The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr James Lau, visited Kwun Tong District this afternoon (July 27). Also joining the visit were the Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan, and two secondary school students participating in the "Be a Government Official for a Day" programme.
 
     Mr Lau first went to Kai Tin Market in Lam Tin. The market, built almost 30 years ago, was refurbished recently and reopened earlier this month, and it accepts Octopus and Alipay as means of mobile payment. Mr Lau was briefed on the operation of the market, and chatted with stall operators to learn more about their businesses and customers' use of mobile payment.
 
     Noting that the ecosystem of Hong Kong's electronic payment is getting more mature, Mr Lau said the Government will continue to explore and formulate initiatives to facilitate the development of financial technology with a view to promoting wider adoption of mobile retail payment for enhanced convenience of both merchants and customers.
 
     Mr Lau then proceeded to the Kwun Tong branch of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education, where he was briefed by the school management on its business administration programmes. He also toured the Banking and Finance Professional Development Centre, the Professional Accountancy Centre and the Human Resource Assessment Centre there.
 
     He said he was pleased to learn that students could acquire professional skills through practical training in a simulated working environment and students would also go on a 90-hour trainee programme in an actual workplace to gain real-life experience.

     Mr Lau pointed out that with the rapid development of financial technology in the financial services industry, there will be more acute demand for professional talents. He encouraged the students to better equip themselves with professional knowledge and skill sets, and to keep abreast of the latest developments in the sector so as to prepare for their career development in the financial services industry.
 
     Before concluding the visit, Mr Lau met with members of the Kwun Tong District Council to exchange views on various issues including the life annuity scheme, development of mobile payment and the impact of trade conflict between China and the United States on Hong Kong.

        

     The Director of the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), Mr Shun Chi-ming, in his capacity as the President of the Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology (CAeM) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), presided over the 16th session of the CAeM held from July 24 to 27 (Exeter time), and the Technical Conference held on July 23, in Exeter, the United Kingdom.
 
     Speaking at the opening of the session, Mr Shun said, "Aviation is one of the most weather-sensitive economic sectors. Science and technology are rapidly advancing, and so are user requirements. We need to ensure that in close collaboration with the user and research communities, the weather community will be able to further develop services that are fit-for-purpose and credible, both now and in the future."
 
     A total of 159 participants from 54 WMO members and eight international organisations attended the session meeting, which discussed the future development plan of the CAeM with five priority themes identified including aeronautical meteorological hazards prediction, aeronautical meteorological information service and governance, and impacts of climate change and variability on aviation. The meeting also discussed the operational structure of the CAeM to take forward future work, strengthening collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and WMO constituent body reform and its implication on the CAeM.
 
     The closing of the session marked the end of Mr Shun's second four-year term as the President of the CAeM. He was elected President in the 14th session held in Hong Kong in February 2010, and was re-elected in the 15th session held in Montreal, Canada, in July 2014. Mr Shun is the first Chinese person to serve as the president of a technical commission of the WMO since its establishment in 1951. 
 
     During Mr Shun's presidency, the CAeM has taken forward numerous projects, including the widespread implementation of a quality management system for aeronautical meteorological services, the launch of the Aviation Research and Development Project championed by the HKO, and the development of the Southeast Asia SIGMET (Significant Weather Information) co-ordination project. He also led various national and local development projects including the establishment of the Asian Aviation Meteorological Centre in co-operation with Mainland counterparts, and the launch of the electronic flight bag mobile application "MyFlightWx" developed by the HKO. 
 
     Considering the sustained contribution of Hong Kong, China to the work of the CAeM, the Assistant Director of the HKO, Ms Sharon Lau, was selected as a member of the new management group of the CAeM at the meeting. Ms Lau will assist the newly elected President, Mr Ian Lisk of the United Kingdom, to further develop aeronautical meteorological services and lead the work on aeronautical meteorological hazards prediction – one of the five priority themes of the CAeM – over the coming four years.
 
