Author Archives: hksar gov

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, at the inauguration of the Lo Kwee Seong Pavilion and the Harold and Christina Lee Gallery of Art Museum, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and opening of “Transcending Transience: Art and Culture of Late Ming Jiangnan” exhibition today (March 21):
 
Vice-Chancellor and President of the CUHK (Chinese University of Hong Kong), Professor Dennis Lo, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good afternoon. It is both a privilege and an honour for me to officiate at the inauguration ceremony of the Lo Kwee Seong Pavilion of the Art Museum of my alma mater. When I studied at the CUHK, I remembered that the Museum was a relatively small gallery entered through a beautiful courtyard with a pond and many koi fish in the centre of the campus. The phenomenal growth and expansion of the university’s Art Museum mirrors the extraordinary development of our city’s vibrant art scene.
      
     It is wonderful indeed to see many friends in the media with us today. Media attention has often centred on large cultural institutions, but boutique museums such as the CUHK Art Museum have also contributed significantly to the local art ecosystem by offering unique and thematic exhibitions and facilitating dialogues with museum professionals worldwide. On that note, I would like to acknowledge that the CUHK Art Museum will serve as a strategic partner for the Museum Summit to be held next week. I look forward to more fruitful and inspirational discussions on the development of museums at the upcoming Summit.
      
     For the benefit of our media here, I should also say a few words in Cantonese. So here it goes:
      
     å¤šå¹´ä¾†ï¼Œæˆ‘們é�žå¸¸æ¨‚見（香港）中文大學文物館的æŒ�續發展，å�Œæ™‚見證ç�€é¦™æ¸¯èº�å‹•æˆ�為中外文化è—�術交æµ�中心的歷程。今日，作為校å�‹ï¼Œé�žå¸¸æ¦®å¹¸å‡ºå¸­ä¸­å¤§æ–‡ç‰©é¤¨ç¾…桂祥閣å�Šåˆ©å­�和陸é›�群伉儷展覽廳的啓用典禮。中大文物館的æˆ�長，離ä¸�開中大å�Œä»�çš„æŒ�續努力，也離ä¸�開社會å�„界，特別今日在座å�„ä½�的支æŒ�和厚愛。在此，我å�‘香港中文大學為推動文化è—�術發展作出的貢ç�»è¡¨ç¤ºç”±è¡·æ•¬æ„�，å�Œæ™‚å�‘在座å�„ä½�以å�Šç¤¾æœƒå�„界的大力支æŒ�表示衷心感è¬�。
      
     åœ¨åœ‹å®¶ã€Šå��四五è¦�劃綱è¦�》的明確支æŒ�下，政府致力發展香港æˆ�為中外文化è—�術交æµ�中心。政府會在資æº�情æ³�許å�¯ä¹‹ä¸‹æŒ�續改善文化設施，為舉辦多元化的文化è—�術活動æ��供支æŒ�。舉例而言，æ�±ä¹�文化中心é �計將於今年內全é�¢å•“用，為市民和業界æ��供一個全新的表演場地。å�Œæ¨£åœ°ï¼Œæˆ‘相信日益完善的中大文物館亦將æˆ�為香港的ç�¨ç‰¹é­…力所在，å�¸å¼•æ›´å¤šé¦™æ¸¯å¸‚民和訪港旅客å�ƒè§€ï¼Œç‚ºå¤§å®¶æ��供富有特色的文化è—�術體驗。
      
     I hope that any students here – not only current students but also overseas exchange students and prospective college students – will cherish all the wonderful exhibitions and cultural artifacts that this Museum has to offer. I look forward to working more closely with the CUHK community to cultivate our art hub. I wish the CUHK Art Museum a bright future and the “Transcending Transience: Art and Culture of Late Ming Jiangnan” exhibition a resounding success. Thank you.
 
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     Police will implement special traffic arrangements in various districts during the Ching Ming Festival period to facilitate grave sweepers, and to ensure smooth vehicular traffic movements and pedestrian safety. Hong Kong Is… read more

     Twenty-one landlords of subdivided units (SDUs), who contravened Part IVA of the Landlord and Tenant (Consolidation) Ordinance (Cap. 7) (the Ordinance), pleaded guilty and were fined a total of $92,400 on March 14 and today (March 21) at the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts. Since the Ordinance came into force, the Rating and Valuation Department (RVD) has successfully prosecuted 634 cases involving a total of 543 SDU landlords, with fines ranging from $400 to $34,800, amounting to a total of $1,530,710.
 
