A sick 66-year-old male person in custody at Tai Lam Correctional Institution died in a public hospital today (February 19).

     The person in custody suffered from cholangiocarcinoma. He required continuous medical care and follow-up at the institution hospital and a public hospital. Yesterday (February 18), he was sent to a public hospital for treatment due to physical discomfort and was later diagnosed with septic shock. During hospitalisation, his condition deteriorated and he was certified dead at 10.07am today.

     The case has been reported to the Police. A death inquest will be held by the Coroner's Court.

     The person in custody was convicted for the offence of trafficking in a dangerous drug in April 2017.

     The Hong Kong School of Motoring Shatin Road Safety Centre in Siu Lek Yuen was again caught illegally discharging substandard wastewater into the Shing Mun River. It was convicted and fined $13,000 by Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (February 19) for contravening the Water Pollution Control Ordinance (WPCO). The company committed the same offence and was convicted and fined $8,000 in February last year.

     Environmental Protection Department (EPD) enforcement officers conducted an inspection at Shatin Road Safety Centre last August. It was found again that the wastewater treatment facilities of the centre did not operate properly and brownish turbid wastewater with foul odour was discharged unceasingly. The wastewater washed down into the Shing Mun River via the communal storm drains and polluted the water quality of the river. A wastewater sample was collected by the EPD for analysis and the result showed that the concentration of suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand and biological oxygen demand exceeded the upper limits of the wastewater discharge licence by two times. The EPD again prosecuted the licensee, the Hong Kong School of Motoring, in accordance with the WPCO.

     The EPD has all along been committed to protecting the water quality of the Shing Mun River. Inspections and water quality monitoring are conducted regularly in order to detect the pollution source as soon as possible and stop wastewater from entering the river. An EPD spokesman reminded all licensees concerned, including occupants of premises and property management companies, that they should ensure proper operation of their wastewater treatment facilities and strictly comply with the discharge standards as stipulated in the licence to protect water bodies.

     According to the WPCO, anyone who discharges wastewater which exceeds the limits of the discharge licence into the communal drainage system commits an offence. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months' imprisonment. A maximum fine of $400,000 and six months' imprisonment may be imposed on second or subsequent convictions.

     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) published today (February 19) the February 2019 issue of the "Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics" (HKMDS).

     Apart from providing up-to-date statistics, this issue also contains one feature article entitled "The Profile of Persons Residing in Private Elderly Homes in 2018".

"The Profile of Persons Residing in Private Elderly Homes in 2018"

     A survey was conducted by C&SD during July to August 2018 to collect the age-sex profile of persons residing in private elderly homes (PEH). Results of the survey together with some other administrative records are used in the General Household Survey to estimate the age-sex profile of the land-based non-institutional population of Hong Kong. The feature article gives a brief account of the results of the 2018 round of Annual Survey on Profile of Inmates of PEH.

     For enquiries about this feature article, please contact the Household Statistics Analysis Section, C&SD (Tel: 2887 5208; email: ghs@censtatd.gov.hk).

     Published in bilingual form, the HKMDS is a compact volume of official statistics containing about 140 tables. It collects up-to-date statistical series on various aspects of the social and economic situation of Hong Kong. Topics include population; labour; external trade; National Income and Balance of Payments; prices; business performance; energy; housing and property; government accounts, finance and insurance; and transport, communications and tourism. For selected key statistical items, over 20 charts depicting the annual trend in the past decade and quarterly or monthly trend in the recent two years are also available. Users can download the Digest free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp460.jsp?productCode=B1010002).

     Enquiries about the contents of the Digest can be directed to the Statistical Information Services Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 4738; email: gen-enquiry@censtatd.gov.hk).

     An Environmental Protection Department (EPD) spokesman said today (February 19) that the EPD has signed the first funding agreement under the Restored Landfill Revitalisation Funding Scheme with the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) to provide funding support for the TWGHs to carry out pre-construction activities for revitalising the Tseung Kwan O Stage I Landfill.

