Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Hong Kong Customs today (November 25) held the “Customs YES” Summer Internship Programme 2025 Certificate Presentation Ceremony at the Customs Headquarters Building to present certificates of appreciation and internship certificates to the representatives of the supporting organisations and “Customs YES” members respectively.

Delivering a speech at the ceremony, the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Chan Tsz-tat, said that Hong Kong Customs has been organising the Summer Internship Programme for five consecutive years. This year, a total of 130 internship positions were offered both locally and on the Chinese Mainland, attracting more than 1 200 applications from young people. Mr Chan attributed the success of the programme to the unwavering support from the supporting organisations, which enabled young people to gain valuable hands-on experience and take a vital step forward in their career development.

This year’s programme featured three key highlights, namely (1) offering, for the first time, internship positions in Beijing and Shenyang, providing young people with exposure to a more diversified job market on the Chinese Mainland and enhancing their competitiveness in the job market there; (2) providing internship opportunities for secondary school students for the second consecutive year, encouraging them to explore their personal aspirations and plan their future career paths at an early stage; and (3) arranging additional internship positions as assistants to Legislative Council (LegCo) Members, enabling participants to gain practical experience and understanding of the work of LegCo Members through participation in policy research, administrative support for LegCo meetings, and community outreach, thereby fostering their interest in public service in future.

Mr Chan also took the opportunity to encourage all attending guests to cast their votes in the 2025 Legislative Council General Election to be held on December 7 to fulfil their civic responsibility and contribute to building a better Hong Kong.

Looking ahead, Customs will continue to collaborate with its business counterparts to create more summer internship opportunities for young people to deepen their understanding of the country and broaden their global horizons, thereby laying a solid foundation for their future development.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH), in collaboration with multiple government departments, today (November 25) conducted a public health exercise codenamed “Amethyst” to enhance their response capabilities in dealing with a case of Ebola disease and to increase awareness among stakeholders about the handling of public health emergencies. Approximately 40 representatives from the DH, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Fire Services Department and the Civil Aid Service participated in this ground movement exercise. To strengthen exchanges with the Chinese Mainland and the international community, over 20 experts from the National Health Commission (NHC), the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration (NDCPA), Shaanxi Province, Hubei Province, Guangdong Province, Chinese Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) and Singapore health authorities were invited to attend as observers.
 
     The exercise was held at the Penny’s Bay Community Isolation Facility today. Under the exercise simulation, the CHP received a notification about a manual worker suspected of having Ebola disease, prompting an immediate epidemiological investigation. Upon laboratory confirmation of the case, the CHP co-ordinated with relevant government departments according to the established mechanism to conduct on-site investigations and risk assessment, as well as to implement control measures to prevent the spread of the virus at the lodgings where the patient was accommodated. Simultaneously, the exercise simulated the transfer of the patient to isolation facilities, environmental disinfection, contact tracing, and the arrangement of quarantine. 
 
     This ground movement exercise is the second part of the public health exercise “Amethyst”. The first part, a table-top exercise, was completed on November 12, in which eight relevant government departments and the Hospital Authority discussed and co-ordinated the emergency response measures required in a scenario when an imported case of Ebola disease was reported in Hong Kong.
 
     “This exercise was successfully completed and provided valuable opportunities for all the relevant participating units to test each individual aspect in handling public health emergencies, ensuring seamless co-ordination and efficient collaboration. It also effectively enhanced every stakeholder’s awareness of prevention and control, as well as their response capabilities in dealing with cases of Ebola disease. The DH has previously conducted 32 exercises on the prevention and control of communicable diseases, including simulations of measles, plague, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and human avian influenza cases. These exercises aim to enhance the disease prevention awareness of both the community and healthcare workers and to continuously refine all public health emergency preparedness and response plans, ensuring readiness for potential outbreaks,” the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, said.
 
     “This exercise, featuring experts from various regions, presents a golden opportunity. As observers, they provided us with advice on prevention and control, enabling us to compare and align communicable disease response measures. This will help refine the Hong Kong SAR’s contingency plans for preventing and controlling highly contagious diseases,” he added.
 
     Ebola disease is a severe acute viral illness, with human-to-human transmission resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such body fluids. According to information from the World Health Organization, the case fatality rates from past Ebola outbreaks range between 25 per cent and 90 per cent, and the average is around 50 per cent. Locally, viral haemorrhagic fever (including Ebola disease) is one of the statutory notifiable infectious diseases in Hong Kong. 
 
     Dr Lam expressed his gratitude to all government departments for their active participation, as well as to the NHC, the NDCPA, relevant Chinese Mainland provinces and municipalities, the Macao SAR and the Singapore health authorities, for their support. He emphasised that even though Hong Kong has never recorded a confirmed case of Ebola, as an international city, it must remain vigilant and prepared for epidemic prevention and control at all times, building a strong defence to safeguard public health.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today held the second seminar on the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. About 500 people attended.

