Month: April 2026

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The phased return of residents to Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po entered its seventh day today, with the reopening of five middle-zone floors at Wang Cheong House and 10 low-zone floors at Wang Tao House. 

Supported by the “one social worker per household” service, 424 residents from 116 households returned to their units – slightly exceeding the 418 individuals initially registered. The Government described the access arrangements as orderly. 

Residents spent an average of two hours and 26 minutes on-site. Recorded stays ranged from a minimum of 21 minutes to a maximum of nearly four hours. Approximately 77% of residents completed their visits in under three hours, while 26% stayed for less than two hours and 4% left within an hour. 

Regarding movement, 151 individuals from 62 households made multiple trips to their units. Most made one or two additional entries, while a small group of nine people from six households made up to six trips.

The integrated enquiry counter handled nine requests for assistance today, including seven cases requiring police attention, one report of physical discomfort, and one request for psychological counselling services. 

The police cases primarily concerned suspected property loss, involving items such as watches, jewellery, cash and gold. Officers were immediately deployed to assist with searches, successfully recovering lost property in five cases. The remaining two cases are under further investigation. 

The Government noted that over 1,000 personnel are deployed daily to support residents returning to their units. This multi-departmental team includes staff from Police, the Civil Aid Service, the Fire Services Department, the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Home Affairs Department, the Social Welfare Department, the Housing Department and the Housing Bureau, alongside members of District Services & Community Care Teams. 

Additionally, under the Government-wide Mobilisation mechanism, the Civil Service Bureau co-ordinated nine departments to form the Government Quick Response Unit to facilitate access arrangements. Civil servants mobilised today were drawn from the Lands Department and the Water Supplies Department.

Source: Republic of China Taiwan

President Lai addresses banquet for visiting dignitaries to Kingdom of Eswatini via video  
On the morning of April 26, President Lai Ching-te addressed a banquet for visiting dignitaries hosted by the Kingdom of Eswatini, a diplomatic ally of Taiwan, at Eswatini’s International Convention Centre via video. In his remarks, President Lai congratulated King Mswati III on the 40th anniversary of his accession and commemorated Eswatini’s historic triple milestone of 58’s on behalf of the people of Taiwan.
Noting that these milestones have been the result of His Majesty’s brilliant and outstanding leadership over the past 40 years, President Lai stated that Eswatini shines due to its tremendous progress in the areas of infrastructure, social welfare, healthcare, and regional stability. He also stated that the outcomes of our countries’ efforts to foster mutual prosperity have shown the world our robust partnership. The president thanked Eswatini for staunchly supporting Taiwan’s international participation, and emphasized that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign country that belongs to the world. He indicated that its 23 million people have the right to engage with the international community, and that no country has the right to block, or should seek to block, Taiwan’s efforts to contribute to the world. President Lai stated that Taiwan will strengthen its capabilities and steadily deepen global engagement.
A transcript of President Lai’s remarks follows:
It is a great honor to represent the people of Taiwan today to commemorate the Ruby Jubilee of His Majesty King Mswati III and celebrate the historic triple milestone of 58’s in the Kingdom of Eswatini.
The three milestones are His Majesty’s 58th birthday, the 58th anniversary of the kingdom’s independence, and 58 years of diplomatic relations between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Eswatini. This special occasion is a national celebration in Eswatini. It is also a powerful symbol of the staunch partnership between our two countries.
These achievements have been the result of His Majesty’s brilliant and outstanding leadership over the past 40 years. Today, Eswatini shines as a jewel of Africa due to its tremendous progress in the areas of infrastructure, social welfare, healthcare, and regional stability. In particular, over 85 percent of the people of Eswatini now have access to electricity, one of the highest rates in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Over these 58 years, Eswatini’s economy has witnessed 61-fold growth. The kingdom enjoys strong prospects, and its sovereignty is more secure than ever.
The outcomes of our countries’ efforts to foster mutual prosperity have shown the world that sincere friendship and robust cooperation between nations can forge a brighter future for both peoples.
I still vividly remember His Majesty’s visit to Taiwan two years ago. He led a delegation to attend my and Vice President [Bi-khim] Hsiao’s inauguration. At that time, he highlighted such projects as the women’s microfinance revolving fund and the strategic oil reserve facility.
Current tensions in the Gulf region are a clear reminder of the importance of energy security. The strategic oil reserve facility that Taiwan and Eswatini are working together to establish is scheduled for completion in 2028. This initiative will help safeguard against future energy shocks. It also reflects His Majesty’s foresight, commitment, and courage to protect his country.
Furthermore, the Taiwan Industrial Innovation Park is expected to attract more foreign capital and companies to Eswatini, thus generating more jobs for the people.
Beyond national development, Taiwan looks forward to cooperating with Eswatini to make even greater contributions to the world.
Your Majesty and the Eswatini government have staunchly supported Taiwan’s international participation. The people of Taiwan and I are extremely grateful. I wish I were there to extend the best wishes of the people of Taiwan to Your Majesty and to the people of Eswatini.
The ROC (Taiwan) is a sovereign country; it belongs to the world. Our 23 million people have the right to engage with the international community. The greater the external pressure we face, the more courage and resolve we have. We will strengthen our capabilities and steadily deepen our global engagement. No country has the right to block our efforts to contribute to the world, nor should any seek to do so.
To us, the people of Eswatini are like family. We will continue to work with you to overcome all challenges ahead.
Your Majesty, on behalf of the people of Taiwan, I wish you a most joyful birthday, and your beloved kingdom everlasting prosperity. May our friendship remain as strong and precious as ever.
Dear people of Eswatini, siyabonga kakhulu! Thank you.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

