Tag Archives: China

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (March 10) detected a passenger drug trafficking case at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 10.25 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds with an estimated market value of about $2 million.

     A local woman arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, last night. Following suspicious images being found during an X-ray examination of the woman’s suitcase, Customs officers subsequently opened the suitcase for a closer inspection. Later, about 10.25kg of suspected cannabis buds were found inside the suitcase and the 65-year-old woman was subsequently arrested.

     An investigation is ongoing.

     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.

     With Easter holidays approaching, Customs believes that the local demand for drugs will increase. The department will therefore further step up enforcement action to fiercely combat different kinds of dangerous drug trafficking activities during the long holidays. 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).

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     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (March 11) investigating a case of severe paediatric influenza A infection and reminded the community to heighten vigilance against influenza. The CHP appealed to members of the public to receive seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) in a timely manner to better protect themselves during the influenza season.

     The case involves a 5-year-old boy with good past health. He visited Japan from March 5 to 9, during which he developed bilateral eye itchiness and redness on March 6, and had developed a fever, cough and runny nose the next day (March 7). He sought medical attention there, and did not require hospitalisation at that time. After returning to Hong Kong on March 9, he attended Hong Kong Baptist Hospital and was given a referral to the accident and emergency department of Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), where he was admitted for management on the same day. He was then admitted to the paediatric intensive care unit of QEH yesterday (March 10). His respiratory specimen was positive for influenza A (H1) virus upon laboratory testing. The clinical diagnosis was influenza A infection complicated with encephalopathy. He is now in critical condition.

     Initial enquiries by the CHP revealed that the patient had not received SIV for this season. Two of his home contacts who travelled together with the boy had developed symptoms since March 8. The CHP’s investigations are ongoing.

     A spokesman for the CHP said, “Influenza can cause serious illnesses in high-risk individuals and even healthy persons. SIV is one of the most effective means to prevent seasonal influenza and its complications, as well as reducing influenza-related hospitalisation and death. SIV is recommended for all persons aged 6 months or above except those with known contraindications. Persons at higher risk of getting influenza and its complications, including the elderly and children, should receive SIV early. As it takes about two weeks to develop antibodies, members of the public are advised to receive SIV early for protection against seasonal influenza. Please see details of the vaccination schemes on the CHP’s website.”

     A person who gets influenza and COVID-19 at the same time may be more seriously ill and would have a higher risk of death. It is important to receive both SIV and COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible, in particular for children and elderly persons residing in the community or residential care homes. The public should also maintain good personal and environmental hygiene against influenza and other respiratory illnesses, and note the following:
 

• Surgical masks can prevent transmission of respiratory viruses from ill persons. It is essential for persons who are symptomatic (even if having mild symptoms) to wear a surgical mask;
• For high-risk persons (e.g. persons with underlying medical conditions or persons who are immunocompromised), wear a surgical mask when visiting public places. The public should also wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
• Avoid touching one’s eyes, mouth and nose;
• Wash hands with liquid soap and water properly whenever possibly contaminated;
• When hands are not visibly soiled, clean them with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub;
• Cover the mouth and nose with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissue paper properly into a lidded rubbish bin, and wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
• Maintain good indoor ventilation;
• When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, refrain from work or attending classes at school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly; and
• Maintain a balanced diet, perform physical activity regularly, take adequate rest, do not smoke and avoid overstress.

     â€‹The public may visit the CHP’s influenza page and weekly COVID-19 & Flu Express for more information. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:      The Legislative Council (LegCo) will hold a meeting on Wednesday (March 13) at 11am in the Chamber of the LegCo Complex. During the meeting, the Stamp Duty… read more

     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, today (March 11) visited Shenzhen. Representatives of the Labour Department also joined the visit.

     Mr Sun first had lunch with the Deputy Secretary-General of the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Government, Mr Wu Kunsheng; the Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of Shenzhen, Ms Li Lirong; and the Deputy Director of the Commerce Bureau of Shenzhen Municipality, Mr Ye Wenge, and briefed them on the latest situation of Hong Kong’s labour market and economy. They also exchanged views on areas for co-operation under the spirit of complementarity.