President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Hou Jianguo, and Deputy Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Financial & Economic Affairs and Deputy Director of the CPC Office of the Central Leading Group for Rural Affairs Zhu Weidong, as publicity delegation members, visited Hong Kong to speak on the spirit of the plenary session.

Mr Hou and Mr Zhu gave in-depth explanations of the spirit of the plenary session as well as the key contents and significance of the “Recommendations of the CPC Central Committee for Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic & Social Development” (the Recommendations). They also responded to questions raised by participants.

Chief Executive John Lee, who gave a speech at the event, said: “The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee deliberated and adopted the Recommendations, making top-level designs and strategic plans for our country’s development over the next five years, and putting forward the major objectives and key tasks for economic and social development. It has also made important plans to support Hong Kong’s development, painting a brighter future for Hong Kong.

“The 15th Five-Year period further clarifies Hong Kong’s strategic position and supports Hong Kong in consolidating and enhancing its status as an international financial, shipping and trade centre, as well as in building an international innovation and technology centre. This has genuine and far-reaching significance for Hong Kong to fully leverage its unique advantages and important role of having strong support from the motherland and close connection with the world, to promote Hong Kong’s economic and social development, and to better integrate into and serve overall national development.”

Mr Lee expressed hope that the participants and members of the public would study in depth the spirit of the plenary session, and integrate this spirit into their daily lives.

In doing so, they will open up a bright future of long-term prosperity and stability for Hong Kong, and make relentless efforts to promote high-quality development of both the country and Hong Kong as well as the building of a great modern socialist country through Chinese modernisation, he elaborated.

Deputy Director of the CPC Central Committee Hong Kong & Macao Work Office, Deputy Director of the State Council Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office and Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR Zhou Ji also delivered a speech at the seminar.

Mr Zhou said that since the 14th Five-Year Plan period, under the strong leadership of President Xi Jinping and the central government, China’s economic and social development has achieved groundbreaking progress, breakthrough transformations and historic accomplishments. Hong Kong has also addressed the shortcomings in its legal system for safeguarding national security, fully implemented the principle of “patriots administering Hong Kong” and entered the best period for focusing on economic growth, pursuing development, advancing projects and improving people’s livelihood.

He believed that through this seminar, everyone would gain a deeper understanding of the spirit of the fourth plenary session and implement it more effectively. The seminar would also encourage people to cast their votes in the upcoming Legislative Council General Election, thereby enhancing the Hong Kong SAR Government’s governance effectiveness through high-quality democracy and better fulfilling the mission of implementing “one country, two systems” during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.

At the seminar, Mr Zhu said that the fourth plenary session has drawn a blueprint for China’s development in the next five years and constitutes another full mobilisation and deployment for advancing Chinese modernisation.

Noting that the conditions for and underlying trend of China’s long-term growth remain unchanged, he said the strengths of socialism with Chinese characteristics, China’s enormous market, its complete industrial system, and its abundant human resources, are all coming to the fore.

It is necessary to comprehend the guiding principles and major objectives for economic and social development during the 15th Five-Year period, and fully understand the connotations and clear directions proposed by the plenary session on “working for long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and Macau”, Mr Zhu stressed.

He also hoped that Hong Kong society would seize the opportunities of Chinese modernisation, proactively align with national strategies, forge new growth drivers and competitive advantages for the economy, better perform Hong Kong’s role as a bridge and window connecting the Chinese Mainland with the rest of the world, and better integrate into and serve the overall national development.

Mr Hou meanwhile, focused on introducing the strategic tasks and major measures during the 15th Five-Year period that would play a significant role in advancing Chinese modernisation.

Combining the tasks and measures with Hong Kong’s situation, he particularly outlined the Recommendations’ content in relation to achieving greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology; promoting high-standard opening up; and promoting coordinated regional development.

He said that upholding open co-operation and mutual benefit are inherent requirements of Chinese modernisation. The Recommendations focus on promoting international economic flows, advancing reform and development through greater openness, and making plans for promoting high-standard opening up.

By better leveraging its role as a bridge, and fully strengthening its function as a “super connector” and “super value-adder”, Hong Kong will certainly become a major channel and hub for attracting external resources, as well as a key platform for Mainland enterprises to go global, thereby playing a greater role in assisting the China’s high-level opening up, he pointed out.

Mr Hou added that the strategic plans and major measures set out in the Recommendations on promoting the long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong will surely guide and advance the implementation of “one country, two systems”, enabling Hong Kong to make greater contributions in building China into a modern socialist country, and realising the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Shanghai Foreign-Related Adjudication Talent Training Course, co-organised by the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy and the Shanghai High People’s Court, drew to a close today at the Changning campus of the East China University of Political Science & Law (ECUPL).

