Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Government today (October 10) announced that the Chief Executive in Council (CE-in-C) has approved the grant of the second 10-year operating right of the peak tramway to the Peak Tramways Company Limited commencing January 1, 2026.
 
     “In granting the above, the Government is satisfied with the Company’s commitment and capability of implementing an upgrading plan which will be conducive to maintaining the peak tramway as an important tourism and recreational facility. We look forward to the resulting enhanced peak tram facilities and services for the enjoyment of tourists and locals alike,” a Government spokesman said.
 
     Under the upgrading plan, the Company will increase the tramcar capacity by over 75 per cent from 120 passengers to 210 passengers; construct a covered, temperature-controlled queuing and waiting area for about 1 300 passengers at the lower terminus of the peak tramway; and renovate the upper terminus platform areas. The implementation of the upgrading plan would go a long way towards addressing the long-standing queuing problem at the terminus and bring about enhanced service provision to tourists and locals.
 
     The Company will invest over $650 million for implementing the upgrading plan, currently expected to be completed in 2021.
 
     The CE-in-C has also approved granting the Company the use of three additional pieces of Government land with an area of about 426 square metres adjacent to the existing tramway area for implementing the part of the upgrading plan aiming to increase the holding capacity of the lower terminus and improve the waiting environment for passengers.

     Under the second 10-year operating right, the Company will continue to pay to the Government annually a sum of consideration equivalent to 12 per cent of its total annual revenue received in the year for the occupation and use of the additional Government land on top of the existing Government land on which the track of the peak tramway and the four intermediate stations lie. The Company will also set a service pledge on service frequency of the peak tramway as good as that in the first 10-year operating period.
 
     Technical amendments to the Peak Tramway (Safety) Regulations (Cap. 265 sub. leg. A) and the Peak Tramway Ordinance (Cap. 265) will be introduced into the Legislative Council to implement the upgrading plan. read more

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has installed Internet Protocol (IP) cameras at 30 additional illegal refuse deposit blackspots to step up the fight against illegal deposits of refuse and improve environmen… read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:        The Chief Executive has, on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission and with the endorsement of the Legislative Council, made the f… read more

     Hong Kong Customs seized about 5.3 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds with an estimated market value of $1.3 million at Hong Kong International Airport on October 7.

     Customs officers inspected an air mail parcel arriving from the United States and found the suspected cannabis buds inside the parcel.

     Subsequent to follow-up investigation, Customs officers today (October 10) arrested three men, aged between 16 and 25, suspected to be involved in the case in Aberdeen.

     Investigation is ongoing. 

     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

  

The following is issued on behalf of the Executive Council Secretariat:
 
     Following is a transcript of remarks by the Convenor of the Non-official Members of the Executive Council (ExCo), Mr Bernard Chan, at a media session on “The Chief Executive’s 2018 Policy Address” in the Legislative Council Complex today (October 10):
 
Reporter: Regarding the East Lantau reclamation, the project is bound to face strong criticisms from the opposition and the public. Are you worried that it may face other challenges?
 
Convenor of ExCo Non-official Members: There are many divided issues in Hong Kong, and these divided issues have lingered around for too long. We have come to a point, and we totally agree with the Chief Executive, that we have to make firm decisions, and those decisions need to be made in the interest of the people of Hong Kong at large. On the issue of housing and land supply, the solutions are all there. We just have to make sure decisions are made in the interest of the Hong Kong people. According to the Policy Address, almost 70 per cent of the new land supply will be used for public housing. Based on that, I believe that is the best decision for Hong Kong. The issue will continue to be divided, because there’s a lot of vested interests, but we just have to move forward. If we continue to stall on this topic, we all are going to suffer. As you can tell, housing prices are already on the verge of being unsustainable and unhealthy for Hong Kong’s economy to continue to develop. So I think the decision to find more land for Hong Kong is very important. Of course reclamation is only one of the solutions, and it is considered to be of longer term, so we still need other short and medium-term solutions to ease the current shortage of land supply.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) read more