The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:
Under Rule 14 (3) of the Rules of Procedure, the President of the Legislative Council has decided that the Council meeting of June 12 will not be held today. Announcement will be made once the President determines the time of the meeting.
A Government spokesman said today (June 12) that a riot broke out in the Admiralty area, with protesters causing serious obstruction to major trunk roads and great inconvenience.
The spokesman said a number of protesters had used very dangerous weapons and a high level of violence. They have repeatedly charged at police officers, leading to an increasingly chaotic situation. The Government calls on the persons at the location to leave immediately for their own safety. Other members of the public should not go to the Admiralty area. The spokesperson also urged protesters who were blocking the carriageways to release certain traffic lanes immediately to allow the passage of emergency vehicles and let traffic resume as soon as possible.
The spokesman added that Hong Kong people enjoy the rights to freedom of expression and assembly. However, protesters assembling at the scene must comply with the laws of Hong Kong and maintain social order, remain calm and exercise restraint, leave the scene peacefully. The Police will take appropriate actions if there are any illegal acts.
A spokesman for the Transport Department (TD) said today (June 12) that due to emergency road closures in the vicinity of Central, Admiralty and Wan Chai North, some public transport services including franchised bus routes, green minibus routes and tram routes have been suspended, truncated or diverted. The TD reminds the public to pay attention to the road conditions and the latest arrangements for public transport services and allow more time for travel during evening peak commuting hours. Motorists are advised to stay alert to the road conditions and exercise tolerance and patience, and drive carefully to ensure safety.
As at 4.30pm today, the following major roads have been temporarily closed:
– Tim Wa Avenue (both bounds)
– Tim Mei Avenue (both bounds)
– Lung Wo Road between Edinburgh Place and Expo Drive (both bounds)
– Harcourt Road (both bounds)
– Yiu Sing Street (both bounds)
– Queensway (both bounds)
– Fenwick Pier Street (Central bound)
– Central – Wan Chai Bypass (East and west bounds) Wan Chai North Exit
As at 4.30pm today, a total of 19 bus routes had been suspended, with 48 bus routes truncated and 11 bus routes diverted. Moreover, 11 green minibus routes have been diverted or truncated. The tram service between Pedder Street and Johnston Road has also been suspended. The MTR service remains normal.
The TD reminds the members of the public that during evening peak commuting hours, the public transport operators will adjust their services appropriately according to the situation.
The Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre of the TD is maintaining close liaison with the Police and public transport operators as well as tunnel and bridge operators to co-ordinate and implement relevant traffic and public transport arrangements as soon as possible while the roads are affected.
Members of the public are advised to be alert to the latest traffic news through television and radio, the TD's website (www.td.gov.hk), or the TD's mobile application "HKeMobility" to obtain the latest special traffic and transport arrangements.
A man who went missing in Tin Sum was located.
Yu Hoi-man, aged 44, went missing after he left a hostel in Chun Shek Estate on June 7 morning. Staff of the hostel made a report to Police on June 10.
The man turned up to Police to cancel the missing person report this morning (June 12).
The Government is committed to building a healthy society, and health and medical research plays a crucial role by informing health policies with the latest knowledge and developments in the field, the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, said today (June 12) at the Health Research Symposium 2019.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the symposium, she said, "Genomics and use of big data are inter-related and cover nearly every aspect of medical and health research including communicable and non-communicable diseases. Research on genomics and big data fully supports the Government's stated priority areas in advancing health and medical research in the coming years."
Professor Chan noted that the Food and Health Bureau (FHB)'s Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF) provides funding avenues to promote research as an engine for generating new knowledge and underscore the Government's commitment to applying scientific evidence to protect the health of the population.
Organised by the FHB, the symposium, entitled "Genomics and Big Data in Health and Disease", was attended by some 500 medical and healthcare practitioners, academics, researchers and representatives from the community and the Government.
Two renowned international experts from the United States, Professor Euan Ashley and Dr Nicholas Tatonetti, and three local distinguished leaders in the fields, Professor Leung Suet-yi, Ms Eva Tsui and Dr Anderson Tsang, delivered keynote lectures on genomics and big data in health and exchanged views with the audience at the symposium.
In the morning session of the symposium, Professor Ashley spoke on the concept of precision medicine and highlighted some of the critical contributions made by clinical genomics to its origination and evolution. In the afternoon session, Dr Tatonetti addressed the audience on observational data for biomedical discovery.
In addition, 20 leading local project teams from a variety of health-related disciplines spoke on their experience and outcomes of their projects on health and health services, infectious diseases, advanced medical research and health promotion. Recipients of the Research Fellowship Scheme discussed their experience of training and how they have applied their new skills in the public healthcare setting.
Meanwhile, 119 projects funded by the HMRF which set a benchmark to foster evidence-based interventions to improve the health of the population were showcased in the poster exhibition.
At the Health Research Symposium, 10 special awards were presented to the following awardees in recognition of their outstanding contributions to health and medical research, as well as health promotion. They are:
Excellent Research Awards:
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Professor Chien Wai-tong
Professor Richard Choy
Professor Jin Dong-yan
Professor Stephen Tsui
Professor Eliza Wong
Professor Vincent Wong
Excellent Health Promotion Project Awards:
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Dr Derek Cheung
Dr Tang Hoi-yin
The Most Promising Young Researcher Awards:
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Dr Jasper Chan
Dr Alexander Lau