“We used simple machine learning frameworks with Python and the Raspberry Pi platform to train image classification and object detection models.”

Secondary Four student Camilla Yip was among the participants who joined an on-campus artificial intelligence (AI) programme, focused on fish identification and ecosystem monitoring, at Kowloon True Light School last year.

Driven by a fascination with fish ecology since childhood, Camilla signed up for the three-month course as soon as she learned about it.

The after-class workshop was split into two parts: first, students deepened their understanding of fish ecology through dissection and specimen preparation; then, they shifted to AI, collaborating to build a functional surveillance system using a single-board computer and an AI-powered camera.

Interdisciplinary alchemy

“Different fish species may attack each other due to contrasting sizes and habits when they are living in the same tank,” explained Camilla, highlighting the need for round-the-clock monitoring.

To train the system, Camilla gathered many pictures of various fish species and annotated the images by labelling the species and location of each fish. “I learned that AI depends on extensive data and constant fine-tuning to perform well,” she noted.

Camilla found that while manual inspection of images is slow and prone to error, AI can automatically analyse video footage to identify fish species and detect unusual behaviour.

“For example, if a fish is swimming slowly, it might mean the water quality is bad. Or it can alert us when the fish that should not be together are in the same tank.”

Camilla added that while her interests once lay solely in ecology, this experience showed her how AI can make ecological monitoring both faster and more accurate.

Cultivating capabilities

The Government is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of innovation and technology leaders.

The Digital Policy Office oversees the IT Innovation Lab in Secondary Schools programme and the Knowing More About IT programme for primary schools. By funding extra-curricular activities, these initiatives allow students to dive deep into emerging fields such as AI, blockchain, cloud computing and big data.

Kowloon True Light School STEAM Co-ordinator Lam Chun-tung said the course was supported by a $50,000 grant from the IT Innovation Lab in Secondary Schools programme, which enabled the school to hire external tutors and purchase specialised experimental equipment.

Mr Lam explained that the school joined the initiative to weave cutting-edge technology into the curriculum, creating a future-ready learning environment. He emphasised that by mastering AI, students learn to bridge the gap between theory and sustainable, real-world solutions.

Looking back at the group of 15 participants, he recalled that most had no prior experience with Python before joining the workshop.

“Throughout the process, students demonstrated outstanding collaborative spirit and achieved a significant breakthrough in their AI model training proficiency,” said Mr Lam.

