In response to the Japanese Government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on September 23 to noon today (September 24), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 188 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24, 2023, to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 86 504 samples of food imported from Japan (including 55 318 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 19 756 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

     â€‹The Government announced today (September 24) that the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, has appointed or reappointed the following persons as Council members of the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre Limited for a period of two years, until the conclusion of the company's Annual General Meeting in 2026.
 
Mr Matt Fung Chi-ho (reappointment)
Mr Irons Sze (reappointment)
Mr Ivan Wong Siu-kei (reappointment)
Ms Candy Chea Shuk-mui (new appointment)

     A series of recruitment activities organised by the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) in Beijing and Shanghai wrapped up today (September 24), attracting an online and in-person participation of over 1 800 Hong Kong people interested in applying for and learning about civil service posts in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government.

     Five recruitment talks on the Administrative Officer (AO) and Executive Officer (EO) grades were held at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai (SHETO), East China University of Political Science and Law, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Renmin University of China, and China University of Political Science and Law respectively. Most of the attendees were university students with immense interest in the AO and EO grades, and they were keen to ask questions on the relevant grades.

     The CSB had specifically arranged for serving AO and EO colleagues who had studied or lived on the Mainland to share their work and personal experiences, and encourage university students to join the civil service. The Principal Assistant Secretary for the Civil Service (Administrative Service), Ms Yen Pun, and the Senior Principal Executive Officer (General Grades), Miss Iris Ma, also introduced the entry requirements, training programmes, examination and interview arrangements, as well as tips on preparing for examinations of the AO and EO grades at the seminars.

     In addition, representatives of the CSB participated in the "Gathering with Hong Kong Students and Youth in East China Region to Celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China" organised by the SHETO to introduce the AO and EO grades to the young participants. The aim was to enable them to know more about the work and career prospects of the grades concerned, and encourage them to apply for civil service posts in the HKSAR Government.

     The CSB is currently conducting a joint recruitment exercise for the civil service grades of AO, EO II, Assistant Trade Officer II and Transport Officer II. The application deadline is October 4. Eligible applicants are encouraged to seize the opportunity to apply. For details, please visit the CSB's website at www.csb.gov.hk.

                    

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Dah Sing Bank, Limited relating to a fraudulent website and a social media page, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.
      
     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks' websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
      
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the website or social media page concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.

     Hong Kong Customs conducted an enforcement operation on September 22 to combat infringement activities that utilise illegal streaming technology to communicate live football matches to the public. During the operation, Customs seized a pay-TV channel television decoder, a suspected illegal streaming computer server, a mobile phone used for a remote server operation and an assortment of electronic equipment and audio-visual devices, with a total estimated market value of about $20,000. This is the first time since the implementation of the Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2022 for Customs to apply the "communication right" to combat a case involving illegal streaming devices used for broadcasting live football matches.

     Customs earlier received information from a copyright owner alleging that someone had set up a web page to distribute copyright-protected pay-TV channels through streaming technology without the authorisation of the copyright owner. After an in-depth investigation, and with the assistance of the copyright owner, Customs officers took enforcement action during the live broadcast of overseas football matches and made use of computer forensic programmes to conduct real-time monitoring over related suspected illegal activities. 

     At the same time, Customs officers raided a residential unit in Lok Fu and seized a suspected illegal streaming server and assorted electronic equipment. Officers from the department's Computer Forensic Laboratory were also summoned to the scene to render support and preserve relevant digital evidence from the streaming server concerned.

     During the operation, two men, aged 69 and 43, were arrested. They were released on bail pending further investigation. The investigation is ongoing.

     Customs reminds the public not to engage in unauthorised activities involving the dissemination of copyrighted works. Members of public should also respect intellectual property rights and refrain from watching infringing movie/TV works or pay-TV channels through any form of illegal streaming. Applications or streaming links related to illegal streaming may contain computer viruses or malicious programmes which can pose potential risks to users.

     According to the Copyright Ordinance, it is illegal for anyone, without the authorisation of the copyright owner, to engage in any trade or business that involves communicating works to the public for profit or reward, or in the course of such trade or business, to communicate copyrighted works to the public; or to communicate copyrighted works to the public to an extent that damages the rights of the copyright owner. Upon conviction, the maximum penalty is imprisonment for four years and a fine of $50,000 for each copyrighted work.

     Members of the public may report any suspected infringement activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).