The Civil Aid Service (CAS) held the Mountaineering Safety Promotion Day 2024 and the 55th Anniversary of the CAS Mountain Search and Rescue Company with various government departments and mountaineering organisations today (October 20) at the Free Space, Kwun Tong Town Centre with a view to enhancing public awareness of hiking safety and reducing accidents arising from mountaineering activities amid celebrations of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

     Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Siu Chak-yee, said that the mountaineering safety promotion day can help members of the public acquire essential safety knowledge and skills, and enhance their awareness of potential dangers. He praised the CAS for its outstanding contribution to protecting the lives of hikers as an indispensable member of Hong Kong's emergency rescue system. At the opening ceremony, Mr Siu also presented certificates to those who had successfully completed the Mountain Casualty Handling Course and awarded a trophy to the winning team of the 55th Anniversary of the CAS Mountain Search and Rescue Company Competition.

     Other attending guests included the Director of Fire Services, Mr Andy Yeung, as well as representatives from the Government Flying Service; the Auxiliary Medical Service; the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department; the Office of the Communications Authority; the Hong Kong Observatory; the Leisure and Cultural Services Department; the Lands Department and various mountaineering organisations.
 
     Game booths were set up to promote mountaineering safety, whereas a wide range of mountaineering equipment, such as digital maps, watches for recording rescuer locations, high-resolution live broadcasting cameras and the Unmanned Aircraft System, were showcased. In addition, to enhance public understanding of mountain rescue work, CAS members also demonstrated techniques of mountain search and rescue missions and handling procedures of injured persons. To mark the 55th anniversary of the CAS Mountain Search and Rescue Company this year, a designated booth was also set up to introduce the Mountain Search and Rescue Company as well as showcase the equipment used over the years.
 
     Other highlights included a rescue demonstration by the Fire Services Department rescue dogs and a performance by police dogs. A recruitment exercise of CAS adult members and cadets was also conducted at the event.

                  

     â€‹The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) announced today (October 20) that the other Common Squirrel Monkey of the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens (HKZBG) that was put under isolated surveillance was found dead today. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) will conduct necropsy on the animal body, to ascertain if the cause of death was the same as the other cases earlier.

     At present, one De Brazza's Monkey that has been isolated since October 13 is still under isolated surveillance and given medication. A total of 11 animals of the HKZBG have passed away since October 13.

     The LCSD will continue to close the Mammals Section of the HKZBG, to closely monitor the health conditions of the animals, and continue to provide protective gear and health monitoring for staff who take care of animals. At present, the health conditions of staff concerned are normal. The LCSD has all along been communicating with the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health and the AFCD to ensure that appropriate protective measures are taken.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesperson for Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) made the following appeal today (October 20) regarding a patient leaving the ward without notifying hospital staff:

     A 35-year-old female foreign patient in a Medicine ward of QMH was found leaving the ward without prior notification at around 9am. Security guards were immediately deployed to search for the patient within the hospital compound and the vicinity but in vain. The hospital is very concerned about the incident and has immediately informed the patient's family and reported to the Police for assistance.

     The foreign patient is about 1.67 metres tall with medium body build and long black hair. She was wearing a brown t-shirt and yoga pants when leaving the ward.
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     The hospital appeals to the public to contact Western Police Station at 3661 1618 if they know the whereabouts of the patient.

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs stepped up enforcement to combat illicit cigarette smuggling activities by sea over the past week and detected two related cases involving seaborne containers. A total of about 53 million suspected illicit cigarettes with an estimated market value of about $240 million and a duty potential of about $170 million were seized. About 20 million suspected illicit cigarettes seized were duty-not-paid cigarettes known as "cheap whites", accounting for about 40 per cent of the total seizure.

     In the first case, through risk assessment and intelligence analysis, Customs selected for inspection a 40-foot container, declared as carrying recycled aluminum and arriving from Taiwan en route to Foshan, Guangdong, via Hong Kong, on the morning of October 18 at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound. Upon inspection, Customs officers seized about 11 million suspected illicit cigarettes inside the container. An investigation is ongoing.

