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 Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited relating to a fraudulent website and an internet banking login screen, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.

     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks' websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).

     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the website or login screen concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     Devoted to offering diversified visiting experiences, the 15 museums and two art spaces under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) have been popular among the local public and tourists and yielded remarkable results. They attracted a total of over 6.35 million visitors last year.

     Among these museums, the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) has scaled new heights since its reopening after renovation in 2019. The HKMoA welcomed its 3 000 000th visitor while celebrating its 62nd anniversary this month. In 2023, the HKMoA recorded a total of over 1.25 million visitors, recording the highest single-day attendance on National Day with 19 228 visitors.

     The "Timeless Diva: Anita Mui" exhibition of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum (HKHM) currently on display has also been highly acclaimed by the public. It has received 100 000 visitors since its opening on December 24 last year.

     The Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu, visited the two museums yesterday (March 6). He presented a porcelain plate designed with the collection of the museum to the 3 000 000th visitor of the HKMoA to mark the extraordinary moment. The Museum Director of the HKMoA, Dr Maria Mok, gave an exclusive guided tour to this visitor from Seoul, South Korea, who was visiting the museum for the first time.

     Mr Liu and the Museum Director of the HKHM, Mr Brian Lam, also presented a gift pack to the 100 000th visitor of the "Timeless Diva: Anita Mui" exhibition, who is Ms Zhang from Beijing, yesterday. The gifts included a special souvenir designed by Mr Eddie Lau, a close friend of Anita Mui and prominent fashion and image designer, an exhibition poster autographed by Mr Lau and an exhibition postcard. As a fan of Anita Mui for over 20 years, Ms Zhang said that she was visiting this exhibition on purpose to commemorate the superstar during her stay in Hong Kong. Her favourite exhibit was the stage costume worn by Anita Mui when she received the Golden Needle Award at Radio Television Hong Kong's "The 21st Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Award Concert" in 1998.

     Established in 1962, the HKMoA is the first public art museum in Hong Kong and the custodian of an art collection with over 19 500 items. The attendance of the HKMoA surpassed 3 million, breaking the record within seven months after it received its 2 000 000th visitor in August last year. According to the latest Visitor Profile Report 2023 released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the HKMoA ranked ninth for places visited among overnight visitors and eighth for places visited among overnight visitors from Mainland China.

     Apart from being popular among visitors, the HKMoA is also well recognised by collectors and artists. The museum has recently received a generous donation of HK$100 million from Mr Wu Keyu, the son of renowned artist Wu Guanzhong, for the establishment of the Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship special fund, to support the promotion of Wu Guanzhong and related Chinese modern art. The first "Wu Guanzhong Art Sponsorship Exhibition Series", to open from March 22, will include the Thematic Exhibition Series: "Wu Guanzhong: Between Black and White", the Cross-disciplinary Series: "Wu Guanzhong x Chris Cheung" and the Dialogue with 20th Century Chinese Art Series: "True Likeness: The Art and Collection of Jingguanlou" exhibitions, which aim to let more members of the public know more about the outstanding works of Wu and masters of his time.

     The various Hong Kong pop culture-related exhibitions staged at the HKHM also received overwhelming public response. The "Timeless Diva: Anita Mui" exhibition currently on display showcases 70 sets of precious exhibits in relation to Anita Mui including classic stage costumes, trophies and autographed vinyl records, which allow visitors to understand the stories of this superstar and how she strived to achieve success.

     Besides exhibitions featuring superstars in the local music industry, the HKHM will launch the "A Path to Glory – Jin Yong's Centennial Memorial, Sculpted by Ren Zhe" exhibition from March 16 to October 7 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr Louis Cha (Jin Yong). Sculptor Ren Zhe will bring 22 of Jin Yong's well-known characters to life in unique representations. The exhibition is one of the pre-opening programmes of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2024. For details of the exhibition, please visit hk.heritage.museum/en/web/hm/exhibitions/data/renzhe.html.
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     For details of the HKMoA's new exhibitions, please visit the museum website at hk.art.museum/en/web/ma/home.html, or follow its Instagram at www.instagram.com/hkmoa and Facebook at www.facebook.com/hkmoa.

