The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, visited Hong Kong Ocean Park today (May 27) to unveil the official names of the first pair of giant panda twin cubs born in Hong Kong.
      
     The Giant Panda Twin Cubs Naming Competition, organised by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and co-organised by the Ocean Park Corporation (OPC) earlier, has attracted overwhelming responses. After a review of over 35 700 submissions for the Competition, Jia Jia and De De were selected as the winning entries. The Judging Panel considered the names to be highly meaningful. The elder sister is named Jia Jia, with the Chinese character for Jia (加) conveying the message of support. Having the same pronunciation as the Chinese characters for "home" (家) and "auspices" (嘉) in both Cantonese and Putonghua, Jia also features an element of family and a sense of auspicious grace, embodying the prosperity of families and the nation as well as the happiness of its people. The little brother is named De De. As the Chinese character De (å¾—) means "to succeed", the name carries the connotation that Hong Kong is successful in everything. Also, De shares the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for "virtue" (å¾·) in both Cantonese and Putonghua, suggesting that giant pandas, as national treasures, possess the virtues cherished by the Chinese people.
      
     At the event for the Announcement of Names of Giant Panda Twin Cubs, Miss Law said, "As the Chairperson of the Judging Panel for the Competition, when reviewing the suggested names submitted by members of the public, I was deeply impressed by their love for the cubs. Many suggested names carried profound meanings, while some were cute and joyful. All of the names suggested are filled with our blessings to the giant panda twin cubs."
      
     "I, on behalf of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), again express heartfelt gratitude to the Central People's Government for continuously providing strong support and guidance to Hong Kong on the conservation of giant pandas." She continued, "Over the years, under the Central Government's guidance, the HKSAR has been given the opportunity to participate in the important task of national giant panda conservation. This fully demonstrates the Central Government's support and care for the HKSAR." In addition, she thanked the experts of the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) and the professional animal care team of the OPC for taking excellent care of all giant pandas in Hong Kong all along, particularly for providing professional postnatal care to mother Ying Ying and taking good care of the giant panda twin cubs. 
      
     The Judging Panel members of the Competition include Miss Law; the Chairman of the Board of the OPC, Mr Paulo Pong; the Deputy Director of the CCRCGP and expert for giant pandas, Mr Wei Rongping; Legislative Council Member Mr Kenneth Fok; Hong Kong, China swimming athlete Siobhan Bernadette Haughey; and the Head of Zoological Operations and Conservation of the OPC, Mr Howard Chuk. Details of the Competition can be found on Ocean Park's dedicated website at www.oceanpark.com.hk/en/park-experience/giant-panda-twin-cubs-naming-competition.

      

     The Home Affairs Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Lands Department (LandsD) conducted a joint enforcement operation from May 21 to 27 at the three Permitted Burial Grounds (PBGs) of Po Toi O in Sai Kung, Wong Kong Shan in North District and Tsing Yi Area 24, against illegal hillside burials. A total of 19 illegal graves/urns have been removed and the human remains therein have been reburied at the Sandy Ridge Cemetery.

     The FEHD and the LandsD posted notices on a total of 22 unauthorised graves/urns located within the above-mentioned three PBGs on March 13 and 14 this year, requiring the related persons of the graves/urns concerned to cease occupation of the government land and to contact relevant government departments before April 16 and 17 this year respectively, or else the human remains therein would be reburied at the Sandy Ridge Cemetery. As 19 graves/urns remained unclaimed upon expiry of the deadlines, the Government commenced this joint enforcement and clearance operation.

     The Government has been implementing a pilot scheme on the management of PBGs in individual PBGs since 2016. Taking into account the actual circumstances of each PBG, the Government has been implementing appropriate improvement measures, including erecting boundary pillars for the PBGs, conducting record surveys of existing graves/urn houses/urns, imposing restrictions on the size of burial sites and demarcating available spaces in PBGs for new applications of burial sites in order to ensure that the places of burials are within PBGs. The pilot scheme has now been extended to 15 PBGs, covering all nine administrative districts in the New Territories. 
   
     Having examined the data obtained from the pilot scheme, the Government has commenced enforcement actions against illegal burials in the PBGs in phases from July 2021 onwards. Besides conducting enforcement actions in the above-mentioned PBGs, the Government will also commence follow-up actions in other PBGs under the pilot scheme, including posting notices on other unauthorised graves/urn houses/urns before the coming Chung Yeung Festival, with a view to removing unclaimed graves/urn houses/urns as soon as possible after the expiration of the notice period.

     A Government spokesman reiterated that, according to the Land (Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 28), it is an offence when any person occupying government land, otherwise than under permission from the Authority, does not cease the occupation as required by a notice prescribed by the Ordinance. Any property or structure on the occupied government land may be demolished and removed by the Government, and the occupier may be prosecuted. Furthermore, according to the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132), it is an offence to bury human remains without permission in writing of the Authority. Offenders are liable to prosecution, and the human remains inside the graves concerned will be removed.

     The Transport Department (TD) today (May 27) announced that the auction of vehicle registration marks will be held on June 14 (Saturday) at Meeting Room S421, L4, Old Wing, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.

