The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority: Hong Kong Monetary Authority Exchange Fund Bills tender results: Tender date : November 13, 2018 Paper on offer … read more
Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting this morning (November 13):
Reporter: During President Xi’s speech yesterday, there was this mention of, there were earlier reports saying that, he mentioned that the city needs to be self-conscious when it comes to protecting national security. How would the SAR Government interpret that and how would that affect the way how your Government Administration and the policy direction?
Chief Executive: What the President said about that particular issue, in a way, was no different from what I said in my Policy Address. Unfortunately, I only have a Chinese version in front of me. My Chinese version, paragraph 8 and paragraph 33, attempted to address that particular issue. Paragraph 8 describes the relationship between the Central Authorities and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and I’ve said therein that for any advocacy of independence of Hong Kong, for any acts that would undermine the national sovereignty, security and development, of course the Government will not tolerate. So that is very much in line with that self-awareness to protect national security. And when it comes to specifically about enactment of local legislation to put into effect Basic Law Article 23, I said in paragraph 33 that although I said previously that we will have to treat this issue very prudently because of previous controversies, that doesn’t mean that we will take no action when we have some local existing legislation that could address any acts undermining national security or advocating independence of Hong Kong. And the action taken by the Secretary for Security is a good indication of that determination and self-awareness.
Reporter: Mrs Lam, if the Government did not pressure Tai Kwun over the Ma Jian cancellation, do you take some personal responsibility for this atmosphere of self-censorship watchdogs warned your red line policy would create?
Chief Executive: First of all, I said categorically that the Government had absolutely no involvement in this Tai Kwun incident. I said this once again. I only came to know about this when it was reported in the media, that’s point number one. Point number two, by definition, you are referring to self-censorship, so how could the Government be involved in any self-censorship exercised by the individual entities. And thirdly, under the Basic Law, we safeguard freedoms – freedom of expression, freedom of journalism and freedom of gathering, and as the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, I take that constitutional obligation very seriously, so I would defend those freedoms in a very responsible manner.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) read more
The Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) reminds members of the public that illicit import of cannabis is a criminal offence.
A department spokesperson said today (November 13) that the C&ED attaches great importance to combating trafficking in dangerous drugs, and takes rigorous enforcement action in accordance with Hong Kong’s laws. Noting that the recreational use of cannabis has recently been legalised in individual overseas jurisdictions, the C&ED reminds members of the public that cannabis is a dangerous controlled drug in Hong Kong. Illicit import of cannabis or any products that contains controlled cannabinoids (such as tetrahydro-cannabinol, or “THC”) constitutes a criminal offence.
Cannabis and THC (a major cannabinoid present in cannabis plants) are dangerous drugs controlled under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance (Cap. 134). Any products (including any food products and drinks) that contain cannabis or THC are also controlled under Cap. 134.
Under Cap. 134, trafficking in dangerous drugs, or illicitly importing to and exporting from Hong Kong, procuring, supplying, manufacturing, or dealing in or with dangerous drugs, constitutes a criminal offence. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment and a fine of $5 million. Illicitly possessing, or smoking, inhaling, ingesting or injecting dangerous drugs is subject to a maximum penalty of imprisonment for seven years and a fine of $1 million.
“Cannabis is addictive and can cause serious health harms. In some overseas jurisdictions, products containing cannabis or THC (such as food products and drinks) may be available for sale. Members of the public should pay attention to the packaging labels of the products concerned while making purchases in those jurisdictions as well as the relevant domestic legislation in relation to cannabis, so as to avoid breaching the law inadvertently. Members of the public must also note that it is a criminal offence under Cap. 134 to bring such products into Hong Kong,” the spokesman said.
The C&ED closely monitors the trends concerning dangerous drugs in other places and implements appropriate strategies. Stringent law enforcement is imposed on passenger and cargo clearance, including air postal packets and express cargo, to effectively combat drug trafficking activities and interdict the flow of dangerous drugs into Hong Kong.
Customs also appeals members of the public to report any suspected illicit drug-related activities through C&ED’s 24-hour telephone hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk). read more
　　The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, today (November 13) officiated at the opening ceremony for the Tuen Mun Community Green Station (CGS), marking the launch of full services by the Tuen Mun CGS to encourage members of the public… read more
The Labour Department (LD) will hold a large-scale job fair at the Dragon Centre on November 15 and 16.
With the theme of “Middle-aged and Elderly Employment”, the job fair aims to promote employment opportunities for mature job seekers. A total of 44 organisations, mainly from the retail, property management, transport and catering industries, will participate in the fair, offering about 4 200 vacancies. They will set up counters and conduct on-the-spot recruitment.
The vacancies offered cover a wide variety of positions including clerk, senior gardener, library assistant, sports and leisure attendant, patient care assistant, courier, shop assistant, security guard, driver, cook, waiter/waitress, and technician. Job seekers can find more information on the LD’s Interactive Employment Service website (www.jobs.gov.hk).
Around 77 per cent of the vacancies are full-time jobs, most of which offer monthly salaries ranging from $9,000 to $18,000. The remaining 23 per cent of the vacancies are part-time jobs, with more flexible working hours. Over 99 per cent of the vacancies require a Secondary Six education level or below. Around 72 per cent are open to job seekers who may lack relevant work experience.
Job seekers can submit applications on the spot and may be selected for on-site interviews. They can also make enquiries on the employment programmes and services provided by the LD at its counter at the venue.
The job fair will be held from 11am to 5.30pm at Atrium, 1/F, Dragon Centre, 37 K, Yen Chow Street, Sham Shui Po (near Sham Shui Po MTR Station Exit C1). Admission is free. read more