Tag Archives: China

     The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, departed Hangzhou and arrived in Beijing yesterday (May 30) to continue her visit, including to the China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC) and the China State Construction International Holdings Limited (CSCI) to deepen her understanding of the application of construction technologies by the companies, of which their group companies are respectively participating in the construction of a total of about 17 000 units of Light Public Housing (LPH). The group companies of the CSCI are also participating in the construction of five public housing projects with about 8 000 units under the Hong Kong Housing Authority (HKHA).
 
     Ms Ho yesterday led a delegation of representatives from the Housing Bureau (HB) and the Housing Department, and toured a steel module manufacturing plant of the CRCC to see for herself the latest developments of innovative construction technologies such as Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) and application of construction robotics. They also met with CRCC representatives and shared experiences on the research and development as well as application of these technologies.
 
     Ms Ho and the delegation visited an in-situ redevelopment project of an old building in Beijing this morning (May 31). The project was undertaken by the CSCI and is the first building in the city constructed using concrete MiC. Ms Ho said the HKHA is exploring the adoption of MiC as a concrete construction approach in various projects to build a more pleasant living environment for its residents. She was pleased to see different cities actively developing and adopting this technology to tackle their challenges. The delegation visited the CSCI and its exhibition gallery afterwards, followed by an exchange session with company representatives. Ms Ho thanked the CSCI for its group companies taking up a very challenging LPH project and also a large number of public housing projects. She also thanked the project team for the completion of Cheung Ching Estate in Tsing Yi by phases, allowing an early intake of residents from early May onwards. She encouraged them to keep expediting the construction process whenever possible for the LPH and various public housing projects and exploring early handing over by phases.
 
      The HB and the Architectural Services Department awarded two public works project contracts for the first batch of LPH projects in November last year to Chevalier – China Railway Joint Venture and China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Limited respectively for the design and construction of the LPH projects at Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun Area 3A and Choi Hing Road, Ngau Tau Kok; and the one at Olympic Avenue, Kai Tak. Relevant works have commenced at full speed. The first batch of LPH projects comprises four projects, providing a total of around 17 000 units. Among them, the Yau Pok Road, Yuen Long, project will provide about 2 100 units, and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2025 at the earliest. The other three are expected to be completed in phases from the second quarter of 2025 to the third quarter of 2026.
 
     Ms Ho continued that by manufacturing prefabricated modules in a highly automated and smart factory, the number of workers on-site can be greatly reduced. Together with the implementation of smart site, this not only can safeguard workers’ safety and provide a better working environment, the construction time, construction waste, usage of water and electricity at the site can also be significantly reduced by carrying out work processes in parallel. The construction process will be more environmentally friendly with much less noise and dust. More sustainable development can be achieved through the application of green-building technologies, conserving resources and reducing carbon emissions. Also, to enhance the speed, efficiency, quantity and quality of increasing the public housing supply, the HKHA has been committed to promoting the adoption of various innovative construction technologies in its projects. With technologies like MiC becoming increasingly mature and continuously advancing, she is confident that there will be further application opportunities in public housing projects, which will greatly enhance the construction efficiency, quality and site safety.
 
     Ms Ho called on the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council in the afternoon. She said that President Xi Jinping proposed the idea of developing “new quality productive forces” last year to promote high-quality development. This will foster more proactive research and development as well as advancement of various innovative technologies, including building technologies, on the Mainland and in Hong Kong. This in turn helps to facilitate the upgrading and transformation of the construction industry. In the face of a tremendous increase in housing construction, it is both a challenge and a golden opportunity which provides practical application scenarios for implementing sustainable building construction. The HB and the HD team will spare no effort in seizing this opportunity.
 
     Ms Ho and her delegation will return to Hong Kong this evening after the visit.

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     The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed “Twilight”, and joint operations with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed “Champion” and “Windsand”, for four consecutive days from May 27 to yesterday (May 30). A total of nine suspected illegal workers, three suspected employers, and two overstayers were arrested.
 
