Attention TV/radio announcers:
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (September 5) that due to an insufficient number of lifeguards on duty, the lifesaving services at Cafeteria Old Beach in Tuen Mun District are suspended until further notice.
First aid services will be maintained at the beach.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will extend opening hours and make special arrangements at some of its venues for the public to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Details of extended opening hours and special arrangements for selected venues are as follows:
September 13 and 14 (Mid-Autumn Festival and the day following Mid-Autumn Festival)
————————————————————————————————————–
Jordan Valley Park (Kwun Tong District)
September 13: 5am to 1am (extended by two hours)
September 14: 5am to 11.30pm (extended by half an hour)
Hong Kong Velodrome Park (Sai Kung District)
– Artificial Lake
September 13: 6.30am to 2am (extended by three hours)
September 14: 6.30am to 1am (extended by two hours)
September 13 (Mid-Autumn Festival)
————————————————-
Hong Kong Park (Central and Western District)
– Outdoor facilities
6am to midnight (extended by one hour)
Aldrich Bay Park (Eastern District)
– Water Feature and Fisherman Hut Pavilion
6.30am to 11.30pm (extended by one hour)
Ngau Chi Wan Park (Wong Tai Sin District)
6.30am to midnight (extended by one hour)
Tsing Yi Park (Kwai Tsing District)
5.30am to midnight (extended by half an hour)
Tsing Yi Northeast Park (Kwai Tsing District)
5.30am to midnight (extended by half an hour)
North District Park (North District)
6am to midnight (extended by one hour)
September 14 (the day following Mid-Autumn Festival)
————————————————————————
Central Lawn of Victoria Park (Wan Chai District)
Temporarily closed from 2am to 5am for cleaning operations
The LCSD appeals to the public to keep places clean and tidy and not to burn wax or fly sky lanterns when celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival.
"To provide a better environment for members of the public to enjoy the festive occasion, we appeal to them not to burn or melt wax. They should not sprinkle or pour liquids onto hot wax. Metal cans or non-flammable containers should be used to collect melted wax for easy disposal into litter bins after the containers cool down," a spokesman for the LCSD said.
"Moreover, members of the public should not throw glow sticks or other objects onto trees, as doing so may cause damage to the trees and affect the cleanliness of venues. Furthermore, they should not fly sky lanterns as it might cause injuries or damage to property."
The spokesman said patrols will be stepped up at the department's venues including parks, public beaches and barbecue sites on September 13 and 14. About 1 000 staff will be deployed to take enforcement action against littering, wax burning, throwing objects onto trees and flying sky lanterns on these two nights.
Members of the public may call the LCSD's hotline on 2414 5555 to report any wax burning or flying sky lantern cases, or other irregularities found at LCSD venues.
According to the Pleasure Grounds Regulation, no person shall, in any pleasure ground, melt or burn any wax; sprinkle or pour any liquid onto any hot wax; damage any part of any tree, shrub or plant; or fly kites, model aircraft, balloons or other devices (including sky lanterns). According to the Bathing Beaches Regulation, no person shall, on any bathing beach, do any act which is likely to endanger or obstruct any other person using the beach, or damage, deface or pollute the beach or anything situated thereon. Any person who is convicted is liable to a maximum fine of $2,000 and 14 days' imprisonment.
Littering offenders will be issued with a fixed penalty notice with a fine of $1,500, while those who burn wax, throw objects onto trees or fly sky lanterns might be prosecuted.
Two illegal workers comprising a Pakistani and a Bangladeshi were jailed by Shatin Magistrates' Courts yesterday (September 4).
Immigration Department (ImmD) investigators received referrals from the Police to further investigate two illegal employment cases in March and May. A male Pakistani illegal worker and a male Bangladeshi illegal worker, aged 31 and 49, were arrested at Tai Po and Fanling respectively. When intercepted they were working as delivery workers. Upon identity checking, they produced for inspection recognisance forms issued by the ImmD, which prohibit them from taking employment. Further investigation revealed that they were non-refoulement claimants. An employer suspected of employing the Pakistani illegal worker was arrested and the investigation is ongoing.
The two illegal workers were charged at Shatin Magistrates' Courts yesterday with taking employment after landing in Hong Kong unlawfully and remaining in Hong Kong without the authority of the Director of Immigration or while being a person in respect of whom a removal order or deportation order was in force. After the trial, they were sentenced to 22 months and two weeks' and 22 months' imprisonment.
The ImmD spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order are prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years' imprisonment. The Court of Appeal has issued a guideline ruling that a sentence of 15 months' imprisonment should be applied in such cases.
The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for three years and a fine of $350,000. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence. According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee's identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. The maximum penalty for failing to inspect such a document is imprisonment for one year and a fine of $150,000.
Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct initial screening on vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation, with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threat and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of the exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present a concert entitled "Now, 30" among other programmes to mark the 30th anniversary of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre (HKCC).
Curated by promising pianist Wong Ka-jeng, who will also perform, "Now, 30" will feature local music talents showcasing their creativity incubated in local music circles over the past decades. The concert will be staged at 8pm on October 20 (Sunday) at the Concert Hall of the HKCC. The programme will include a classical piece and movie scores, as well as original pieces by local young composers.
Besides Wong, other performers will include Wong Wai-yin (piano), Duo Ping & Ting (Chau Lok-ping and Chau Lok-ting, piano), Re.MIX Percussion DUO (Raymond Vong and Emily Cheng), Timothy Sun (saxophone), CY Leo (harmonica) and Chan Chun (double bass).
Born in Hong Kong in 1990, Wong Ka-jeng started playing the piano at the age of 7. He rose to public attention due to the unexpected popularity of his Golden Horse Award-winning documentary "KJ: Music and Life" in 2009. His performance at the 2014 Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, where he was a semi-finalist, received critical acclaim. Wong was also the winner of the 2014 Young Concert Artists Asian Auditions in Seoul.
Since 2013, Wong and his team have organised numerous concerts through Music Lab, a collaborative platform that values and promotes local artists who strive for artistic excellence. Wong and his team curated the annual Music Lab Festival by producing high-quality concerts from 2016 to 2018.
Tickets priced at $150, $200 and $250 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone credit card bookings, please call 2111 5999. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_838.html.
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has accepted the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee and approved from the Disaster Relief Fund a grant of $4.81 million to the CEDAR Fund for providing relief to flood victims in Maharashtra, India.
Announcing the grant today (September 5), a spokesman for the Government said that the grant will be used to provide food, household and hygiene items to the victims. The Committee hoped the grant would facilitate the provision of timely relief to the victims and help them restore their normal living.
"To ensure that the money is used for the designated purposes, the CEDAR Fund will be asked to submit an evaluation report and an audited account on the use of the grant after the relief project has been completed," the spokesman said.