The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (March 13) announced that a trace amount of malachite green was found in a grass carp sample. Follow-up is in progress.
 
　　A CFS spokesman said, "The CFS collected the above-mentioned grass carp sample from a fresh provision shop in Wah Fu Estate, Aberdeen for testing under its routine Food Surveillance Programme. The test result showed that it contained a trace amount of malachite green at a level of 0.86 parts per billion.
 
　　"The CFS has informed the vendor concerned of the irregularity and instructed it to stop sale of the affected product," the spokesman added.
 
　　Malachite green is a type of industrial dye and has been used for treating infections in fish. Major agricultural economies such as the Mainland, the European Union, Canada and the United States prohibit the use of the chemical in food fish. According to the Harmful Substances in Food Regulations (Cap 132AF), no food sold in Hong Kong is allowed to contain malachite green. Offenders will be prosecuted and will be liable to a fine of $50,000 and to imprisonment for six months upon conviction.
 
　　The CFS will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action, including tracing the source of the affected product. Investigation is ongoing.

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, will depart for Geneva, Switzerland in the early hours tomorrow (March 14) to attend the plenary meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Also joining the duty visit will be officials from the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau (CMAB).
 
     A Government spokesperson said today (March 13) that officials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will attend the meeting as members of the China delegation. The UNHRC will further discuss and formally adopt the outcome report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on China (including the HKSAR). The China delegation will be headed by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Le Yucheng. Mr Cheung will speak at the plenary meeting in his capacity as the deputy head of the delegation.

     The UNHRC Working Group on the UPR held a review meeting on November 6 last year to examine the third report submitted by China (including the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions), and adopted the outcome report on China on November 9. The report has been uploaded to the CMAB website (www.cmab.gov.hk/en/press/reports_human.htm).
 
      Mr Cheung will return to Hong Kong on March 16. During his absence, the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, will be the Acting Chief Secretary for Administration.
 
 

     The Lands Department announced today (March 13) that the tender for a site, Lot No. 5382 in Demarcation District No. 116 at Tai Kei Leng, Yuen Long, New Territories, has been awarded to the highest tenderer, Gold Fusion Limited (parent company: Lai Sun Development Company Limited), on a 50-year land grant at a premium of $209,800,000.

     The tenderers, other than the successful tenderer, in alphabetical order, with the name of the parent company where provided by the tenderer in brackets, were:
 
(1) Fortune International Investment Limited (Asia Allied Infrastructure Holdings Limited and Earning Hero Limited);
(2) Lucky Victory Limited (Sino Land Company Limited); and
(3) Power Main Limited (FDB Assets Limited).

     Lot No. 5382 in Demarcation District No. 116 has a site area of about 1 119 square metres and is designated for private residential purposes. The minimum gross floor area is 2 350 sq m and the maximum gross floor area that may be attained is 3 916.5 sq m.

     Three women were fined $10,000 each at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (March 13) for contravening the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance.

     The courts heard that in November and December 2017 and January last year, officers of the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), the Home Affairs Department, inspected three suspected unlicensed guesthouses on Ki Lung Street in Sham Shui Po and Portland Street in Mong Kok. During the inspections, the OLA officers posed as lodgers and successfully rented rooms in these guesthouses on a daily basis.

     According to the OLA's records, these guesthouses did not possess licences under the Ordinance on the days of inspection. The women responsible for managing the premises were charged with contravening section 5(1) of the Ordinance.

     A department spokesman stressed that operating or managing an unlicensed guesthouse is a criminal offence and will lead to a criminal record. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and two years' imprisonment.

     The spokesman appealed to anyone with information about suspected unlicensed guesthouses to report it to the OLA through the hotline (Tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805) using the report form downloaded from the OLA website (www.hadla.gov.hk), or through the mobile application "Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses".

     The Government announced today (March 13) that the Chief Executive has re-appointed Dr Pang Yiu-kai as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service (the Directorate Committee) and Dr Clement Chen Cheng-jen and Mr Ivan Sze Wing-hang as members, and has appointed Ms Karen Chan Ka-yin as a member, for a term of two years from April 1, 2019, to March 31, 2021.

     The Government expressed its gratitude and appreciation to retiring member Mrs Betty Yuen So Siu-mai for her invaluable contributions to the work of the Directorate Committee.

     The Directorate Committee tenders advice to the Chief Executive on matters relating to the structure, pay and conditions of service of directorate ranks in the civil service. Other serving members are Mrs Ann Kung Yeung Yun-chi and Mr Peter Sit Kien-ping.