â€‹The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (March 16) disapproved of and condemned the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for smearing the HKSAR's laws on safeguarding national security with false accusations in its report on sentencing of protestors involved in the "black-clad violence" in 2019.

     A spokesman for the HKSAR Government said, "Article 1 of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL) clearly stipulates the purpose of the enactment of the law is to ensure the resolute, full and faithful implementation of the policy of 'one country, two systems' under which the people of Hong Kong administer Hong Kong with a high degree of autonomy. The report concerned completely disregarded the relevant provision and slandered the NSL with false accusations that it reduced Hong Kong's autonomy. It is necessary for the HKSAR Government to set the record straight."

     "Moreover, what the NSL targets are people who conduct acts and activities endangering national security. In fact, endangering national security is a very serious offence. No country will watch with folded arms acts and activities that endanger national security. The report attempted to shift the focus with false accusations to mislead people into believing that the legislative intent of the NSL is to 'make it easier to prosecute protesters', thereby creating a negative impression of the law."

     As a matter of fact, the Department of Justice (DoJ) of the HKSAR, by virtue of Article 63 of the Basic Law, controls criminal prosecutions, free from any interference. All prosecutorial decisions by the DoJ are based on admissible evidence, applicable laws and guidelines such as the Prosecution Code. Prosecutions would only be commenced if there is sufficient admissible evidence to support a reasonable prospect of conviction and if it is in the public interest to do so.

     The HKSAR Government will continue to refute any smears by false accusations against the laws on safeguarding national security proactively and promptly to prevent members of the public from being misled.

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     The Marine Department today (March 16) reminded masters, coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels navigating in Hong Kong waters to proceed at a safe speed and exercise extreme caution because restricted visibility of less than 2 nautical miles has been reported. Appropriate sound signals shall be made when underway or at anchor. All vessels must comply with the International Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea.

     Also, when radar is used without the benefit of adequate plotting facilities, the information obtained from the equipment is rather limited and should be construed accordingly.

     Visibility reports are broadcast by the Vessel Traffic Centre (VTC) on VHF channels 02, 12, 14, 63 and 67.

     In the event of an accident, a report shall be made immediately to the VTC at Tel: 2233 7801.

     To promote an innovation and technology (I&T) culture and enhance the application of I&T in the community, the second City I&T Grand Challenge, organised by the Innovation and Technology Commission together with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTPC), was launched today (March 16). The theme of the competition this year is "Hong Kong's Got I&T". All sectors of the community are invited to put forward I&T solutions focusing on two subjects, namely "I&T for Nature (Yama)" and "I&T for Community (Community Wellness)", to enhance the experience of nature and create a caring society in Hong Kong. A series of workshops and other activities will also be held to promote a positive I&T atmosphere in the community.

     Officiating at the launching ceremony, the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, said that teams participating in the inaugural City I&T Grand Challenge had skilfully applied technology to propose practical and considerate solutions to tackle problems and pain points in people's lives. He encouraged students and the public to actively participate in the competition to contribute for better living and the future of I&T in Hong Kong. 

     Mr Chan added that the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been committed to investing in I&T development in recent years to bring new impetus to the city's social and economic development, to enhance its competitiveness, as well as to create more quality employment opportunities for people in Hong Kong. He stated that President Xi Jinping's proposal of developing new quality productive forces by adapting measures to local conditions in which factors of production being transformed towards digitalisation and intelligentisation, has also been the direction for the Budget this year. As Hong Kong possesses unique advantages in artificial intelligence, data industry, biomedicine and green technology, the Government will develop these key areas in the future, so as to further create room for the I&T development.
      
     The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, said in his welcoming remarks that, the winning solutions of the first City I&T Grand Challenge serves as a testament of strong creativity, observation and operability of the people in Hong Kong. He was pleased to learn that some projects have been successfully applied into community for benefit of the general public with the use of technology, while some winners even joined the incubation programmes offered by the HKSTPC and Cyberport to continue their journeys in research and development. Professor Sun also invited the community to participate in the competition and to achieve the "I&T for all" target.
      
     Also speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman of the HKSTPC, Dr Sunny Chai, said that the HKSTPC was delighted to be the co-organising partner of the City I&T Grand Challenge once again. The previous cohort saw a highly enthusiastic response despite the pandemic, with a number of innovations already being trialed in public organisations, including the internationally-recognised "Smart Belt" which transformed navigation for the visually impaired and enhanced their independence while travelling. He looked forward to unearthing more innovative ideas in the competition to solve critical societal issues through I&T.
      
     In addition, the winners of the first City I&T Grand Challenge shared their experiences of the initial competition at the launching ceremony. They believe that the competition provided an ideal platform and resources for them to realise their I&T solutions to bring convenience to daily lives. Through the sharing, it is hoped to inspire society to join this year's competition and promote social progress through innovation.

     The City I&T Grand Challenge is open for submission from April 5 to May 16. Primary and secondary school students, local and non-local university and tertiary students as well as all sectors of the community are invited to participate. Winners in all groups will receive a cash prize and a trophy. Winners of the University/Tertiary Institute and Open groups will also have the opportunity to receive funding of up to HK$1 million for research and development and training to refine their I&T solutions for trials at designated venues such as government departments or public organisations.

     The competition calls for innovative solutions for daily life issues under two sub-themes, namely "I&T for Nature" and "I&T for Community". "I&T for Nature" revolves around improving the operation and management of country parks and campsites, and enhancing hikers' experiences in nature with the use of I&T. "I&T for Community" is about enhancing support for carers through the application of I&T.
      
