The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department today (April 22) announced an adjustment to the auto-LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations from May 1 to May 31, 2021, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contracts of the dedicated LPG filling stations.
 
     A department spokesman said that the adjustment on May 1, 2021, reflects the movement of the LPG international price in April 2021. The adjusted auto-LPG ceiling prices for dedicated LPG filling stations will range from $3.42 to $3.99 per litre, representing a decrease of $0.27 to $0.28 per litre.
      
     The spokesman said that the auto-LPG ceiling prices were adjusted according to a specified pricing formula. The formula comprises two elements – the LPG international price and the LPG operating price. The LPG international price is the LPG international price of the preceding month. The LPG operating price is adjusted on the first day of February every year according to the movement in the Composite Consumer Price Index in the previous year.
      
     The auto-LPG ceiling prices for respective dedicated LPG filling stations in May 2021 are as follows:
 

 
     The spokesman said that the details of the LPG international price and the auto-LPG ceiling price of each dedicated LPG filling station have been uploaded to the department website www.emsd.gov.hk. They are also posted at dedicated LPG filling stations to enable the trades to monitor the price adjustment.
 
     Details of the pricing adjustment mechanism for dedicated LPG filling stations can also be viewed under the "What's New" section of the department website at www.emsd.gov.hk/en/what_s_new/current/index.html.

     Representatives of various civil service unions today (April 22) gave support to the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme and called on civil service colleagues to get vaccinated as early as possible to protect themselves and others.
 
     "The COVID-19 virus is raging across the globe. Apart from staying vigilant against the virus, it is more important for Hong Kong to expand and accelerate vaccinations in order to establish an effective bulwark against the epidemic. In addition to the Government calling on practitioners of different sectors to receive vaccinations, civil service colleagues should also set an example by getting vaccinated. I am very grateful to the staff side representatives of the central staff consultative councils and the chairmen and executive committee members of major service-wide staff unions for turning up today to support the vaccination programme, and some of them will receive vaccinations tomorrow or later. I hope that their appeal will serve as a call to action among civil service colleagues to join hands with the public to get vaccinated," said the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip.
 
     "It is necessary for us in the civil service to get vaccinated as our services are closely related to the daily lives of people who will visit government buildings to apply for licences, obtain government services and so on. Therefore, we have to stay vigilant and continue to put in place various infection control measures. Vaccinations will erect a protective barrier which will enhance protection for staff members and visitors at government buildings," he added.
 
     "Vaccinations will help minimise the risk of recurrence of community outbreaks, and brings hope to win the battle against the epidemic. The Chief Executive, Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaux, a number of Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments have already led by example in getting vaccinated. My bureau has also appealed to colleagues to receive vaccinations through various channels and will enable their participation. A small vaccination centre will be operating at Central Government Offices for about two months to administer Sinovac or BioNTech vaccinations for colleagues working there. I hope they will get vaccinated against COVID-19."
 
     Mr Nip also took the opportunity to remind the public to make their bookings as early as possible. He said that the Government had already expanded the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme to cover persons aged 16 or above. Starting from 9am tomorrow (April 23), persons aged 16 to 29 can make reservations through the online booking system on the designated website (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk) to receive the BioNTech vaccine at 24 Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs), while persons aged 18 or above can make reservations to receive Sinovac or BioNTech vaccines at 29 CVCs or 21 general out-patient clinics of the Hospital Authority. They can also make appointments for vaccinations with private doctors or clinics participating in the programme.
 
     Members of the public can search for information about all vaccination venues through the GeoInfo Map (www.map.gov.hk/gm/map/s/m/communityvaccinationservicesofcovid) and the Interactive Map Dashboard of COVID-19 (chp-dashboard.geodata.gov.hk/covid-19/en.html) on the designated website.

    

     The Registration and Electoral Office (REO) today (April 22) appealed to eligible persons/bodies who have not yet registered as geographical constituency and/or functional constituency (FC) electors to submit new registration applications by the current statutory deadline of May 2, so that their registration particulars can be included in the 2021 final registers, and they will be able to vote in the public elections to be held this year.
 