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam delivered a video speech at a closing ceremony for the three-day course. Shanghai High People’s Court President Jia Yu also gave a speech.

The course was tailored to the training needs of the 70 judges who make up the first batch of Shanghai’s “foreign-related adjudication talent pool”. Nearly 30 foreign-related adjudication judges from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui were invited to participate.

The content of the course focused on practical difficulties in foreign-related adjudication, including the characteristics of Hong Kong’s common law system under the “one country, two systems” principle; that system’s interplay with the Mainland’s codified law; and issues relating to contract law, evidence, judicial reviews, ascertainment of foreign law and drafting of judgments.

Various experienced legal professionals from Hong Kong, including members of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Expert Committee, gave lectures, assisting participants in better understanding the basic framework and principles of common law and enhancing their ability to handle cross-border cases.

Mr Lam outlined in his speech that under “one country, two systems”, Hong Kong is the only region in the country practicing common law, and is the only bilingual common law jurisdiction globally that uses both Chinese and English as official languages.

He expressed hope that participants on the course gained a deeper understanding of the differences between the common law and civil law systems, in order to strengthen the complementarity of Hong Kong’s common law and Mainland laws.

Additionally, a Hong Kong Common Law Day, co-organised by the Training Academy and the ECUPL, was held yesterday at the ECUPL’s Songjiang campus.

It brought together experts from universities and the judicial and legal practice sectors in Hong Kong and the Mainland, to share their views on the common law, the nurturing of foreign-related talent and the handling of cross-border foreign-related disputes. 

Source: Government of Western Samoa

[PRESS RELEASE November 24th, 2025]- The National University of Samoa was represented at the recent “Blue Pacific Future: Pacific Islands Sustainable Development Cooperation Forum,” hosted by Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (GDUFS) from 21–22

November 2025 in Guangzhou, China. Deputy Vice Chancellor Su’a Peseta Dr Desmond Lee Hang attended this forum on behalf of the National University of Samoa (NUS) and presented on the topic: “Navigating a Blue Future: Pacific Resilience through Knowledge, Partnership, and Innovation” at this forum.

The forum was convened as part of two major institutional milestones: (1) the 60th Anniversary of the establishment of GDUFS in 1965; and (2) the 10th Anniversary of the Centre for Pacific Island Countries Studies (CPICS) at Guangdong which was established in 2015. The CPICS operates within the school of Global and Area Studies (Institute of International Relations) and is dedicated to advancing research and cooperation between China and Pacific Island nations, with a particular focus on fostering engagement in Guangdong Province.

Over the past decade, CPICS has played a pivotal role in facilitating academic exchange, mutual cultural understanding, and talent development between China and Pacific Island countries. Its work has contributed significantly to strengthening China–Pacific partnerships, promoting humanistic exchanges, enhancing appreciation of diverse civilizations, and supporting sustainable development initiatives across the region. During this forum, the Guangdong-Pacific Island Countries Academic Alliance was also launched. The following Pacific universities are now part of this alliance:

National University of Samoa (NUS), Solomon Islands National University (SINU), Tonga National University (TNU), and National University of Vanuatu (NUV).

This new Alliance aims to encourage closer collaborations and mutual research and exchanges between GDUFS and Pacific Island universities.

The Guangdong Province is part of the old Canton area in Southern China where many indentured Chinese labourers that came to the Pacific including Samoa are from. Hence Guangdong is significant to our Samoan Chinese community. NUS looks forward to continued collaboration with GDUFS and CPICS as they enter a new decade of academic innovation and Pacific-focused people to people engagement.

– END –

The National University of Samoa

November 25, 2025

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

A woman who went missing in Tin Sum has been located.

Wong Sui-man, aged 57, went missing after she was last seen in a shopping mall in Sha Kok Estate on November 22 afternoon. Her family made a report to Police on the next day (November 23).

The woman was located at a carpark in Sha Kok Estate in the small hours today (November 25). She sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

The National Security Department of the Hong Kong Police conducted an enforcement operation yesterday (November 24) in Kwai Chung and arrested a 32-year-old local man and a 27-year-old local woman. They were suspected of committing the offences of doing an act with seditious intention under section 24 of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, assisting offenders and possession of dangerous drugs.

Investigation revealed that the man was suspected of repeatedly publishing posts with seditious intention on the social media platform of a shop owned by him and funding activities endangering national security from October 2020 to October 2025.  After the investigation, Police also seized a small quantity of suspected cannabis at the residence of the arrested man and woman in Kwai Chung. The two arrested persons are now being detained for further enquiries.

