Police today (August 1) appealed to the public for information on a boy who went missing in Kwai Chung.

     Lai Ming-sing, aged 12, went missing after he left his residence in On Yam Estate yesterday morning (July 31). His family made a report to Police on the same day.

     He is about 1.6 metres tall, 50 kilograms in weight and of thin build. He has a pointed face with yellow complexion and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a pair of glasses, a white short-sleeved T-shirt, grey shorts and blue sports shoes.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing boy or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of New Territories South on 3661 1176, 5613 6963 or email to rmpu-nts-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

  

     Correctional officers stopped a male remand person in custody committing arson at Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre yesterday (July 31).

     At 8.43pm, the 28-year-old person in custody was found burning a bed sheet inside a cell. A correctional officer immediately shouted to stop him, put out the fire and called for reinforcement.

     The person in custody did not sustain any injury. He was referred to a public hospital for further examination because of his unstable emotions.

     The case has been reported to the Police for investigation.

     The person in custody was remanded for the offence of arson in July 2018.

     The provisional registers of electors and omissions lists were released today (August 1) for public inspection until August 25. The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) appeals to members of the public to log in to the Online Voter Information Enquiry System (www.voterinfo.gov.hk) to check their own latest registration particulars and whether they are listed on the omissions lists. Members of the public can also call the REO hotline on 2891 1001 during office hours to check the above-mentioned information.

     About 4.119 million registered electors are contained in the 2019 provisional register for geographical constituencies, which represents a net increase of about 305 000 electors compared to the figure of last year, after taking into account about 386 000 newly registered electors and the deletion of the electoral records of about 32 000 and 49 000 electors that have been listed on the omissions list due to death and after the completion of the inquiry process respectively. In addition, the REO has received 450 000 applications for updating particulars from registered electors of geographical constituencies.

     "The REO has issued reminder letters to those electors who have been listed on the omissions list, to remind them once again to take appropriate remedial actions. The envelope is beige in colour and stamped with a red reminder message, 'Immediate action required. Your voting right is at stake.' The letter seeks to remind the recipients to reply by August 25 to confirm the validity of their registered addresses or update their registered addresses by returning a reply slip, so that they can resume their voter registration. Upon approval by the Revising Officer, their names and residential addresses will be included in the final register," the spokesman for the REO said.

     Some electors, in the course of replacing their smart identity cards, were affected by the technical issues with the Immigration Department's computer system. The REO has finished checking the particulars of the electors affected during the period from December 27, 2018, to May 31, 2019, and found that the particulars of about 32 000 electors are different from those of the register. The REO has issued letters and contacted the electors concerned through different means to remind them to update their registered addresses and provide the requisite documents. The REO will also provide assistance to the affected electors, with a view to updating their registered addresses for inclusion in the 2019 final registers. This notwithstanding, if the addresses could not be updated in time, the affected electors can still vote in the constituencies where their original addresses are located.

     In addition, as the REO needs time to verify cases with incomplete information or cases required supplementary information from the applicants, the particulars of about 10 000 applications received on or before the statutory deadlines for new registration or updating of the registration particulars may not be shown on the 2019 provisional registers of electors. The REO will contact the applicants and remind them to provide supplementary information. If the applicants meet the registration requirements, the REO will act in accordance with the ruling of the Revising Officer to include the particulars in the 2019 final registers of electors.

     Anyone who has applied to be registered as an elector but does not find his or her name in the relevant register, or who finds his or her particulars incorrectly recorded, may lodge a claim in person with the REO. If anyone considers that a registered person is not eligible to be registered, he or she may also lodge an objection in person with the REO.

     "The statutory deadline for lodging a claim or objection is August 25. A special arrangement will be made by the REO, located at 10/F, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, and 13/F, Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre, 1 Trademark Drive, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon, to receive the applications for claim and objection from 9am to 6pm on August 24 (Saturday) and August 25 (Sunday). The Revising Officer will then consider the evidence provided by the applicant to make a ruling in accordance with the legislation," the spokesman said.

     The specified forms for claims and objections can be obtained from the REO (10/F, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, or 13/F, Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre, 1 Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay) and all Home Affairs Enquiry Centres. They can also be downloaded from the REO website (www.reo.gov.hk/en/voter/appeal.htm).

     To enhance transparency, and assist the persons concerned and members of the public to attend the hearings, information on the hearings of the claims and objections (including the date, time and venue of the hearings, and the names of the claimants/objectors/electors being objected to) will be uploaded to the REO website (www.reo.gov.hk/en/voter/appeal.htm) before the hearing day.

