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Source: Hong Kong Information Services

As of noon today, 97.7% of owners of units at the eight buildings of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, comprising a total of 1,939 households, have returned signed Letters of Acceptance.

The Government has signed the Agreement for Sale and Purchase with a total of 1,541 households, or 77.7% of the total number.

The deadline for Wang Fuk Court owners to accept the Government’s acquisition plan will expire tomorrow.

The Housing Bureau today urged owners who have not done so to return signed Letters of Acceptance by 5pm on the deadline date to confirm their intention to sell their titles to the Government if they wish to accept the Government’s acquisition offer.

If owners have any enquiries, they can contact their designated engagement team member or call 2129 8133.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

A guitar shredding through neon streets and a delicate ink-wash mantis stepping across drawing paper are making an unlikely splash at the Hong Kong Heritage Museum this summer.

Through the MuseTeens: Youth Leadership Scheme, local students traded traditional textbooks for a rare, behind-the-scenes look at museum operations.

Hands-on training

Participants went deep into the museum’s inner workings, visiting conservation laboratories to see how specialists restore artefacts across various materials, learning collection management, mastering exhibition curation, and leading guided tours for friends and family.

Under this year’s theme, “When Collections Take the Lead – Creative Stop-motion Animation”, participants handled every step of production, from scriptwriting and storyboarding to filming.

Creative expression

Their creations – ranging from rock legend Wong Ka-kui’s acoustic guitar flying past the city’s neon lights to Lingnan painting master Chao Shao-an’s brushstrokes blooming into life – offered fresh perspectives on classic collections.

Beyond giving participants a deeper appreciation for the individual artefacts, the creative process offered museum visitors a fresh, imaginative lens through which to view the broader collection. Selected standout animations will also take centre stage at the programme’s year-end showcase.

Transformative insights

For participant Lin Hao, inspecting artefact care alongside museum curators was not only valuable but also transformative.

“This knowledge is difficult to come across, whether online or in everyday life,” Mr Lin said. “The experience helped us understand how much care and expertise goes into museum work behind the scenes.”

He added that the process reshaped his connection to local heritage.

“I want to learn more about Hong Kong’s culture and history, and share them with others so they can discover just how fascinating and distinctive Hong Kong’s style is.”

Fresh perspectives

Fellow participant Yip Cheuk-kiu, who plans to pursue a bachelor’s degree in global creative industries, found inspiration in the museum’s immersive “On Flowers: Selected Paintings and Poems by Chao Shao-an” exhibit zone.

Stepping into the exhibit’s immersive multimedia zone, she watched painted blooms sway in an unfelt breeze, blossom, and wither – an experience that felt less like viewing art and more like stepping straight into the paintings.

“I started to learn how to do some cross-field conversations between different fields,” Miss Yip said. “Perhaps the historical and the literature text can be the foundation, and on the foundation, I can have my own interpretation and breathe life into the unspoken heritage.”

Future impact

Launched in 2006, the MuseTeens scheme expanded from one week to two as the museum’s cultural programming grew. Since introducing annual thematic approaches in 2013, the initiative has offered structured exposure through expert talks, museum visits, field trips, and school presentations led by returning students.

Hong Kong Heritage Museum Assistant Curator II (Education & Extension) Arts Maggie Yu said the scheme is designed to anchor youth in local culture while fostering personal growth.

She said participant feedback underscored the programme’s impact, with students reporting sharper leadership, communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills.

Beyond personal development, the experience instilled a deeper commitment to safeguarding local cultural heritage and a richer appreciation for arts and culture.

“Once students develop the ability to appreciate and understand arts and culture, they will naturally be more inclined to take part in cultural activities in the future,” Miss Yu said.

She also hopes the hands-on experience will give participants the foundation they need to pursue future careers in the arts and cultural sector.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam led a cross-professional delegation comprising members of Hong Kong’s legal and dispute resolution sectors, as well as the financial and accounting sectors, as they continued their visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, today, deepening legal co-operation between the two places.

