The Secretary for Transport and Logistics and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Maritime and Port Board (HKMPB), Mr Lam Sai-hung, will lead a delegation and depart for a visit to Hamburg, Germany, and Athens, Greece, tomorrow (September 1) evening.
      
     Mr Lam and the delegation of HKMPB members will join the Shipbuilding, Machinery and Marine Technology (SMM) trade fair 2024 in Hamburg, Germany, one of the world's leading trade fairs and conferences for the maritime industry, where Mr Lam will speak at a seminar to promote Hong Kong as an international maritime centre, and exchange ideas with representatives of the maritime industry from around the world. The delegation will also visit a number of enterprises and maritime industry organisations in Germany to update them on the latest situation of Hong Kong's maritime industry.  
      
     The delegation will then visit Athens on September 5 to visit port facilities and meet with shipping companies and associations in Greece to promote Hong Kong's advantages as an international maritime and logistics hub.
      
     Mr Lam will return to Hong Kong on September 7. During his absence, the Under Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Mr Liu Chun-san, will be the Acting Secretary for Transport and Logistics.

     â€‹The 2024 Paris Olympic Games Mainland Olympians split into two groups to attend two sports demonstrations this morning (August 31) to perform gymnastics, badminton, table tennis, breaking, diving, swimming and artistic swimming. The Mainland Olympians not only conducted professional exchanges with Hong Kong athletes, but also shared their Olympic experience and interacted with the audience.

     The Mainland Olympians delegation gave gymnastics, badminton, table tennis and breaking demonstrations at Queen Elizabeth Stadium; and diving, swimming and artistic swimming demonstrations at Victoria Park Swimming Pool. The two sports demonstrations attracted over 4 200 members of the public in total to watch as spectators. The performances by the Mainland Olympians won cheers and applause from the audiences.

     Other than giving sports demonstrations, the Mainland Olympians in badminton, table tennis, swimming and canoe also took part in skills exchanges with Hong Kong athletes. Other delegation members had a friendly chat with local young athletes and interacted with the audience. The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, and the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Vincent Liu, visited Queen Elizabeth Stadium and the Permanent Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ms Vivian Sum, visited Victoria Park Swimming Pool to view the demonstrations this morning.

     Those who were unable to secure tickets were able to enjoy the live television broadcasts of the events joined by the Mainland Olympians.

                            

     Hong Kong Customs detected a drug trafficking case involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport on August 29 and seized about 20 kilograms of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of about $10 million.
      
     A 22-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from London, United Kingdom via Brussels, Belgium and Zurich, Switzerland, on that day. During Customs clearance, the batch of suspected ketamine was found in his check-in suitcase. The male was subsequently arrested.
      
     An investigation is ongoing.
      
     Following the resumption of normal travel and exchanges with the Mainland and other parts of the world, the number of visitors to Hong Kong has also been increasing steadily. Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
      
     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) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

  

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (August 31) that due to big waves, the red flag has been hoisted at Silverstrand Beach in Sai Kung District. Beachgoers are advised not to swim at the beach.

     Regarding the Wild Animals Protection (Amendment) Ordinance 2024 (Amendment Ordinance) which came into effect on August 1, 2024, a spokesperson for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said today (August 31), "The Amendment Ordinance has already been in effect for a month. Starting from tomorrow (September 1), enforcement officers will take immediate enforcement action without prior verbal warnings upon discovering any person who is found to be illegally feeding wild animals or feral pigeons."

     The Amendment Ordinance expands the territory-wide prohibition on feeding wild animals to cover feral pigeons, increases the maximum penalty for illegal feeding to a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for one year, and introduces a fixed penalty of $5,000 for illegal feeding, with a view to further curbing illegal feeding activities.

     The AFCD, in collaboration with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Housing Department, has stepped up patrols throughout Hong Kong, especially at locations with previous records of illegal feeding activities, and takes appropriate enforcement action as necessary based on intelligence and reports.

     Furthermore, the AFCD has established an inter-departmental working group on feeding ban enforcement with relevant departments. The working group regularly reviews and discusses enforcement action against illegal feeding and arranges joint enforcement operations when necessary. Members of the public may call 1823 to report any suspected illegal feeding of wild animals or feral pigeons.

     Concurrently, the AFCD has launched a series of publicity and education activities with the theme of "All For No Feeding", which includes setting up educational booths in various districts, distributing leaflets, and collaborating with Legislative Council Members, District Council members, and local communities to promote the message. These efforts aim to bring home to the public the negative impact of feeding wild animals and feral pigeons, while publicising the latest feeding ban and penalties. Relevant information has also been uploaded to the AFCD webpage (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/conservation/con_fau/con_fau_wild_the.html).