The Designation of Museums (Amendment) Order 2024 was gazetted today (May 17). The Amendment Order aims to convert the Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence (HKMCD) under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) into the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence. The museum will focus on the history of the War of Resistance and organise public and educational activities with a view to enhancing patriotism and awareness among the public, in particular young people, about the history of the War of Resistance, and paying tribute to the war martyrs.
      
     The Amendment Order will be tabled before the Legislative Council (LegCo) on May 22 for negative vetting. The HKMCD will be converted into the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence on September 3, the Victory Day of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
      
     The four existing exhibition galleries about the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in the HKMCD cover different parts of war history such as the Japanese invasion of China, the fall of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong and Kowloon Independent Brigade of the East River Column behind enemy lines and the fighters' contributions, and the surrender of Japan. While the gallery of "Military Presence under Successive Dynasties" highlights the history of defence in Hong Kong from the Tang dynasty to the Qing dynasty, the exhibition gallery of "Unequal Treaties and the Cession of Hong Kong" provides a detailed account of the background of the three unequal treaties and the history of British forcible occupation of Hong Kong.
      
     After conversion, the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence will launch an array of diversified public and educational programmes, including lectures, historical study tours, workshops, roving exhibitions and interactive dramas. The museum will use the special exhibition gallery to organise thematic exhibitions about the War of Resistance on a regular basis by collaborating with cultural institutions on the Mainland to allow audiences to gain a deeper understanding of the history of the War of Resistance. To further elaborate the relationship between Hong Kong and China's coastal defence history, the museum will also increase exhibition space to introduce China's coastal fortifications in Hong Kong and the Guangdong area, aiming to enhance the interest of citizens, students and visitors from the Mainland and overseas in the history of China's coastal defence.
      
     The first thematic exhibition, jointly presented with the Shenzhen Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau, will be launched in September to introduce the deeds of the East River Column in their joint resistance efforts in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. This exhibition is being organised by the Hong Kong Museum of the War of Resistance and Coastal Defence, in collaboration with the Chinese Culture Promotion Office.
      
     The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture, and to cultivate the public's sense of national identity. For more information, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ccpo/index.html.
      
     The museum is located at 175 Tung Hei Road in Shau Kei Wan. Opening hours of the museum will remain unchanged after the conversion. Admission is free. For more details, please visit hk.coastaldefence.museum/en/web/mcd/home.html, or call 2569 1500 for enquiries. 

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     The Legislative Council (LegCo) Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will hold a public hearing on "Provision and monitoring of Rehabus services" (Chapter 5) of the Director of Audit's Report No. 82 next Monday (May 20) at 9am in Conference Room 1 of the LegCo Complex.

     Seven witnesses have been invited to appear before the above hearing to respond to points raised in the Report and answer questions asked by PAC members.

     The programme for the public hearing is as follows:

Subject: Provision and monitoring of Rehabus services (Chapter 5 of the Director of Audit's Report No.82)
Date: May 20 (Monday)
Time: 9am
Venue: Conference Room 1

Witnesses:

Mr Chris Sun
Secretary for Labour and Welfare

Miss Vega Wong
Commissioner for Rehabilitation
Labour and Welfare Bureau

Ms Susan Chan
Assistant Commissioner for Rehabilitation
Labour and Welfare Bureau

Ms Angela Lee
Commissioner for Transport

Ms Louisa Fung
Assistant Commissioner/
Management and Paratransit
Transport Department

Mr Curtis Chiu
Principal Transport Officer/
Ferry and Paratransit
Transport Department

Ms Christine Yuen
Chief Transport Officer/
Planning/Disabled Transport
Transport Department

     The PAC is chaired by Mr Shiu Ka-fai, and its Deputy Chairman is Mr Paul Tse. Other members are Ms Yung Hoi-yan, Mr Luk Chung-hung, Mr Edmund Wong, Mr Louis Loong and Ms Carmen Kan.

     The Department of Health (DH) urged members of the public to pay attention to their blood pressure level with regular checks and lead a healthy lifestyle with early diagnosis to fight against non-communicable diseases including hypertension to support World Hypertension Day held on May 17 every year.

     An adult is said to have hypertension if systolic blood pressure is persistently higher than or equal to 140 millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and/or diastolic blood pressure is persistently higher than or equal to 90 mmHg. Hypertension is a silent killer and seldom causes symptoms until complications develop. If left uncontrolled or not properly treated, hypertension can lead to serious health problems including stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.

