Author Archives: hksar gov

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 is 103.4 (same as yesterday’s index). read more

     A truck driver was convicted and fined $15,000 at the Fanling Magistrates’ Courts today (April 16) for contravening the Waste Disposal Ordinance (WDO) and the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation as a result of illegally disposing of corrugated asbestos sheets and construction waste in a public car park on Tai Po Road, Sha Tin, adjacent to Kam Shan Country Park.

     In September last year, a surveillance camera system installed by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) inside a public car park on Tai Po Road (Piper’s Hill) captured a truck driver unloading construction waste from his vehicle onto a footpath. EPD enforcement officers investigated at the scene and found that a large majority of the waste contained corrugated asbestos sheets. The EPD segregated the waste immediately and arranged for a licensed chemical waste collector to handle and remove the waste so as to safeguard the health of pedestrians. Subsequently, the department successfully traced the truck driver involved based on the truck’s number plate captured by the surveillance camera system. After collecting evidence, the EPD prosecuted the truck driver under the above regulation and ordinance.

     An EPD spokesman explained that exposed asbestos material could release very fine asbestos fibres. Inhalation of asbestos fibres can cause serious lung diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. According to the Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation, asbestos waste is a type of chemical waste and should not be mixed with household waste, nor discarded at refuse collection points or public dumping areas.

     The spokesman reminded all members of the renovation, construction and transportation sectors that they must properly deliver construction waste and commercial and industrial waste to the government waste management facilities in accordance with the law. Chemical waste must be collected by licensed chemical waste collectors for delivery to licensed chemical waste disposal facilities for treatment. It is unlawful to dispose of waste in public places or on the roadside. Under the WDO, first-time offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months’ imprisonment. A maximum fine of $500,000 and six months’ imprisonment may be imposed on second or subsequent convictions.

     Members of the public can help combat illegal activities and safeguard the health of the public by making a report to the department if they witness any illegal disposal of waste from vehicles. They can record videos or take photos and call the EPD hotline at 2838 3111. read more

     Special traffic arrangements will be implemented in Happy Valley tomorrow (April 17). The arrangements will come into effect one and a half hours before the start of the first race and will last until the crowds have dispersed after the race meeting.

A. Traffic arrangements before the commencement of the first race

1. Road closure
     
     Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen’s Road East and the up-ramp outside Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) will be closed except for vehicles heading for Aberdeen Tunnel.

2. Traffic diversions

– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the up-ramp outside HKJC will be re-routed one way northbound;
– Vehicles from eastbound Queen’s Road East heading for Wan Chai and Happy Valley will be diverted to turn left to Morrison Hill Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic along Queen’s Road East cannot turn right to Wong Nai Chung Road except for vehicles heading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Queen’s Road East will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Morrison Hill Road to turn right at the junction of Wong Nai Chung Road and Queen’s Road East; and
– Traffic from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley or Racecourse will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from southbound Canal Road flyover to Canal Road East, southbound Morrison Hill Road, Sports Road and Wong Nai Chung Road.

B. Traffic arrangements before the conclusion of race meeting

1. Road closure

     The following roads will be closed from 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

– The up-ramp on Wong Nai Chung Road outside HKJC leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Queen’s Road East and the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel;
– Southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Village Road and the Public Stands of HKJC;
– Westbound Leighton Road between Wong Nai Chung Road and Canal Road East; and
– Southbound Morrison Hill Road between Leighton Road and Queen’s Road East.

     In addition, southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between the up-ramp leading to Aberdeen Tunnel and the Public Stands of HKJC will be closed from about 10 minutes before the start of the last race.

2. Traffic diversions

     The following traffic arrangements will be implemented from 35 minutes before the start of the last race:

– Eastbound Queen’s Road East at its junction with Morrison Hill Road will be reduced to one-lane traffic heading for northbound Canal Road flyover;
– Vehicles from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Wan Chai will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from Canal Road East, U-turn slip road beneath Canal Road flyover, Canal Road West and Hennessy Road;
– Vehicles from Cross Harbour Tunnel heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via the down-ramp leading from Canal Road East, eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Traffic on southbound Morrison Hill Road will be diverted to turn left to eastbound Leighton Road;
– Traffic along southbound Morrison Hill Road heading for Happy Valley will be diverted via eastbound Leighton Road and Wong Nai Chung Road; and
– Traffic along westbound Leighton Road will be diverted to Wong Nai Chung Road.

