A property owner who persistently failed to comply with a removal order issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123) was convicted and fined over $100,000 at the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts earlier this month.

     The case involved an unauthorised structure with an area of about 100 square metres on the flat roof of a residential building on Yuen Long On Ning Road, Yuen Long. As the unauthorised building works (UBWs) were carried out without prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), a removal order was served on the owner under section 24(1) of the BO.

     Failing to comply with the removal order, the owner was prosecuted by the BD three times and was fined over $190,000 in total upon convictions by the court. As the owner persisted in not complying with the removal order, the owner was prosecuted for the fourth time and was convicted again at the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts on April 5. The court adjourned the hearing and ordered the owner to report on the status of the removal of the UBWs before handing down a sentence. On August 2, the owner reported to the court that the UBWs had been removed and provided photographs as proof. Eventually the owner was fined $104,400, of which $64,400 was the fine for the number of days that the offence continued, by the court.

     A spokesman for the BD today (August 16) said, "UBWs may lead to serious consequences. The owners concerned must comply with the removal order without delay. The BD will continue to take enforcement actions and consider instigating prosecution against the owners again if they persist in not complying with the order, so as to ensure building safety."

     Failure to comply with a removal order without reasonable excuse is a serious offence under the BO. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $200,000 and one year's imprisonment, and a further fine of $20,000 for each day that the offence continues.

     The Government today (August 16) announced the following appointments to the Occupational Safety and Health Council for a term of two years starting from August 22, 2024.

Appointments as Members:
Dr Johnnie Casire Chan Chi-kau
Mrs Cindy Chow Lok Mei-ki
Ms Ada Fung Yin-suen
Mr Sunny Ho Lap-kee
Ms Lam Ching-yee
Mr Ronnie Ng Wing-fat
Ms Wong Mei-sin
Dr Loretta Yam Yin-chun
Mr Chau Sze-kit*
Commissioner for Labour or his/her representative
Government Chemist or his/her representative
Chief Assistant Secretary for Development responsible for works matters
 
     A Government spokesman said, "We are grateful to the outgoing member, Mr Wong Ping, for his valuable contributions to the Council."
      
     The Council is constituted under the Occupational Safety and Health Council Ordinance with the objective of fostering a safe and healthy working environment in Hong Kong. The appointments were published in the Gazette today.

* New appointee

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 16) that according to the Beach Water Quality Forecast System of the Environmental Protection Department (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/water/beach_quality/forecast_system.html), the Beach Water Quality Forecast Index for Silver Mine Bay Beach in Islands District is 4, which means the predicted water quality at this beach is "Very Poor" due to potential transient water quality fluctuations caused by heavy rain. The red flag has been hoisted, and beachgoers are advised not to enter the water to safeguard their health.

     The Government published in the Gazette today (August 16) the exemption of designated Shenzhen cross-boundary ambulances from the Road Traffic (Registration and Licensing of Vehicles) Regulations (Cap. 374E) (the Regulations) during a specified period, pursuant to regulation 3(c) of the Regulations so as to facilitate the drill arrangement for the Pilot Scheme for Direct Cross-boundary Ambulance Transfer in the Greater Bay Area (the Pilot Scheme).
 
     The Chief Executive announced in the 2023 Policy Address the exploration of cross-boundary ambulance transfer arrangement in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) to enable patients with particular needs and in suitable clinical conditions be transferred directly between designated hospitals in Hong Kong and other GBA cities in a point-to-point mode without the handover of patients between ambulances at boundary control points, thus minimising the risks posed to the patients during transfer. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has been proactively discussing with the Guangdong Provincial Government, the Shenzhen Municipal Government, and the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) Government on the implementation details. The Legislative Council Panel on Health Services was briefed by the Health Bureau on the Pilot Scheme this April.
 
     The Pilot Scheme will first roll out the arrangement of direct ambulance transfer from designated hospitals in Shenzhen and Macao to designated public hospitals in Hong Kong. Prior to the official launch of the Pilot Scheme, the HKSAR Government will conduct drills in collaboration with the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Shenzhen Municipal Government to trial the cross-boundary ambulance arrangement without patients on board. To this end, the HKSAR Government exempted the designated Shenzhen cross-boundary ambulances from the Regulations during a specified period pursuant to regulation 3(c) of the Regulations to facilitate the drill arrangement. The Governments of the two places will strive to finalise as soon as possible the long-term arrangement for designated Shenzhen cross-boundary ambulances to enter Hong Kong. Meanwhile, the HKSAR Government is also in discussion with the Macao SAR Government on relevant drill arrangement.
 
     The HKSAR Government plans to launch the one-year Pilot Scheme within this year. Announcement will be made in due course. The cross-boundary ambulance mechanism will only be activated when a prior agreement between the sending hospital (i.e. The University of Hong Kong – Shenzhen Hospital or the Conde S. Januario Hospital of Macao) and the receiving hospital (i.e. designated public hospitals under the Hospital Authority of Hong Kong) has been reached in advance, with the medical needs, safety and interests of patients as the prime concerns while avoiding abuse of the mechanism. Subject to the effectiveness and operational experience of the Pilot Scheme, relevant government departments will consider whether and how to expand the Scheme, such as including more designated hospitals and/or extending the Scheme to a two-way arrangement.

     The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) announced today (August 15) that the giant pandas, Ying Ying and Le Le, gifted by the Central People's Government to the HKSAR in 2007, succeeded in natural mating at Ocean Park in March this year. After a pregnancy period of nearly five months, Ying Ying gave birth to a pigeon pair of cubs at 2.05am and 3.27am today.

     This is a very critical period for the health of the newborn giant panda cubs. Ocean Park's animal care and veterinary teams, together with experts from the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP), are monitoring Ying Ying and her cubs round the clock until their conditions become fully stable.

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, said "This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, which makes the birth of the first lovely Hong Kong-born pigeon pair of cubs by Ying Ying and Le Le even more special. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Central Government again for gifting the giant pandas to the HKSAR which fully demonstrates its care and support for our city. We would also like to thank Ocean Park's team for taking good care of An An, Jia Jia, Ying Ying and Le Le over the years, as well as the experts from the CCRCGP for their continuous support, which enabled Ying Ying and Le Le to give birth to the pigeon pair of cubs."