     The spokesman explained that the scheme aims to provide funding for eligible non-profit-making organisations (NPOs) or national sports associations (NSAs) to develop recreational facilities or other suitable and innovative beneficial uses at restored landfills. The TWGHs proposes to revitalise the Tseung Kwan O Stage I Landfill into a camp site-cum-green education ground, with major facilities including camping grounds, green exhibition and activity facilities, a plant-maze adventure zone and an outdoor recreational platform. Subsequent to the TWGHs' completion of a technical feasibility study for the project in 2018, the EPD signed the funding agreement with the TWGHs on February 18, 2019, to provide funding for the pre-construction activities for the project, including site investigation, detailed design and tender documentation. On completion of the pre-construction activities, the EPD will follow the established procedures to seek funding approval for the capital works of the project from the Legislative Council.

     Regarding the revitalisation project at the Ma Yau Tong Central Landfill proposed by the Christian Family Service Centre (CFSC), the CFSC completed the detailed proposal and found that the estimated capital costs of the project had exceeded the costs estimated during the application stage as well as the ceiling of the $100 million capital grant under the scheme. The CFSC has decided not to pursue the project further and has formally informed the Steering Committee on Restored Landfill Revitalisation Funding Scheme of its decision.

     The EPD will review the operational and implementation experience of Batch 1 of the scheme, which covers the requirements of basic infrastructure/public utilities and possible beneficial uses at individual restored landfills, the roles of the Government and NPOs/NSAs in constructing and managing the facilities, and application and assessment procedures, with a view to introducing enhanced measures for Batch 2 of the scheme and assisting future applicants in proposing diverse modes of collaboration or operation. The review is expected to be completed in 2019 and Batch 2 of the scheme will be launched as soon as possible. In the meantime, the EPD will also explore feasible interim uses at restored landfills to better utilise land resources.

     To expedite the development of suitable facilities at restored landfills, the Government has earmarked $1 billion under the Capital Works Reserve Fund to set up the Restored Landfill Revitalisation Funding Scheme for application by NPOs or NSAs. To take the scheme forward, the Government established the Steering Committee to advise the Government on the operational arrangements of the scheme and to assist in assessing the funding applications and monitoring the progress of approved projects. After detailed consideration of all applications for Batch 1 of the scheme in accordance with the established assessment procedures and criteria, the Steering Committee selected two NPOs, namely the TWGHs and the CFSC, to develop detailed proposals to revitalise the Tseung Kwan O Stage I Landfill in Sai Kung and the Ma Yau Tong Central Landfill in Kwun Tong respectively in 2017.

    

     The Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) will reopen this November. As a prelude to the reopening, the "Sig. Tune for HKMoA: Creative Music Programme" will provide a cross-disciplinary learning and creative opportunity for young and talented people to make their debut as composers. The programme has received an enthusiastic response with 194 applications. A total of 21 participants selected by an adjudication panel consisting of the programme's music mentor, Chiu Tsang-hei, and curators of the HKMoA, will take part in the audition in the hope of proceeding to the next stage. They will then become mentees of Chiu and write the signature tunes (Sig. Tunes) for the new image of the HKMoA and its four core collections.
 
     The audition will be held at the HKMoA on March 16 (Saturday). The 21 selected participants will perform or play a two-minute work expressing the theme "world of contrasts". The final result will be announced immediately after the audition, and at least four participants will be selected to join the mentorship programme in the next stage.
 
     The selected participants in the audition will become mentees of Chiu in the half-year mentorship programme and receive professional music training. They will also learn from museum curators about the four core collections, namely Hong Kong Art, Chinese Fine Art, Chinese Antiquities and China Trade Art.
 
     The training will help inspire the participants' creation of Sig. Tunes, which will be played and recorded by professional musicians, and broadcast at the reopening exhibition of the HKMoA and through various media channels.
 
Shortlisted candidates (in alphabetical order of surname):

 
     For details about the programme, please visit the museum's website hk.art.museum/en_US/web/ma/whatsnew06.html or Facebook page www.facebook.com/hkmuseumofart.