     The offences of these 21 landlords include (1) failing to submit a Notice of Tenancy (Form AR2) to the Commissioner of Rating and Valuation within 60 days after the term of the regulated tenancy commenced; (2) failing to produce copies of the bills and provide an account in writing when requiring the tenant to pay for the reimbursement of the apportioned water and/or electricity charges; and (3) requesting the tenant to pay money other than the types permitted under the Ordinance (i.e. requiring the tenant to pay an amount of rent for the second-term tenancy exceeding the maximum amount of rent permitted under the Ordinance). One of the landlords committed 32 offences under (1) to (3) and was fined $29,600.

     The RVD earlier discovered that the landlords failed to comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance. Upon an in-depth investigation and evidence collection, the RVD prosecuted against the landlords.
 
     A spokesman for the RVD reiterated that SDU landlords must comply with the relevant requirements under the Ordinance, including prohibiting landlords from doing any act calculated to interfere with the peace or comfort of members of the tenant’s household, with the intention of causing the tenant to give up occupation of the SDU; or requiring the tenant to pay an amount of rent for the second-term tenancy exceeding the maximum amount of rent permitted under the Ordinance, and also reminded tenants of their rights under the Ordinance, including a four-year (i.e. two years plus two years) security of tenure. He also stressed that the RVD will continue to take resolute enforcement action against any contraventions of the Ordinance. Apart from following up on reported cases, the RVD has been adopting a multipronged approach to proactively identify, investigate and follow up on cases concerning landlords who are suspected of contravening the Ordinance. In particular, the RVD has been requiring landlords of regulated tenancies to provide information and reference documents of their tenancies for checking whether they have complied with the requirements of the Ordinance. If a landlord, without reasonable excuse, refuses to provide the relevant information or neglects the RVD’s request, the landlord commits an offence and is liable to a maximum fine at level 3 ($10,000) and to imprisonment for three months. Depending on the actual circumstances, and having regard to the information and evidence collected, the RVD will take appropriate actions on individual cases, including instigating prosecution against suspected contraventions of the Ordinance. In addition, the RVD has started a new round of publicity and education work to enhance public awareness about the key offences and penalty, emphasising that the RVD proactively checks whether landlords have committed the offences under the Ordinance. 

     To help curb illegal acts as soon as possible, members of the public should report to the RVD promptly any suspected cases of contravening the relevant requirements. Reporting can be made through the telephone hotline (2150 8303), by email (enquiries@rvd.gov.hk), by fax (2116 4920), by post (15/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon), or in person (visiting the Tenancy Services Section office of the RVD at Room 3816-22, 38/F, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, and please call 2150 8303 to make an appointment). Furthermore, the RVD has provided a form (Form AR4) (www.rvd.gov.hk/doc/en/forms/ar4.pdf) on its website to facilitate SDU tenants’ reporting to the RVD.
 
     The RVD reminds that pursuant to the Ordinance, a regulated cycle of regulated tenancies is to comprise two consecutive regulated tenancies (i.e. the first-term tenancy and second-term tenancy) for an SDU, and the term of each regulated tenancy is two years. A tenant of a first-term tenancy for an SDU is entitled to be granted a second-term tenancy of the regulated cycle, thus enjoying a total of four years of security of tenure. The RVD has been issuing letters enclosing relevant information to the landlords and tenants concerned of regulated tenancies in batches, according to the expiry time of their first-term tenancies, to assist them in understanding the important matters pertaining to the second-term tenancy, and to remind them about the procedures that need to be followed about two months prior to the commencement of the purported second-term tenancy as well as their respective obligations and rights under the Ordinance. These landlords and tenants may also visit the dedicated page for the second-term tenancy on the RVD’s website (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/tenancy_matters/second_term_tenancy.html) for the relevant information, including a concise guide, brochures, tutorial videos and frequently asked questions. The landlords and tenants concerned are also advised to familiarise themselves with the relevant statutory requirements and maintain close communication regarding the second-term tenancy for handling the matters properly and in a timely manner according to the Ordinance.
 
     For enquiries related to regulated tenancies, please call the telephone hotline (2150 8303) or visit the RVD’s webpage (www.rvd.gov.hk/en/our_services/part_iva.html) for the relevant information. read more

     The Immigration Department (ImmD) carried out a repatriation operation today (March 21). A total of 18 Vietnamese illegal immigrants were repatriated to Vietnam. The persons removed comprised nine men and nine women, all of whom wer… read more

     The Lands Department announced today (March 21) that in respect of the tender for the site Tung Chung Town Lot No. 55 at Area 106B, Tung Chung, New Territories, which was awarded on February 19 to the successful tenderer, … read more