Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at regular intervals:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has announced that the lifesaving services at Cafeteria New Beach and Golden Beach in Tuen Mun District resumed today (August 27). The lifesaving services at the beaches were suspended earlier due to an insufficient number of lifeguards on duty.

     Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (August 27):
 
Reporter: Is bringing out guns and water cannons the best way to initiate dialogue with the public, seeing that you are the one who was asking for a dialogue with what you said, the public, including those who have been protesting? Also, if the Government has no plan to meet any demands from the movement, what’s the purpose of these talks? And thirdly, about the North District Hospital incident when policemen were seen beating a 62-year-old man in custody, do you think the police should apologise to the public for what happened, and what’s your comment on the force used by the police during what is seen on the CCTV footage? Thank you.
 
Chief Executive: On your last question, I have said in my introductory remarks that we will adopt one yardstick – one yardstick – in dealing with all forms of violence. Even if it concerns a police officer, that same yardstick applies. The Police has already taken very decisive action against the suspected offenders in the Police force in that particular incident, and that is the firm position of the Hong Kong SAR Government as well as the force.
 
     As regards your first question, starting a dialogue doesn’t mean that we will condone violence. If violence continues, the only thing that we should do is to stamp out that violence through law enforcement actions.  You would just imagine if under the pretext of communication or starting a dialogue that we are not going to enforce the laws in Hong Kong, that we are going to tolerate all forms of violence and disruptions in Hong Kong, that will be the end of the rule of law in Hong Kong.
      
     When some people said that since there is continued violence, we should stop communicating, I said in my introductory remarks that that is also another too extreme view, that we should prepare for reconciliation in society by communicating with different people. I am saying that, yes, we have to say no to violence. We want to put an end to the chaotic situation in Hong Kong through law enforcement and so on. At the same time, we will not give up on building a platform for dialogue.
      
     In the last two months or so, the Government has repeatedly given a reply to the demands from different people. It is not a question of not responding, it is a question of not accepting those demands. But the most important demand that we have accepted within days after the outbreak of this incident is to put an end to the bill. If the bill was the cause of all these disruptions, that has been stopped over two months ago. So we have to ask ourselves, the continued resort to violence and protests and harassment – what are we going to do? If we continue to tolerate, accommodate and accept demands because of those protests, that will be a very inappropriate and unacceptable response from the Government.
      
     And on this particular point, since I have mentioned harassment, I just want to put in a word for the families of my police colleagues. I just cannot see the association between the protests and the demands with the harassment of police families, repeatedly going to the police quarters to do all sorts of threats and intimidation of police families, especially the young children. These young kids have to go back to school very soon, and I hope every one of us, in particular the education sector, will play their role to protect all these kids, not only police kids, but every kid who will be put under this sort of bullying when they go back to school. This is what a civilised society expects from every one of us.
 
Reporter: Have you lost control of Hong Kong, given the chaotic and violent scenes that we saw over the weekend? And can you tell us have you at any point during the last 12 weeks of protests offered your resignation?
 
Chief Executive: The question of resignation has also been answered. I think a responsible Chief Executive at this point in time should continue to hold the fort and do her utmost to restore law and order in Hong Kong. I wouldn’t say that my government has lost control. Day in, day out, we are not only supporting the law enforcement bodies, we are also acting responsibly to deal with other issues that have arisen, for example, I just mentioned about the possibility of bullying in schools; I mentioned about the destruction to public property; I mentioned about the downturn in the economy. All these problems require a responsible government to tackle, so I remain committed to serving the people of Hong Kong with humility. That’s perhaps the best response that I could give at this point in time in order to ensure that we can come out of this havoc as soon as possible.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)  
 

     The Labour Department (LD) announced today (August 27) that services at the Tuen Mun Job Centre located on G/F, Victory Building, 3 Tsing Min Path, Tuen Mun, New Territories, have been suspended until further notice owing to urgent maintenance works in the job centre.

     Job seekers needing employment services may approach other nearby job centres, such as the Labour Department Employment in One-stop at Unit 401, 4/F, Tin Ching Amenity and Community Building, Tin Ching Estate, Tin Shui Wai, New Territories (near the Light Rail Tin Yuet Station), or the Tsuen Wan Job Centre at 2/F, Tsuen Wan Government Offices, 38 Sai Lau Kok Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories (via Exit A, Tsuen Wan MTR Station).

     Meanwhile, job seekers may also browse vacancy information on the LD's Interactive Employment Service website (www.jobs.gov.hk) and its mobile application.

     The LD apologises for any inconvenience caused.

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 (August 27) that due to an insufficient number of lifeguards on duty, the lifesaving services at Golden Beach in Tuen Mun District are suspended until further notice.

     First aid service will be maintained at the beach.

     Following is the speech by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at the International Conference on Modular Integrated Construction (MiC): Innovating Higher today (August 27):
 
Professor Lee (Joint-chairman of the Conference Advisory Committee Professor Lee Chack-fan), Anthony (Joint-chairman of the Conference Advisory Committee Mr Anthony Chan), distinguished speakers, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good morning. It is a great pleasure to join you today for this International Conference on MiC.
 
