Category: MIL-OSI

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     With Christmas and New Year holidays approaching, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (December 24) reminded members of the public to pay attention to their health. Individuals should avoid excessive alcohol, salt, sugar and fat intake, and ensure adequate rest and sleep to prevent compromising the normal functioning of the immune system, which could make one more susceptible to illness. Regardless of whether they are staying in Hong Kong or travelling abroad for the holidays, the public should practise strict personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times, and get seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) early. These measures can help prevent various infectious diseases that are more prevalent in winter or associated with travel.

     “During gatherings with family, relatives and friends, people often unknowingly consume excessive amounts of alcohol or sugary drinks, cakes, desserts, and crispy snacks such as potato chips and fried food. Additionally, the Hong Kong Observatory forecasts a drop in temperatures over the next two days, which may lead more people to enjoy hotpot. During hot pot meals, people tend to add substantial amounts of high-fat and high-salt condiments. Amid the festive atmosphere, I would like to remind the public that it is crucial to control the amount of food intake, opt for high-fibre and low-fat food (consuming more fruit and vegetable and choosing steaming or boiling over frying), reduce the consumption of high-sugar and high-salt beverages and pastries, and maintain food hygiene. Get adequate exercise and rest so you can enjoy the holidays while staying healthy,” the Controller of the CHP, Dr Edwin Tsui, said.
 
Stay away from alcohol
——————————————————————————————————————————————

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​Before the festive season holidays, the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) of the Home Affairs Department conducted an operation codenamed “Solar Flare” against premises suspected of operating unlicensed hotels or guesthouses and licensed club-houses suspected of being in breach of licensing conditions in Yau Tsim Mong District, Wan Chai District and Central and Western District for five consecutive days from December 15 to 19, to ensure the safety of customers as well as the general public.

A spokesman for the OLA said, “During the operation, the OLA carried out surprise inspections of 48 premises. Six premises were suspected of operating unlicensed hotels or guesthouses, and two licensed club-houses were suspected of breaching certain licensing conditions. The OLA will initiate prosecution on cases with sufficient evidence after completion of the investigation.”

The spokesman stressed, “Operating unlicensed hotels or guesthouses is a criminal offence leading to a criminal record upon conviction. According to the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance, an offender is liable to three years’ imprisonment and a maximum fine of $500,000. A fine of $20,000 for each day can also be imposed during which the offence continues. A six-month closure order may also be issued for a hotel/guesthouse involved in a repeated offence. Moreover, according to the Clubs (Safety of Premises) Ordinance, an offender who contravenes any condition of a certificate of compliance (e.g. failure to produce a fire certificate on demand and carrying out alteration and addition works without seeking prior approval) is liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 and two years’ imprisonment. A fine of $10,000 for each day can also be imposed during which the offence continues.”

     To enhance deterrence against unlicensed hotels and guesthouses, the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance was amended in 2020 to empower the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Authority to apply to the court, upon the second conviction within 16 months of operating an unlicensed hotel or guesthouse or the new strict liability offence in respect of the same premises, to issue a closure order to close the premises for six months. As at December 15, the OLA has applied for four closure orders under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance from the court, of which two closure orders against two premises have been issued by the court.

     Apart from conducting special operations during festive seasons, the OLA is also stepping up efforts to combat unlicensed guesthouses via online platforms. The OLA has strengthened its intelligence collection by forming a dedicated team to browse webpages, mobile applications, social media, discussion forums, etc., to search for information and intelligence on suspected unlicensed guesthouses. The OLA’s law enforcement officers will initiate follow-up investigations when information on unlicensed guesthouses advertised via online platforms is found. The OLA also conducts publicity work on major Internet search engines outside Hong Kong to enable tourists to access information provided by the OLA in the course of planning their trips to Hong Kong.

Tourists and members of the public can make use of the search functions on the OLA’s website (www.hadla.gov.hk/) to check whether the hotel or guesthouse concerned is licensed or not. Any suspected unlicensed hotel or guesthouse should be reported to the OLA by the hotline (tel: 2881 7498), by email (hadlaenq@had.gov.hk), by fax (2504 5805), or through the mobile application “Hong Kong Licensed Hotels and Guesthouses”.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Correctional Services Department has arranged for persons in custody (PICs) to attend activities during the Christmas festive period.

     The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong, Cardinal Stephen Chow, accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner of Correctional Services (Operations and Strategic Development), Mr Leung Ka-lun, visited Stanley Prison and presided at a Christmas mass today (December 25) to share his faith and Christmas blessings with PICs. He also paid a visit to patients in the institution hospital and conveyed his sympathy and support to them.

     Moreover, the Archbishop of Hong Kong, the Most Reverend Andrew Chan, presided at a Christmas service in Pak Sha Wan Correctional Institution on December 22 to preach and share religious messages with PICs, whilst extending his care and good wishes.

     Through the Correctional Services Chaplain, voluntary chaplains and visitors from religious organisations, a variety of spiritual support services are offered to PICs who wish to participate regardless of their religious affiliation. The services include visits, teaching, counselling, and religious and recreational activities.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

In view of New Year’s Eve countdown events, the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, led by the Chief Secretary, announced special boundary-crossing and corresponding public transport service arrangements during New Year’s Eve and the New Year holidays.