     The Population Health Survey (PHS) 2020-22 conducted by the DH revealed that nearly 30 per cent of non-institutionalised persons aged 15 to 84 had hypertension in Hong Kong, and the prevalence of hypertension increased with age from less than 5 per cent among persons aged 15 to 24 to over a half among persons aged 65 to 84. Among those with hypertension, more than 40 per cent were not aware of having raised blood pressure until attending the PHS health examination.

     A spokesman for the DH said that adopting a healthy lifestyle is essential for the prevention of hypertension. It is also one of the key self-care management ways to control hypertension. Members of the public should maintain an optimal body weight and waist circumference, cut back on salt and have a balanced diet, be physically active and limit sedentary behaviour. They are also advised to refrain from drinking alcohol, to not smoke and avoid secondhand smoke.

     In particular, the detrimental effects of high salt consumption on blood pressure are well recognised. The higher the salt intake, the higher the risk of hypertension. According to the World Health Organization, healthy adults should consume less than 5 grams of salt per day. However, according to the PHS 2020-22, local persons aged 15 to 84 consumed a daily average of 8.4g salt. The spokesman reminded members of the public to keep the total salt intake below 5g per day. Meanwhile, iodised salt instead of ordinary table salt is recommended so as to increase iodine intake and maintain adequate iodine nutrition.

     Apart from paying attention to salt intake, people should also engage in at least 150 to 300 minutes of physical activities of moderate intensity (such as brisk walking) or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous physical activities (such as jogging) every week as regular exercise can bring about numerous health benefits, including reducing blood pressure.

     To contain the prevalence of raised blood pressure, the Government will continue organising health promotional campaigns to enhance public awareness about the importance of healthy living and regular measurement of blood pressure. For persons aged 45 or above, the risk of hypertension is exponentially rising and early detection of hypertension will be critical for maintaining blood pressure within a normal range. The Government is proactively inviting the public who have no known medical history of hypertension to start screening by their family doctors or at the District Health Centre (DHC)/DHC Express. The implementation of Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme has provided subsidised services to support long-term care in the community. The Government will also continue to closely collaborate with community partners to foster a health-enhancing environment and drive better self-care for better control of blood pressure subject to individual risk.

     More information on hypertension is available on the DH's thematic page at www.chp.gov.hk/en/healthtopics/content/25/35390.html.

The following is issued on behalf of the Committee on Reduction of Salt and Sugar in Food:
 
     In support of World Hypertension Day, held annually on May 17, the Committee on Reduction of Salt and Sugar in Food today (May 17) urged the public to avoid excessive salt intake so as to lower the risk of developing hypertension.
 
     Excessive dietary salt (sodium) intake is a major cause of hypertension. Dubbed "the silent killer", hypertension that does not receive early treatment can lead to serious diseases such as heart disease, stroke and kidney failure, etc. According to the Report of Population Health Survey (PHS) 2020-2022 published by the Department of Health, local persons aged 15 to 84 had an average daily salt intake of 8.4 grams (about 3 400 milligrams of sodium), exceeding the daily limit as recommended by the World Health Organization by over 70 per cent. In addition, one in every four persons (29.5 per cent) among the said age group had hypertension. Among those with hypertension, more than 40 per cent were not aware of having hypertension until attending the PHS health examination.
 
     Reducing one's salt intake helps lower the risk of developing hypertension, cardiovascular disease and stroke. According to studies conducted by the Centre for Food Safety, nearly 70 per cent of sodium intake by local adults comes from condiments and sauces, soup, and processed and cured meat. Reducing the amount of salt intake is not difficult. By gradually cutting back on sodium in one's daily diet, taste buds will become accustomed to the milder taste. Some feasible ways to reduce salt intake are as follows:
 

• When dining out, request sauces to be served separately from the food, choose a reduced salt option, or dishes with no or less sauce;
• Reduce the consumption of processed foods such as sausage, ham and bacon etc;
• Use fresh foods when cooking at home with natural spices or fruits, such as ginger, green onion, garlic, herbs, chili, turmeric, black pepper, lemon juice, etc as natural seasonings to enhance the flavour of dishes and reduce sodium intake;
• When buying prepackaged food products, check for the sodium content on the food nutrition labels and choose less salt (sodium) foods. For example, the sodium content of tuna in mineral water is less than that of tuna in brine or seasoned tuna

 
     More information on salt and sugar reduction is available on the Facebook page of Hong Kong's Action on Salt and Sugar Reduction.

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 17) that due to big waves, red flags have been hoisted at Stanley Main Beach, Shek O Beach and Big Wave Bay Beach in Southern District, Hong Kong Island; and Silverstrand Beach in Sai Kung District.  Beachgoers are advised not to swim at these beaches.