This morning, Mr Lam met Minister of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan Akbar Djurabayevich Tashkulov.

Mr Lam explained how Hong Kong’s advantages of being connected to the Chinese Mainland and the world, as well as its common law system, can assist Uzbek enterprises in expanding into Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and international markets.

A memorandum of understanding was signed by the two sides to enhance collaboration between Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Justice and the Department of Justice of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. This will include exchanges on legal frameworks and policies regarding dispute resolution, as well as sharing of experiences in the application of AI technology in the legal sector.

Mr Lam then attended a lunch hosted by the Uzbek Ministry of Justice.

In the afternoon, Mr Lam visited the Center for Islamic Civilization to learn about local efforts in cultural preservation, academic research and education promotion.

On Thursday morning, Mr Lam and the delegation visited the Tashkent State University of Law and met its senior management to discuss legal talent training and exchanges.

Mr Lam then attended a lunch with Mayor of Tashkent City Umurzakov Shavkat Buranovich to introduce Hong Kong’s distinctive institutional advantages under the “one country, two systems”  principle and explore opportunities for co-operation.

In the afternoon, Mr Lam and the delegation met representatives from the Uzbek Chamber of Commerce for Chinese Entrepreneurs and the Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Uzbekistan. Director of the Tashkent International Arbitration Centre Diana Bayzakova Hamwi also attended the meeting.

Mr Lam introduced Hong Kong’s unique advantages and learned about their specific demands for legal services. They also jointly explored ways to strengthen co-operation between the two places to support enterprises in leveraging Hong Kong’s professional services to expand into international markets.

Mr Lam and the delegation visited the Ministry of Economy & Finance of the Republic of Uzbekistan to meet Deputy Minister Abidkhadjaev Umid Kutpitdinovich and Advisor to the Minister Jasur Karshibaev yesterday.

They also visited the Ministry of Investment, Industry & Trade of the Republic of Uzbekistan to meet Deputy Minister Kasimov Ilzat Ablakhatovich.

Mr Lam and the delegation shared Hong Kong’s professional experiences in areas such as investment, cross-border trade, commercial and dispute resolution under the common law system, and explored how Hong Kong might help advance the development of the Tashkent International Financial Centre.

In the afternoon, Mr Lam and the delegation visited and had a lunch with the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Republic of Uzbekistan Yu Jun.

They exchanged views on topics including consolidating Hong Kong’s role as an international legal hub and strengthening co-operation with international legal and dispute resolution institutions.

Mr Lam then met Chairman of the Chamber of Advocates of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shukhrat Shavkatovich Sadikov to discuss ways to deepen exchanges and collaboration between legal professionals in the two places.

In the evening, Mr Lam attended a Uzbekistan Independence Day celebration activity.

Mr Lam concluded his visit today and will return to Hong Kong tomorrow.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today conducted a second cross-boundary stress test at the Huanggang Port in collaboration with relevant Shenzhen units, with over 20,000 civil servants participating.

The drill focused on testing peak carrying capacity by further increasing passenger and vehicular flows. It marked the first test of joint one-stop vehicle lanes for vehicle clearance.

Automobile associations, other associations, and chambers of commerce were invited to assist in recruiting private vehicles permitted to travel between the two places.

The vehicles participated in cyclical trials, with more than 1,000 vehicle trips being made to test the operation of the lane systems and vehicular flow management.

Participating vehicles were instructed to enter the port through the new connecting road in batches. They underwent risk assessment at the customs front kiosk, then entered the joint one-stop vehicle lanes for five-party inspection, completing clearance procedures for the Shenzhen General Station of Exit & Entry Frontier Inspection and Shenzhen Customs, as well as Hong Kong’s Customs & Excise Department, Department of Health and  Immigration Department. This was carried out using integrated information collection devices next to the lanes, and involved the collection of body temperature and travel document data, as well as facial features and fingerprints.

The drill also simulated scenarios such as passengers disembarking and proceeding to the immigration clearance hall, as well as vehicles being selected at the customs front kiosks to proceed to the inspection area for inspections. Vehicles participating in the drill first departed and then returned to the Hong Kong Port Area via the Shenzhen side’s vehicle clearance level.

