ACT Genomics Holdings Co Ltd, a precision cancer treatment solution provider, opened its Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) laboratory in Hong Kong today (July 4) as part of its strategic plan to meet growing demand for cancer genomic profiling services in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
 
     The new laboratory is located at the Hong Kong Science Park. Measuring about 7 000 square feet, the laboratory is supported by a workforce responsible for sales, medical science and research and laboratory work, and is equipped with dual sequencing platforms (Ion GeneStudio S5 System and NextSeq 550 System) that boast both speed (quick turnover time for clinical reports) and throughput (high specimen volume or high sequencing depth for research purposes). It is designed and built to serve the clinical, pharmaceutical and research communities in the city and Asia, and also aspires to capture the tremendous opportunities in the Greater Bay Area in future. 
 
     Founded in Taiwan in 2014, ACT Genomics provides cancer patients with personalised genomic information based-treatment plans through its cutting-edge NGS platform, medical reports and integrated services. The platform is capable of detecting multiple genomic alterations using a single tissue sample within a single test run.
 
     When used together with sophisticated bioinformatics analysis tools, curated proprietary medical informatic databases and data visualisation technologies, it can match identified mutations with not only approved therapies but also targeted therapies in clinical trials, thereby facilitating "precision medicine" treatment.
 
     At the ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of ACT Genomics, Dr Chen Hua-chien, said, "With over 31 000 new cancer cases in Hong Kong every year, it is crucial for cancer treatment solutions to stay on the cutting edge, which is the mission of ACT Genomics. We are here to transform the existing cancer treatment model and make cancer more manageable. Our NGS platform provides physicians with an essential reference for prescribing the most appropriate and effective treatment to a patient. We intend to draw from our successful experience in Taiwan and replicate it in Hong Kong with the help of this new world-class NGS laboratory."
 
     Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion Mr Charles Ng said, "Biotech is one of the innovation areas that is growing rapidly in Hong Kong. The Greater Bay Area is a huge market with a population of 71 million people. As the city is being positioned as the global innovation and technology hub within the Greater Bay Area and with our established business and legal systems, Hong Kong offers a convenient platform for international biotech and other laboratories to manage their operations across the Greater Bay Area."
 
About ACT Genomics
 
     ACT Genomics is an innovation-driven cancer solution provider in Asia with offices in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Japan. With its NGS technology and experienced bioinformatics team, it provides optimal cancer treatment planning, cancer relapse and drug resistance monitoring, cancer risk assessment and immunotherapy evaluation to medical professionals. Its team specialises in biomarker identification, underlying disease mechanism discovery and genetic alteration exploration. Pharmaceutical communities also benefit from its expertise in identifying targets for drug development, stratifying patients for clinical studies and delineating drug responses. For more information, please visit www.actgenomics.com.
          
About Invest Hong Kong
          
     Invest Hong Kong is the department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government responsible for attracting foreign direct investment and supporting overseas and Mainland businesses to set up or expand in Hong Kong. It provides free advice and customised services for overseas and Mainland companies. For more information, please visit www.investhk.gov.hk.
 
     For event photos, please visit www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72157709399200936.

    

     The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted an anti-illegal worker operation codenamed "Twilight" on July 2 and 3. A total of 14 illegal workers and six suspected employers were arrested.
      
     During the operation, ImmD Task Force officers raided 19 restaurants in Kowloon. Fourteen illegal workers and six employers were arrested. The illegal workers comprised four men and 10 women, aged 21 to 60. Among them, two men were holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment. In addition, two men and eight women were suspected of using and being in possession of forged Hong Kong identity cards or identity cards relating to another person. Meanwhile, three men and three women, aged 33 to 57, were suspected of employing the illegal workers.
      
     "Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties," an ImmD spokesman said.
 
     The spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order are prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years' imprisonment. The Court of Appeal has issued a guideline ruling that a sentence of 15 months' imprisonment should be applied in such cases. It is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and up to 10 years' imprisonment.
     
     The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for three years and a fine of $350,000. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence. According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee's identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. The maximum penalty for failing to inspect such a document is imprisonment for one year and a fine of $150,000.
 
     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threat and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent interference, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments.

    

     The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has accepted the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee and approved from the Disaster Relief Fund three grants totalling $7.032 million to three agencies for providing relief to cyclone victims in Odisha, India.

     Announcing the grants today (July 4), a spokesman for the Government said that the cyclone had affected more than 15 million people in Odisha, India. The three grants – one of HK$1.495 million to Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) China, one of HK$2.518 million to Save the Children Hong Kong and one of HK$3.019 to Plan International Hong Kong, will be used to provide hygiene kits, kitchen kits, water kits and education kits as well as household and shelter kits, to benefit around 45 100 cyclone victims. As the targeted localities of the three relief agencies are different, there will be no overlapping of resources. The Committee said it hoped the grants would facilitate the provision of timely relief to the victims and help them restore their normal living. The grants, together with the one approved earlier for this cyclone in Odisha, India, will take the accumulative value of grants and the number of beneficiaries to $12.506 million and 76 150 respectively.
 
     "To ensure that the money is used for the designated purposes, the relief agencies will be asked to submit evaluation reports and audited accounts on the use of the grants after the relief projects have been completed," the spokesman said.

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

     Following is the remarks by the Chairman of The Legislative Council Commission, Mr Andrew Leung, on deliberations made by the Commission at a media briefing today (July 4):

     Members of the Legislative Council Commission joined me to inspect the damages in the Legislative Council Complex this morning before we held a special meeting to discuss the follow-up actions.

     The fire safety, security and communication systems have been damaged. Most of the meeting facilities cannot function properly.

     The Security Control Room has been damaged seriously. The computer servers and hard-disks have been taken away. The Secretariat has reported to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data due to the loss of personal information.

     The Commission understands that it is difficult to find a suitable alternative meeting venue and we agree that priority should be given to the restoration of the Complex with a view to reconvening the Council meeting in October. 

     The Secretariat has implemented a number of temporary measures and we hope that the Red alert can be lifted as early as next week. However, certain public services in the Complex will be suspended for a longer period (of time).

     The Government announced today (July 4) that Mr Chaucer Leung Chung-yin, Deputy Director-General of Communications (Telecommunications), will assume the post of Director-General of Communications on July 8, 2019.
 
     Commenting on the appointment of Mr Leung, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Joshua Law, said, "Mr Leung has acquired extensive expertise in different functions of the Office of the Communications Authority. He possesses strong leadership and management skills as well as rich experience in public administration. I am confident that he will be able to lead the Office of the Communications Authority to meet the challenges ahead and continue to deliver quality service to the community."
 
     A brief biographical note of Mr Leung is set out below:
 
Mr Chaucer Leung Chung-yin
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     Mr Leung joined the Government as Telecommunications Engineer in April 1997. He was promoted to Chief Telecommunications Engineer in July 2009 and to Assistant Director of Telecommunications in November 2012, and became Deputy Director-General of Communications (Telecommunications) in October 2015.