     A series of workshops, seminars and trainings will be organised on sub-themes of the competition and I&T related knowledge. All activities are free of charge and members of the public are welcome to join. Details are available on the City I&T Grand Challenge website (citytechgc.hk).

      

     The Acting Director of Social Welfare (DSW), Ms Wong Yin-yee, joined the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs), Mr Herman Wai, in a joyful reunion with over 180 DSW wards as well as children and adolescents receiving residential care services from the TWGHs today (March 16) at the 2024 Award Presentation Ceremony for DSW wards co-organised by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) and the TWGHs. Those who showed great improvements or made remarkable achievements in the previous year were commended at the ceremony.

     Speaking at the ceremony, Ms Wong expressed her appreciation to the awardees for their determination to strive for excellence, persistence in overcoming difficulties in their daily lives and studies as well as positive attitude in embracing challenges. She also extended her gratitude to the relatives, foster parents, carers, volunteers and social workers of the children and adolescents for their love and companionship which support the children in coping with different challenges along their growth journey.

     She said that it is a common aspiration and responsibility of the whole society to create a healthy and happy environment for the children. The Government has been taking forward different measures to ensure that proper care and protection are provided for children and adolescents without adequate parental care or those with emergency care needs. These include the increase in the number of residential child care service places as well as a substantial increase in the incentive payment for foster parents starting from next month and the provision of additional support to foster families with children having special learning or care needs in order to encourage more willing individuals to become foster families.

     Ms Wong also thanked the TWGHs for their continuous support for the event as well as the encouragement and blessings for the children and adolescents under guardianship all along.

     At the ceremony today, a total of 44 children and adolescents were presented with either the Best Achievement Awards or the Best Improvement Awards.

     Twenty-year-old Kai-ho is one of the recipients of the Best Achievement Award. Kai-ho has become a DSW ward and has been receiving residential services since 2018 when his father passed away due to illness and his ill-health mother could not take care of him. With the support and encouragement of social workers, Kai-ho showed great perseverance despite the challenges in his daily life and studies. Having completed a diploma course in Food and Beverage Operations at the Vocational Training Council (VTC) in June 2023, Kai-ho has been selected by the VTC as a graduate trainee in light of his outstanding performance. Setting his sights on the motherland and the world, Kai-ho not only represented Hong Kong to participate in the China and Greater Bay Area KamCha Competition in Guangzhou last year, but has also recently become the winner in Restaurant Service in the WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition 2023. He will represent Hong Kong to compete in Finland and France this year.

     Another awardee of the Best Achievement Award is Cherianne, a 17-year-old teenager who is receiving residential care services from the TWGHs. Cherianne, coming from a single-parent family, was found suffering from an illness which caused some difficulties in her physical mobility when she was still a young kid. Cherianne did not give up, but strived to undergo rehabilitation training persistently. Maintaining independence in her daily life, Cherianne is now a Secondary Six student sitting for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination this year. Cherianne remains positive despite the challenges in her daily life and she never hesitates to strive for excellence. As a member of the school's track and field team and football team as well as a representative of her school in different competitions, Cherianne has been awarded with various prizes and scholarships. She will also represent the youth of Hong Kong to participate in a youth forum in Australia this year and exchange views with young people from around the world.

     With the prime concern on the best interests of children and adolescents, the SWD's caseworkers would, depending on individual case merits, consider applying for wardship for a case in accordance with the court procedures stipulated in the Protection of Children and Juveniles Ordinance (Cap. 213). Children and adolescents are made wards of the DSW for various reasons, such as death, loss, imprisonment, long-term hospitalisation or incapability of their parents, or their being unable or unsuitable to live with their family members. The SWD's caseworkers would also draw up appropriate long-term welfare plans for them according to the family conditions and needs of the wards, such as arranging for adoption or reunion with their families, or preparing them to live independently when they become adults.

     As at the end of December 2023, there were a total of 785 DSW wards. Among them, 48 per cent lived in foster care homes or small group homes. Thirty-three per cent lived in institutions while the rest may be subject to other arrangements, such as living with their relatives.

          

     The winners of the plant exhibit competition, one of the major activities of the Hong Kong Flower Show, were announced today (March 16). At the prize presentation ceremony, winners of the best exhibits in the Open Competition Section and the Jockey Club School Section were each presented with a Hong Kong Flower Show Award.
 
     Mr Luo Shih-hsien won the Open Competition Section with a pot of exquisite orchids, while students from Tung Wah Group of Hospitals Li Ka Shing College won the School Section with three pots of outstanding succulent plants.
 
     The winner of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) Western Style Garden Plot Competition was Wan Chai District, while Kwai Tsing District won the LCSD Oriental Style Garden Plot Competition.
 
     The flower show is being held at Victoria Park until March 24 from 9am to 9pm daily, featuring "Floral Joy Around Town" as the main theme and angelonia as the theme flower.
 
     Some 420 000 flowers including about 40 000 angelonias are on display. More than 220 organisations have participated in the event. A diverse range of educational and recreational fringe activities are also offered for visitors of all ages.
 
     To support environmental protection, visitors are encouraged to bring their own water bottles and green shopping bags. The showground also has QR codes for downloading the location map and information on the theme flower and landscape displays.
 
     For more details of the flower show and its admission fee arrangements, please visit the event webpage www.hkflowershow.hk/en/hkfs/2024/index.html or call the enquiry hotline at 2601 8260.
 
     The flower show is organised by the LCSD. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust is supporting the flower show for the 12th consecutive year and has been its major sponsor since 2014.