Electors of the Yuen Long District Council San Tin Constituency are urged to vote in the by-election in their constituency tomorrow (July 14).
 
     Two polling stations for the constituency, located at Tun Yu School, San Tin, Yuen Long, New Territories and St. Gavriel Kindergarten, 1 San Wai Tsuen, San Tin, Yuen Long, New Territories will be open to electors from 7.30am to 10.30pm.
     
     "Electors must bring the original of their Hong Kong identity card or other specified alternative documents to the designated polling station to collect their ballot papers to cast their votes. Voting is very simple. Electors must use the chop provided by the polling station to stamp the ballot paper with a tick in the circle opposite the name of the chosen candidate, and fold the ballot paper inward in half before putting it into the ballot box," a spokesman for the Registration and Electoral Office said today (July 13).
 
     If any electors of the San Tin Constituency who are remanded or detained by law enforcement agencies other than the Correctional Services Department (CSD) on the polling day wish to vote in this by-election, they will be arranged to cast their votes at the dedicated polling station located at Yuen Long Police Station, 246 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long, New Territories. The polling hours will be from 7.30am to 10.30pm.
 
     Should there be any electors of the San Tin Constituency imprisoned or remanded in the CSD's custody on the polling day, arrangements will be made for them to vote at dedicated polling stations set up at their respective penal institutions. For security reasons, polling hours for the dedicated polling stations at penal institutions will be from 9am to 4pm.
 
     The voting procedure for electors and the venue setup at the dedicated polling stations will be basically the same as those of the ordinary polling station.
 
     The spokesman reminded the public that according to the law, the polling stations are restricted areas accessible only by electors and authorised persons.
 
     "Unauthorised persons are strictly prohibited from using mobile phones or any other device for electronic communication, taking photographs, filming, and making video or audio recordings at the polling stations," he said.
 
     "An no canvassing zone will be designated outside each polling station to ensure that electors can gain access to the polling station without interference. In addition, an no staying zone, in which no one is allowed to stay or loiter, will also be designated immediately outside the entrance or exit of a polling station to avoid any obstruction of the entry or exit."
 
     It is an offence for any person to disturb others, disrupt the poll or misbehave in the polling station.  According to the Electoral Affairs Commission (Electoral Procedure) (District Councils) Regulation (Chapter 541F), a person who on the polling day fails to comply with a lawful order given by the Returning Officer or the Presiding Officer or behaves in a disorderly manner in a no canvassing zone, no staying zone, polling station, counting station or related areas, commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine of $5,000 and imprisonment of up to three months.
 
     Enquiries about the by-election can be made to the election hotline at 2891 1001, which will operate from 7am to 11pm tomorrow.
 
     A complaints hotline (2827 7251) will be in service from 7.30am to 11pm tomorrow to handle complaints about breaches of electoral rules or guidelines.
 
     Once the poll is closed, the polling stations at the Tun Yu School and St. Gavriel Kindergarten will be converted into counting stations. The public will be able to watch the vote counting within the designated area at the counting stations.
 
     To protect the secrecy of votes, the ballot boxes at the dedicated polling stations will be delivered to the counting station at the Tun Yu School for opening after the close of polling. The ballot papers concerned will be mixed with the ballot papers cast at the Tun Yu School before counting of votes begins.
 
     The election result will be announced at the counting station at the Tun Yu School.
 
     The two candidates contesting San Tin Constituency by-election are Man Ka-koy (No. 1) and Man Ka-ho Donald (No. 2). The elected candidate will fill the vacant seat of the elected member of the Yuen Long District Council. 
 
     For the Shap Pat Heung West Constituency, as there is only one validly nominated candidate, Leung Fuk-yuen, the candidate was declared by the Returning Officer on June 21 as being duly elected as an elected member for the above constituency at the by-election in accordance with section 39(1) of the District Councils Ordinance (Cap. 547). Registered electors in the Shap Pat Heung West Constituency do not have to vote on July 14.

     Hong Kong Customs yesterday (July 12) seized 123 bottles of suspected smuggled red wine and about 44 kilograms of suspected smuggled dried sea cucumber  with an estimated market value of about $700,000 at Man Kam To Control Point.

     Customs officers intercepted three outgoing lorries for inspection at Man Kam To Control Point yesterday early morning and found the batch of suspected smuggled red wine and dried sea cucumber in the driving compartments.

     Three male drivers, aged between 31 and 50, were arrested. Investigation is ongoing.

     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

  

Police advise motorists that special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Sha Tin to facilitate the race meeting tomorrow (July 14).

The arrangements will come into effect two hours before the start of the first race and will last until the crowds have dispersed after the race meeting.

Appropriate traffic signs will be put up and police will be on hand to guide motorists.

The Police also appeal to people going to Sha Tin Racecourse for the race meeting and to Happy Valley Racecourse for cross betting to make maximum use of public transport.

Parking spaces at the two racecourses are available only to holders of appropriate permits issued by Hong Kong Jockey Club and any vehicles illegally parked will be towed away.

     With tens of millions of trees in Hong Kong, the Government takes proactive steps to enhance public safety ahead of the wet season.
 
     News.gov.hk spoke to Leisure and Cultural Services Department Leisure Manager (Tree) New Territories North Clarence Chan and Development Bureau Landscape Architect (Greening and Landscape) Allen Cheung to learn more about tree management and the Street Tree Selection Guide.
 
     The story appears on news.gov.hk today (July 13) in text and video format.
 
 

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, in Luxembourg yesterday(July 12, Luxembourg time) attended the Annual Meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).  He met with the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Mr Xavier Bettel, and other financial officials attending the AIIB Annual Meeting to strengthen co-operation between Hong Kong and other places.

     In the morning, Mr Chan attended the opening ceremony of the Meeting, and had a short meeting with Mr Bettel to exchange views on matters of mutual interest.

     Afterwards, Mr Chan met with the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Philip Hammond, to discuss how the two places can bolster co-operation, particularly on green finance and financial technology (fintech).

     He also underlined the important role of Hong Kong in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the huge opportunities this initiative could bring about.

     In the afternoon, Mr Chan attended a closed-door roundtable discussion of the Meeting and met with the State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Finance of Germany, Dr Jörg Kukies.
 
     They exchanged views on the development of the banking industry and financial markets of both places.
 
     Mr Chan also pointed out that Asia will continue to drive the global economy, and Hong Kong is the gateway to the markets of the Mainland and Asia for enterprises worldwide.  Mr Chan expressed the hope that Hong Kong and Germany would enhance co-operation in different areas, including finance , as well as economic and trade.

     Later, Mr Chan visited the Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT). LHoFT is a fintech centre set up by the government and the industry that offers a fintech incubation and co-working platform. It also connects the fintech ecosystem, such as financial institutions, the information technology industry, investors and academia.

     Along with over 100 fintech entrepreneurs, angel investors and executives, Mr Chan joined a LHoFt networking event and introduced the latest development of fintech in Hong Kong.

     He added that the HKSAR Government has been keeping up efforts to provide a conducive environment to the industry. Over the past five years, fintech companies in Hong Kong have raised over US$1.1 billion. Mr Chan encouraged LHoFt to go to Hong Kong to help promote the city's fintech development.

     Mr Chan also attended the gala dinner of the Meeting. He will continue to take part in the Meeting today (July 13, Luxembourg time).