â€‹Hong Kong Customs today (May 25) smashed a drug manufacturing centre, arrested a man and seized a batch of suspected dangerous drugs with an estimated market value of about $2.9 million. The batch included about 2.8 kilograms of suspected ketamine, about 800 grams of suspected cocaine, about 350g of suspected crack cocaine and about 5g of suspected cannabis buds.

     During an anti-narcotics operation conducted in To Kwa Wan early this morning, Customs officers intercepted a 20-year-old man and found about 22g of suspected crack cocaine inside his rucksack. The man was subsequently arrested.

     Customs officers then escorted the arrested man to a residential premises nearby for a search and found that the premises was used as a drug manufacturing centre. About 2.8kg of suspected ketamine, about 800g of suspected cocaine, about 300g of suspected crack cocaine and a batch of drug manufacturing and packaging paraphernalia were further seized.

     Later on, Customs officers further searched the arrested man's home in Kwun Tong and seized about 25g of suspected crack cocaine and about 5g of suspected cannabis buds inside the unit.

     An investigation is ongoing.

     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).

  

     Police today (May 25) appealed to the public for information on a woman who went missing in Tai Po.

     Cheng Ngan-lai, aged 50, went missing after she was last seen on Sha Lan Road yesterday morning (May 24). Her family made a report to Police on the next day.

     She is about 1.58 metres tall, 48 kilograms in weight and of medium build. She has a square face with yellow complexion and long black hair. She was last seen wearing a blue jacket, a dark blue dress, yellow slippers and carrying a pink shoulder bag.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing woman or may have seen her is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of Kowloon West on 3661 8038 or 9020 6542 or email to rmpu-kw@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.
     

  

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (May 25) investigating a suspected case of food poisoning related to the consumption of wild mushrooms, and urged the public not to pick and eat wild mushrooms.

     The case involves two females aged 36 and 61, who developed abdominal pain, diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting about two and a half hours after consuming mushrooms at home on May 24. They sought medical attention at the Accident and Emergency Department of North Lantau Hospital on the same day and were admitted to the hospital for further management. They have been in stable condition.

     Initial investigations revealed that the patients picked the wild mushrooms that they consumed from a hillside somewhere in Tung Chung on May 24. The CHP's investigation is ongoing.

    "Members of the public should not pick wild mushrooms for consumption as it is difficult to distinguish edible mushroom species from inedible ones," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     "Mushroom poisoning is generally acute. Common presentations include gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain appearing shortly after ingestion. Depending on the mushroom species, patients may also have other symptoms such as profuse sweating, hallucinations, coma or other neurological symptoms, as well as liver failure. Death may result in severe cases," he added.

     "If mushroom poisoning is suspected, the patient should seek immediate medical attention and bring along any available remnant for identification," the spokesman said.

The following is issued on behalf of the Pay Trend Survey Committee:

     The Pay Trend Survey Committee (PTSC) met earlier today (May 25) to consider the findings of the 2022 Pay Trend Survey (PTS).

     The survey findings indicate that the following average pay adjustments have been awarded by the surveyed companies over the 12-month period from April 2, 2021, to April 1, 2022:
 

     
     The 2022 PTS was conducted by the Pay Survey and Research Unit of the Joint Secretariat for the Advisory Bodies on Civil Service and Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Service based on an improved methodology as approved by the Chief Executive-in-Council in March 2007.
     
     The survey findings reflect the pay trend in 111 companies covering 128 929 employees over the 12-month period from April 2, 2021, to April 1, 2022. The survey takes into account adjustments to basic salary and additional payments awarded to employees of the surveyed companies attributable to factors in relation to the cost of living, general prosperity and company performance, general changes in market rates, merit and inscale increment, in accordance with the improved survey methodology.

     A breakdown of the 111 companies by size is as follows:
 

     The distribution of the 128 929 employees by the three salary bands is as follows:
 

     â€‹The PTSC met on May 25, 2022, to verify and consider the 2022 PTS Report. The two representatives of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service, the representative of the Standing Committee on Disciplined Services Salaries and Conditions of Service, the Secretary General of the Joint Secretariat for the Advisory Bodies on Civil Service and Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Service, the two representatives of the Civil Service Bureau, one Staff Side Representative of the Senior Civil Service Council, the three Staff Side Representatives of the Model Scale 1 Staff Consultative Council, the two Staff Side Representatives of the Police Force Council and the two Staff Side Representatives of the Disciplined Services Consultative Council validated the survey findings. 

