The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, visited Sai Kung this afternoon (September 24) to inspect the Sai Kung Sewage Treatment Works and the Marine Police East Division operational base to learn about the damage to the facilities brought by typhoon Mangkhut and progress of the repair works. She also met with members of the public at the town centre.
      
     This is part of the major follow-up work by the Government following the passage of the typhoon. Relevant departments have been fully engaged in cleaning up the city and other follow-up work in the past few days. On-site inspection and co-ordinated action were conducted as appropriate with a view to resuming normal service as soon as possible.
      
     Accompanied by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, and the Director of Drainage Services, Mr Edwin Tong, Mrs Lam first inspected the Sai Kung Sewage Treatment Works that were seriously damaged by the typhoon and was briefed on the repair progress and the measures on sewage treatment. She noted that following the hard work by the Drainage Services Department (DSD) over the days, a temporary pipe has been installed to divert the disinfected primary-treated sewage into a submarine outfall for dispersed discharge and dilution, and the treatment process will be upgraded to chemically enhanced primary sedimentation level in three weeks' time to minimise the impact on nearby waters. The DSD and the Environmental Protection Department will monitor closely the water quality in the vicinity and release the results as appropriate.
      
     Mrs Lam also watched the footage of the closed-circuit television taken at the sewage treatment works during the typhoon. She met with the DSD staff members who were on duty at the time and thanked them for their commitment to serving the public even in inclement weather. 
      
     Mrs Lam then visited the Marine Police East Division operational base which was also damaged by the typhoon to learn about its repair works. She met with Senior Police Inspector, Mr Thomas Chum, and listened to his account of the rescue operation led by him while typhoon signal No. 10 was being hoisted, in which four people who fell into the sea were successfully saved by his team. Mrs Lam applauded their bravery and team spirit.
      
     Accompanied by the Chairman of the Sai Kung District Council, Mr George Ng, and the Director of Home Affairs, Miss Janice Tse, Mrs Lam later went to the town centre in Sai Kung to learn more about the damage by the typhoon to the facilities on the promenade and vessels, and the marine refuse problem. She also chatted with seafood restaurant owners and fishermen to understand their situation. Mrs Lam noted that the Sai Kung town centre has almost resumed normal following efforts by the relevant departments and local people in the past few days. In addition, the Marine Department has been cleaning up marine refuse in the waters off Sai Kung since September 17. Nearly 90 tonnes of refuse have been collected so far and the operation is expected to be continued for a period of time.
      
     "The HKSAR Government has been carrying out follow-up work proactively after the passage of the typhoon and the city has largely returned to normal. However, some of the facilities have been seriously damaged and the repair works will take some time, which may cause inconvenience to members of the public. I appeal for people's patience and understanding.
      
     "I have requested relevant departments to try their best to mobilise all possible resources to repair the facilities damaged by the typhoon within their ambit as soon as possible. All departments are aware that they would be allocated extra resources, if required, to ensure that follow-up work will be properly and quickly implemented. In addition, a special grant will be provided to schools and kindergartens concerned as announced by the Education Bureau earlier, and the Social Welfare Department has contacted the non-governmental organisations that provide subvented social welfare services to understand their needs," Mrs Lam said.

                  

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) is tonight (September 24) holding the lantern carnival at Victoria Park, featuring a series of entertainment programmes and spectacular lantern displays to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
 
     Dazzling lanterns and lighting installations with the theme of "Full Moon across the Universe" are on display at Victoria Park and have become hotspots for photo-taking. Inspired by the wormhole concept, the interactive installation "Time Expressions" is made up of a space tunnel and a giant water vortex with lighting and sound effects to evoke thoughts of time travel.
 
     Another installation, "Cassiopeia Constellation", is a structure of bamboo-made stellated dodecahedrons showcasing lanterns crafted by local students. Equally well received is the exhibition of some 90 colourful handmade bat-shaped lanterns by a local craftsman, demonstrating the craftsmanship of traditional paper crafting.
 
     Members of the public are also enjoying the various types of entertainment at the carnival. These include a star-gazing corner delivering astronomy talks, documentary screenings and star-gazing activities. Other festive programmes including spectacular Chinese ethnic dances, songs and acrobatic shows, folk craft demonstrations, a choral performance, children's theatre performances, a green creative market and a lantern riddle quiz also boost the fun of the carnival.
 
     This year, the LCSD has continued to co-operate with the Tai Hang Residents' Welfare Association in bringing the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, a local item inscribed on the national list of intangible cultural heritage, into Victoria Park as a grand finale of the carnival.
 
     The LCSD will hold another lantern carnival tomorrow (September 25) from 7.30pm to 10pm at Tuen Mun Park, showcasing a variety of entertainment and festive lanterns.
 
     Meanwhile, a lighting installation entitled "To the Moon" is on display at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza until October 1. The installation features two miniature trains that depart from the former Kowloon-Canton Railway terminus and travel through more than 300 boxes containing moon stories created by local families to tell unique family tales.
 
     People are urged not to litter or burn wax while celebrating the festival.
 
     For more information on the above programmes, please visit the website:
www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/eo/territoryevents/midautumnlantern/midAutumn2018.html.

