The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     United Christian Hospital (UCH) today (April 16) reminded members of the public to stay alert to fraudulent calls.

     The hospital received a total of three notifications from the public and hospital staff that they have received calls today in the form of pre-recorded messages claiming to be calling from UCH. The calls requested the recipients to follow instructions to collect a medical report. The hospital has reported to the Police.

     UCH reiterates that hospital staff will contact patients personally by phone and will provide relevant information to verify the identity of both parties. Members of the public are advised not to disclose personal information during any unidentified phone calls, and report any suspected fraudulent calls to the Police.

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (April 15) detected two drug trafficking cases involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport and seized a total of about 17 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds with a total estimated market value of about $3.8 million. Two men were arrested.

     Yesterday, Customs intercepted two male passengers aged 65 and 23, both arriving in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, at the airport. During Customs clearance, about 8kg and 9kg of suspected cannabis buds were respectively found in each of their checked-in luggage. The duo were subsequently arrested.

     The two arrested persons have each been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. Their cases will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (April 17).

     Following the increasing number of visitors to Hong Kong, 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.

     Customs again reminds the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. 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).

    

     â€‹Following the first Inter-departmental meeting held on March 26 to co-ordinate the preparation work for the arrival of visitors to Hong Kong during the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau convened another meeting today (April 16) to follow up on the preparation work carried out by various departments, including crowd control management, a Government spokesman said. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, with representatives from government departments including the Hong Kong Customs (Customs), the Hong Kong Police Force (Police), the Immigration Department (ImmD), the Transport Department, various District Offices, etc.  Representatives from various tourism-related organisations including the Travel Industry Authority (TIA), the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, major tourist attractions, hotel industry, etc. also attended. Relevant parties will continue to maintain close communication on the crowd control during the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland and co-ordinate different aspects for receiving visitor arrivals to Hong Kong.
      
     Mr Yeung said, "The Government will closely monitor the situation of visitor arrivals during the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland. Various government departments, relevant organisations and the trade will strengthen co-ordination and communication as well as enhance crowd management work with a view to creating a good travel experience for visitors and demonstrating the city's unique tourism appeals."
      
     During the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland, relevant government departments will strengthen the manpower as well as co-ordination of transport and cross-boundary services at various control points, including strengthening crowd management, increasing transport frequency, etc. If necessary, the Police will make appropriate traffic arrangements according to the actual circumstances, including arranging public transport to use the designated dedicated lane at San Sham Road to travel to Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port. In addition, the Inter-departmental Joint Command Centre set up by Customs, the Police, the ImmD and other departments will be activated during the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland to monitor the situation at each land control point, as well as to maintain close liaison with Mainland counterparts and take contingency actions where necessary. The Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre of the Transport Department will operate 24 hours to monitor the traffic conditions of different districts, including various boundary control points and major stations, disseminate the latest traffic information through various channels and implement response measures where appropriate.
      
     Various District Offices will closely monitor the flow of visitors within their corresponding districts during the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland and strengthen management of the relevant spots having regard to the actual circumstances. Major tourist attractions will also put in place crowd control measures.
      
     TIA has been reminding travel agents receiving relevant Mainland inbound tour groups to stagger arrival times as far as possible and urge travel agents, shops, restaurants, etc., receiving Mainland inbound tour groups to implement appropriate measures for managing the order of visitors and coaches. TIA will also deploy additional manpower during the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland to conduct inspection in districts where relatively more registered shops for inbound tour groups are located, and offer assistance to visitors and tourist guides to protect the rights of inbound tour group visitors. In addition, Customs will step up inspection of shops serving visitors so as to combat unfair trade practices.
      
     The Tourism Commission has been maintaining liaison with Mainland tourism authorities and communicating with them on the arrival of Mainland visitors.  It has provided the hotlines of the relevant local organisations to Mainland inbound group visitors via the Mainland tourism authorities.
      
     At present, the ImmD will upload the daily arrival figures of each control point to its website (www.immd.gov.hk). In addition, visitors may check the estimated waiting time at each land boundary control point via the Immigration Mobile Application.
      
     During the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland, in case of emergency, Mainland inbound tour group visitors, tour escorts accompanying the tour groups and local tourist guides may seek assistance from TIA by calling its service hotline 3698 5900 (operating from 9am to 6pm from May 1 to 5). For enquiries or complaints, visitors may call the HKTB's hotline 2508 1234 (operating from 9am to 8pm from May 1 to 5) or the Consumer Council's hotline 2929 2222 (operating from 9am to 5.30pm from May 2 to 3).

    

     Data has emerged as a new engine propelling economic growth, and its significance continues to rise. To promote the strategic role of data in the development of the digital economy and societal transformation, and to contribute to the national strategy on data element development, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Data continue to jointly organise the Hong Kong/Shanghai Co-operation Open Data Challenge 2024 (HSODC 2024) this year. Themed "Co-creating a Data Industry Platform for the Two Cities", the HSODC 2024 encourages participants to develop their projects and innovative solutions under four key areas: Smart Mobility, Smart Living, Smart Environment, and Smart Economy by making use of open datasets from Hong Kong and Shanghai, thereby promoting mutual co-operation between the two cities in the aspect of the digital economy.

