the public to keep donating blood and become a regular blood donor. Donors are advised to make appointments via "HK Blood" mobile app or by calling the BTS' donor centres. For details, please visit www.ha.org.hk/rcbts.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) today (June 8) held the National Security Legal Forum with the theme of "Looking Back and Ahead, New Dawn for Development", inviting a number of senior government officials, internationally renowned legal experts and academics to share their insights on national security issues, such as the implementation and development of jurisprudence of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL), as well as the "dual legislation and dual enforcement mechanism" institutional safeguard constituted along with the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (SNSO). Panel discussions among representatives from the financial and business sectors, and the interactive session between the Secretary for Justice and young people enabled members from different sectors to have a better understanding of national security, thereby dispelling misconceptions on the laws on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong and encouraging the public to be more proactive and conscious in safeguarding national security. The event attracted about 1000 guests and participants attending.
Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Nong Rong; and Vice-Chairperson of the Committee for the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPCSC) and Deputy Director of the Legislative Affairs Commission of the NPCSC, Mr Zhang Yong, were invited to deliver keynote speeches at the forum.
The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee; the Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Mr Zheng Yanxiong; the Head of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR, Mr Dong Jingwei; the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the HKSAR, Mr Cui Jianchun; and the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, delivered their opening remarks at forum.
Speaking at the forum, Mr Lee said that safeguarding national security is the Government's responsibility, as well as the obligation of the whole community of Hong Kong. He pointed out that Hong Kong had finally completed the local legislation of Article 23 of the Basic Law in March this year, marking an important milestone in Hong Kong's new journey from stability to prosperity. The NSL and the SNSO will be compatible and complementary, giving full play to the institutional advantages of "dual legislation and dual enforcement mechanism", ensuring that Hong Kong can focus on creating a more prosperous and better home without worries.
Mr Lam said that it is of crucial importance to build and reinforce the confidence of all sectors in the laws on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong, which was enacted and implemented strictly in accordance with the rule of law principle, and will have positive interaction with Hong Kong's future development. The DoJ will, in collaboration with relevant bureaux and departments, continue to promote and enhance education on the laws on safeguarding national security and other topics related to Hong Kong's legal system and the rule of law through various means, so as to strengthen the trust of members of the public, and enhance their willingness to respect and obey the law as a matter of course.
There were four panel sessions at the forum. In the first session, legal experts and academics reviewed the practical experience, development of jurisprudence and theoretical achievements of the NSL in light of previous case laws, with a view to demonstrating that the implementation of the NSL is fully compatible with the rule of law values, such as independent judicial power and fair trials, in which Hong Kong takes pride. The second session illustrated how the SNSO, following its implementation, works in tandem with the NSL in a compatible and complementary manner with mutual reinforcement in their enforcement and interpretation, fully leveraging on the strengths of the "dual legislation and dual enforcement mechanism", so as to effectively respond to national security risks.
In the third session, representatives from the financial and business sectors shared their views on how the HKSAR's legal infrastructure for safeguarding national security creates a more stable environment for different sectors, and creates favourable conditions for high-quality development of the HKSAR. In the final session "Chat with SJ", Mr Lam discussed with the audience and student representatives how national security is relevant to daily life, and the important role of youth in safeguarding national security.
The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Mr Cheung Kwok-kwan, concluded the forum by thanking all guest speakers for sharing their insights and all the supporting organisations for their strong support. He pointed out that Hong Kong now has a comprehensive legal mechanism, in line with international standards, for safeguarding national security, fully protecting the legal rights and interests of investors and providing a more stable environment to help the HKSAR focus its efforts on developing a vibrant economy.
Attention TV/radio announcers:
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:
Here is an item of interest to swimmers.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (June 8) that Sheung Shui Swimming Pool in the North District has been temporarily closed for cleaning and superchlorination following the discovery of a small amount of vomit in the pool.
It will be reopened at 8.10pm today.
The department appeals to swimmers to be considerate and to keep the swimming pools clean. They are advised not to swim after a full meal and should use the toilet facilities if necessary before swimming.