     The CAeM is one of the WMO's eight technical commissions looking after the application of meteorology to aviation. Its primary mission is to develop international standards and practices in co-ordination with the expert bodies of the ICAO, and co-ordinate technical support and capacity development for WMO members to meet the requirements of aviation for safe, economical and efficient air navigation.

      

     Hong Kong Customs conducted an anti-narcotics operation from July 18 to today (July 27) and seized a total of about 6.2 kilograms of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of about $3 million at a mail processing centre of Hongkong Post in Tuen Mun.

     Customs officers seized the batch of suspected ketamine from three parcels, declared to contain rice and snacks, arriving from Yunnan on July 18 and 20.

     During the operation, Customs officers arrested a 39-year-old man suspected to be involved in the case in Kwai Chung.

     Investigation is ongoing and the arrested man has been released on bail pending further investigation.

     Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.

     Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182, or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

  

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (July 27) investigating two suspected food poisoning clusters affecting seven persons, and reminded the public to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene to prevent food-borne diseases.

     The first cluster involved three women, aged 38 to 48, who developed fever, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting about 13 to 26 hours after consuming food bought from a food premises in Causeway Bay on July 20.
 
     The second cluster involved two men and two women, aged 25 to 34, who developed fever, abdominal pain and diarrhoea about nine to 30 hours after consuming food bought from the same food premises on the same day.

     Five of the affected persons have sought medical advice and no hospitalisation is required. All patients are in a stable condition.

     "We have alerted the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to the incident and investigations are ongoing," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     To prevent food-borne diseases, members of the public are reminded to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times. When dining out:
 

• Patronise only reliable and licensed restaurants;
• Avoid eating raw seafood;
• Be a discerning consumer in choosing cold dishes, including sashimi, sushi and raw oysters, at a buffet;
• Ensure food is thoroughly cooked before eating during a hot pot or barbecue meal;
• Handle raw and cooked foods carefully and separate them completely during the cooking process;
• Use two sets of chopsticks and eating utensils to handle raw and cooked food;
• Do not patronise illegal food hawkers;
• Drink boiled water;
• Do not try to use salt, vinegar, wine and wasabi to kill bacteria as they are not effective; and
• Always wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet.

     The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) released three green turtles in the southern waters of Hong Kong today (July 27).
 
     One of the green turtles was seized by the AFCD in an earlier enforcement operation, while the other two were rescued in the waters near Sha Tau Kok and Siu Sai Wan respectively. The three green turtles were then accommodated temporarily at Ocean Park Hong Kong (OPHK). They were assessed by veterinarians of OPHK and were under constant monitoring and veterinary care.
 
     An AFCD spokesman said, "The three green turtles released today weighed 10 kg, 11 kg and 93kg respectively, and their carapace length measured about 43 cm, 45 cm and 92 cm. All of them were assessed by veterinarians of OPHK as being in good condition and ready to be returned to the sea. The department is thankful to the veterinarians and staff of OPHK for taking care of them."
 
     Before the green turtles were released to the sea, the AFCD had tagged each of them with a microchip and Inconel tags for future identification. Satellite transmitters were also attached to the carapaces of the turtles. By tracking the movement and feeding grounds of green turtles in the sea, the AFCD can collect data for formulating appropriate conservation measures and will share its findings with other conservation authorities for the better conservation of green turtles through concerted efforts.
 
     The green turtle is a globally endangered species and is to date the only sea turtle species known to nest locally. In Hong Kong, all wild turtles (including sea turtles) are protected by the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170). No person shall, except in accordance with a special permit, hunt or wilfully disturb, sell or export, possess or control sea turtles (including nests and eggs). Otherwise, they will be liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for one year. The specimens will also be forfeited upon conviction.
 
     In addition, all sea turtle species are listed in Appendix I to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and regulated under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) in Hong Kong. The import, export, re-export or possession of specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance is an offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years, and the specimens will also be forfeited upon conviction.
 
     Members of the public are urged to report any sighting of sea turtles or suspected irregularities involving sea turtles to the AFCD via 1823.