     At the kick-off ceremony of the HSODC 2024 held during the Digital Economy Summit 2024, representatives from the innovation and technology (I&T) industry, academia and the Government shared insights on the development and plans of open data collaboration between Hong Kong and Shanghai, with a focus on enhancing co-operation in applying and promoting smart city development. The Grand Award Winner from the previous edition was also invited to the ceremony to share their award-winning project and the benefits of participating in the challenge.

     During the InnoEX, another signature I&T event held during the same period, the organisers of the HSODC 2024 also held the Hong Kong/Shanghai Data Co-operation Forum, and set up the Hong Kong/Shanghai Data Co-operation Pavilion (the Pavilion) to showcase the open data application solutions of the two cities. The forum, themed "Data Flow: Ecology x Compliance x Scenarios", brought together entrepreneurs, scholars, and representatives from I&T companies in Hong Kong and the Mainland to engage in in-depth discussions on the exploration of data commercialisation and turning data into assets within national legal and regulatory frameworks. Close to 30 teams, organisations and companies from Hong Kong and the Mainland showcased their projects at the Pavilion. It provided a valuable opportunity for data scientists, entrepreneurs and policymakers to share their experiences and insights with each other, enabling them to learn about the latest research and developments in open data, and explore the applications and trends of open data in various industries and sectors.
 
     The HSODC 2024 is open for enrollment until May 31. Participating teams will compete for grand prizes in various categories. Successful shortlisted teams will receive technical training in July and have the opportunity to showcase their innovative and unique data technology solutions in front of judges at the grand finale to be held in Shanghai in August. For more details, please visit the website: hkshadata.org.

        

     Following are the opening remarks (English translation) by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, at the special meeting of the Legislative Council Finance Committee today (April 16):
 
Chairman,
 
     I would like to brief Members on the key areas of work of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) and its departments in 2024-25.
 
     The HYAB released the Youth Development Blueprint in December 2022. Since then, we have been actively co-ordinating with various policy bureaux to implement at full steam over 160 measures under their relevant policy areas as set out in the Blueprint. Around 50 of the measures have already been completed, and most of the remaining ones are progressing well towards the set targets. In light of the latest situation of society and our youth, policy bureaux have also updated measures in the Blueprint to ensure that the Blueprint can continuously respond to the needs of young people.
      
     In respect of youth exchange and internship, with the resumption of normal travel, the HYAB has fully resumed various schemes/programmes. We have implemented enhancement measures under a number of schemes/programmes to encourage participation of more young people from different backgrounds, so that they may broaden their horizons, acquire a better understanding of our country and the world, and develop a proper and holistic outlook.
      
     Moreover, we plan to increase the total commitment for the Youth Development Fund (YDF) by $300 million from its current amount of $600 million. The YDF will, inter alia, support the launch of a new round of the Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Funding Scheme for Experiential Programmes at Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases, as well as strengthening support to youth entrepreneurs through the newly established Alliance of Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases in the GBA.
      
     Under the tripartite collaboration among the Government, the business sector and the community, the 2023 Youth Festival has organised some 200 activities with an overall attendance of about 200 000. In August 2024, the HYAB will organise the Youth Development Summit as the opening and highlight of the 2024 Youth Festival. We will invite guest speakers and youth groups from the Mainland and overseas to attend the Summit, where they can exchange views and engage in mutual learning with local youth on issues of concern to young people. It is anticipated that no less than 1 000 persons will participate in the Summit.
      
     The HYAB will continue to provide subvention to youth uniformed groups for organising activities relating to national education, including events in support of National Security Education Day, with a view to raising young people's awareness of national security, enhancing their understanding of the Constitution, Basic Law and national security, as well as strengthening their sense of national pride and national identity through these events.
 
     We will also continue to work closely with the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education to promote civic and national education (including national security education) outside schools and in the community, with the aim of enhancing the sense of patriotism, civic responsibilities and awareness of the rule of law among members of the public through various channels and diverse means, such as school talks and roving exhibitions.
 
     On April 1 this year, a dedicated Women Affairs Team was set up under the HYAB, and the post of Commissioner for Women Affairs was designated to focus on work related to women development, as well as enhancement to family building, family education and family values. Key initiatives this year include launching a one-stop family and women information portal, organising the first Family and Women Development Summit, and rolling out a new Funding Scheme on the Promotion of Family Education. We will also continue to encourage women's groups and non-governmental organisations to make good use of the Women Empowerment Fund.
 
     Since the seventh-term District Councils took office on January 1 this year, it has set a new scene for district governance. All the District Council members work proactively to ensure effective communication between the Government and the people. They not only reflect public views and offer suggestions to the Government, but also assist the Government in promoting and explaining various policies. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the District Councils in carrying out district governance work and building a better community together.

     The 452 District Services and Community Care Teams in the 18 districts have been fully activated to support the district work and strengthen community network. So far, they have visited more than 30 000 households in need, and provided them with over 7 000 times of simple support services. Care Teams pool community resources together to help in emergencies, and actively assist in policy promotion. The Government will continue to provide Care Teams with some of the resources required. The estimated provision for 2024-25 is $180.8 million.

     To further enhance the support for ethnic minorities to integrate into the community, the Home Affairs Department will establish two new support service centres for ethnic minorities (EM centres) and set up an Ethnic Minority Care Team in each of the 10 EM centres. We will also regularise the enhanced services provided by the EM centres for new arrivals and youth of ethnic minorities, and continue to implement the District-based Programmes for Racial Harmony.
      
     My colleagues and I are happy to answer questions from Members. Thank you.