The Secretary for Transport and Housing, Mr Frank Chan Fan, will depart for Beijing next Wednesday afternoon (May 15).

     Mr Chan will attend the 2019 China Civil Aviation Development Forum on May 16 and 17 and deliver a speech. The Forum is hosted by the Civil Aviation Administration of China for senior aeronautical officials, leaders of international aviation organisations and industrial experts from across the world to discuss the trend of smart aviation and exchange ideas on other developments of global civil aviation. Mr Chan will also visit Beijing Daxing International Airport, which is still under construction, in the morning on May 18 and return to Hong Kong in the afternoon. 

     During his absence, the Under Secretary for Transport and Housing, Dr Raymond So Wai-man, will be the Acting Secretary for Transport and Housing.

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (May 10) announced that the department collected eight liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) samples from auto-LPG filling stations and LPG terminals on a random basis in April 2019 for laboratory tests. The results showed that the LPG quality of all these samples complied with auto-LPG specifications.
      
     The detailed test results are available on the EMSD's website (www.emsd.gov.hk/en/rl/lpg_sample_analysis_simple). Enquiries can also be made to the EMSD's hotline on 2333 3762.
      
     In addition, the EMSD has been vetting independent third-party test reports submitted by LPG supply companies for each shipment to ensure that the quality of imported LPG complies with the specified requirements.

     The URBTIX outlets at Tom Lee Causeway Bay Branch (3/F, The L.Square, 459-461 Lockhart Road, Causeway Bay) and Aberdeen Branch (Shops 2, 3 and 5, 2/F, Site 2, Aberdeen Centre, 7-11 Nam Ning Street, Aberdeen) will cease operation from June 1 (Saturday), a Leisure and Cultural Services Department spokesman announced today (May 10).
 
     Patrons can purchase tickets at other URBTIX outlets. For details of the locations and opening hours, please visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ticket/counter.html.
  
     Tickets can also be purchased via the website www.urbtix.hk and the mobile ticketing app "My URBTIX" (Android and iPhone versions) throughout the day, and through the credit card telephone booking hotline 2111 5999 from 10am to 8pm daily.

     Hong Kong Customs and the Marine Police yesterday (May 9) conducted an anti-smuggling joint-operation and detected a suspected smuggling case using speedboats in Chek Lap Kok. A batch of suspected smuggled goods including hard disks, bird's nest and raw amber rock with an estimated market value of $2.4 million was seized.

     Officers from Customs and the Marine Police spotted several suspicious men moving cartons of goods from a private car to two speedboats at the seashore of Chek Lap Kok yesterday evening. Officers then took immediate action and the men fled in the speedboats.

     During the operation, the batch of suspected smuggled goods was seized and a private car involved was also detained for further investigation.

     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.

     Hong Kong Customs and the Marine Police will continue to take stringent enforcement action to combat sea smuggling activities.

     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).

  

     The Labour Department will hold a briefing on the employment of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) on June 19 (Wednesday) at 7.30pm at the Lecture Theatre of the Hong Kong Central Library, 66 Causeway Road, Causeway Bay. Enrolment is now open.
      
     The employment rights and obligations of employers of FDHs will be introduced. Registered clinical psychologist and Associate Fellow of the Hong Kong Psychological Society Miss Zanonia Chiu has been invited to share insights on how to get along with FDHs and effective ways of communication with a view to fostering a harmonious employment relationship. Employers of FDHs, especially first-time employers, are welcome to attend.
      
     The briefing will be conducted in Cantonese and admission is free. Seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The enrolment deadline is June 17 (Monday). The enrolment form can be downloaded from the department's website (www.labour.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call the Labour Department at 2852 4000.