The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) received enquiries from the members of the public about receiving phone calls from employee of a firm claiming to have obtained approval from the HKMA to debit their accounts as a fee for applying membership with the company. The employee subsequently suggested transferring the call to fraudsters posing as the HKMA or bank staff and requested personal information such as online banking and credit card details from the public.
      
     The HKMA would like to remind the public that the HKMA will not contact the public with regard to personal financial matters. The public is also reminded not to provide any sensitive personal information before verifying the caller's identity.
      
     Members of the public who suspect that they have become victims of any fraudulent acts should contact the Commercial and Technology Crime Hotline of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012 for follow-up actions and investigation by the Police.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding an earlier announcement on a cluster of patients infected with Influenza A in a post-admission ward, the spokesperson for Kwai Chung Hospital made the following update today (September 29):

     Following a contact tracing investigation, one more 51 year-old male patient in the ward tested positive for Influenza A. The patient concern is being treated in isolation with stable condition.

     Admission to the wards concerned and visiting arrangements have been suspended. Infection control measures have already been enhanced according to established guidelines. The hospital will continue to closely monitor the conditions of the patients in the wards concerned.

     The case has been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.

     The Chairman of the Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN), Dr Donald Li, attended the All Hong Kong Inter-Secondary Schools Life Saving Competition (competition) and presented prizes today (September 29). The competition was organised by the Schools Sports Federation of Hong Kong, China (HKSSF). Dr Li gave encouragement to about 400 student athletes from 39 secondary schools in Hong Kong, and distributed souvenirs with anti-drug messages to school principals, teaching staff, parents and students who participated in the activity.
 
     Speaking at the prize presentation ceremony, Dr Li said that anti-drug work and life-saving share the same mission as saving people's lives. He reminded students to protect themselves by always saying no to any drugs. He added, "Taking drugs does not cheer people up or make anyone 'chill', and it definitely cannot resolve problems. In case you are troubled by anything or have something on your mind, you may confide with your family, teachers or social workers. No true friends would invite you to take drugs."
 
     In addition, Dr Li emphasised that the fight against drugs requires the whole community to act with a united strength. He appealed to everyone with the theme "Let's Stand Firm. Knock Drugs Out!" He invited everyone present, especially students, to exert their influence on those around them and remind them of the harm of drugs, and to never try drugs or engage in drug trafficking for quick money. Recently, a youngster, who committed the crime of drug trafficking at the age of 15, was sentenced to jail for 11 years by the High Court. Dr Li called on concerted efforts from students to guard people around them, as well as to use their life-saving strength to rescue those in need and pull them from difficult situations. He also encouraged people in need of help or in search of relevant information to approach professional social workers through the 24-hour hotline 186 186.
 
     The Narcotics Division (ND) of the Security Bureau has all along been committed to anti-drug preventive education and publicity that targets students. The ND also encourages students to develop a healthy lifestyle and stay away from drugs through participation in sports activities. Among them, there is the Healthy School Programme, with its voluntary drug testing component which has been running for years, and also the Beat Drugs with Sports programme, which is equally well-received by schools, teachers and students.
 
     The Beat Drugs with Sports programme was launched during the 2017/18 school year. With the school campus as a platform, the programme aims to let students have a clear understanding on the harm of drugs and strengthens their resolve against drug abuse through encouraging secondary school students to organise or participate in activities related to sports and healthy lifestyles. It also supports student athletes to take part in sports competitions. The HKSSF has been a supporting organisation for this programme for years and is assisting in promoting and publicising the programme to secondary schools. For wider dissemination of anti-drug messages and promotion of a positive and healthy lifestyle to members of the public, especially young people, the ND is collaborating with the HKSSF in the 2023/24 school year and has become a supporting organisation for the competition for the first time.
 
     The ND website (www.nd.gov.hk) contains detailed information about drugs. Separately, the statistical figures of the Central Registry of Drug Abuse up to the first half of 2023 are also available on the ND website (www.nd.gov.hk/en/crda_main_charts_and_tables.html).

    

     The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (September 29) that aquatic products, vegetable and seaweed products from regulated metropolis/prefectures were found when the CFS inspected food imported from Japan and the importers concerned were in suspected breach of the relevant Food Safety Order. The products concerned have been marked and sealed by the CFS and have not entered the market. The CFS is following up on the cases.

     A spokesman for the CFS said, "During an inspection of the food labels of the concerned consignments of food imported from Japan, the CFS found one pack each of chestnut leaves and persimmon leaves from Fukushima, two packs of Japanese shiba shrimp suspected to have been manufactured in Tokyo, a box of sea urchin from Miyagi, as well as a pack of kombu processed in Tokyo and a pack of makizushi nori manufactured in Ibaraki, which are suspected of breaching the relevant Order."

     According to the Order, all vegetables, fruits, milk, milk beverages and dried milk originating from Fukushima are banned from importing into Hong Kong, while all aquatic products originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Chiba, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Gunma, Miyagi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, are prohibited from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong if they are harvested, manufactured, processed or packed on or after August 24, 2023, including all live, frozen, chilled, dried or otherwise preserved aquatic products, sea salt, and unprocessed or processed seaweed.

     The CFS will continue to follow up on the incidents and take appropriate action, including informing the Japanese authorities concerned of the incidents. Prosecutions will be instituted against the importers concerned should there be sufficient evidence. The investigation is ongoing.

     Police today (September 29) laid a holding charge against a 40-year-old man with one count of manslaughter.

     The man was arrested yesterday (September 28) in connection with a manslaughter case happened in Yau Ma Tei on September 24 in which two men, aged 63 and 61, died. The man was also arrested for misleading police officers during investigation.

     The case will be mentioned at Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts tomorrow morning (September 30).