    

     Police today (September 24) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Sham Shui Po.
 
     Lau Lap-sun, aged 18, went missing after he left his residence on Pak Tin Estate on September 23 afternoon. His family made a report to Police on the same day.
 
     He is about 1.9 metres tall, 74 kilograms in weight and of fat build. He has a square face with yellow complexion and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt, black trousers and blue slippers.
 
     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing man or may have seen him is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of Kowloon West on 3661 8038 or 9020 6542, or email to rmpu-kw-2@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.

  

The following is issued on behalf of the Commission of Inquiry into the Diaphragm Wall and Platform Slab Construction Works at the Hung Hom Station Extension under the Shatin to Central Link Project:
 
     The Commission of Inquiry into the Diaphragm Wall and Platform Slab Construction Works at the Hung Hom Station Extension under the Shatin to Central Link Project conducted a preliminary hearing today (September 24) at the hearing room on 1/F of the former Tsuen Wan Law Courts Building, 70 Tai Ho Road, Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong.
 
     As revealed in the opening address by Counsel for the Commission, the Commission has issued letters requesting witness statements and other documentation from a number of involved parties. The Commission has also served "Salmon letters" (that is letters giving advance notice to entities that might be the subject of criticism) on the parties listed below. 
 

1. Transport and Housing Bureau;
2. Highways Department;
3. Development Bureau;
4. Buildings Department;
5. MTR Corporation Limited;
6. Leighton Contractors (Asia) Limited;
7. Intrafor Hong Kong Limited;
8. Fang Sheung Construction Company; and
9. China Technology Corporation Limited.

 
     These parties have been asked to consider participating in, and having separate legal representation at, the substantive hearing.
 
     The above-mentioned parties have provided witness statements and documents to the Commission. More are expected to be provided as the Inquiry progresses. So far, the Commission has received witness statements from more than 40 individuals. Unless notified otherwise, all these individuals will be required to give evidence at the substantive hearing.
 
     Counsel for the Commission has stated that the Commission has instructed two expert witnesses, namely, Professor Don McQuillan (Director of RPS Consulting Engineers) and Mr Steve Rowsell (Director of Rowsell Wright Ltd) to assist the Commission in the Inquiry. They are expected to provide expert opinion on structural safety and integrity issues as well as project management issues. Professor McQuillan is a Vice President of the Institution of Structural Engineers and Mr Rowsell is a Past President of the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation of the United Kingdom.

     The Commission has also dealt with other procedural matters at the preliminary hearing, including default language of the hearing, access to documents and use of materials provided by the Commission, written witness statements and responsive statements, participation and legal representation of the parties, seating arrangements in the hearing room and hearing procedure.
 
     The Commission will conduct the hearings in English, and will provide simultaneous interpretation services when appropriate. Unless otherwise directed, all hearings will be open to the public. No photography or audio/video recording is allowed at the hearing venue.
 
     The Commission will commence the substantive hearing of the Inquiry on October 22 at the above-mentioned hearing room. The substantive hearing shall, subject to any adjournments that the Commission may consider necessary from time to time, continue until November 16 and shall resume from November 26 until December 21 (on a provisional basis). Unless otherwise directed by the Commission, the substantive hearing will be held from 10am to 1pm and from 2.30pm to 5pm on weekdays. The Commission may consider holding the substantive hearing on Saturday mornings during the said periods if necessary.

     The Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, visited an area set aside for temporary wood waste collection in the Kai Tak Development Area this afternoon (September 24) to learn more about its operation.
      
     In response to the huge amount of broken or fallen trees caused by Super Typhoon Mangkhut, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) and the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) jointly set up the collection area for the public to deliver the remains of fallen trees and branches for temporary stockpiling, with a view to prioritising the clearance of tree waste. Another objective is to improve the waiting time of waste collection vehicles at various refuse transfer stations and maintain their operational efficiency.
      
     Since the opening of the collection area on September 21, as at 5pm today almost 1000 truckloads of wood waste had been delivered there for temporary stockpiling.
      
     The EPD will select a suitable portion of the stockpiled materials from the collection area for delivery to the Animal Waste Composting Plant at Ngau Tam Mei for treatment and recycling into compost, which will then be utilised by local educational, social welfare, charity and horticultural organisations and farmers. In addition, some suitable materials will also be utilised by the Organic Resources Recovery Centre Phase 1 in Siu Ho Wan.
      
     Tree trunks can be reused while leaves and branches can be turned into compost. In order to encourage waste reduction and resources recycling, the EPD welcomes interested parties or members of the public to collect wood or leaves suitable for recycling and reuse at the collection area. The public can call the EPD hotline (Tel: 3741 1823 or 3741 1822) for registration in advance. As of today, the EPD had received about 60 calls from groups and members of the public who expressed an interest in reusing the stockpiled wood waste.
      
     Mr Wong said that the Environment Bureau and the EPD have all along been encouraging government departments and the community to adopt the principle of reduce, reuse and recycle to minimise yard waste. He thanked the CEDD and especially frontline staff members who have to be on duty on the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival for their flexible support in facilitating the collection of tree waste for recycling and conversion into resources.