Attention TV/radio announcers:
 
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:
 
Here is an item of interest to swimmers.
 
     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (January 11) that Repulse Bay Beach in Southern District, Hong Kong Island, will be temporarily closed on January 14 until further notice due to nearby sewerage repair works, as the water quality at the beach may potentially be affected. The red flag will be hoisted at the beach. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at the beach.

     The Chief Executive in Council has adopted the recommendation of the Minimum Wage Commission (MWC) to raise the Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW) rate from its prevailing level of $34.5 per hour to $37.5 per hour, an increase of $3 or 8.7 per cent.

     The Minimum Wage Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 3) Notice 2019 will be published in the Government Gazette next Friday (January 18) and tabled in the Legislative Council (LegCo) on January 23. Subject to the approval of LegCo, the revised SMW rate will come into force on May 1, the next Labour Day.

     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong, paid warm tribute to the Chairperson of the MWC, Ms Priscilla Wong, and all its members for their hard efforts and sterling contribution in accomplishing the important and challenging mission of reviewing the SMW rate.

     Dr Law said, "The Government has carefully considered the report of the MWC and is of the view that the MWC has ably discharged its statutory function of reviewing the SMW rate with thorough and balanced deliberation."

     He added, "Since the SMW came into effect on May 1, 2011, the earnings of low-income employees have continued to improve and the employment market has remained largely stable. The smooth implementation of the SMW has been attributable to the support of the community and co-operation of stakeholders."

     The full text of the "2018 Report of the Minimum Wage Commission" is available at the MWC's website (www.mwc.org.hk).

     The Government will also publish in the Government Gazette on January 18, and table in LegCo on January 23, the Employment Ordinance (Amendment of Ninth Schedule) Notice 2019. The Notice amends the monthly monetary cap on recording the total number of hours worked. An employer will be exempted from the requirement to record the total number of hours worked by an employee in a wage period if wages payable to the employee for that wage period are not less than $15,300 (currently $14,100) per month. In tandem with the commencement of the revised SMW rate, the revised monetary cap will come into force on the same day on which the revised rate takes effect, that is May 1 this year.

    Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Education, Mr Kevin Yeung, at a media session after officiating at the opening ceremony of a special classroom and the inauguration of the four houses of Alliance Primary School, Whampoa today (January 11):
 
Reporter: Mr Yeung, once the National Anthem Law is introduced, does that mean it will be compulsory for schools to teach students the national anthem? Will they be penalised for not teaching that? And also, do you think that this will amount to bringing the Mainland authorities or Mainland interference into Hong Kong's education system for bringing this kind of national anthem law into schools?
 
Secretary for Education: I think it is a local legislation, and what the Bill (National Anthem Bill) says is the Secretary for Education has to give directions to the schools so that students could learn the national anthem at school and also they could learn the history and the necessary attitude when they sing the national anthem. So it is just following the existing local system, the local education system, in terms of learning and teaching. So there is no question of any interference from the Mainland.
 
Reporter: And will schools be penalised for not teaching the national anthem?
 
Secretary for Education: Under the law, under the Bill, that part of the Bill does not carry any penalty. But of course, when we make the direction, if there are any problems that the schools face in teaching the national anthem, we will provide professional advice to the schools.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

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

     The Marine Department today (January 11) reminded masters, coxswains and persons-in-charge of vessels navigating in Hong Kong waters to proceed at a safe speed and exercise extreme caution because restricted visibility of less than 2 nautical miles has been reported.

     Appropriate sound signals shall be made when underway or at anchor. All vessels must comply with the International Regulations for Preventing Collision at Sea.

     Also, when radar is used without the benefit of adequate plotting facilities, the information obtained from the equipment is rather limited and should be construed accordingly.

     Visibility reports are broadcast by the Vessel Traffic Centre (VTC) on VHF channels 02, 12, 14, 63 and 67.

     In the event of an accident, a report shall be made immediately to the VTC at Tel: 2233 7801.

     The Government today (January 11) announced the appointment of four new members and the re-appointment of seven incumbent members to the Women's Commission (WoC) for a term of two years with effect from January 15, 2019.

     The four new members are Ms Mary Huen Wai-yi, Ms Melissa Kaye Pang, Ms Rigam Rai and Mr Walter Tsui Yu-hang.

     Ms Mary Huen Wai-yi is the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited. She is also a panel member of the Antiâ€�Money Laundering and Counterâ€�Terrorist Financing Review Tribunal.

     Ms Melissa Kaye Pang is the first female President of the Law Society of Hong Kong. She is also the Chairperson of the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education.

     Ms Rigam Rai is the first Nepalese lawyer in Hong Kong. She is also a member of the Committee on the Promotion of Racial Harmony.

     Mr Walter Tsui Yu-hang is a founder of CareER, a non-profit-making organisation. He is also a member of the Rehabilitation Advisory Committee.

     The seven re-appointed incumbent members are Professor Cecilia Chan Lai-wan, Ms Susanna Chiu Lai-kuen, Mrs Emily Tim-yi Lam Ho, Dr Kevin Lau Chung-hang, Ms Elaine Lo Yuen-man, Ms Wong Siu-wah and Ms Yvonne Yeung Kin-ha.

     The Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong, welcomed the appointments and re-appointments. He said, "Coming from a diverse background, the newly appointed and re-appointed members have rich experience in their professions and community services. I look forward to their giving valuable advice on the work of the WoC."

     Dr Law also thanked the four outgoing members, Ms Aruna Gurung, Ms Juan Leung Chung-yan, Mr Philip Tsai Wing-chung and Ms Rabi Yim Chor-pik, for their active participation in and valuable contribution to the work of the WoC in the past years.

     The WoC was set up on January 15, 2001, as a central mechanism to promote the well-being and interests of women in Hong Kong. It plays a strategic role in advising the Government on policies and initiatives on women's issues.

     Following is the membership list of the WoC with effect from January 15, 2019:

Non-official members
————————
Ms Chan Yuen-han (Chairperson)
Professor Cecilia Chan Lai-wan
Ms Susanna Chiu Lai-kuen
Ms Mary Huen Wai-yi
Professor Shirley Hung Suet-lin
Ms Angelina Kwan
Mrs Emily Tim-yi Lam Ho
Dr Kevin Lau Chung-hang
Ms Melaine Lee Kam-ha
Ms Elaine Lo Yuen-man
Ms Yolanda Ng Yuen-ting
Ms Melissa Kaye Pang
Ms Scarlett Pong Oi-lan
Ms Rigam Rai
Dr Loletta So Kit-ying
Ms Michelle Tang Ming-sum
Miss Sherry Tsai Hiu-wai
Mr Walter Tsui Yu-hang
Ms Wong Siu-wah
Mrs Viola Wong Ho Suk-ying
Ms Yvonne Yeung Kin-ha

Ex-officio members
———————-
Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare or representative (Vice-Chairperson)
Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs or representative
Director of Social Welfare or representative