In addition, acting on a court warrant, Police searched the man shop in Kwai Chung and seized cash and related invoices.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Fire Services Department (FSD) holds the International Aquatic Rescue Technical Exchange (IARTX) in Hong Kong and Chaozhou between today (November 25) and November 28. The four-day IARTX aims to bring together personnel of rescue teams from the Mainland, Hong Kong, Macao and neighbouring Asia-Pacific regions for experience sharing in aquatic rescue operations. The IARTX is co-organised by the Institution of Fire Engineers (Hong Kong Branch) and the China Hong Kong Fire Protection Association.

The opening ceremony, officiated by Deputy Director General of the National Fire and Rescue Administration Mr Xu Zhongshun; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Director of Fire Services, Mr Andy Yeung; the Deputy Director of Fire Services (Operations), Mr Derek Armstrong Chan; the Deputy Director of Fire Services (Public Safety and Corporate Strategy), Mr Wong Ka-wing; and Steward of Hong Kong Jockey Club Mrs Ann Kung, was held today at the Fire and Ambulance Services Academy.

In his speech delivered at the ceremony, Mr Tang mentioned that the more apparent climate change has become, the more it has been causing extreme weather to be more frequent and intense. Noting that aquatic rescue has been among the most challenging and high-risk emergency operations, Mr Tang said he believes that the valuable interactions at the IARTX are essential for experts and frontline practitioners from across the region to deepen mutual understanding, share best practices and foster robust operational co-ordination. He also expressed his hope in the FSD’s capability to make a concrete contribution to the country’s strategies on disaster management, deepening international partnership to better protect lives across the region.

Mr Yeung welcomed the frontline aquatic rescuers and experts from the Asia-Pacific region who are converging for the first time in Hong Kong for an in-depth exchange of rescue techniques, sharing a common hope of better serving the communities. He noted that the more intense typhoons and severe flooding brought by climate change have made the mission of emergency rescue more critical than ever, and that the greatest impact can be achieved through cross-regional collaboration. He expected the exchange to foster a culture of continuous improvement among rescue teams, with their shared dedication to further excel in aquatic rescue standards being showcased.

The IARTX takes place in Hong Kong for the first two days, offering participants activities including individual and group on-site training, rescue equipment demonstrations, and experience-sharing sessions. They can share experiences on aquatic rescue operations and explore the feasibility of applying certain techniques in their own regions. On November 27, the participants will travel to Chaozhou and visit the National Southeast Emergency Rescue Center to learn about the country’s efforts in enhancing rescue techniques and personnel training with advanced technologies. They will also inspect spots with higher flood risk to understand the country’s rescue strategies for flooding.

The IARTX is one of the key initiatives under the Fire Services Department’s Disaster Management Programme funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Participants include rescue personnel from the National Fire and Rescue Administration, the Macao Fire Services Bureau, the Macao Customs, and representatives from eight Asia-Pacific countries, namely Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. They join hands to strengthen cross-regional professional co-operation and contribute to the continuous development of aquatic rescue operations.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

A New York audience embarked on a captivating musical journey at the “Four Seasons: A Journey of 1725 – 2025” concert presented by Hong Kong music talent and supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York (New York ETO) at the prestigious Carnegie Hall on November 22 (New York time).
 
The performance featured Hong Kong-based Korean-American violinist Ruda Lee and the city’s innovative ANIMA Ensemble, led by dynamic young Hong Kong conductor Vivian Ip, who is Associate Conductor of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and the third-prize winner of the 2025 International Ferenc Fricsay Conducting Competition.
 
Welcoming the New York debut of the ANIMA Ensemble with Lee, the Director of the New York ETO, Ms Maisie Ho, said initiatives like this are at the heart of Hong Kong’s mission to be a dynamic world-class hub where Eastern and Western cultures meet, create, and inspire.
 
“We are proud to provide a global platform for our extraordinary artists to share their vision with the world. This concert is a testament to the transcendent creativity emanating from Hong Kong,” said Ms Ho. The New York ETO is the government partner of the tour.
 
The concert reimagined Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” across centuries and cultures through today’s climate lens, exploring nature’s influence on sound and emotion, and culminating in a vibrant tribute to Hong Kong’s defining season – summer.
 
Extending the spirit of creativity and underscoring Hong Kong’s commitment to global cultural exchanges, the programme also featured the premieres of the winning composition from a Rutgers University competition, “Fool’s Spring”, by Brandon DiNatale, and “The Memory of Snow” by Dr Scott Ordway, Associate Professor of Music and Head of Composition at Rutgers.
 
In addition to the Carnegie Hall performance, Lee and Ip conducted two workshop sessions at Rutgers on November 18 and 19, focusing on music sharing and artistic exchanges, with an emphasis on educational and creative dialogue between composers and performers.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     Following is the speech by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, at the Opening Ceremony of the International Aquatic Rescue Technical Exchange 2025 today (November 25):

     Deputy Director Xu Zhongshun (Deputy Director General of the National Fire and Rescue Administration), distinguished guests, respected colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,