     The meeting was chaired by the Chairman of the PTSC, Mr Lee Luen-fai. Mr Lee is a member of the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service.

     Mr Lee said, "The 2022 PTS was conducted in accordance with the agreed methodology and in a professional and objective manner. The PTSC will submit the Report on the 2022 PTS to the Government for consideration."

     "The relevant pay trend indicators are yielded from the pay trends in the private sector companies as revealed by the survey. Civil service pay adjustment is, however, a separate matter. I understand that in accordance with the established practice, the Chief Executive-in-Council will take into account the pay trend indicators derived from the PTS and other pertinent considerations before making a decision on the 2022-23 civil service pay adjustment," Mr Lee added. 

     Mr Lee wishes to express the PTSC's sincere appreciation for the co-operation and assistance rendered by the companies to the Pay Survey and Research Unit.  

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, at the opening ceremony of the AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre today (May 25):

Good evening. Commissioner Liu (Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Liu Guangyuan), Director Chan (Director of the AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre, Mr Nick Chan), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

     I would like to extend a very warm welcome to you all as we celebrate the opening of the AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre today.

     Last year, with substantial support from the Central People's Government, Hong Kong had the privilege to host the 59th Annual Session of the Asian-African Legal Consultative Organization (AALCO), where Premier Li Keqiang announced the establishment of the AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre.

     In 1974, AALCO had incredible foresight, deciding to forge ahead in developing institutional arbitration in the Asian and African regions. Since then, five regional arbitration centres of AALCO have been established, functioning as international institutions with the objectives of developing institutional arbitration and promoting international commercial arbitration in the Asian-African regions, and rendering assistance in ad hoc arbitrations, particularly those held under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules. The AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre marks the sixth such centre to continue this important mandate.

     The decision to establish a regional arbitration centre, particularly one in Hong Kong, is a result of extensive deliberations, negotiations and co-ordination since 2018, when AALCO resolved to establish a new arbitration centre in the Southeast Asian region. Hong Kong is honoured to be able to host the sixth AALCO regional arbitration centre, and it is my hope that it will, together with the existing AALCO arbitration centres in Malaysia, Egypt, Nigeria, Iran and Kenya, stand united by the ideals of friendship and collaboration by promoting trade and investment in the Asian-African region. All of this cannot be accomplished without the support and trust of the Central People's Government. Indeed, the establishment of the Centre constitutes a significant vote of confidence in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's position as a leading centre for international legal, dealmaking and dispute resolution services in the Asia-Pacific region, and its role in China's development as reflected in its 14th Five-Year Plan.

     The establishment of the AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre further enhances Hong Kong's status as a centre for international legal, dealmaking and dispute resolution services, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. This very nice space we are presently occupying will also form part of the Hong Kong Legal Hub, bringing together global expertise in the legal and dispute resolution community, and developing synergy between the legal, dispute resolution and business communities.

     The AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre is unique in the sense that not only will it seek to integrate itself into AALCO's dispute settlement system, but the Centre will also promote the growth and effective functioning of arbitration institutions and other alternative dispute resolution services, including online dispute resolution, which I believe is a global trend. Through the Centre's future work, I hope that more and more businesses can see the value of using online dispute resolution to resolve disputes, particularly when the pandemic has taught us the vital lesson of the need to utilise technology effectively. In fact, it is my understanding that the Arbitration Rules of the AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre are explicitly designed for the use of online dispute resolution to provide a cost-effective and speedy resolution for disputes.

     Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, to conclude I offer my wholehearted congratulations on the opening of the AALCO Hong Kong Regional Arbitration Centre, and wish it all the best in all of its future endeavours. The Department of Justice looks forward to working with the Centre and the legal and dispute resolution community to promote Hong Kong as an international legal and dispute resolution hub, which I believe will be beneficial to all. Thank you very much.