A spokesman for the Housing Department (HD) today (June 23) said that the HD always spares no effort in combating false declarations made during applications for public housing. A public rental housing (PRH) applicant, who concealed the co-ownership of a property with a net asset value of approximately $17 million, was ordered by a court to serve a suspended sentence yesterday (June 22).

     In the case, the PRH applicant declared to have no ownership of any property and related asset value on a declaration form during a vetting interview in 2015, and declared the same on another declaration form during the intake interview in Shui Chuen O Estate Office in 2017. Subsequent investigation revealed that the PRH applicant has been one of the co-owners of a residential property in Laguna Verde, Hung Hom, since August 2000 and the approximate market value of the property was $17 million. The net asset value of the property for one-third co-ownership held by the defendant, after deducting the unpaid mortgage repayment, should be around $4 million, which exceeded the 2015-16 and 2016-17 total net asset limits for an elderly singleton PRH applicant of $472,000 and $484,000 respectively. As a result, the applicant was not eligible for public housing.

     The applicant was prosecuted for making a false statement knowingly contrary to Section 26(1)(c) of the Housing Ordinance, who was previously convicted at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts. The presiding magistrate considered that a fine as punishment would not reflect the gravity of the offence. After considering the background report, the defendant was sentenced to one month's imprisonment (suspended for 12 months) by the presiding magistrate in Shatin Magistrates' Courts yesterday.

     Together with this case, there have already been five PRH applicants or PRH residents prosecuted by the HD this month for the offences of making a false statement knowingly or neglecting to furnish information as specified in a declaration form, and they were sentenced to suspended imprisonment by the courts.

     Furthermore, the spokesman reminded all PRH applicants that if they are convicted by the courts for making a false statement knowingly during a PRH application, contrary to Section 26(1)(c) of the Housing Ordinance, the maximum penalty is a fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for six months. The PRH application concerned will be cancelled while any allocated PRH unit will be recovered by the HD.

The following is issued on behalf of the Communications Authority:

     This press release summarises the decisions of the Communications Authority (CA) following its 96th meeting held in June 2020:

Public views sought on relaxation of television and radio Codes of Practice
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     In response to suggestions received from broadcasting licensees, the CA today (June 23) issued a public consultation paper to invite views on the proposed relaxation of some areas of regulation under the television and radio Codes of Practice on programme and advertising standards.

     Specifically, the proposals cover the following aspects:

(a) relaxing the substantiation requirements imposed on broadcasters for certain advertisements of real properties situated in and outside Hong Kong already covered by separate regulatory regimes;

(b) permitting the insertion of in-programme advertising material in television programmes covering sports events, subject to certain conditions/restrictions; and

(c) advancing the start of broadcast hours for mature programmes and certain material of an adult nature from 11.30pm to 11pm.

     The CA considers that the proposed relaxations would reduce the compliance burden on broadcasting licensees and provide them with greater flexibility in their business operations and programme scheduling without compromising the interests of the audience. Details of the above proposals are set out in the consultation document on the CA's website: www.coms-auth.hk/filemanager/en/content_711/cp20200623.pdf. Views should be submitted to the CA on or before July 23, 2020.
             
Broadcast complaints
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     The CA considered two complaint cases in respect of a broadcaster's non-compliance with the Radio Code of Practice on Programme Standards (Radio Programme Code) and Generic Code of Practice on Television Advertising Standards (TV Advertising Code):  

(a) complaint against the radio programme "Simon Willson" broadcast on Radio 3 channel of Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) on December 15, 2019. The CA decided that the complaint was justified and that RTHK should be warned to observe more closely the relevant provision in the Radio Programme Code; and

(b) complaint against the television programme "Weather Forecast" broadcast on RTHK TV 33 and RTHK TV 33A channels of RTHK on September 30, 2019. The CA considered that the complaint was justified. Having regard to the circumstances of the complaint, the CA decided that no sanction be imposed on RTHK, but reminded RTHK to take the necessary steps to ensure future compliance with the relevant provision in the TV Advertising Code.

     Details of the cases are at www.coms-auth.hk/filemanager/en/content_713/appx_20200623.pdf.

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Tuesday, June 23, 2020 is 107.7 (down 0.1 against yesterday's index).

     The 13th Hong Kong Literature Festival – an important biennial event in support of Hong Kong literature – kicked off at Hong Kong Central Library (HKCL) today (June 23). The festival is organised by the Hong Kong Public Libraries (HKPL) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

     The theme of the festival is "Moments in Literature". Various activities will be held to explore how writers, through literary reappearance and imagination, portray their vision and experiences as well as reconstruct scenery and people in different times.

     The festival commences with a thematic exhibition "Moments in Literature", which runs from today to July 12 at the HKCL Exhibition Gallery. It is divided into four parts, namely "Eye on Nature", which identifies natural landscapes for leisure walks on the outskirts of the city; "Wandering the Streets", which dives into writers' deepest thoughts and tender sentiments in witnessing social changes; "Taste of Memories", which brings back the good old days and "Portrait of Humanity", which looks into the daily lives of different social classes and their struggles against social changes. The tie-in activity "Literary Works in Virtual Reality" provides a new mode for participants to appreciate literature through the application of virtual reality and augmented reality.

     As well, the winning works of the pre-festival "Childhood Memories" Chinese Writing Competition are on display at the exhibition. The competition received more than 600 entries. The winners list and winning entries (Chinese versions only) have been uploaded to the HKPL website www.hkpl.gov.hk/en/extension-activities/hklf/hklf13/programmes/childhood-memories-writing-competition.html.

     The festival also features numerous live online events, including three symposiums under the title of "Moments in Literature", while "Interflow" is organised by local cultural groups. During the "Moments in Literature" online symposiums, several literary researchers will share their views on how the intermingling of time, space and memories inspire writers.

     The live broadcast "Interflow" will be conducted in an innovative way to explore the fun in literary appreciation and art creation. With three sessions, the programme will begin with "Searching for Nature from Androgyny" where the director will share how imageries and concepts can be transformed to drama and dance. In the second session, "From the Script to Stage: Appreciation of 'Plum Blossom under the Lion Rock'", the playwright and performers will share their notions of creativity and performance from a literary perspective and their vision of literature and Cantonese opera. Finally, "Literary Space in Theatre with Prologue of the Drama 'Mulan'" will explore the adaptation of literary text into drama.

     More festival programmes will be held early next year, including "Good Read Series", "Literature without Borders" and "Group Reading Workshops". All activities are free. For more details, please visit www.hkpl.gov.hk/13hklf or call 2928 4551 for enquires.

     In view of the latest situation of COVID-19, special measures will be adopted to limit visitor flow in the HKCL. Children under 12 will only be allowed to enter when accompanied by an adult. Visitors will need to use hand sanitiser and will be subject to temperature checks before admission. They are also advised to wear their own masks. Please visit www.hkpl.gov.hk/en/index.html for details.

            

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

     Exchange Fund Bills tender results:​
 

 
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     Hong Kong Monetary Authority tenders to be held in the week beginning June 29 :