     The specified application forms for voter registration (VR) can be obtained from the REO, the District Offices and the management offices of public housing estates. They can also be downloaded from the VR website (www.voterregistration.gov.hk). When submitting their VR application forms, applicants should also provide their telephone numbers and email addresses, so that the REO can contact them more promptly and efficiently when needed.
 
     Completed application forms may be submitted no later than the statutory deadline of May 2 via the following channels:

• By post to 13/F, Kowloonbay International Trade and Exhibition Centre, 1 Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay – If submitting by post, the REO reminds members of the public to send out their application forms early in order not to miss the statutory deadline;
• By email to (form@reo.gov.hk) – If submitting by email, members of the public should avoid attaching a large number of VR application forms to a single email and sending it to the REO's email account, as it may cause a delivery failure because of the large file size. Also, after sending their VR applications through email, applicants are advised to check if they receive a confirmation email (see attached) which is automatically sent by the REO email server. If they do not receive such a confirmation email, applicants are advised to resend their applications by email or via the other submission channels; or
• Through the REO e-Form Upload Platform (www.reo-form.gov.hk) – If submitting via this channel, please take note of the application number generated by the system so that the status of the application may be checked afterwards when needed.

     The REO will make special arrangements for its office on 13/F of Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre, 1 Trademart Drive, Kowloon Bay, to remain open until 11.59pm on May 2 to receive VR application forms from members of the public who wish to submit the forms in person.
 
     In addition, the REO again urges registered electors who received inquiry letters issued by the REO to, as per the instructions of the letter, reply as soon as possible by the statutory deadline of May 2 this year via post, fax or email, so as to maintain their voter registration status.

     On the other hand, the Legislative Council (LegCo) is now scrutinising the Improving Electoral System (Consolidated Amendments) Bill 2021 (the Bill) introduced by the Government on April 14, in which major changes in composition of the Election Committee (EC) Subsectors and FCs will be made. Subject to the passage of the Bill by the LegCo, the REO plans to make special arrangements in June to conduct a VR exercise for all EC Subsector voters, and to allow newly eligible and affected electors in FCs to handle their VR matters. Relevant details and arrangements, such as the applicable VR forms, will be announced in due course. Members of the public may refer to the Improve Electoral System thematic website at (www.cmab.gov.hk/improvement/en/home/index.html) for the relevant details.

     For enquiries on VR matters, please call the REO hotline at 2891 1001. Members of the public may also check their own registration status and particulars at any time by logging into the Online Voter Information Enquiry System (www.voterinfo.gov.hk).

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 (April 22) that due to a suspected red tide sighting, the red flag has been hoisted at Silver Mine Bay Beach in Islands District. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at the beach until further notice.

     â€‹Hong Kong Customs mounted an operation codenamed "Shadow Hunter II" between April 15 and 19. A money laundering syndicate has been smashed successfully while the amount involved in the case has reached $2.5 billion. Six persons were arrested. 

     Acting upon intelligence, Customs officers targeted a suspected money laundering syndicate in the middle of last year. After in-depth investigations, Customs mounted an arrest operation in the above-mentioned period and raided four residential premises in Tai Po and Yuen Long. Five men and one woman, aged between 23 and 50, suspected to be involved in the case were arrested for "dealing with property known or reasonably believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offence" (commonly known as money laundering). 

     Initial investigation revealed that the six arrested persons had opened about 60 personal bank accounts at various banks in Hong Kong and had made over 2 600 suspicious transactions involving $2.5 billion in total between January 2018 and February 2020. 

     Among the six arrested persons, four were suspected to be the core members of the syndicate who were engaged in processing suspicious transactions and recruiting others to assist in processing suspicious transactions. The other two are youngsters who were suspected to be recruited for engaging in money laundering activities.

     Investigation is ongoing. The likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.

     Customs stresses that those using personal bank accounts to deal with money from unknown sources, regardless of whether monetary reward is involved, may risk committing the crime of money laundering.

     Under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance, a person commits an offence if he or she deals with any property knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that such property in whole or in part directly or indirectly represents any person's proceeds of an indictable offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and imprisonment for 14 years while the crime proceeds are also subject to confiscation.

     Members of the public may report any suspected money laundering activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).