To assess the port’s capacity under sustained ultra-high passenger flows, over 20,000 civil servants from more than 70 bureaus and departments were mobilised.

Participants were instructed to take various public transport options to arrive at the port. They passed through the collaborative inspection automated channels or manual counters to depart from the Hong Kong Port Area. After returning from the Shenzhen side, they left the port by taking vehicles dispatched by public transport operators, undergoing cyclical trials involving more than 600 departures.

The stress test also advanced the “crowd concentrated-flow test” by releasing large batches of people several times within a short period of time to create greater crowd pressure.

This simulated a situation where a large number of passengers arrive in Hong Kong via the Huanggang Port during peak hours and take different public transport options, including franchised buses, minibuses, cross-boundary coaches, and taxis, at the public transport interchange.

The Fire Services Department also conducted a fire drill, simulating an electric vehicle catching fire. Personnel from the Huanggang Fire Station fought the fire with water jets and used specialised equipment such as high-pressure fog applicators and fire blankets to extinguish the blaze. Ambulance personnel were also on-site to treat the injured.

Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung inspected the drill on-site and held a meeting with participating departments immediately afterwards to review procedures and participants’ feedback.

Meetings will be arranged between the relevant Hong Kong and Shenzhen units to review and identify areas for improvement in the management of passenger and vehicular traffic, emergency response arrangements and collaborative mechanisms, in order to ensure the port’s safe and smooth operation and a positive passenger experience.

To support travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland for Hong Kong residents, both places will implement an arrangement allowing Hong Kong residents who hold both Mainland Travel Permits for Hong Kong and Macau Residents, commonly known as the Home Visit Permit, and a Hong Kong identity card, to choose to use either their identity card or Home Visit Permit at the first gate in the collaborative inspection automated channels, in order to complete immigration clearance procedures for both Hong Kong and Shenzhen, regardless of whether they are travelling northbound or southbound.

Representatives from various bureaus, departments and organisations participated in the drill, including the Security Bureau, the Transport & Logistics Bureau, the Civil Service Bureau, the Police Force, the Transport Department, the Highways Department, the Immigration Department, the Customs & Excise Department, the Department of Health, the Fire Services Department, the Architectural Services Department, the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department, the Government Property Agency, the Digital Policy Office, the Office of the Communications Authority, the Food& Environmental Hygiene Department, the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department, the Civil Aid Service, and the Auxiliary Medical Service. Various public transport operators also participated.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The deadline for owners of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to accept the Government’s acquisition plan will expire on Monday.

The Housing Bureau today urged owners who have not done so to return signed Letters of Acceptance by 5pm on the deadline date to confirm their intention to sell their titles to the Government if they wish to accept the Government’s acquisition offer.

Owners can hand over a signed Letter of Acceptance to their designated Engagement Team member or submit it, in the return envelope enclosed with the Letter of Offer, either by post, by hand or by courier to the following address:
 
Housing Bureau, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government
c/o Wang Fuk Court Property Rights Acquisition Limited
1/F, Block 2, Hong Kong Housing Authority Headquarters,
33 Fat Kwong Street, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon, Hong Kong

For owners who opt to send their return by post, the postmark date will be taken as the submission date. Owners must therefore send their return by post before the cut-off time on August 31 to ensure the envelope is postmarked with that date.

Owners can also opt to submit the return in person to the drop-off box at the above address at or before 5pm on August 31.

With the reply deadline approaching, the engagement team co-ordinated by the Housing Bureau has stepped up contact with owners who have not yet responded, to ascertain their intentions and provide the assistance required.

If owners have any enquiries, they can contact their designated engagement team member or call 2129 8133.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin visited Tai Po Baptist Public School (TPBPS) today to officiate at the opening ceremony of its new premises at Fu Shin Estate.

She toured the campus facilities and interacted with teachers and students, ahead of the school’s resumption of normal operations in the upcoming new school year.