     "A total of 200 traditional vehicle registration marks (TVRMs) will be put up for public auction in the morning session, and 120 personalised vehicle registration marks (PVRMs) will be put up for auction in the afternoon session. The list of marks has been uploaded to the department's website, www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/index.html," a department spokesman said.
     
     For the auction of TVRMs, only registration marks starting with "HK" or "XX" and special vehicle registration marks are put up for physical auction. Applicants should attend the auction and take note of the opening price as announced by the auctioneer before participating in the bidding of the mark.

     The reserve price of each of PVRMs is $5,000. Applicants who have paid a deposit of $5,000 should also attend the physical auction and participate in the bidding (including the first bid at the reserve price). Otherwise, the PVRM concerned may be sold to another bidder at the reserve price.

     People who wish to participate in the bidding at the physical auction should take note of the following points:

(1) Bidders are required to produce the following documents for completion of registration and payment procedures immediately after the successful bidding:

(i) the identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) the identity document of the purchaser if it is different from the successful bidder;
(iii) a copy of the Certificate of Incorporation if the purchaser is a body corporate; and
(iv) a crossed cheque payable to "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" or "The Government of the HKSAR". Any bidder who wishes to bid for both TVRMs and PVRMs on the same day, should bring along at least two crossed cheques for payment of auction prices (for an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed). Successful bidders may also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS), but are reminded to note the maximum transfer amount in the same day of the payment card. Payment by post-dated cheque, cash, credit card or other methods will not be accepted.

(2) Purchasers must make payment of the purchase price through EPS or by crossed cheque and complete the Memorandum of Sale of Vehicle Registration Mark or the Memorandum of Sale of PVRM immediately after the bidding. Subsequent alteration of the particulars in the Memorandum will not be permitted.

(3) A registration mark can only be assigned to a motor vehicle which is registered in the name of the purchaser. The Certificate of Incorporation must be produced immediately by the purchaser if a vehicle registration mark purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.

(4) The display of a vehicle registration mark on a motor vehicle should be in compliance with the requirements stipulated in Schedule 4 to the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations.

(5) Any change to the arrangement of letters, numerals and blank spaces of a PVRM, i.e. single and two rows as auctioned, will not be allowed.

(6) Special vehicle registration marks are non-transferable. Where the ownership of a motor vehicle with a special vehicle registration mark is transferred, the allocation of the special vehicle registration mark shall be cancelled.

(7) The purchaser shall, within 12 months after the date of auction, apply to the Commissioner for Transport for the vehicle registration mark to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. If the purchaser fails to assign the registration mark within 12 months, allocation of the registration mark will be cancelled and arranged for re-allocation by the Commissioner for Transport in accordance with the statutory provision without prior notice to the purchaser.

     "Upon completion of the Memorandum of Sale of PVRM, the purchaser will be issued a receipt and a Certificate of Allocation of Personalised Registration Mark. The Certificate of Allocation will serve to prove the holdership of the PVRM. Potential buyers of vehicles bearing a PVRM should check the Certificate of Allocation with the sellers and pay attention to the details therein. For transfer of vehicle ownership, this certificate together with other required documents should be sent to the TD for processing," the spokesman added.

     For other auction details, please refer to the Guidance Notes – Auction of TVRMs (www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/tvrm_auction/index.html) and Guidance Notes – Auction of PVRMs (www.td.gov.hk/en/public_services/vehicle_registration_mark/pvrm_auction/index.html).

     The results of the 2025 Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination will be released on July 16. To assist Secondary Six (S6) students to prepare for the release of the results, the Education Bureau (EDB) has specially updated the content of the Designated Webpage for S6 Students (www.edb.gov.hk/s6/en), which consolidates the latest information on multiple pathways and important information on support measures and counselling services from the EDB, the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA), the Joint University Programmes Admissions System Office and other non-governmental organisations for students, parents and schools. 

     The "Reminders for 2025 HKDSE Exam and Exam Results Release" infographics (s6.edb.edcity.hk/en/infographic.php) on the webpage show the important dates and points to note through clear visuals and concise text for students' easy reference and future planning. The webpage is also linked to the electronic tool e-Navigator (enavigator.edb.hkedcity.net/main/index.php?lang=en), which allows students to search for matching local programmes, including degrees, sub-degrees and the Diploma of Applied Education by inputting their predicted or actual HKDSE Examination results, thereby formulating appropriate plans for further studies.

     Moreover, the EDB has launched "HKDSE Cheer Up Videos – Exam Preparation and Results Release" content to encourage S6 students to maintain a positive attitude towards the results release day. The videos have been uploaded in batches to the Cheer Up Zone on the webpage (s6.edb.edcity.hk/en/cheerup.php).

     The EDB will continue to communicate closely with schools and other stakeholders to help students plan for their future pathways. For the HKDSE Examination results release arrangements, please refer to the latest announcements on the HKEAA website (www.hkeaa.edu.hk/en/).

     A fire broke out at a warehouse in Ha Tsuen, Tin Shui Wai at 12.40pm today (May 27) and was upgraded to No. 3 alarm at 1.33pm.

     Firemen are using two jets and mobilising two breathing apparatus teams to fight the blaze.
          
     â€‹One person felt unwell and was being sent to Tuen Mun Hospital for treatment.