     For the geographical constituencies and the District Council (second) functional constituency, full copies of the provisional registers can be inspected during the ordinary business hours at the REO on 10/F, Harbour Centre, 25 Harbour Road, Wan Chai. The relevant section of the register pertinent to a particular district is available for public inspection at the respective Home Affairs Enquiry Centre during its business hours from Mondays to Fridays. As regards the omissions lists for the geographical constituencies and the District Council (second) functional constituency, full copies are available for public inspection at the REO's office at Harbour Centre in Wan Chai and all Home Affairs Enquiry Centres.

     For functional constituencies, about 3.849 million registered electors in the District Council (second) functional constituency, commonly known as the Super District Council, are listed in the provisional register, whereas for the other traditional functional constituencies, the number of registered electors is about 229 000. These figures have taken into account newly registered electors, electors who have changed to register between the District Council (second) functional constituency and other traditional functional constituencies, and electors listed on the omissions lists due to death or as a result of the inquiry process.

     For functional constituencies (other than the District Council (second) functional constituency) and Election Committee subsectors, full copies of the provisional registers and omissions lists are available during ordinary business hours for public inspection at the REO's offices at Harbour Centre in Wan Chai and the Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre. They can also be inspected at the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres in Central, Mong Kok, Kwun Tong, Tsuen Wan and Sha Tin during their business hours from Mondays to Fridays.

     The REO's ordinary business hours are from 9am to 12.30pm and from 1.30pm to 6pm, Mondays to Fridays (except public holidays).

     Statistical information about the provisional registers is available on the voter registration website (www.voterregistration.gov.hk).

      The REO will publish the final registers of electors on or before September 25.

     The Transport Department (TD) today (August 1) reminded the public that the 137th auction of personalised vehicle registration marks (PVRMs) will be held this Sunday (August 4) at Meeting Room N201, L2, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai.
      
     A list of 208 approved PVRMs put up for auction can be downloaded from the department's website, www.td.gov.hk. The reserve price for all these marks is $5,000. Applicants who have paid a deposit of $5,000 are required to participate in the bidding (including the first bid at the reserve price). Otherwise, the PVRM concerned may be sold to another bidder at the reserve price.
      
     Bidders are also reminded to bring the following documents with them for completion of registration and payment procedures immediately after the successful bidding:

(i) The identity document of the successful bidder;
(ii) The identity document of the purchaser if it is different from the successful bidder;
(iii) A copy of the certificate of incorporation if the purchaser is a body corporate; and
(iv) A crossed cheque made payable to "The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region" or "The Government of the HKSAR". (For an auctioned mark paid for by cheque, the first three working days after the date of auction will be required for cheque clearance confirmation before processing of the application for mark assignment can be completed.) Successful bidders can also pay through the Easy Pay System (EPS). Payment by post-dated cheques, cash or other methods will not be accepted.
 
     People who want to participate in the bidding at the auction should take note of the following important points:

(i) The display of a PVRM on a motor vehicle should be in compliance with the requirements stipulated in Schedule 4 to the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations;
(ii) Any change to the arrangement of letters, numerals and blank spaces of a PVRM, i.e. single and two rows as auctioned, will not be allowed;
(iii) Purchasers must make payment of the purchase price through EPS or by crossed cheque and complete the Memorandum of Sale of PVRM immediately after the bidding for the PVRM concerned. Subsequent alteration of the particulars in the memorandum will not be permitted; and
(iv) The purchaser shall, within 12 months after the date of auction, apply to the Commissioner for Transport for the PVRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. If the purchaser fails to assign the PVRM within 12 months, allocation of the PVRM will be cancelled and arranged for re-allocation in accordance with the statutory provision without prior notice to the purchaser.
 
     "Upon completion of the Memorandum of Sale of PVRM, the purchaser will be issued a receipt and a Certificate of Allocation of Personalised Registration Mark. The Certificate of Allocation will serve to prove the holdership of the PVRM. Potential buyers of vehicles bearing a PVRM should check the Certificate of Allocation with the sellers and pay attention to the details therein. For transfer of vehicle ownership, this certificate together with other required documents should be produced to the TD for processing," the spokesman said.
      
     For other auction details, please refer to the Guidance Notes – Auction of PVRM, which is available at the department's licensing offices or can be downloaded from its website, www.td.gov.hk.

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, will depart for Shenzhen tomorrow morning (August 2) to attend and address the 2019 Qianhai Co-operation Forum organised by the Authority of Qianhai and Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies. 

     Mr Chan will return to Hong Kong at noon the same day.