     During the anti-illegal worker operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided 16 target locations including premises under renovation, residential flats and restaurants. Six suspected illegal workers, one suspected employer, and one overstayer were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised four men and two women, aged 42 to 60. Among them, one woman was a holder of a recognisance form, which prohibits her from taking any employment. In addition, two women were also suspected of using and being in possession of forged Hong Kong identity cards. One man, aged 58, who was suspected of employing the illegal worker, was arrested. One female overstayer, aged 31, was also arrested.

     During operation “Champion”, enforcement officers raided 86 target locations in Eastern, Hung Hom and Kowloon City districts. Three suspected illegal workers, two suspected employers and one overstayer were arrested. The arrested suspected illegal workers comprised three women, aged 30 to 51. Two woman, aged 42 and 47, who were suspected of employing the illegal workers, were arrested. One male overstayer, aged 56, was also arrested. Among them, two suspected illegal workers, one suspected employer and one overstayer were handled by the ImmD.

     An ImmD spokesman said, “Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him or her shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties.”
 
     The spokesman warned, “As stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land is prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment. Under the prevailing laws, it is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to 10 years’ imprisonment.”
 
     The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. Under the Immigration Ordinance, the maximum penalty for an employer employing a person who is not lawfully employable, i.e. an illegal immigrant, a person who is the subject of a removal order or a deportation order, an overstayer or a person who was refused permission to land, has been significantly increased from a fine of $350,000 and three years’ imprisonment to a fine of $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment to reflect the gravity of such offences. The director, manager, secretary, partner, etc, of the company concerned may also bear criminal liability. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence.
 
     According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee’s identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker’s valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $150,000 and to imprisonment for one year. In that connection, the spokesman would like to remind all employers not to defy the law by employing illegal workers. The ImmD will continue to take resolute enforcement action to combat such offences.
 
     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct an initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the ImmD officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter or temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments immediately.

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     The Town Planning Board today (May 31) announced amendments to the approved Kwu Tung South Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

     The amendments mainly involve (i) rezoning a site to the south of Kam Hang Road and east of Hang Tau Road from “Recreation” (“REC”) and “Agriculture” to “Residential (Group B)” with stipulation of building height restriction for residential development; and (ii) rezoning a site to the north of Kam Hang Road from “REC” to “Government, Institution or Community (1)” with stipulation of building height restriction for a private residential care home for the elderly.

     The Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP are amended to take into account the above amendments. Opportunity is also taken to update the general information of various land use zones and the planning scheme area, where appropriate.

     The draft Kwu Tung South OZP No. S/NE-KTS/21, incorporating the amendments, is available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Town Planning Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Fanling, Sheung Shui and Yuen Long East District Planning Office, (iv) the North District Office, and (v) the Sheung Shui District Rural Committee.

     Any person may make written representations in respect of the amendments to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board on or before July 31. Any person who intends to make a representation is advised to read the Town Planning Board Guidelines No. 29C on “Submission and Processing of Representations and Further Representations” (TPB PG-No. 29C).

     Submission of a representation should comply with the requirements set out in TPB PG-No. 29C. In particular, the representer should take note of the following:

* If the representer fails to provide his or her full name and the first four alphanumeric characters of his or her Hong Kong identity card or passport number as required under TPB PG-No. 29C, the representation submitted shall be treated as not having been made; and
* The Secretariat of the Town Planning Board reserves the right to require the representer to provide identity proof for verification.

     The Guidelines and the submission form are available at the above locations (i) and (ii) as well as the Town Planning Board’s website (www.tpb.gov.hk).

     Copies of the draft Kwu Tung South OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the OZP can be viewed on the Town Planning Board’s website (www.tpb.gov.hk). read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:        The Hospital Authority (HA) today (May 31) published the biannual issue of the Medication Safety Bulletin (MSB). This issue highlights the annual medication … read more

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

     Exchange Fund Bills tender results:
 

Tender date	:	May 31, 2024
Paper on offer	:	EF Bills
Issue number	:	M2406
Issue date	:	June 3, 2024
Maturity date	:	July 3, 2024
Amount applied	:	HK$4,300 MN
Amount allotted	:	HK$800 MN
Average yield accepted	:	4.27 PCT
Highest yield accepted	:	4.30 PCT
Pro rata ratio*	:	About 83 PCT
Average tender yield	:	4.50 PCT

 
*”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. read more