Ms Choi said that the relocation of TPBPS to its new premises marks a significant moment for all teachers and students to reunite and embark on a new chapter together.

She iterated that the new premises provide a safe, stable and conducive learning environment, in addition to embodying the professionalism and perseverance of the school’s principal and staff, the efforts of its students, and the support of parents, other schools and the wider community.

The Education Bureau took a proactive approach to ensuring the renovation works were completed in time to allow the TPBPS to operate at its new premises as scheduled in the new school year. In addition, the bureau has set aside a one-off grant of $1 million for TPBPS to meet expenses related to its relocation.

Due to the impact of the fire at Wang Fuk Court, the original premises had to be closed temporarily.

The bureau arranged for TPBPS students to resume face-to-face classes in phases from mid-December 2025 at the premises of Tai Po Government Primary School (TPGPS) and the NTWJWA Christian Remembrance of Grace Primary School (CRGPS) up until the end of the 2025-26 school year.

To enable all TPBPS students to continue their studies in a stable and continuous learning environment as early as possible, and to safeguard their well-being, vacant school premises on the site of the former Church of Christ in China Kei Ching Primary School at Fu Shin Estate, Tai Po, were allocated to TPBPS for use from the 2026-27 school year.

In light of the special circumstances and needs arising from TPBPS’s operation at TPGPS and CRGPS, the bureau set aside a total of $4 million in additional resources for TPBPS and the two schools to provide appropriate learning and teaching support for teachers and students.

In the past school term, TPBPS collaborated with TPGPS and CRGPS on a variety of activities, including values education and reading programmes.

Ms Choi said she is confident that the teachers and students of TPBPS and the two schools will cherish their collaboration during this period.

She thanked the principals and staff of the three schools for their concerted efforts to ensure smooth operations and maintain the quality of teaching.

The bureau has set up a working group to implement various arrangements for the relocation of TPBPS to its new premises. It will maintain close liaison with the school and provide appropriate support.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Department of Justice (DoJ) welcomed the passage of amendments to the Lawyers Law of the People’s Republic of China by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPCSC) yesterday.

The amendments will take effect from Tuesday.

Article 62 of the amended Lawyers Law states that Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao SAR legal practitioners who pass the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Legal Professional Examination, administered by the judicial administration department of the State Council, and who obtain a Mainland practice qualification, can practise in stipulated areas of law in the Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing municipalities of Guangdong.

The State Council’s judicial administration department also laid out enrolment requirements for the examination, application procedures for lawyers to practise, and the scope of practice allowed.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam stated that the amended Lawyers Law makes clear provision for the GBA lawyers’ scheme, thus providing a legal basis for the regularisation of the practice regime.

“I warmly welcome the amendments and express my sincere gratitude to authorities such as the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for their strong support to the development of the GBA lawyers’ scheme. Since the NPCSC’s authorisation of the State Council to conduct a pilot scheme for GBA lawyers, the professional team of GBA lawyers has been growing continuously, contributing efforts to the country’s building of the rule of law.

“The National 15th Five-Year Plan Outline calls for deepening the construction of the GBA and accelerating the development of an international first-class bay area. GBA lawyers with dual practice qualifications can facilitate the interfaces of mechanisms and regulatory frameworks in the GBA, as well as proactively integrating into and contributing to the overall national development.” 

The NPCSC decided in August 2020 to authorise the State Council to conduct a pilot scheme for a period of three years.

The pilot period would have originally expired in October 2023 but was extended in August 2023 until October 4 of this year.

By June of this year, over 650 Hong Kong and Macau lawyers had obtained the Lawyer’s License (GBA) and could provide legal services in the GBA’s nine Mainland municipalities on specified civil and commercial matters in which Mainland laws apply.

GBA lawyers currently appear in court as litigation representatives in the GBA’s nine Mainland municipalities and take up GBA arbitration cases.

