Able Engineering Company Limited, Moreton Engineering & Equipment Company Limited and WS Engineering HK Company Limited were fined $220,000, $60,000 and $30,000 respectively at Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts today (January 22) for violation of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.

     The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on August 20, 2018, at a building construction site in Sham Shui Po. While a worker was assisting in loading the components of a dismantled tower crane onto the deck of a lorry, he fell from the lorry to the ground. He sustained a serious head injury and passed away a few weeks later.

     The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health today (January 22) reported that the suspected case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) pending results yesterday (January 21) upon preliminary testing tested negative for MERS Coronavirus.

     Police will implement crowd safety management measures and special traffic arrangements to facilitate worshippers visiting Che Kung Temple in Sha Tin during the Che Kung Festival period.

Crowd safety management measures
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     A large crowd is anticipated to visit Che Kung Temple and Che Kung Festival Fair during the Lunar New Year period. Depending on the crowd condition, one-way pedestrian flow may be implemented at MTR Tai Wai Station and in the vicinity of Che Kung Temple, including Che Kung Miu Road and Chui Tin Street, between 10pm on January 24 and 6pm on January 28 to ensure public order and safety. Members of the public are urged to observe order and be patient while waiting in a queue.

Special traffic arrangements
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A. Road closure

     The following roads will be closed from 8pm on January 26 to 6pm the following day:

1. The slow lane of westbound Che Kung Miu Road between Sha Tin Tau Road and Chui Tin Street; and
2. The slow lane of southbound Chui Tin Street between Che Kung Miu Road and the entrance of Sun Chui Estate near Sun Fong House.

B. Cycle tracks closure

     The following cycling tracks will be closed from 8pm on January 24 to 8pm on January 28:

1. The cycle track along the western riverside of Shing Mun River Channel between Tsuen Nam Road and Che Kung Miu Road;
2. The cycle track along both sides of Che Kung Miu Road between Chui Tin Street and Sha Tin Tau Road;
3. The cycle track inside the subway system at the junction between Che Kung Miu Road and Chui Tin Street; and
4. The cycle track inside the subway system at the junction between Che Kung Miu Road and Sha Tin Tau Road.

     During the cycle track closure period, cyclists may use the cycle track along the northern riverside of Shing Mun River Channel between Lion Rock Tunnel Road and Shing Wan Road commuting to and from Sha Tin.

C. Suspension of car parks

     The public car park adjacent to Che Kung Temple will be suspended from 7am on January 24 to 8pm on January 28, and daily from 7am to 6pm on February 1, 2 and 8.

     The public car park adjacent to Greenview Garden will be suspended between 7am on January 26 and 8pm the following day.

     Members of the public are advised to make use of public transport to go to Che Kung Temple and Che Kung Festival Fair.

     Any vehicles found illegally parked within the precincts mentioned above will be towed away without prior warning.

     Actual implementation of the crowd safety management measures and traffic arrangements will be made depending on traffic and crowd conditions in the area. Members of the public are advised to exercise tolerance and patience and take heed of instructions of the Police on site.

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

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) and the Bank of Thailand (BOT) today (January 22) announce the outcomes of and publish a report on a joint Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) research project named Project Inthanon-LionRock.
 
     As a follow-up to the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the HKMA and the BOT in May 2019, the two authorities initiated Project Inthanon-LionRock to study the application of CBDC to cross-border payments. A THB-HKD cross-border corridor network prototype was developed, allowing participating banks in Hong Kong and Thailand to conduct funds transfers and foreign exchange transactions on a peer-to-peer basis, which helps reduce settlement layers. Leveraging on smart contracts, the cross-border funds transfer process is enhanced to a real-time and atomic payment-versus-payment (PvP) manner.
 
     Project Inthanon-LionRock was completed in December 2019 and a distributed ledger technology based proof-of-concept (PoC) prototype was developed successfully together with ten participating banks from both places. The key findings of the project are presented in this report, which covers topics including token conversion, real-time interbank funds transfer, foreign exchange execution, liquidity management and regulatory compliance.
 
     The two authorities agreed to proceed with further joint research work in relevant areas, including exploring business cases and connections to other platforms, involving participation of banks and other relevant parties in cross-border funds transfer trials.
 
     Senior Executive Director of the HKMA, Mr Edmond Lau, said, "Our joint research project with the Bank of Thailand marks an important first step to solve the pain points of low efficiency and high costs in traditional cross-border payments. With the use of blockchain technology, the innovative and unique solution not only addresses different technical issues in practical applications but also offers good references to the central banking community on the use of Central Bank Digital Currency."
 
     Deputy Governor of the BOT, Mr Mathee Supapongse, said, "Building on pain points and business cases, the novel cross-border model is designed and developed as a PoC. The model offers a cross-border corridor network where participants can transfer funds instantaneously on a peer-to-peer basis and in an atomic PvP manner. The design and key findings of the project have added new dimensions to central bank communities' studies on cross-border funds transfer area."
 
     The report is available on the HKMA and the BOT website.

  

     The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) has received notification from the Embassy of the Republic of Kenya in the People's Republic of China that HKSAR passport holders may apply for an entry visa for a maximum stay of three months upon arriving in Kenya as a visitor. HKSAR passport holders may also apply for an online e-visa for travelling to Kenya. For application for an online e-visa, please visit the website of the Government of Kenya at immigration.ecitizen.go.ke. HKSAR passport holders are advised to consult the Embassy for detailed information before travelling.

     An Immigration Department spokesman said, "Kenya is along the Belt and Road. Under the Belt and Road Initiative, this visa-on-arrival arrangement would bring greater travel convenience to HKSAR passport holders visiting Kenya and strengthen the tourism, cultural and economic ties between the two places."

     Including Kenya, 168 countries and territories have granted visa-free access or visa-on-arrival to HKSAR passport holders. Please visit the following website for details:
www.immd.gov.hk/eng/service/travel_document/visa_free_access.html 
or scan the attached code.