     Hong Kong has long been recognised, internationally, for its formidable strengths in infrastructure development. Our iconic cityscape and world-class transport system are vivid reminders of some of our achievements in this field. The World Economic Forum has ranked Hong Kong among the top globally in infrastructure for more than one decade.
 
     To improve people's livelihood, as well as to maintain a sustainable growth of Hong Kong, the HKSAR Government will continue to invest in infrastructure development. We have a huge portfolio in infrastructure, comprising the housing and land-supply programme, hospital development plans and other livelihood projects. The Government's annual capital works expenditure will hit HK$100 billion in the next few years. The total construction output, covering both the public and private sectors, will triple that.
 
     There are, however, some considerable concerns that must be addressed and some have been mentioned by Professor Lee. They include a shortage of labour and an ageing workforce. At the same time, it is hard to attract young people to join the construction industry.
 
     High construction cost is another challenge to be tackled by the entire construction industry. According to reports published by some internationally renowned consultants in 2019, Hong Kong is still Asia's most expensive city in terms of construction cost and is ranked top five in the world.
 
     To help relieve the situation, I urge the construction industry to embrace innovation and apply technology in a bolder and more proactive manner. Innovative technology is transforming the building sector worldwide. Hong Kong must respond effectively if we hope to maintain our competitiveness, while addressing the industry's pressing manpower needs. Through innovation, the industry will not only increase productivity, but also enhance quality assurance, improve site safety and reduce environmental impact. In addition, the use of advanced technology will boost the image of construction practitioners, and that will help attract young talents to the industry.
 
     Modular integrated construction, or MiC in short, is one of the concrete examples of adopting innovation in the construction industry. The Development Bureau, in concert with the University of Hong Kong's Centre for Innovation in Construction and Infrastructure Development, conducted a study on the potential benefits of MiC in 2017. The study affirmed MiC's feasibility for Hong Kong. It also confirmed significant industry benefits, including lower project costs, better quality control, shorter construction time, faster capital return, enhanced site safety, and better environmental sustainability with less wastage.
 
     Apart from conducting studies, we are also implementing pilot projects to build up the experience and confidence of the local construction industry in adopting MiC. Up to now, all the pilot projects have reported shorter construction period, less manpower requirement, and cost neutral or some cost saving situation. With more experience and better mastery of the MiC technology, we anticipate better cost performance in the long run.
 
     I was glad to join the construction commencement ceremony of the InnoCell project, which is going to adopt MiC technology, by the Science and Technology Parks Corporation in May this year. I shared the enthusiasm of the industry for taking another step forward in adopting innovation. To further gear up the adoption of MiC, we have to support it through creating a steady demand, facilitating its adoption, as well as ensuring a capable supply chain.
 
     As I have mentioned on a few other occasions, MiC will be applied in phases to government building projects, in particular the staff quarters, schools, government offices and other suitable building types. The Civil Service College is also on the list. For other buildings funded by the Government, from statutory bodies to NGOs, we will encourage or even mandate the use of MiC as appropriate. A steering committee on adoption of MiC has been set up under our Development Bureau to oversee the MiC policy. I believe that the use of MiC in public projects will provide the needed critical impetus to help develop a new market and, in doing so, serve the entire construction sector.
 
     For the private sector, we have established MiC guidelines to help the industry meet Buildings Ordinance requirements. We have also set up a mechanism for granting in-principle acceptance of MiC systems. Such pre-acceptance will streamline workflow, allowing for early production of MiC modules during construction. I am pleased that the industry is responding positively. Seven MiC systems have, to date, been pre-accepted, and assessment of others continues.
 
     In May, we promulgated the GFA (gross floor area) concession of 6 per cent of the MiC area for buildings adopting MiC to provide reasonable incentive to the industry for the use of MiC. Apart from building regulations, the industry may have concerns about other regulations that may impose potential hurdles for building projects adopting MiC. In this regard, the steering committee on adoption of MiC, of which the members are senior directorates from all regulatory departments, can definitely help in co-ordinating inter-departmental efforts in resolving these hurdles and facilitating MiC adoption in the industry.
 
     For the supply chain, we can benefit from our proximity to the manufacturing bases in Mainland China for supplying modules in the short term. Actually, I went to visit one of these in the Greater Bay Area a few months ago. In the long run, we are exploring the feasibility of setting up local MiC manufacturing facilities. By shifting most of the site activities to an industrialised process in a factory-like environment, MiC would, I believe, provide a substantial change in the traditional "3D" image of the construction industry – "3Ds" referring to "dirty", "dangerous" and "dull". And this change would attract more young people to join the construction industry and help build Hong Kong.
 
     I'm always excited to see smarter, greener and more sustainable ways to tackle development problems and create fresh opportunities. That's the way I feel about MiC, and we will continue to explore how best to encourage the adoption of MiC in Hong Kong. Apart from MiC, my Government is open to all innovative ideas that can make a difference for the construction industry, because that will, ultimately, make a difference for Hong Kong and for all of you.
 
     Ladies and gentlemen, this "Innovating Higher" international conference is an ideal platform to gather MiC experts to share their valuable experiences and learn from each other. At this juncture, may I extend my deepest gratitude to our overseas speakers for joining us in this international conference. As Professor Lee has mentioned, we are going through some trying and testing times. Your presence here is a vote of confidence in Hong Kong. Thank you very much.