Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (June 8) reminded members of the public, particularly those undertaking outdoor activities, to take heed of necessary measures against heat stroke and sunburn in very hot weather.
     
     “The public should carry and drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration while engaging in outdoor activities,” a spokesman for the CHP said.

     “Those engaged in strenuous outdoor activities should avoid beverages containing caffeine, such as coffee and tea, as well as alcohol, as they speed up water loss through the urinary system,” the spokesman explained.

     “Infants and children, the elderly, pregnant women, those with chronic illnesses such as heart disease or high blood pressure, outdoor/manual workers, and individuals who are overweight are more vulnerable to heat stroke. They should pay special attention,” the spokesman added.

     The public should adopt the following precautions:
 

• Wear loose and light-coloured clothing to reduce heat absorption and facilitate sweat evaporation and heat dissipation;
• Avoid vigorous exercise and prolonged activities like hiking or trekking as heat, sweating and exhaustion can place additional demands on the physique;
• Perform outdoor activities in the morning or the late afternoon, if possible;
• For indoor activities, open all windows, use a fan or use air-conditioning to maintain good ventilation;
• Do not stay inside a parked vehicle; and
• Reschedule work to cooler times of the day if feasible. If working in a hot environment is inevitable, introduce shade in the workplace where practicable. Start work slowly and pick up the pace gradually. Move to a cool area for rest at regular intervals to allow the body to recuperate.

     
     â€‹The public should also note the latest and the forecast Ultraviolet (UV) Index released by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO). When the UV Index is high (6 or above):
 

• Minimise direct exposure of the skin and the eyes to sunlight;
• Apply a broad-spectrum water-resistant sunscreen product with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 or higher when participating in outdoor activities. Reapply every two hours if you need to stay outdoors for a prolonged period, or after swimming, sweating or towelling off;
• While using DEET-containing insect repellents for personal protection against mosquito-borne diseases, apply sunscreen first, then insect repellent;
• Seek shade;
• Wear UV-blocking sunglasses;
• Wear long-sleeved and loose-fitting clothes; and
• Wear a wide-brimmed hat or use an umbrella.

    
     â€‹If symptoms develop, such as dizziness, headache, nausea, shortness of breath or confusion, rest and seek help immediately, and seek medical advice as soon as possible.
     
     â€‹The public may obtain more information from the DH’s Health Education Infoline (2833 0111), heat stroke page and UV radiation page; the HKO’s Dial-a-Weather (1878 200), latest weather report and forecast, UV Index and weather information for hiking and mountaineering; and press releases of the Labour Department on precautions against heat stroke for outdoor workers and their employers when the Very Hot Weather Warning is in force. read more

Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:      The Hong Kong Observatory has issued the Very Hot Weather Warning.      To prevent heat stroke, avoid pro… read more

     The Government attaches great importance to the water incidents at Queen’s Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court. Under the supervision of the Deputy Financial Secretary, Mr Michael Wong, relevant policy bureaux and departments have commenced work promptly to follow up on the four directives put forward by the Chief Executive after a high-level steering meeting yesterday (June 6) to implement 10 specific tasks.
      
     The Government has set up an expert group comprising three experts from the Drinking Water Safety Advisory Committee (DWSAC), namely the Chairman of the DWSAC, Dr Chan Hon-fai, Mr Chung Chi-ming, and Mr Chan Chi-ming. The expert group will continue to advise on the traceability work of the incident and ensure the investigation results are scientific and objective.
      
     The Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, together with the Director of Water Supplies, Mr Roger Wong, and the three members of the expert group, visited the upstream location of the water supply network for Queen’s Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court today (June 7) to inspect the screen filter and learn about the upcoming work at the location of the pipe. The Government briefed the expert group on the assessment that the section of steel pipe with bitumen protective coating on the inner wall at the upstream water supply network at Ping Che Road, which is about 400-metre-long and 600 millimetres in diameter, is believed to be the source of sediments in the water at Queen’s Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court. The expert group considered the assessment reasonable.
      
     The WSD will continue to deepen the traceability work, using advanced technologies, such as robots, to detect the condition of the bitumen coating inside the pipe, so as to further ascertain the specific cause of the incident. An investigation report of the incident will be submitted to the DWSAC for review within two weeks.
      
     Ms Linn said that the WSD will first replace a section of 400-metre-long steel water pipe with bitumen protective coating on the inner wall at the upstream and the works will commence within this year. The WSD will immediately start the preparation work. At present, non-bitumen protective coating is used on the inner wall of over 90 per cent of water pipes in Hong Kong. For the 700-kilometre-long water pipes with bitumen protective coating on the inner wall, the WSD has installed over 1 000 screen filters at suitable locations, and will review, in accordance with the risk-based approach, whether it is necessary to install extra screen filters at other locations. The WSD will formulate a longer-term plan for the replacement of water pipes and will submit a proposal to the Development Bureau for review.
      
     While stepping up the traceability work, the WSD has increased the frequency of water testing. Water samples are collected daily from water tanks at Queen’s Hill Estate (comprising seven buildings, a community centre and a shopping mall) and Shan Lai Court (six buildings) for testing to closely monitor water quality. The testing results are released on the WSD’s website daily. To ensure residents can feel at ease when consuming water, the WSD will continue to arrange water tanks for the estates to provide temporary water supply. The WSD will also promptly address any inquiries received (the WSD’s 24-hour hotline: 2824 5000). The District Officer will strengthen communication with the WSD and the Housing Department (HD) and will immediately follow up on any complaints from residents.
      
     Prompt arrangement has been made by the HD to thoroughly clean again the water tanks in every building of Queen’s Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court within the next seven days. The HD installed a total of 22 high-efficiency filtration devices at the ground-level water inlets of all 13 buildings in Queen’s Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court. These devices will be inspected twice daily to ensure proper operation. The expenses for these measures will be fully borne by the Government.
      
