The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat: The Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene conducted a visit to the proposed site for the Agricultural Park (Agri-… read more
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Jakarta (HKETO Jakarta) held a reception in Medan, Indonesia on February 26 (Medan time) and Surabaya, Indonesia tonight (February 28, Surabaya time), to celebrate the Chinese New Year … read more
The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
The Hospital Authority Board (HA) Administrative and Operational Meeting discussed the Government Budget 2019-20 today (February 28). The HA Board welcomed the government’s increased financial provision to HA as well as the additional resources allocated for staff retention measures. Among the $68.8 billion recurrent financial provision, $720 million will be utililised in various staff retention measures.
“We are thankful to the Government for helping us retain staff. HA will utilise this additional funding prudently. We have already formulated various staff retention measures. The measures will be implemented after the required funding process is completed,” the HA Chairman, Professor John Leong said.
HA proposed the staff retention measures as follows:
Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Signing Ceremony of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre and Zuni Icosahedron in Bangkok today (February 28):
Pawit (Director of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Mr Pawit Mahasarinand ), Danny (Creator and Curator of Tian Tian Xiang Shang and Co-Artistic Director of Zuni Icosahedron, Mr Danny Yung), ladies and gentlemen,
Good afternoon. It’s a great pleasure to be here today to celebrate with you the launch of a year-long collaboration between Hong Kong’s Zuni Icosahedron and the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC).
It is a remarkably good fit, connecting Zuni, one of Hong Kong’s major performing arts groups since its founding in 1982, and the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, Bangkok’s stunning centre for contemporary arts and culture. I’m told that more than 1.7 million people visited the Centre in 2017 or an average of 5,000 a day.
Given the Centre’s international renown and its growing role in Thai arts and culture, I’m confident that this inspired collaboration between Hong Kong and Thailand will be a memorable one – connecting artists and cultural communities, creating lasting bonds, and helping us all excel.
While it is our first collaboration between Zuni and the BACC, Zuni has a long and successful history of international cultural exchange and co-operation. Its Tian Tian Xiang Shang exhibition has been showcased at cultural festivals and public spaces around the world, from Singapore, Shanghai, Toronto to Tokyo, Mexico City, Milan, Washington D.C. and many other global cities. Indeed, more than two million people have enjoyed Tian Tian exhibitions and the multicultural dialogue they stimulate.
The Bangkok Tian Tian exhibition will begin outside at the expansive piazza, with the inclusion there of two Tian Tian sculptures, each six metres high. Inside, you’ll find 100 Tian Tian figurines created by artists from Hong Kong and Thailand. And I’m told that many of these will be created during the exhibition period by the visiting members of the public, children included. I am sure our Thai friends will enjoy this exhibition.
In the coming year, this welcome co-operation will feature the performing arts programme “One Table Two Chairs” and the visual arts exhibition “Stage is Cage/Cage is Stage,” as well as a Belt and Road Cultural Forum and an ASEAN Cultural Think Tank research programme. Performing arts’ workshops and artist talks will also be featured.
Cultural cooperation, of course, has long been a hallmark of Hong Kong-Thai relations. Indeed, Hong Kong artists participated in the inaugural Thailand Biennale, a four-month international showcase of contemporary art set outdoors amid the sublime scenery of Krabi province. That exhibition ends today.
And it was one year ago today that Thailand and Hong Kong inked a MoU on Cultural Co-operation. The agreement was signed by Thailand’s Minister of Culture and our Secretary for Home Affairs here in Thailand. On that occasion, our team brought nine talented young Hong Kong musicians, who staged a well-attended concert at the Chinese Culture Centre.
A year earlier, in March 2017, the Thai Minister of Culture visited Hong Kong, touring some of our cultural facilities, including the West Kowloon Cultural District, one of the world’s biggest cultural projects. I’m pleased to say that, since the Minister’s visit, the Cultural District has come a long good way. In January this year, the Xiqu Centre was officially opened. Dedicated to Chinese opera, it’s the first major performing arts centre to open in West Kowloon. It will be followed, later this year, by Art Park and the Freespace outdoor performance venue. In 2020, West Kowloon’s M+ Museum, with its spotlight on visual arts of all kinds, is scheduled to open. And in 2022, the Hong Kong Palace Museum will open its doors, bring to its visitors artefacts of Chinese art and culture from the imperial collection of the Palace Museum in Beijing.
In short, ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong’s art and cultural scene is blooming. There is a lot of potential for Hong Kong and Thailand to strengthen our close ties in art and culture, and I am sure that is exactly what we are going to do with your support.
I’m grateful to the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre and Zuni for this inspired collaboration, for helping Thailand and Hong Kong find creative new ways to come together, to connect and excel. I look forward to many more pleasant surprises from our collaboration with Thailand. I wish this collaboration every success. Thank you very much.
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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (February 28) investigating a case of invasive meningococcal infection, a communicable disease transmitted by direct contact with droplets from carriers or infected persons.
The case involves a 90-year-old woman with underlying illnesses, who had presented with fever and confusion since February 26. She attended Hong Kong Sanatorium Hospital on February 26 for medical attention and was admitted on the same day. Her clinical diagnosis was meningococcaemia. The patient is now in a stable condition.
Her blood specimen tested positive for Neisseria meningitidis upon laboratory testing.
Initial enquiries revealed that the patient had no recent travel history. Her home contacts have remained asymptomatic so far. The CHP’s investigation is continuing.
“Meningococcal infection is caused by a bacterium known as meningococcus. It is mainly transmitted by direct contact through respiratory secretions, including droplets from the nose and throat, from infected persons. The incubation period varies from two to 10 days, and is commonly three or four days,” a spokesman for the CHP said.
The clinical picture may vary. Severe illness may result when the bacteria invade the bloodstream (meningococcaemia) or the membranes that envelop the brain and spinal cord (meningococcal meningitis).
Meningococcaemia is characterised by sudden onset of fever, intense headache, purpura, shock and even death in severe cases. Meningococcal meningitis is characterised by high fever, severe headache and stiff neck followed by drowsiness, vomiting, fear of bright light, or a rash. It can cause brain damage or even death. The brain damage may lead to intellectual impairment, mental retardation, hearing loss and electrolyte imbalance. Invasive meningococcal infections can be complicated by arthritis, inflammation of the heart muscle, inflammation of the posterior chamber of the eye or chest infection.
Meningococcal infection is a serious illness. Patients should be treated promptly with antibiotics.
To prevent meningococcal infection, members of the public are advised to take heed of the following measures: