The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, and a delegation of District Council chairmen and vice chairmen started their three-day visit to four cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, namely Guangzhou, Foshan, Zhongshan and Zhuhai today (September 7).
      
     Upon arrival in Guangzhou this morning, the delegation joined a seminar hosted by the Guangdong Development and Reform Commission and learnt more about the development and planning of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
      
     In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Guangzhou Transport Information and Control Centre to learn about the centre’s operation and its traffic monitoring and management platform. They then visited the Tianhe Sports Centre and the Museum of Guangzhou Asian Games and Guangzhou Asian Para Games, and attended a briefing on the public service platform Quntitong. The platform was launched in 2013 and provides sports-related services including venue booking, updates on sports activities and games, online maps and health management. The delegation also toured the Beijing Street Yanyunxi Community and the family service centre there.
      
     They then attended a dinner reception hosted by Guangdong Provincial Government officials. Speaking at the dinner, Mr Lau said that the delegation had looked forward to the visit, through which they hoped to learn about the community planning and infrastructure developments of the cities. Mr Lau noted that District Councils are an important advisory body broadly reflecting district opinion and a crucial channel of communication between the Government and the community. He said he believed that the visit would enable the District Council chairmen and vice chairmen to involve more Hong Kong district communities in and better understand the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
      
     The delegation will continue the visit in Guangzhou tomorrow morning (September 8) and will leave for Foshan in the afternoon.
      
     Twenty-seven DC chairmen and vice chairmen joined the visit. The Chairman of Sai Kung District Council, Mr George Ng, and the Chairman of Kwun Tong District Council, Dr Bunny Chan, are respectively the leader and deputy leader of the delegation. The secretaries are the Chairman of Wong Tai Sin District Council, Mr Li Tak-hong, and the Chairman of North District Council, Mr So Sai-chi.

          

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (September 7) reported the latest number of cases of dengue fever (DF), and again urged the public to maintain strict environmental hygiene, mosquito control and personal protective measures both locally and during travel.
 
     From August 31 to September 7 (as of noon), the CHP recorded seven imported DF cases. The patients had been to Cambodia (two cases), Mainland China (two cases), Myanmar (one case), Thailand (one case) and Vietnam (one case) during the incubation period. 

     As of noon today (September 7), 98 cases had been confirmed this year, 29 of which were local cases and 69 imported cases. The imported cases were mainly imported from Thailand (27), the Philippines (12) and Cambodia (nine).
 
     DF remains endemic in some areas in Asia and beyond. The latest figures for 2018 reveal that 52 670 cases have been recorded in Thailand, 1 918 in Singapore (since December 31, 2017) and 100 in Japan. In Taiwan, 84 local cases have been recorded to date in 2018. In the Americas, the latest figures indicate that 25 153 cases have been filed in Mexico in 2018.
 
     The public should take heed of the following advice on mosquito control:
 

• Thoroughly check all gully traps, roof gutters, surface channels and drains to prevent blockage;
• Scrub and clean drains and surface channels with an alkaline detergent compound at least once a week to remove any deposited mosquito eggs;
• Properly dispose of refuse, such as soft drink cans, empty bottles and boxes, in covered litter containers;
• Completely change the water of flowers and plants at least once a week. The use of saucers should be avoided if possible;
• Level irregular ground surfaces before the rainy season;
• Avoid staying in shrubby areas; and
• Take personal protective measures such as wearing light-coloured long-sleeved clothes and trousers and apply insect repellent containing DEET to clothing or uncovered areas of the body when doing outdoor activities.

 
     To reduce the risk of infections spread by mosquitoes, apart from general measures, travellers returning from affected areas should apply insect repellent for 14 days (DF) or at least 21 days (Zika virus infection) upon arrival in Hong Kong. If feeling unwell, seek medical advice promptly and provide travel details to the doctor. DEET-containing insect repellents are effective and the public should take heed of the tips below:
 

• Read the label instructions carefully first;
• Apply right before entering an area with risk of mosquito bites;
• Apply on exposed skin and clothing;
• Use DEET of up to 30 per cent for pregnant women and up to 10 per cent for children*;
• Apply sunscreen first, then insect repellent; and
• Re-apply only when needed and follow the instructions.

 
* For children who travel to countries or areas where mosquito-borne diseases are endemic or epidemic and where exposure is likely, those aged 2 months or above can use DEET-containing insect repellents with a DEET concentration of up to 30 per cent.

     The public may refer to the CHP's tips for using insect repellents for details.

     The Lands Department (LandsD) announced today (September 7) that a site, Rural Building Lot No. 1211 at Nos. 2, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 11 Mansfield Road, the Peak, Hong Kong, in the 2018-19 Land Sale Programme will be disposed of by public tender. The tender invitation for the lot will commence on September 14 and close on October 12.

     Rural Building Lot No. 1211 has a site area of about 17,598 square metres and is designated for private residential purposes. The minimum gross floor area and the maximum gross floor area are 22,537 sq m and 37,561 sq m respectively. The maximum gross floor area is subject to Special Condition No. (9)(b)(ii)(II) in the Conditions of Sale.

     Land sale documents including the Form of Tender, the Tender Notice, the Conditions of Sale and the sale plan of the lot will be available for downloading from the LandsD website (www.landsd.gov.hk), and the sale plan will be available for distribution and inspection by the public from September 14, when the particulars of the tender will also be gazetted.

     King Wah Construction (HK) Company Limited was fined $150,000 at Eastern Magistrates' Courts today (September 7) for violation of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.

     The case involved a fatal accident that occurred at a construction site in Sheung Wan in which a worker was found dead at the bottom of a lift shaft on October 20, 2017. It was believed that on October 17, 2017, the deceased fell from the opening of the lift shaft on the 19th floor to the bottom of the lift shaft in the course of work.

      The Immigration Department (ImmD) smashed a syndicate arranging cross-boundary bogus marriages in a series of territory-wide operations codenamed "Flashspear" conducted since May 2016. A total of 86 Hong Kong and Mainland residents were arrested, including three core syndicate members who were Hong Kong permanent residents. The three core syndicate members, comprising two men and a woman, aged 24 to 63, were earlier convicted of the offences of conspiracy to defraud, and were jailed for 30 to 42 months at the District Court today (September 7).
 
      An ImmD spokesman said that the department has been very concerned about non-Hong Kong residents obtaining residency by means of contracting bogus marriages with Hong Kong residents. After months of intelligence analysis and in-depth investigation, a syndicate was identified to have recruited young people to contract bogus marriages via social media websites and social networking mobile applications. The three core syndicate members were suspected of arranging for these young people to contract bogus marriages with Mainlanders so as to enable the bogus spouses to apply for "Tanqin" exit endorsements to visit Hong Kong, and eventually apply for a One-way Permit for settlement in Hong Kong. After months of planning, the ImmD mounted a series of operations and smashed this cross-boundary bogus marriage syndicate. In the course of the operations, investigators seized computers, mobile phones, notebooks, phonebooks and account books from the premises of the three core members. The syndicate was believed to have been operating for four years and involved in at least 66 bogus marriages.
 
      "During the investation, the Immigration Department arrested a total of 86 Hong Kong and Mainland residents (42 men and 44 women) aged 19 to 61. Apart from the three core syndicate members who were sentenced to imprisonment today, 19 arrestees were convicted of the offence of conspiracy to defraud. Of these 19 persons, 10 were sentenced to imprisonment of 11 to 18 months while nine are pending for sentence by court. The operation is ongoing and more prosecutions may be instituted. In addition, the relevant Mainland authorities have been notified about the cases of the Mainlanders," the spokesman said.
 
      "The Immigration Department will continue to spare no effort in combating bogus marriages and other related illicit activities. For people who have obtained their residence in Hong Kong by fraudulent means, their Hong Kong identity card and residence status will be invalidated according to the laws of Hong Kong. They will also be subject to removal back to their place of origin," the spokesman said.
 
      The spokesman urged the public not to defy the law by participating in activities related to bogus marriages anywhere and not to make a false oath before immigration officers for the purpose of procuring a marriage in Hong Kong. Those directing others to contract a bogus marriage may also be guilty of the offence of conspiracy to defraud.
 
      Under the laws of Hong Kong, it is an offence to make false representation to Immigration Officers. Offenders are liable to prosecution and to a maximum fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for 14 years. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and the same penalties.
 
      Any person who for the purpose of procuring a marriage, or a certificate or license for marriage, knowingly and wilfully makes a false oath or makes or signs a false declaration shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to, upon conviction, imprisonment for seven years and a fine. Anyone who commits the offence of conspiracy to defraud is liable to prosecution and, upon conviction, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for 14 years.