Remarkable results

Digital Policy Office Assistant Commissioner for Digital Policy (Common Services & Sourcing) Wendy Kwan described the response as enthusiastic, with more than 500 secondary schools and 520 primary schools getting involved.

To date, more than $1.07 billion in funding has been approved, and over 10,000 technology-related activities have been organised, benefiting more than 790,000 students.

“These figures clearly show that the programmes have successfully promoted an innovative culture in schools, inspired students’ potential and enhanced their information technology skills,” commented Ms Kwan.

She cited an award-winning project in which pupils developed an intelligent recycling bin. The system used a small robot and an AI camera to recognise various types of waste and automatically open the correct recycling lid. The project won the Student Innovation (Primary) Bronze Award at the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024.

Ms Kwan also highlighted another activity where students deployed Internet of Things sensors for real-time environmental monitoring, using AI to optimise the pearl farming process.

The Government’s commitment to digital excellence will continue after the two programmes conclude later this year.

To keep the momentum going, the Education Bureau has set aside $2 billion under the Quality Education Fund to encourage schools to further develop digital education. The bureau will also release the Blueprint for Digital Education later this year, setting a definitive course for AI literacy in the classroom.

In addition, the 2026-27 Budget proposed $50 million to fuel a city-wide AI culture – supporting public bodies, technology companies and tertiary institutions in hosting courses and competitions as part of a roadmap to integrate AI education into everyday life.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The phased return of residents to Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po entered its sixth day today, with the reopening of five middle-zone floors at Wang Cheong House and 11 high-zone floors at Wang Yan House.

Through the “one social worker per household” service, 459 people from 124 households returned to their units, exceeding the 444 individuals from 123 households who had initially registered. The Government said the access arrangements as orderly.

Residents spent an average of two hours and 33 minutes entering and leaving the buildings. The shortest stay recorded was 21 minutes, while the longest was four hours and eight minutes.

In terms of duration, approximately 65% of residents remained in the buildings for less than three hours, while 27% stayed for less than two hours. About 4% of residents concluded their visits in under an hour.

Regarding resident movement, 125 individuals from 54 households made multiple trips to and from their units. Specifically, 83 people from 30 households made one additional trip, while 27 people from 15 households made two. A smaller number of residents – 15 people from nine households – made three or four additional trips.

The integrated enquiry counter handled 10 requests for assistance today, including nine cases requiring police attention and one involving a resident who felt physically unwell.

The police assistance cases primarily concerned suspected property loss, involving items such as watches, jewellery, cash and gold. Officers were immediately deployed to assist with searches, successfully recovering lost property in six of the cases. In the remaining three cases, the units involved were severely damaged; following investigations, residents believed their property may have been destroyed by fire.

The Government noted that over 1,000 personnel are deployed daily to support residents returning to their units. The multi-departmental team includes staff from Police, the Civil Aid Service, the Fire Services Department, the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Home Affairs Department, the Social Welfare Department, the Housing Department and the Housing Bureau, alongside members of District Services & Community Care Teams.

Additionally, under the Government-wide Mobilisation mechanism, the Civil Service Bureau co-ordinated nine departments to form the Government Quick Response Unit to facilitate the access arrangements. Civil servants mobilised today were drawn from the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department and the Leisure & Cultural Services Department.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

A delegation of permanent secretaries and heads of departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today concluded their Chengdu visit by touring the Hong Kong & Sichuan Youth’s Innovation & Entrepreneurship Community.

Located within a vocational college campus, the community serves as a hub for industry-education integration, connecting multiple Hong Kong tertiary institutions. It supports Hong Kong youth in launching businesses in Sichuan and provides them with learning and internship opportunities at local enterprises.

Led by Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung, delegation members spoke with Hong Kong youth studying or starting businesses in Chengdu to learn about their daily lives and career aspirations.

Summing up the study programme, Mrs Yeung said that under the thoughtful arrangements of the CPC Central Committee Hong Kong & Macao Work Office, the State Council Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office, the Sichuan Provincial People’s Government and the Chengdu Municipal People’s Government, the Hong Kong SAR Government’s most senior civil service officers had successfully concluded their study and visits in Beijing and Chengdu.

