Leonda Interior Design Company Limited was fined $25,000 at Shatin Magistrates' Courts today (March 28) for violation of the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.
      
     The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on April 27, 2022, in Tai Po. While three scaffolders were erecting a bamboo scaffold at the external wall of a detached house, the scaffold suddenly collapsed, causing the scaffolders to fall to the ground. As a result, one scaffolder sustained a fatal injury, while another was injured.

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Octopus Cards Limited relating to phishing messages and fraudulent websites. The relevant stored value facility (SVF) licensee has reported the case to the HKMA. 

     The fraudulent websites reported by the SVF licensee known at the time are as follows:
octospus[.]com
rb[.]gy/h6gkkz

     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that anyone who has provided his or her personal information or account credentials, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the messages or websites concerned, should contact the relevant SVF licensee, and report to the Police or contact the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre of the Police at 18222.

     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 March 27 to noon today (March 28), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 104 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 39 191 samples of food imported from Japan (including 26 103 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 10 730 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

     Hong Kong Customs today (March 28) arrested a salesman of a medicine shop suspected to have engaged in unfair trade practices involving a misleading omission in the course of selling Chinese medicines, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).

     Customs earlier received information alleging that a salesperson of a medicine shop in Tsim Sha Tsui was suspected of misleading a customer to believe the unit prices of Chinese medicines were calculated per tael. It was only after the Chinese medicines were ground into powder that the salesperson revealed the medicines were priced per mace, making the charged price 10 times higher than what was expected.

     After an in-depth investigation, Customs officers today arrested a 40-year-old salesman of the medicine shop concerned.

     An investigation is ongoing and the arrested man was held for questioning.

     Customs reminded traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to purchase products from reputable shops. Consumers should also be cautious about the unit price and ask for more information, including the total price of the goods selected, before making a purchase decision.

     Under the TDO, any person who engages in a commercial practice that omits or hides material information or provides material information in a manner that is unclear, unintelligible, ambiguous or untimely, and as a result causes, or is likely to cause, an average consumer to make a transactional decision, commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO 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).

     The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) launched the "HKYouth+" youth mobile application ("HKYouth+") today (March 28), providing a one-stop platform to disseminate comprehensive information about youth development programmes. Young people can make use of "HKYouth+" to explore different opportunities and activities according to their individual needs and interests.
      
     "HKYouth+" is a comprehensive platform specially designed for Hong Kong youths to provide latest youth development information and activities that cover many different areas, including personal development opportunities, local hot topics, national development, arts and leisure, innovation and technology, physical and mental wellness, etc. It enables young people to explore different areas of interest and enrich themselves with various learning resources. Through category or keyword searches, users can easily access the latest information and activities related to youth development anytime and anywhere. After registering as a member of "HKYouth+", users can personalise their settings and receive recommended activity information that is relevant to their interests or the districts where the users reside, study or work. "HKYouth+" also features a convenient registration function that allows registered users to sign up instantly for selected activities.
      
     The Youth Development Blueprint released by the HYAB mentioned that a youth-based mobile application would be developed. The HYAB immediately began the preparation and application development work, which included consulting the action group under the Youth Development Commission (YDC), conducting questionnaire surveys and organising multiple focus groups to gather opinions from more than 1 000 young people and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds. In addition, the HYAB invited over 100 young people to participate in the prototype testing of "HKYouth+" to ensure that the main functions, design, and the overall user experience of the application would cater to the needs and expectations of Hong Kong youths.
      
     Following the first release of "HKYouth+", the HYAB will continue to produce and upload more practical learning resources and original multimedia content, and will progressively provide more information about the youth activities organised by the HYAB, the YDC and the 18 District Offices under the Home Affairs Department.
      
     "HKYouth+" supports iOS and Android operating systems. The public can download it from Apple App Store, Google Play and HUAWEI AppGallery for free.