The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The Hospital Authority (HA) spokesperson said today (November 11) that due to traffic disruptions in various districts, some patients may not be able to attend their scheduled consultation.  They can call the clinics to reschedule the appointments later and there is no need to worry and rush for the consultation appointments. Services at the Accident and Emergency Departments at public hospitals remain normal at the moment.
 
     At the same time, HA staff who could not report duty as scheduled should inform the supervisors concerned immediately for flexible staff deployment and contingency duty rearrangement. HA would like to express appreciation to staff who may need to work additional hours beyond their normal duty.

     The Labour Department (LD) today (November 11) urged employers to make flexible work arrangements for staff having regard to traffic and road conditions occurring during the day. This will help maintain good labour-management relations and ensure the safety of employees and the smooth operations of establishments.

     "For staff who cannot report to work on time on account of conditions in road traffic or public transport services, employers should give due consideration to the circumstances of individual employees and handle each case flexibly," an LD spokesman said.

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:
 
Please broadcast the following message as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:
 
     This morning (November 11), radical protestors set barricades at multiple locations in Hong Kong, causing serious obstruction to traffic. As at 7.30am, protestors are gathering and blocking carriageways at the locations below:
      
     Some radical protestors set barricades at Cross Harbour Tunnel at Hung Hom towards Hong Kong Island direction, causing obstruction to traffic; some radical protestors set barricades at Tate's Cairn Tunnel at Shatin towards Diamond Hill direction, causing obstruction to traffic; and rioters set barricades and set alight debris at Tuen Mun Road near Castle Peak Road towards Kowloon direction, causing obstruction to traffic.
      
     Police warn the protestors to stop their illegal acts immediately. Police is now clearing the barricades that caused serious obstruction to traffic. We appeal to commuters to reserve time, and stay tuned to the latest traffic announcements.
     

     The Immigration Department is appealing to travellers to vote in the annual courtesy campaign at Hong Kong's 13 immigration control points.
 
     An Immigration spokesman said today (November 11), "The campaign will be conducted from November 18 to 24 to encourage staff to provide courteous and efficient services to the public, and will also help promote Hong Kong tourism.
 
     "Travellers are encouraged to vote for officers who perform commendable immigration clearance services. They can obtain a ballot form from a member of staff, then fill in their own name, their travel document or Hong Kong identity card number, the date and the officer's name, and then put the form into one of the ballot boxes placed behind the immigration counters at the control point."
 
     With the wide use of the e-Channel service at immigration control points, e-Channel users can also vote for staff members who offer commendable services in assisting them to use the automated service.
 
     The campaign will be publicised at immigration control points during the voting period.
 
     The Immigration Control Officer with the highest number of votes will be appointed as a Hong Kong Courtesy Ambassador by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
 
     For enquiries, please visit the Immigration Department website www.immd.gov.hk or call the hotline 2824 6111 or fax to 2877 7711.

        

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:
 
Please broadcast the following message as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:
 
     This morning (November 11), radical protestors set barricades at multiple locations in Hong Kong, causing serious obstruction to traffic. As at 8.30am, protestors are gathering and blocking carriageways at the locations below:
      
     Cross Harbour Tunnel at Hung Hom towards Hong Kong Island direction; Tate's Cairn Tunnel at Shatin towards Diamond Hill direction; Tuen Mun Road near Castle Peak Road towards Kowloon direction; Tseung Kwan O in the vicinity of Po Yap Road and Tong Yin Street; and Tolo Highway Shatin bound near Ma Liu Shui.
      
     Police warn the protestors to stop their illegal acts immediately. Police is now clearing the barricades that caused serious obstruction to traffic, and conducting dispersal operations. We appeal to commuters to reserve time, and stay tuned to the latest traffic announcements.