The Commission on Children (CoC) held a stakeholder engagement event on the theme of "Mental Health of Children and Positive Parenting" this afternoon (April 22), attended by a total of about 120 primary school students and their parents. The Secretary for Labour and Welfare and Vice-chairperson of the CoC, Mr Chris Sun, joined and listened to views from children and parents on how to improve physical and mental well-being through interactive activities. Representatives of the Education Bureau and the Department of Health also attended.

     The engagement event featured a parent-child film, sharing of parenting experience, group games and parent-child interactive activities. The purpose was to encourage positive parenting and cultivate a loving environment conducive to children's growth, thereby enhancing their mental health. Non-official members of the CoC assisted in moderating the group games and parent sharing sessions. Children were encouraged to speak up and express their emotional needs, and understand and embrace their emotions. Parents were offered advice on how to establish positive thinking for children and cater for their mental health.

     Under the "Walk with Kids" thematic campaign of the CoC, the stakeholder engagement event is the first event this year. With children's mental health and positive parenting as the focus, it aims to raise the awareness of parents on children's psychological and emotional well-being, and forge a pro-child community conducive to a healthy and happy childhood and children's development.

          

     The Department of Health (DH) today (April 22) called on healthcare and clinic staff members as well as the public to stay vigilant against a bogus phone call and email that falsely claimed to be made by staff members of the DH.

     The DH was informed by healthcare practitioners recently that their clinic staff members had received a phone call from a person who claimed to be a staff member of the DH, requesting them to provide a mobile number for liaison. The DH also found a deceptive email sent out in the name of the Director of Health recently.

     A spokesman for the DH clarified, "We have not made the calls or sent the emails in question. If DH staff need to contact healthcare practitioners or members of the public, we will provide relevant information to verify the identity of both parties, but will not request the public to provide sensitive personal information. The DH has reported the matters to the Police."

     â€‹Members of the public should stay alert to suspicious phone calls or emails and not disclose any personal information. Members of the public may browse the Government Telephone Directory at the GovHK website for the telephone numbers of the relevant DH offices, and call to verify the identity of DH staff members if needed. Anyone who has been scammed should contact the Police immediately.

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, at the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding of Cooperation between the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today (April 22) to strengthen their co-operation on issues relating to dispute avoidance and resolution:

Your Excellency Dr Waleed Mohammed Alsmani (Minister of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     It is my great honour to sign the Memorandum of Understanding, on behalf of the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, with the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

     This Memorandum is the first memorandum on legal co-operation that Hong Kong signs with a Middle East jurisdiction. This signifies the great value and importance Hong Kong attaches to fostering stronger and closer relationship with the Middle East, in particular, Saudi Arabia.

     Under the principle of "one country, two systems", Hong Kong has the unrivalled advantages of enjoying strong support of the Central People's Government of China and at the same time being closely connected to the world. As the only common law jurisdiction within China, our well-established legal system and top-notch legal and dispute resolution services give Hong Kong a unique edge which attracts business opportunities from across the globe. These distinctive features afford Hong Kong the solid foundation to act as a "super connector" and a "super value-adder" connecting China and countries around the world.

     Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia have nurtured a close friendship and partnership over the years, especially since the visit to Riyadh by our Chief Executive last year. The signing of the Memorandum will no doubt strengthen the relationship between Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia to the next level by enhancing our communication, collaboration and co-operation on issues relating to dispute avoidance and resolution, and facilitating development of the related services. I am very confident that the Memorandum will promote cross-fertilisation of legal talent and encourage exchanges between the legal profession of the two jurisdictions at the international level. It is worth mentioning that the Department of Justice is going to establish the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy. Pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding we signed, our initiative in this respect, namely the setting up of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy, will be one of the means to implement various objectives under the Memorandum.

     Another thing that is worth mentioning to highlight Hong Kong's status as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre is that Hong Kong is going to host the biennial International Council for Commercial Arbitration Congress from May 5 to 8 this year. This is the most important international commercial arbitration event. Representatives of the Ministry of Justice of Saudi Arabia and other interested participants from Saudi Arabia are most welcome to join this important event.

     Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to Saudi Arabia for their trust and support, and the warm hospitality that they extended to the Hong Kong delegation led by the Deputy Secretary of Justice, Mr Horace Cheung, during their visit in Riyadh last month for participating in the Riyadh International Disputes Week. I myself will also lead a delegation from the legal and dispute resolution sectors and other related sectors to visit Saudi Arabia in a few weeks' time. So the timing for the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding is perfect for my upcoming visit. It lays a very good foundation for Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia to further discuss and exchange on various areas of legal co-operation. I very much look forward to the upcoming visit as well as the myriad opportunities to deepen collaboration and co-operation between our two respective jurisdictions in the future, which would be in the mutual interests of Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. Thank you very much.

     The Department of Justice (DoJ) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a Memorandum of Understanding of Cooperation (MOU) today (April 22) to strengthen their co-operation on issues relating to dispute avoidance and resolution.

     The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, and the Minister of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Dr Waleed Mohammed Alsmani, signed the MOU at a ceremony held in the Hong Kong Legal Hub.

