The Town Planning Board today (May 21) announced amendments to the approved Ma Tau Kok Outline Zoning Plan (OZP).

     The amendments mainly involve the rezoning of a site at 128 Carpenter Road from "Other Specified Uses" annotated "Commercial Development with Public Vehicle Park" to "Residential (Group A) 4" for a composite commercial/residential development, to take forward the decision of the Metro Planning Committee of the Board on an s.12A application. Opportunity is also taken to amend the Notes and Explanatory Statement of the OZP to reflect the amendments and to update the general information of various land use zonings and the planning area, where appropriate.

     The draft Ma Tau Kok OZP No. S/K10/27, incorporating the amendments, is now available for public inspection during office hours at (i) the Secretariat of the Board, (ii) the Planning Enquiry Counters, (iii) the Kowloon District Planning Office and (iv) the Kowloon City District Office.

     Any person may make written representations in respect of the amendments to the Secretary of the Board on or before July 21. Any person who intends to make a representation is advised to read the revised Town Planning Board Guidelines No. 29B on "Submission and Publication of Representations, Comments on Representations and Further Representations under the Town Planning Ordinance" (TPB PG-No. 29B).

     Submission of a representation should comply with the requirements set out in TPB PG-No. 29B. In particular, the representer should take note of the following:
 
* If the representer fails to provide his or her full name and the first four alphanumeric characters of his or her Hong Kong identity card or passport number as required under TPB PG-No. 29B, the representation submitted shall be treated as not having been made; and
* The Secretariat of the Board reserves the right to require the representer to provide identity proof for verification.
 
     The Guidelines and the submission form are available at locations (i) and (ii) above and the Board's website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb).

     Copies of the draft Ma Tau Kok OZP are available for sale at the Map Publications Centres in North Point and Yau Ma Tei. The electronic version of the OZP can be viewed at the Board's website (www.info.gov.hk/tpb).

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at 9am today (May 21), five COVID-19 confirmed patients were discharged from hospital in the last 24 hours. So far, a total of 11 547 patients with confirmed or probable infection have been discharged.
 
     At present, there are 619 negative pressure rooms in public hospitals with 1 130 negative pressure beds activated. A total of 41 confirmed patients are currently hospitalised in 14 public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, among which two patients are in critical condition, one is in serious condition and the remaining 38 patients are in stable condition.
 
     The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.
 
     The case numbers of the discharged, critical and serious patients are as follows:
 

Attention TV/radio announcers:

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

     Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (May 21) that Ping Shan Tin Shui Wai Swimming Pool in Yuen Long District has been temporarily closed for cleaning and superchlorination following the discovery of a small amount of vomit in the pool.

     It will be reopened at 7.30pm today.

     The department appeals to swimmers to be considerate and to keep the swimming pools clean. They are advised not to swim after a full meal and should use the toilet facilities if necessary before swimming.

     The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations, including operations codenamed "Twilight" and a joint operation with the Hong Kong Police Force codenamed "Champion", on May 17 and yesterday (May 20). A total of nine suspected illegal workers and four suspected employers were arrested.
 
     During the "Twilight" operations, ImmD Task Force officers raided 68 target locations including food and beverage areas, factories, a garbage collection depot, massage parlours, residential buildings, restaurants, a retail shop and a warehouse. Eight suspected illegal workers and three employers were arrested. The suspected illegal workers comprised a man and seven women, aged 30 to 55. Among them, a woman was a holder of a recognisance form, which prohibits her from taking any employment. In addition, she was suspected of using and being in possession of a forged Hong Kong identity card. Meanwhile, two men and a woman, aged 44 to 46, were suspected of employing the illegal workers.

     In addition, during operation "Champion", enforcement officers raided a target loading/unloading bay inside the Hong Kong International Airport cargo terminal. One suspected illegal worker and one employer were arrested. The suspected illegal worker was a man, aged 29. He was a holder of a recognisance form, which prohibits him from taking any employment. Meanwhile, a man, aged 22, was suspected of employing the illegal worker.

     "Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration. Offenders are liable to prosecution and upon conviction face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years' imprisonment. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties," an ImmD spokesman said.
 
     The spokesman warned that, as stipulated in section 38AA of the Immigration Ordinance, illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal order or a deportation order are prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business. Offenders are liable upon conviction to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years' imprisonment. The Court of Appeal has issued a guideline ruling that a sentence of 15 months' imprisonment should be applied in such cases. It is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or a Hong Kong identity card related to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and up to 10 years' imprisonment.
 
     The spokesman reiterated that it is a serious offence to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for three years and a fine of $350,000. The High Court has laid down sentencing guidelines that the employer of an illegal worker should be given an immediate custodial sentence. According to the court sentencing, employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting a prospective employee's identity card, the employer has the explicit duty to make enquiries regarding the person and ensure that the answers would not cast any reasonable doubt concerning the lawful employability of the person. The court will not accept failure to do so as a defence in proceedings. It is also an offence if an employer fails to inspect the job seeker's valid travel document if the job seeker does not have a Hong Kong permanent identity card. The maximum penalty for failing to inspect such a document is imprisonment for one year and a fine of $150,000.
 
     Under the existing mechanism, the ImmD will, as a standard procedure, conduct initial screening of vulnerable persons, including illegal workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers, who are arrested during any operation with a view to ascertaining whether they are trafficking in persons (TIP) victims. When any TIP indicator is revealed in the initial screening, the officers will conduct a full debriefing and identification by using a standardised checklist to ascertain the presence of TIP elements, such as threats and coercion in the recruitment phase and the nature of exploitation. Identified TIP victims will be provided with various forms of support and assistance, including urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter, temporary accommodation and other supporting services. The ImmD calls on TIP victims to report crimes to the relevant departments.

  

     A Government spokesman today (May 21) said that following the Government's requirements, 18 large property management companies (PMCs) have completed the rebate of their approved subsidies under the second tranche of the Employment Support Scheme (ESS) to the owners or Incorporated Owners (the owners) of residential properties or properties with residential units under their management. In the interest of upholding transparency, the rebate details, including the total rebate amounts of respective PMCs and individual properties benefiting from the rebate arrangement, are published in the Annex.
 
     The total rebate amount of the 18 PMCs adds up to about $500 million. This is 95 per cent of their approved subsidies under the second tranche of the ESS, considerably higher than the 80 per cent threshold set by the Government. Around 1 500 residential properties or properties with residential units have benefited by means of a time-limited waiver or reduction in management fees or a rebate deposited into an independently administered bank account of the Incorporated Owners or Incorporated Owners associations. 
 
     As a safeguard measure to ensure propriety, the ESS Processing Agent has vetted all the proof or records of rebates submitted by the 18 PMCs (such as transaction records issued by banks). The Processing Agent has further conducted random checks by contacting individual owners of 90 properties (about 6 per cent of the 1 500 properties involved) to ascertain whether they have duly received rebates from the PMCs concerned. No non-compliance has been detected thus far.
 
     The spokesman said, "The Government expresses gratitude to the 18 PMCs for providing rebates to the owners of residential properties in compliance with the additional undertaking under the second tranche of the ESS. The Government is particularly grateful to those PMCs that have given back more than necessary or extended the beneficiaries to owners of non-residential properties (such as industrial or commercial premises)."
 
     The list of employers including the 18 PMCs who have received wage subsidies under the second tranche of the ESS and other relevant information are available at the ESS website (www.ess.gov.hk/en/index.html).