     In the second case, Customs yesterday (October 19) morning intercepted a suspicious cargo vessel in the waters off Tsing Yi. Upon inspection, Customs officers seized a total of about 42 million suspected illicit cigarettes inside four 40-foot containers on board the vessel. Seven non-local men, aged between 28 and 51, suspected to be connected with the case were arrested and they comprise a captain and six crew members. The arrested captain, aged 47, will be charged with one count of importing unmanifested cargoes. He will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (October 21).

     Customs will continue its risk assessment and intelligence analysis for interception at source as well as through its multipronged enforcement strategy targeting storage, distribution and peddling to spare no effort in combating illicit cigarette activities.

     Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years.

     Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

     Members of the public may report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 80 80 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

    

     Following is the speech by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, at the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Recruitment Fair organised by the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China and the 15th Anniversary of the Implementation of the Race Discrimination Ordinace at the Khalsa Diwan Hong Kong (Sikh Temple) in Wan Chai today (October 20):
 
Ms Linda Lam (Chairperson, Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC)), Mr Akil Khan (President, Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities), Mr Bhagt Singh (President, Sikh Temple), Dr Rizwan Ullah (EOC member), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
 
     Good afternoon. I am pleased to be joining you today for the opening of the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Recruitment Fair co-organised by the EOC and the Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities (Federation).
 
     Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city with rich tapestry of people connections, vibrant economic activities and a flourishing multi-cultural scene, thanks in no small part to the some 300 000 ethnic minority residents who settled here for generations. It is evident from the latest Census figures (of 2021) that this treasured community continues to play an integral part in strengthening Hong Kong's workforce and driving our productivity: their labour force participation rate is at 65.5 per cent, which is higher than the 57.7 per cent of the whole population. 

     Today's recruitment fair is among the EOC's celebration events for the 15th anniversary of the implementation of the Race Discrimination Ordinance, a crucial piece of legislation driving Hong Kong's promotion of racial equality. Following the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Sports Day in April this year, I am excited to be here today to witness another milestone. This fair is also held in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. I trust that you have been enjoying the wide arrays of celebrating events and special offers over the past few weeks. With the new card-type Mainland travel permits for non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents, it has never been easier for many of you to visit the Mainland for business or pleasure, to see for yourself the spectacular transformation in the Mainland today.

     Since its inauguration in 2018, the Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities has been uniting and leveraging the support from various ethnic minority communities for greater and wider contributions to the betterment of Hong Kong. We thank the Federation's support all along in realising our common vision for a harmonious and inclusive society. 

     The current-term Government places importance on enhancing support and services for ethnic minorities. As just announced in the Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address, the Government will engage one more "Support Service Centre for Ethnic Minorities" to provide interpretation and translation services for ethnic minorities next year, so as to reduce language barrier concerns. In terms of education, more resources will also be invested in boosting support for learning Chinese and parental assistance for our non-Chinese speaking students. 

     Of course, the Government's support for ethnic minorities does not stop there. As the largest employer in Hong Kong, over 50 civil service grades in the Government have adjusted their Chinese-language proficiency requirements to increase government job opportunities for ethnic minorities. Departments, including the disciplinary forces, are also encouraged to design their own job-oriented language tests suitable for individual grades to provide ethnic minority applicants with an additional avenue for meeting the thresholds. Since 2019, we have been organising an internship programme for non-ethnic Chinese university students and 180 students have since taken part. 

     In addition, the Racial Diversity Employment Programme launched by the Labour Department has been regularised in 2023 to step up employment support for ethnic minorities. To date, the Programme has provided employment support services to over 400 ethnic minority job-seekers. 

     Today's recruitment fair features prominent private enterprises in addition to a number of government departments, offering over 500 employment opportunities, including a wide range of skilled and professional positions, as well as on-the-spot career and employment counselling services. These job opportunities span across eleven signatories of the EOC's Racial Diversity and Inclusion Charter for Employers from different industries, including aviation, hospitality, education, transportation, and five government departments including our disciplinary forces.

     In closing, my great thanks go to the EOC and the Federation for organising this meaningful recruitment fair, the Sikh Temple for the support rendered, and the representatives from different sectors who are here with us today, for your wholehearted efforts in creating opportunities for our ethnic minority community. I wish this recruitment fair great success and all of you an enjoyable weekend. Thank you very much.