     The MOU provides a framework for the HKSAR and Saudi Arabia to strengthen collaboration, communication and co-operation between them on issues relating to dispute avoidance and resolution, and to facilitate development of the related services in the two jurisdictions. It is expected that both places will benefit from the enhanced co-operation under the MOU.
 
     This is the first MOU of the same nature that the HKSAR has with a Middle East jurisdiction, which signifies the commitment to enhance the growing ties between Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia, and foster closer relationships between legal and dispute resolution professions of both sides. The MOU is the fifth after Japan, Korea, Thailand and Brunei, which will further promote Hong Kong's status as a major centre for international legal and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region and foster exchanges in regions along the Belt and Road. The DoJ will continue to pursue and conclude co-operation or partnership arrangements with other jurisdictions and international organisations. The DoJ is planning to visit the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, next month to meet with local legal and business sectors, and to promote Hong Kong's legal and dispute resolution services.
 
     Mr Lam indicated that the DoJ is now taking forward the establishment of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy which will provide a further platform for co-operation and exchanges between HKSAR and Saudi Arabia under the MOU.

     On the same day, the Minister of Justice of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and his delegation also visited the AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre and the International Organization for Mediation Preparatory Office at the Hong Kong Legal Hub.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (April 22) reported the latest number of cases of Legionnaires' disease (LD), and stressed the importance of using and maintaining properly designed man-made water systems, adding that susceptible groups should strictly observe relevant precautions.

     From April 14 to 20, the CHP recorded two community-acquired LD cases and two imported LD cases:
 

1. A female patient, aged 71 with underlying illnesses, who lives in Wong Tai Sin District;
2. A male patient, aged 70 with underlying illnesses, who lived in the Mainland during the incubation period and was classified as an imported case;
3. A male patient, aged 46 with good past health, who lives in Wong Tai Sin District; and
4. A male patient, aged 76 with underlying illnesses, who had been to the Mainland during the incubation period and was classified as an imported case.

     "Epidemiological investigations are ongoing to identify potential sources of infection, high-risk exposure and clusters, if any," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     As of April 20, 23 LD cases had been recorded this year. In 2023 and 2022, there were 121 and 80 cases respectively.

     "Men, people aged over 50, smokers, alcoholics and persons with weakened immunity are more susceptible to LD. Some situations may also increase the risk of infection, including poor maintenance of water systems; living in areas with old water systems, cooling towers or fountains; using electric water heaters, whirlpools and spas or hot water spring spas; and recent stays in hotels or vessels," the spokesman said.

     Legionellae are found in various environmental settings and grow well in warm water (20 to 45 degrees Celsius). They can be found in aqueous environments such as water tanks, hot and cold water systems, cooling towers, whirlpools and spas, water fountains and home apparatus that support breathing. People may become infected when they breathe in contaminated droplets (aerosols) and mist generated by artificial water systems, or when handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes.

     Immunocompromised persons should:
 

• Use sterile or boiled water for drinking, tooth brushing and mouth rinsing;
• Avoid using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices; and
• If using humidifiers, or other mist- or aerosol-generating devices, fill the water tank with only sterile or cooled freshly boiled water, and not water directly from the tap. Also, clean and maintain humidifiers/devices regularly according to manufacturers' instructions. Never leave stagnant water in a humidifier/device. Empty the water tank, wipe all surfaces dry, and change the water daily. 

   
  â€‹The public should observe the health advice below:
 

• Observe personal hygiene;
• Do not smoke and avoid alcohol consumption;
• Strainers in water taps and shower heads should be inspected, cleaned, descaled and disinfected regularly or at a frequency recommended by the manufacturer;
• If a fresh-water plumbing system is properly maintained, it is not necessary to install domestic water filters. Use of water filters is not encouraged as clogging occurs easily, which can promote growth of micro-organisms. In case water filters are used, the pore size should be 0.2 micrometres (µm) and the filter needs to be changed periodically according to the manufacturer's recommendations;
• Drain and clean water tanks of buildings at least quarterly;
• Drain or purge for at least one minute infrequently used water outlets (e.g. water taps, shower heads and hot water outlets) and stagnant points of the pipework weekly or before use;
• Seek and follow doctors' professional advice regarding the use and maintenance of home respiratory devices and use only sterile water (not distilled or tap water) to clean and fill the reservoir. Clean and maintain the device regularly according to the manufacturer's instructions. After cleaning/disinfection, rinse the device with sterile water, cooled freshly boiled water or water filtered with 0.2 µm filters. Never leave stagnant water in the device. Empty the water tank, keep all surfaces dry, and change the water daily; and
• When handling garden soil, compost and potting mixes: 

1. Wear gloves and a face mask;
2. Water gardens and compost gently using low pressure;
3. Open composted potting mixes slowly and make sure the opening is directed away from the face;
4. Wet the soil to reduce dust when potting plants; and
5. Avoid working in poorly ventilated places such as enclosed greenhouses.

     â€‹The public may visit the CHP's LD page, the Code of Practice for Prevention of LD and the Housekeeping Guidelines for Cold and Hot Water Systems for Building Management of the Prevention of LD Committee, and the CHP's risk-based strategy for prevention and control of LD.