Owing to the thunderstorm warning, the flag-raising ceremony to be conducted at Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai at 8am today (June 11) will be cancelled.

     The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, concluded his visit to Guangzhou and Shenzhen today (June 10). 

     Mr Lam and the delegation comprising representatives from the Hong Kong legal sector visited the Nansha Planning Exhibition Hall yesterday morning (June 9) to learn about the history and the latest development of Guangzhou Nansha New Area, as well as the prospects of and measures on the deepening of Guangzhou-Hong Kong-Macao co-operation.

     Mr Lam and the delegation, accompanied by the Secretary of the CPC Guangzhou Nansha District Committee, Mr Lu Yixian, and Deputy District Mayor of Nansha District of Guangzhou Municipality, Mr Pang Bo, then visited the Nansha International Arbitration Centre. During the meeting, the Party Secretary and Director of the Guangzhou Arbitration Commission, Mr Chen Simin, introduced the latest progress and vision of the Commission. The representative from the Nansha District Bureau of Justice introduced the landscape of legal services in Nansha and their work on the taking forward of the interface of the legal regulatory regimes. Mr Lam said that the Department of Justice will further encourage stakeholders to contribute to the development and opening up of the Guangzhou Nansha New Area, in particular on exchange of talent in foreign-related arbitration and commercial mediation in various subjects including maritime finance, insurance and dispute resolution, so as to contribute to the high-quality development of Nansha and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and further enhance the protection of the rule of law.

     In the afternoon yesterday, Mr Lam visited the First International Commercial Court of the Supreme People's Court and met with representatives including Vice Presidents Zhao Jinshan and Liu Zheng to learn about the establishment and operation of the Court's one-stop platform on the organic convergence of litigation, mediation and arbitration for the resolution of diversified international commercial disputes.

     Mr Lam also visited the Shenzhen Qianhai Cooperation Zone People's Court (Qianhai Court) to learn about the organisation structure of the Qianhai Court. In a roundtable meeting with the President of the Qianhai Court, Mr Bian Fei, and others, Mr Lam discussed the practice of adoption of Hong Kong law by Hong Kong enterprises in the Qianhai Court and the practice on proof of Hong Kong law. The representatives from the Hong Kong legal sector said they hoped to collaborate with the stakeholders in the Mainland to further promote the application of the adoption of Hong Kong law by Hong Kong enterprises. They also hoped to deepen the professional exchanges and mutual learning on the proof of Hong Kong law. Mr Lam agreed that both sides will explore together the further expansion of the pool of legal talent in the proof of laws, including the strengthening of young legal practitioners' understanding on the needs of legal services and the market in the GBA to further enhance the effectiveness of the proof of Hong Kong law, with a view to building up confidence of users in choosing Hong Kong law as applicable law, thereby contributing to the building of a rule-based business environment in the GBA.

     Mr Lam visited the headquarters of Tencent in Shenzhen this morning to learn about the research and development, and the application of innovative technology by Tencent which contribute to the development of the society and a wide array of industries. Mr Lam also met with the Dean of Tencent Research Institute, Dr Jason Si, and others. During the meeting, representatives from the Research Institute and the delegation discussed about the ways tools of innovative technology including artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT would affect and bring challenges to different sectors and the legal regulatory regime. Mr Lam indicated that the Hong Kong legal sector should seize the opportunities brought by innovative technology and proactively explore ways to further enhance the efficiency and standard of professional services by utilising innovative technology.

     Mr Lam concluded his visit and returned to Hong Kong today. He said that the visit to Guangzhou and Shenzhen together with representatives from the two legal professional bodies and the Intellectual Property Department is very fruitful. The exchange of views on thematic topics by stakeholders of both places facilitated mutual understanding on the relevant practice. The Department of Justice will continue to spare no effort to take forward the alignment of rules and exchanges of talent, with a view to jointly pursuing mutual and win-win co-operation in the construction of the GBA. Mr Lam expressed his heartfelt thanks to the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the People's Government of Guangdong Province and all the receiving organisations and the relevant colleagues for their thoughtful arrangements and assistance in the visit.

          

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     Members of the public are advised to report any street flooding that comes to their notice to the Drainage Services Department by calling the 24-hour drainage hotline on 2300 1110.

     As the rainstorm warning has been issued by the Hong Kong Observatory, the Labour Department (LD) reminds employers and contractors that they should adopt necessary work arrangements and take suitable safety measures to protect the safety of their employees when they are carrying out electrical work or handling electrical plant.

     A spokesman for the LD said today (June 10) that employers and contractors should avoid assigning employees to carry out electrical work (like electric arc welding work) or handle electrical plant at places affected by rainstorms, and should refer to the "Code of Practice in times of Typhoons and Rainstorms" and the "Guide on Safety at Work in times of Inclement Weather" issued by the LD.

     Even if electrical work is carried out or electrical plant is handled at places not affected by the rainstorm, suitable safety measures must still be adopted to prevent electric shock as the air would be more humid. Such measures include:

(i) Ensure that all live parts of an electrical installation are isolated from the power supply source and rendered dead, and the isolation from the power supply source must be maintained as long as electrical work is being carried out;

(ii) Before carrying out any electrical work or handling any electrical plant, cut off and lock out the power supply source, then test the circuit concerned to confirm it is dead and display suitable warning notices, and issue a work permit thereafter;

(iii) Ensure that protective devices (such as suitable and adequate fuses and circuit breakers) for the electrical installations or electrical plant have been installed and maintained in good working order, and portable electric tools must be double-insulated or properly earthed;

(iv) Provide suitable personal protective equipment such as insulating gloves and insulating mats for employees; and

(v) If live electrical work is unavoidable, a comprehensive risk assessment should be conducted by a competent person and the appropriate safety precautions should be taken to remove or properly control the electrical hazards involved before such work can proceed.

     In addition, employees should co-operate with the employer or contractor to follow the safety instructions and use the safety equipment provided.

     The LD has published guidebooks and leaflets on electrical work safety. These safety publications are available free from divisional offices of the department or can be downloaded from its website (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/content2_8.htm).

     Should there be any questions about occupational safety and health matters, please contact the Occupational Safety Officer of the LD at 2559 2297.

     Police are investigating a Police open fire case in Hung Hom happened this morning (June 10).

     At 11.45am, Police received a report that a private car with suspected forged　vehicle registration mark was spotted near the Lion Rock Tunnel on Waterloo Road towards Tsim Sha Tsui direction.
      
     Police sped to the scene and located the suspicious private car on Princess Margaret Road outside Hung Hom Police Station. When officers attempted to intercept the private car, the male driver inside the car did not comply with officer's instructions to stop and attempted to reverse and flee, colliding with another private car behind. A male police officer gave verbal warnings to the driver but in vain. For the safety of his own and other road users, he subsequently fired one shot at the car body.
      
     The private car then rushed forward and rammed into a police vehicle, another male police officer gave verbal warnings to the driver again but also in vain. For the safety of his own and other road users, he subsequently fired one shot at the car body. The private car continued to drive forward before eventually crashing into roadside barriers and stopping.
      
     Approximately 42 grams of suspected cocaine, packaged in 80 bags with a total market value of about $60,000, were seized from the private car and the scene. The private car is also suspected to be a stolen car.
      
     Upon investigation, the 25-year-old male driver on the private car was arrested for trafficking in dangerous drugs, driving without a valid license, dangerous driving, using false instrument and driving without third party insurance. He is being detained for further enquiries.
      
     No injuries were reported in the incident.
      
     Investigation by the Regional Crime Unit of Kowloon West is underway.