     In the afternoon, Mr Sun attended an exchange seminar with the Director General of the Department of Commerce of Guangdong Province, Mr Zhang Jinsong, leaders of commerce authorities and representatives of enterprises operating business on labour service co-operation with Hong Kong to get a better grasp of the economic, trade and labour service co-operation between Guangdong and Hong Kong. Under the specified labour importation schemes, if the prospective imported workers are Mainland residents, employers in Hong Kong must recruit the imported workers through the enterprises operating business on labour service co-operation with Hong Kong approved by the relevant Mainland authorities. Mr Sun said that the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will work with relevant Mainland authorities on the management and supervision work, and protect the employment rights of imported workers in Hong Kong by establishing a regular communication mechanism.

     In addition, Mr Sun and other officials visited Shenzhen Talent Group and Shenzhen Foreign Service Group Co Ltd to take a closer look at the development of the human resources service sector in Shenzhen, talent required by different industries and relevant support services, before returning to Hong Kong this evening.

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     Following is the speech by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, at the Kick-off Ceremony of Entertainment Expo Hong Kong 2024 today (March 11):
 
尊敬的�志燕巡視員 (Second-grade Counsel of the Hong Kong, Macao & Taiwan Affairs Office of the National Radio and Television Administration, Mr Shi Zhiyan), Peter (Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Dr Peter Lam), Leon (Hong Kong Entertainment Ambassador, Leon Lai), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good afternoon. It gives me great pleasure to join you, again, at Entertainment Expo Hong Kong. And this year, I am pleased to note, the Expo celebrates its 20th anniversary.
 
     With two new additions, the Expo’s 2024 edition expands to 10 events. They cover a wide range of entertainment – from film and TV, to music, digital entertainment, and more.
 
     FILMART (Hong Kong International Film & TV Market), which opens today, is Asia’s leading entertainment content marketplace for the creative industries. With some 750 exhibitors from around the world, this year’s FILMART features more than 30 pavilions. And we are delighted to have first-time exhibitors from Indonesia, Macao and Hubei.
 
     The Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum, as part of the HKIFF Industry Project Market, runs alongside FILMART’s first three days. More than 1 100 meetings have also been lined up to connect over 1 000 Asian filmmakers and international film financiers, producers, distributors and buyers for potential co-production and business opportunities.
 
     At the EntertainmentPulse conference, which runs concurrently with FILMART, distinguished international leaders will discuss a wide range of topical issues. Seminar highlights include a session featuring two generations of Hong Kong directors.
 
     The Digital Entertainment Summit, let me just add, will be held this Wednesday. High-profile industry speakers from around the world will share their insights on animation productions, including the global perspective and cross-border collaboration.
 
     The two new events of Entertainment Expo, the Asia Video Summit and the Microfilm Production Support Scheme (Music), will hold their summit and award presentation ceremony respectively this week. They target the TV sector, as well as cross-sector collaboration between music and the advertising sectors.
 
     No less important, film-related events remain high on Entertainment Expo’s agenda. Following the 17th Asian Film Awards presentation ceremony yesterday, the 29th ifva Festival will showcase independent short films, exhibitions and panel discussions from filmmakers and media artists later this week.  
 
     The 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival will run from March 28 to April 8, featuring over 190 films from around the world; and the long-awaited 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards presentation ceremony will take place on April 14.
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, our current-term Government is all the more determined to strengthen Hong Kong’s positioning as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange and as Asia’s events capital. The entertainment industry is surely among our closest partners in achieving this goal. 
 
     In particular, this year’s Entertainment Expo is among the highlights of our Art March series, presenting a variety of arts and cultural events for the people of Hong Kong and visitors from around the world.
 
     And our efforts go well beyond that. We are restructuring Create Hong Kong into the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency to enhance support for the industries and everyone involved. 
 
     We will also inject about US$550 million into the Film Development Fund and CreateSmart Initiative to boost the development of our cultural and creative industries.
 
     For organising this year’s Entertainment Expo, my thanks to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, as well as the many other organisations involved in this remarkable, seven-week entertainment gala.
 
     And my special thanks to Leon for being Hong Kong Entertainment Ambassador once again.
 
     I wish all the buyers and sellers here, from all over the world, the best of business at the Expo. And for the many thousands of visitors to this Expo and its 10 mega-events, I wish you all a rewarding experience. Thank you very much.

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