In light of recent media reports about the land use in the vicinity of Sha Tau Kok, a spokesman of the SAR Government today (November 12) gave the following consolidated response:

     The SAR Government is concerned about the matter. The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, this afternoon chaired an interdepartmental meeting, involving the Development Bureau, the Security Bureau, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau and other related departments, to understand and discuss the matter.

     The meeting noted that relevant departments including the Lands Department and the Hong Kong Police Force conducted site inspections today, and are reviewing the past land boundary records, aerial photos, works records, etc. to ascertain the relevant facts. The related bureaux and departments of the SAR Government will continue to actively follow up on the matter with a view to verifying and giving an account of the situation as soon as possible.

     The Food and Health Bureau (FHB) today (November 12) invited interested firms or institutions to express their interest in undertaking the Monitoring and Evaluation Study of Kwai Tsing District Health Centre (DHC).

     ​Set up in Kwai Tsing District, the first DHC will provide district-based primary healthcare services starting from around the third quarter of 2019, with a view to enhancing public awareness of disease prevention and their ability in self-management of health. 

     To assess the extent of the objectives of the DHC being met and its overall performance, it is planned to conduct a monitoring and evaluation study of the Kwai Tsing DHC. The purpose of this exercise is to understand the market interest in the study. This exercise is not a selection process.

     Interested firms or institutions can download the expression of interest (EOI) documents with the specified submission forms from the FHB's website (https://www.fhb.gov.hk/en/tender/181112_ktdhc_eoi_study), or contact FHB's staff during office hours (Monday to Friday, from 9am to 1pm and from 2pm to 6pm, except public holidays) for the collection arrangement.

     All submitted documents should be placed in a sealed envelope clearly marked with "Expression of Interest for monitoring and evaluation study of Kwai Tsing District Health Centre" and must be submitted to Team 5, Health Branch of FHB at 19/F, East Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong at or before noon on December 7, 2018 (Friday). Late submissions will not be considered.

     Interested firms or institutions can send representatives to attend a briefing scheduled for November 19, 2018 (Monday) at 4.30pm at the Central Government Offices, Tamar. Details of the briefing session and the registration arrangement are set out in the EOI documents.

     For enquiries, please call 3509 7969 or 3509 7905.

     Police today (November 12) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Sheung Shui.

     Zhou Yu-lun, aged 72, went missing after he was last seen in MTR Sheung Shui Station on November 8 afternoon. His family made a report to Police on the same day.    

     He is about 1.7 metres tall, 72 kilograms in weight and of medium build. He has a square face with yellow complexion and short straight black hair. He was last seen wearing a grey long-sleeved polo shirt with red and white stripes, dark-coloured trousers, yellow sports shoes and carrying a green recycling bag.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of New Territories North on 3661 3113 or 6273 5787 or email to rmpu-ntn@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

  

     The Department of Health (DH) today (November 12) conducted an operation against the sale of unregistered pharmaceutical products labelled in Japanese, during which a 31-year-old woman was arrested for suspected illegal sale of unregistered pharmaceutical products and Part 1 poisons.
 
     Acting upon a public complaint, unregistered pharmaceutical products labelled in Japanese were found being offered for sale via a social media platform. Two products that did not bear Hong Kong pharmaceutical product registration numbers were seized during today's operation.
 
     One of the products is a cold and flu medication labelled in Japanese. It is believed to contain tranexamic acid, dihydrocodeine and methylephedrine, which are all Part 1 poisons under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (PPO)(Cap 138). Tranexamic acid is used in the treatment of haemorrhage and can cause gastrointestinal disturbances, and inappropriate use may cause cerebral thrombosis. Dihydrocodeine is an opioid analgesic used as a cough suppressant and for pain relief, and its side effects include nausea, vomiting, constipation and drowsiness. Methylephedrine is used for nasal congestion and cough, and it may cause tachycardia, anxiety, restlessness and insomnia.
 
     The other product is named Eve Quick DX and is believed to contain the Part 1 poison ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug for pain relief with side effects including gastrointestinal bleeding.
 
     The DH's investigation is ongoing.
 
     According to the PPO, all pharmaceutical products must be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong before they can be legally sold in the market. Part I poisons should be sold at pharmacies under the supervision of registered pharmacists. Illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products and Part 1 poisons are criminal offences. The maximum penalty for each offence is a fine of $100,000 and two years' imprisonment.
 
     Members of the public should not buy or consume unregistered pharmaceutical products as they may not comply with the safety, efficacy and quality requirements. All registered pharmaceutical products should carry a Hong Kong registration number on the package in the format of "HK-XXXXX". People should seek advice from healthcare professionals before taking medications. They should not purchase medicines overseas and resell them in Hong Kong.
 
     People who have purchased the above products should stop using them and consult healthcare professionals for advice if they are feeling unwell. They can submit the products to the DH's Drug Office at Room 1856, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, during office hours for disposal.

  

    Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, at a media session after officiating at the award presentation ceremony and exhibition of the 5th Bauhinia Cup calligraphy and painting competition for youths from the Mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao today (November 12):
 
Reporter: Can you explain the investigation progress relating to the Think International Academy?
 
Secretary for Education: We have carried out an inspection last Friday and found that there is an operation of a school without registration and our approval. So immediately we asked them to stop the operation, and the next step that we have to do is to find school places for those students affected.
 
Reporter: But the leasing agreement (for the premises on which the said unregistered school operated) was started two years ago. Why did it take two years to unfold the event?
 
Secretary for Education: As I said, we have carried out the inspection last Friday, and from that we found that there is an operation of a school without registration. That is why we stopped them immediately, and you will see that in these two days they have agreed that they will stop the operation. And so we have to find places for the students.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)