     The HD will display the WSD’s daily water test results in the lobby of each building in Queen’s Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court, with daily updating. If residents observe any issues with water quality, they can call the Queen’s Hill Estate management office (Tel: 2537 0001) or the Shan Lai Court management office (Tel: 2713 9530) and provide their contact information. The management office will follow up by contacting residents and conducting on-site inspections.
      
     The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) and the Home Affairs Department (HAD), together with District Council (DC) members and volunteers from Care Teams (CT), have conducted over 100 visits and gathered cases for referral over the past week, demonstrating through concrete actions their care for the residents of Queen’s Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court over the drinking water incident and its impact on their daily lives.
      
     The HYAB and the HAD will gather over 50 persons comprising DC members, members of the “three district committees” of the North District, and the six sub-teams of the North District CTs, along with staff members of the HD, to conduct home visits today and tomorrow. The visits will include following up with households previously sought assistance in relation to the incident on their current water usage conditions, and making immediate referrals where necessary. The team reached over 850 households during today’s visit; the majority of these households acknowledged water quality has substantially improved. Additionally, three street booths will be set up at key locations in Queen’s Hill Estate and Shan Lai Court to provide residents with the latest updates and practical information, as well as to register residents’ cases for assistance.

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     Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) announced today (June 7) that lifestyle community Xiaohongshu has opened an office in Hong Kong. This marks Xiaohongshu’s first office outside the Mainland, facilitating enhanced services for cross-border brands and users.

     Xiaohongshu held an opening ceremony today for its Hong Kong office, with the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, officiating and delivering a speech. He said: “We warmly welcome Xiaohongshu to establish an office in Hong Kong. Xiaohongshu’s presence in Hong Kong carries significant values. First, it fosters closer connections with the Hong Kong community, offering new perspectives and channels for local businesses in product design, marketing and promotion. Second, as an international finance, trade and innovation and technology centre, Hong Kong can help Xiaohongshu grow its business and expand its global footprint. Third, leveraging Hong Kong’s unique East-meets-West cultural characteristics and our global networks, Xiaohongshu can promote Chinese culture and products to the world, sharing the good stories of China. We also look forward to strengthening our collaboration with Xiaohongshu to enhance the experience of Mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong, enhance the visibility of Hong Kong’s tourism, retail, dining and creative industries, and allow visitors to have an enjoyable experience that makes them want to return.”

     InvestHK actively attracts digital economy and cultural and creative enterprises from both the Mainland and global markets to establish their presence in Hong Kong. In the ‘2025-2026 Budget’, the Financial Secretary proposed that the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises (OASES) will also strategically bring in more innovation-driven cultural and creative businesses to the city.

     The Director-General of Investment Promotion at InvestHK, Ms Alpha Lau, said, “We are delighted to welcome Xiaohongshu’s first office outside Mainland in Hong Kong, which fully demonstrates the city’s strategic role as a ‘super-connector’. As a leading lifestyle community from China, Xiaohongshu’s presence will foster creative collaboration among local content creators, brands and organisations, and promote East-meets-West cultural exchanges and content marketing development among Hong Kong, the Mainland and the global markets.”

     Director-General of the Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises, Mr Peter Yan, said: “Xiaohongshu’s rapid establishment of its Hong Kong office demonstrates the speed of China’s business adaptability. As a leading enterprise in creative industries and technology, Xiaohongshu is expected to integrate innovative technologies to accelerate the growth of the local creative industries ecosystem.”

     Xiaohongshu is not just a highly engaged lifestyle community; it has become users’ major hub for consumption decision-making. Through images, texts and short videos, users share and discover inspirations related to fashion, beauty, travel, food and more, creating a seamless experience from product discovery to purchase.

     The Chief Marketing Officer of Xiaohongshu, Ms Zhiheng, stated, “When Xiaohongshu was first founded in 2013, it established a deep connection with Hong Kong. Among the first seven guides on cross-border shopping we released, one was dedicated to Hong Kong. If we say Xiaohongshu has crafted a narrative of the era for the development of online communities, Hong Kong marks the beginning of this story.”

     The General Manager of Global Business Solutions at Xiaohongshu, Ms Qianyue, said, “By establishing our office in Hong Kong, we aim to better serve more clients, while accelerating the development of our brand marketing businesses.”

     Ms Qianyue added, “Hong Kong is not only an important market for us but also a vital bridge. The global business solutions team plays a dual role – helping overseas brands connect with Chinese consumers, while also supporting Mainland Chinese brands to expand into Hong Kong and global markets. In addition to serving local users, some team members will take on regional responsibilities to support business development across Asia and beyond. We are also partnering with local universities to offer job and internship opportunities, nurturing young talent with cross-cultural marketing expertise.”

     For more information about Xiaohongshu, please visit: www.xiaohongshu.com.

     To download photos, please visit: www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72177720326653416.

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     â€‹Hong Kong Customs yesterday (June 6) detected a drug trafficking case involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 13 kilograms of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of about $5.3 million, as well as 69 sticks of illicit cigarette.

     A male passenger, aged 18, arrived in Hong Kong from Brussels, Belgium via Dubai, the United Arab Emirates yesterday. During Customs clearance, Customs officers found about 13 kg of suspected ketamine in his check-in suitcase and 69 sticks of illicit cigarette from his carry-on bag. The man was subsequently arrested.

     The arrested man has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and one count of possession of dutiable goods. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on June 9.

     Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.

     Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.

     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.

     Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, any person who imports, possesses, sells or buys dutiable commodities without a valid licence commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

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