Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:
Members of the public are advised to report any street flooding that comes to their notice to the Drainage Services Department by calling the 24-hour drainage hotline on 2300 1110.
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 May 30 to noon today (May 31), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 200 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 50 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 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 55 609 samples of food imported from Japan (including 35 996 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 13 938 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, concluded the final day of his visit to San Francisco, the United States, on May 30 (California time). He will return to Hong Kong.
Mr Chan visited two technology companies in Silicon Valley in the morning.
The two companies are engaged in research and development (R&D), as well as plastic materials recycling for reuse, respectively. For the latter, Mr Chan was briefed by the founders and management on their patented technologies, and toured their R&D facilities. Mr Chan introduced to them Hong Kong's policies in promoting innovation and technology, and measures to attract enterprises and talent. He also encouraged them to set up R&D and production bases in Hong Kong, and use Hong Kong as a platform to explore Mainland China and Asian markets.
In the evening, Mr Chan attended a reception hosted by the California-China Climate Institute, and exchanged views with Mainland and international guests who participated in the Bay to Bay Dialogue between the California Bay Area and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the US-China High-Level Event on Subnational Climate Action.
Concluding his visit, Mr Chan will depart for Hong Kong on May 31 (California time) in the early morning and arrive in Hong Kong tomorrow morning (June 1, Hong Kong time).
​The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs has appointed three new members to the Committee on the Promotion of Racial Harmony (CPRH), a Government spokesman announced today (May 31). Five incumbent members have also been reappointed to the Committee in the same appointment exercise. Their term of office will run from June 1, 2024, to May 31, 2026.
The following is a list of the non-official members of the CPRH:
New members:
Mr Syed Mohammed Mohiuddin
Mrs Marina Rai
Mr Baljinder Singh
Reappointed incumbent members:
Mr Mohammad Ilyas
Mr Vishal Melwani
Ms Tika Rana
Mr Yeung Tsz-hei
Mr Eric Yuon Fuk-lung
Other incumbent members:
Ms Vivian Kong Man-wai
Mr Zaman Minhas Qamar
Ms Lamia Sreya Rahman
Ms Himeshika Samaradivakara
Ms Yvonne Tsui Hang-on
Mr Deep Singh Vinner
Mr Wong Ka-chun
Mr Matthew Wong Man-ho
The CPRH is a non-statutory advisory body set up to advise the Government on matters relating to fostering racial harmony in the community and to enhance mutual understanding among people of different ethnic origins. Chaired by the Deputy Director of Home Affairs, the Committee includes representatives from the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the Education Bureau, the Labour Department and the Information Services Department. The Race Relations Unit of the Home Affairs Department provides secretariat support to the Committee.
The Government today (May 31) announced the new appointment of four members to the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) for a term of two years with effect from June 1, 2024.
The newly appointed members are Mr Kevin Chan Wing-tak, Mr Matthew Lam Kin-hong, Dr Jimmy Wong Chi-ho and Dr Stanley Yim Yuk-lun.
The appointments are made by the Chief Executive according to section 5 of the Independent Police Complaints Council Ordinance (IPCC Ordinance) (Cap. 604).
The Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, said, "I am most grateful for the invaluable contributions of the IPCC in safeguarding a fair, effective and transparent two-tier police complaints system in Hong Kong. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the outgoing members, Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Dr Anissa Chan Wong Lai-kuen, Mr Wilson Kwong Wing-tsuen and Mr Roland Wong Ka-yeung. During their tenure, they actively participated in the work of the IPCC and provided constructive advice, assisting the IPCC in performing its independent monitoring functions with a view to ensuring that complaints from the public were handled fairly and impartially."
Mr Tang said that the Government will continue to render full support to the IPCC to give full play to its independent statutory monitoring functions to uphold a fair and impartial police complaints system accountable to the public in Hong Kong.
The IPCC, established under the IPCC Ordinance, is an independent statutory body responsible for monitoring and reviewing the investigation of complaints against members of the Police Force. The IPCC Ordinance provides a statutory basis for the IPCC's role and power as well as the two-tier police complaints system. It also imposes a statutory duty on the Police to comply with the IPCC's requirements. The IPCC comprises a Chairman, three Vice-chairmen and 14 non-official members.