          

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announced today (March 7) that the official foreign currency reserve assets of Hong Kong amounted to US$425.1 billion as at the end of February 2024 (end-January 2024: US$423.1 billion) (Annex).

     There were no unsettled foreign exchange contracts at end-February 2024 (end-January 2024: US$0.2 billion). 

     The total foreign currency reserve assets of US$425.1 billion represent over five times the currency in circulation or about 40 per cent of Hong Kong dollar M3.
 
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     At present, four press releases relating to the Exchange Fund's data are issued by the HKMA each month. Three of these releases are issued to disseminate monetary data in accordance with International Monetary Fund's Special Data Dissemination Standard (SDDS). The fourth press release, on the Exchange Fund's Abridged Balance Sheet and Currency Board Account, is made in accordance with the HKMA's policy of maintaining a high level of transparency. For the month of March 2024, the scheduled dates for issuing the press releases are as follows:
 

     The Government announced today (March 7) that, in accordance with the Articles of Association of the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL) and as the majority shareholder, the Financial Secretary Incorporated has reappointed Dr Rex Auyeung Pak-kuen as the Chairman of the board of directors of the Corporation for one and a half years.

     â€‹The reappointment of Dr Auyeung will take effect from July 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025. Dr Auyeung first took up the post of the Chairman of the board of directors of the MTRCL on July 1, 2019.

     â€‹The Healthy School Programme, supported by the Beat Drugs Fund, is now open for application. All secondary schools in Hong Kong and non-governmental organisation partners of their choice may submit applications on or before April 12 (Friday) for applying for funding for implementing activities in the 2024/25 school year. The Programme is a school-based anti-drug education initiative, the enrolment for which is voluntary. It aims to foster a healthy drug-free culture in schools through students' participation in diversified personal growth activities and voluntary school drug testing. The Programme facilitates the physical and mental development of students and consolidates their resolve to stay away from drugs.

     To better understand the implementation of the Programme in the 2023/24 school year, member of the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN) Mr Lau Chun-hung and representatives of the Narcotics Division (ND) of the Security Bureau (SB) paid a visit to the Yan Chai Hospital Wong Wha San Secondary School and exchanged views with its teachers and students today (March 7). The school has participated in the Programme for 12 years and has arranged a diversified range of activities with the funding provided under the Programme, including today's school-wide game booths activity. By taking part in the interesting interactive games, students gained a clear understanding of drug harm and the importance of living a healthy drug-free life. 

     The Yan Chai Hospital Wong Wha San Secondary School appreciated the Programme's simple application procedures and the additional resources provided, which enable the school to flexibly arrange anti-drug activities that are best suited to the needs of both the school and its students. The school's principal, Mr Kelvin Yau, said, "The voluntary drug testing element of the Programme can strengthen students' resolve to stay away from drugs. We have no concern at all about any potential 'labelling effect' on the school." The chairman of the school's Parent-Teacher Association, Mr Ng Chi-yeung, said, "Parents welcome the school's participation in the Programme, and we see no issue whatsoever as the students can receive correct information about drugs and learn how to resist drug temptation through the Programme." ACAN member and former chairman of the Hong Kong Subsidized Secondary Schools Council, Mr Lau, stated that the implementation of the Programme has been smooth over the years, and there are already enough measures in place to protect students' privacy. He appealed to all secondary schools in Hong Kong to join the Programme together, "Drug problems may appear in any schools. Schools that are publicly recognised as elite schools, Direct Subsidy Scheme schools and international schools are all encouraged to apply for joining the Programme." 

     By now, the Programme has entered its 13th year of implementation, and about half of all secondary schools in Hong Kong have taken part as of today. To further promote the Programme, the ND has invited Mr Lau, as well as a participating school's principal, a teacher, and a parent to share their experiences in a short video. The video will be uploaded to the ND's social media accounts (YouTube channel of the ND of the SB; Facebook page and Instagram account of "narcotics.divisionhk") by the end of March.

     The Programme for the 2024/25 school year is now open for application. The application form and Programme details are available from the Programme website (www.nd.gov.hk/en/HSP.html). Enquiries can be made by phone at 2867 5974/2867 5975/2867 5976 or by email to sb-hspdt@sb.gov.hk.