The DoJ will continue to maintain close contact with authorities such as the MoJ and Guangdong’s Department of Justice, in order to support and complement work to regularise the GBA lawyers’ scheme.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Environment and Ecology Bureau today (August 28) met trade representatives of the “Cross-sectoral Territory-wide Anti-rodent Action” (the Action) to share the Government’s latest progress in rodent and mosquito control, and to encourage the trade to continue strengthening co-operation with the Government in implementing effective measures to protect public health. 

Rodent control      
Food waste recycling      
     On mosquito control, the FEHD introduced to the participants the latest mosquito infestation situation and mosquito control efforts. Rainfall this summer was significantly higher than last year, creating favourable conditions for mosquito breeding.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Immigration Department (ImmD) held the meeting of “1+2” co-ordination mechanism among the Chinese Mainland and the Hong Kong and Macao immigration management authorities at the Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O on August 27. The Director of Immigration, Mr Benson Kwok, led representatives of the department to exchange views with the Exit and Entry Administration of the People’s Republic of China, the Macao Public Security Police Force, and the Macao Identification Services Bureau on various immigration matters.

At the meeting, the three authorities conducted a comprehensive review of the relevant works undertaken since the previous mechanism meeting held last year, and deliberated on collaborative measures in key areas such as ensuring immigration services for major events, supporting the high-quality development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, strengthening immigration control and services, and enhancing clearance efficiency and the technological level of immigration inspection at control points, resulting in a series of practical outcomes.

Since its launch in 2019 in Qingdao, Shandong Province, the “1+2” co-ordination mechanism has served as a key platform for co-operation in immigration management between the Mainland and the two Special Administrative Regions. Established under the leadership of the Exit and Entry Administration of the People’s Republic of China with the participation from the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the Public Security Police Force and Identification Services Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the “1+2” co-ordination mechanism aims to enhance co-ordination and planning in immigration management across the three regions, facilitate smoother personnel exchanges, and better integrate Hong Kong and Macao into the national development strategy.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​The Government announced today (August 28) that Mr Donald Ng Man-kit, ex-Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, will take up the post of Postmaster General on September 26, 2026, to succeed Miss Leonia Tai Shuk-yiu who will proceed on pre-retirement leave.

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said, “Mr Ng is a seasoned Administrative Officer with proven leadership and management skills. I have every confidence that he will continue to serve the community with professionalism in his new post.”

On the retirement of Miss Tai, Mrs Yeung said, “Miss Tai has rendered 38 years of loyal and dedicated service to the community of Hong Kong. As Postmaster General, she firmly led the department to provide professional and quality postal services. She proactively addressed the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and steered the department’s adoption of technology for further enhancing service quality and operational efficiency. She was also committed to driving Hongkong Post’s provision of logistics services for responding to market conditions and demands. I wish her a fulfilling and happy retirement.”

Brief biographical notes of the two officers are set out below:

Miss Leonia Tai Shuk-yiu
——————————–
Miss Tai joined the Administrative Service in July 1988 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in April 2023. She has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former City and New Territories Administration, the former Civil Service Branch, the former Finance Branch, the former Home Affairs Branch, the former Chief Secretary’s Office, the former Business and Services Promotion Unit, the Chief Secretary for Administration’s Office, the Civil Service Bureau, the Trade and Industry Department and Radio Television Hong Kong. She was Deputy Secretary for Labour and Welfare (Welfare) from July 2016 to November 2019, Government Property Administrator from November 2019 to September 2021, and has been serving as Postmaster General since September 2021.

Mr Donald Ng Man-kit
—————————
Mr Ng joined the Administrative Service in August 1995 and rose to the rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade A in April 2026. He has served in various bureaux and departments, including the former Health and Welfare Branch, the former Security Branch (later renamed as the Security Bureau), the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo, the Housing Department, the former Environment, Transport and Works Bureau, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Geneva, the former Environment Bureau and the Environmental Protection Department. He was Head of the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency from October 2019 to March 2022, Deputy Secretary for Housing/Deputy Director of Housing (Strategy) from April 2022 to November 2024, and Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene from November 2024 to June 2026.