Mrs Yeung noted that beyond their studies at the National Academy of Governance, the on-site visits in Chengdu provided officers with a deeper understanding of how national planning is implemented at the local level. The delegation gained first-hand insights into the latest developments in sectors such as high-tech industrial parks, innovation and technology, low-altitude mobility and cultural tourism and conservation.

The trip will significantly benefit the officers in their future work while strengthening the ties and friendship between Sichuan and Hong Kong, she added.    

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam today inspected a passing-out parade for 34 probationary inspectors and 165 recruit police constables at the Police College.

Addressing the ceremony, Mr Lam described the rule of law as the cornerstone of Hong Kong’s success and hailed the Police Force as the first line of defence in its preservation. He emphasised that policing extends beyond mere law enforcement; it is fundamentally about providing public assurance fostering a safer society through professional operations.

Mr Lam noted that policing has become increasingly complex, citing challenges such as safeguarding national security, combating technology crimes and managing large-scale events. He stressed that police officers must possess robust legal knowledge and the ability to make sound decisions in dynamic environments, adding that maintaining such high levels of professionalism is a demanding task.

Highlighting that a harmonious society relies on mutual trust between Police and the community, Mr Lam expressed his hope that graduates would discharge their duties with fairness and impartiality. He urged them to safeguard the rule of law while remaining attentive to the needs of the public.

In conclusion, Mr Lam called on the graduates to serve the community in the spirit of the Police motto, “Serving Hong Kong with Honour, Duty and Loyalty”. He encouraged them to remain steadfast in their contributions to national security and to ensuring the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     Today (April 24) is the fifth day of phased arrangements for residents of seven blocks of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po to return to their units. Five low-zone floors of Wang Cheong House and 10 middle-zone floors of Wang Yan House were opened. The access arrangements were carried out in an orderly manner and operated smoothly.
 
     A total of 117 households (417 people) registered to return to their units today through the “one social worker per household” service, while 114 households (413 people) actually turned up.
 
     The average time residents spent entering and leaving the building today was 2 hours and 28 minutes, with the shortest time being 20 minutes and the longest 3 hours and 52 minutes. About 60 per cent of the residents stayed in the building for less than three hours. About 24 per cent of the residents stayed in the building for less than two hours. About 4 per cent of the residents stayed in the building for less than one hour.
 
     A total of 61 households (129 people) went up and down the building more than once. Among them, 33 households (78 people) made one additional trip, 17 households (32 people) made two additional trips, 7 households (13 people) made three additional trips, and 4 households (6 people) made four additional trips.
 
     The integrated enquiry counter set up by relevant departments today received 5 cases requesting police assistance. The 5 cases requesting police assistance involved suspected loss of property, including watches, jewellery, cash and gold items. Officers were immediately deployed to assist in searches, and lost property was recovered in all the cases.
 
     The Government spares no effort in supporting the residents returning to their units. Each day, the Government deploys over 1 000 personnel from various departments, including the Police, the Civil Aid Service, the Fire Services Department, the Auxiliary Medical Service, the Home Affairs Department, the Social Welfare Department (SWD), the Housing Department, and the Housing Bureau, as well as District Services and Community Care Teams members. The “Government-wide Mobilisation” mechanism has also been activated to bring together greater interdepartmental resources to support residents.
 
     Under the “Government-wide Mobilisation” mechanism, the Civil Service Bureau has co-ordinated nine government departments to mobilise civil servants to form the Government Quick Response Unit to support these access arrangements. These civil servants come from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the Architectural Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), the Environmental Protection Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Lands Department, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the Post Office, and the Water Supplies Department. They will form dedicated teams with social workers and clinical psychologists from the SWD, stationed on different floors to provide support to residents returning to their units. The civil servants mobilised in the first three days were from the AFCD, while those mobilised from the fourth day to the sixth day (including today) are from the EMSD and LCSD.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region