C. Learner drivers prohibition

     Learner drivers will be prohibited to turn left from Caroline Hill Road to Leighton Road between one and a half hours before the start of the first race and one hour after the last race. In addition, learner drivers will be prohibited from accessing the following roads within the above period of time:

– Shan Kwong Road between Yik Yam Street and Wong Nai Chung Road;
– Village Road between its upper and lower junctions with Shan Kwong Road;
– Percival Street between Hennessy Road and Leighton Road;
– Canal Road East; and
– The service road leading from Gloucester Road to Canal Road flyover.

D. Suspension of parking spaces

     Parking spaces on southbound Wong Nai Chung Road between Sports Road and Blue Pool Road will be suspended from 11am to 7pm during day racing, from 4.30pm to 11.59pm during evening racing, and from 5pm to 11.59pm during night racing.

     Any vehicles found illegally parked within the precincts of the above affected areas will be towed away without prior notice.

     Actual implementation of road closure and traffic diversion will be made by the Police at the time depending on traffic conditions in the areas. Motorists should exercise tolerance and patience, and follow the instructions of Police on site. read more

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:      Here is an item of interest to swimmers.      The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (Ap… read more

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (April 16):

Reporter: Mrs Lam, as you are trying to appeal to the lawmakers and everyone to support your fugitive proposal and also you are trying to explain to the public why it’s necessary and that you are trying to help the family of the victim who died in Taiwan, we are running out of time. So what do you have to say to the family of the girl that if, because we are seeing a chance of the defendant walking free here in Hong Kong? And my second question is you mentioned that there is still room for discussion at LegCo, but you mentioned that there is something that you won’t change, could you further explain that? What’s the line between things that you may give room for discussion and things that you definitely won’t change? Thank you.

Chief Executive: On your first question, as I have said previously, we are very determined to do this exercise, partly because of the compassion and empathy that we have for the family of the victim. I have not only told the family through our colleagues, I have written to the family once we had a decision on how to proceed. What I want to say is the Government will try very, very hard in order to provide the legal basis for us to proceed. But if we do not have that legal basis,we simply could not proceed. Since we have already introduced the legislation to provide that legal basis, the question now is not entirely for us, it’s for the Legislative Council to also display that same sort of compassion and empathy and try to speed up the legislative exercise to give us that legal basis to proceed. I think that is also the wish of the family. As far as the room for discussion, for any piece of legislation that the Government has introduced and put to the Legislative Council for scrutiny, of course our colleagues will interact with members of the Legislative Council, listen to their views and maybe also attend public hearings to receive broader views from the community. At the end of the day, what sort of amendments to the bill that we could accept, or what sort of amendments that we could not accept, is not a question of  personal preference.  It is whether we could achieve the same objectives of that particular piece of legislation. So I would leave the details to be discussed in the Legislative Council Bills Committee.
 
Reporter: … a little bit more about the film industry initiative, because there are lots of Hong Kong people who want Hong Kong filmmakers to make films that they love to watch, and not just to do movies with Mainland people. So how would you ensure that this scheme would also make sure of that? And, as other journalists have already asked, for extradition law, if this Taiwan murder case suspect walks free, do we still need to plug the loophole, so to speak, by July? Could you explain?
 
Chief Executive: As we have said repeatedly in public, there are two purposes of amending the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance and the Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance. One is of course to provide a legal basis for us to deal with the Taiwan case. The other is to plug a loophole in the existing arrangements for the return or the surrender of fugitive offenders. The first objective will have a very critical time element, and that’s why we are operating under urgency to deal with this matter. But even in the very undesirable circumstances that we could not have the legal basis in time for us to deal with the Taiwan case, we still have to tackle the second objective, and that is to improve the current legal framework for us to discharge an international obligation that will help to safeguard and uphold the rule of law and justice in Hong Kong. We will continue to do that exercise since the legislation has now been introduced.
 
    About the film industry, the five measures that I have announced with the support of the Central Authorities are outstanding aspirations of the local film industry. We are responding to their aspirations and now managed to get the support of the Central Authorities. Hong Kong is very proud of our freedom of expression, and we welcome movie makers to make the best use of that freedom of expression to do a diversity of movies. But if these movies have to be screened or made in another jurisdiction, then of course they have to follow the rules and regulations of that jurisdiction.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) 
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