Passenger clearance services at the Lo Wu Control Point will be extended to 2am on January 1. As such, the departure time of the last MTR East Rail Line train from Admiralty to Lo Wu will be 12.56am.

Additionally, passenger and passenger vehicle clearance services at the Shenzhen Bay Port (SBP) will operate overnight on December 31.

Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) and the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port (LMC/HG Port) will maintain 24-hour operations as usual.

The working group added that only cross-boundary private cars issued with Closed Road Permits for the LMC/HG Port are allowed to use the LMC/HG crossing. Cross-boundary private cars issued with permits for the SBP, LMC/HG, Heung Yuen Wai, Man Kam To Boundary Control Point (BCP) or Sha Tau Kok BCP can use the SBP during early-morning hours on New Year’s Day.

For cross-boundary coaches, services using the SBP during early-morning hours on New Year’s Day, and services using the LMC/HG Port will be stepped up.

To tie in with the special round-the-clock passenger clearance arrangements of the SBP on New Year’s Day, franchised bus operators will operate two special overnight bus routes, namely NB2 and NB3, to provide services to and from Yuen Long/Tin Shui Wai and Tuen Mun respectively.

Furthermore, after the closure of the Lo Wu Control Point at 2am on January 1, travellers may take the specially arranged short-working bus service, route N73, from MTR Sheung Shui Station to Lok Ma Chau (San Tin) Public Transport Interchange, and transfer to the Yellow bus for their journey to Shenzhen.

Members of the public may visit Easy Boundary to obtain useful information and plan their trips.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Police announced today that they have so far arrested 16 people on suspicion of manslaughter in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, including an external wall repair subcontractor’s male person-in-charge arrested yesterday, and 15 others from various construction companies who were arrested earlier.

All arrestees have been released on bail. The possibility of further arrests has not been ruled out as Police gather evidence through various channels for a thorough and in-depth investigation.

Regarding accommodation support for the affected residents in Tai Po, as of this morning, 489 residents are staying in hotel rooms through the co-ordination of the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau, and 551 residents are staying in youth hostels/camps. Another 3,591 residents are living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau, the Housing Society or Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Health Bureau announced today that as of December 23, out of the 79 patients admitted to the Hospital Authority’s (HA) hospitals following the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, 65 had already recovered and were discharged, while the remaining 14 are in stable condition.

All individuals injured in the fire and admitted to public hospitals will receive full fee waivers for all necessary healthcare services throughout the entire process of their treatment and rehabilitation, the bureau added.

Moreover, till December 31, all residents including foreign domestic helpers of the eight blocks at Wang Fuk Court are eligible for full medical fee waivers for a number of the HA’s services. As of December 23, the HA has provided such services to around 1,600 affected residents.

Separately, the bureau introduced a free family doctor service scheme and free Chinese medicine consultation services earlier this month, in order to support the residents’ primary healthcare needs. As of December 23, more than 300 private family doctors have participated, with 57 affected residents having been arranged to receive free consultations. Meanwhile, more than 360 Chinese medicine practitioners have participated, and 16 residents have been arranged to receive the services.

On December 23, free denture replacement services were also launched, with over 80 private dentists participating, covering 106 service points.

District Health Centres/District Health Centre Expresses across all 18 districts in Hong Kong have set up hotlines to provide personalised case management services for affected residents. The support includes pairing the residents with free medical consultation services, and co-ordinating arrangements for follow-up appointments with the HA. As of December 23, the hotlines have received over 176 enquiries.

Regarding mental health services, the bureau announced that from the time of the Tai Po blaze to December 23, the 18111 Mental Health Support Hotline has received over 8,300 calls, around 660 of which were related to the fire. The WhatsApp service has handled 420 messages, with about 50 of them concerning the fire.

The HA’s 24-hour Mental Health Direct hotline has received 89 calls related to the blaze, with 31 of them coming from affected citizens.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today expressed opposition to the unfounded comments by so-called “human rights experts” after the Hong Kong SAR court had convicted Lai Chee-ying, in strict accordance with the law and evidence, of offences of endangering national security.

In a statement, the Government said these “human rights experts” had entirely no respect for the court’s independent judgment of the case, refused to acknowledge the evidence set out in the reasons for verdict, and refused to understand the court’s considerations and the reasons for verdict. Instead, they wantonly launched attacks, slandered and attacked the Hong Kong SAR Government, with despicable political manipulations to demand the immediate release of Lai Chee-ying, overriding the rule of law with politics and confounding right and wrong.

Any suggestion that certain individuals or organisations should be immune from legal consequences for their illegal acts is no different from advocating a special privilege to break the law, and this totally runs contrary to the spirit of the rule of law, the Government stressed.

Moreover, it said the “experts” conflated the criminal acts in this case with freedom of speech and of the press, with the purpose of misleading the public and defaming Hong Kong, pointing out that the Lai Chee-ying case has nothing to do with freedom of speech and of the press at all, and remarked that the defendants, over the years, were using journalism as a guise to commit acts that brought harm to China and Hong Kong.

The Government further noted that the public trial of the Lai Chee-ying case revealed his hands-on control of Apple Daily’s editorial direction. Lai Chee-ying had repeatedly and personally colluded with foreign forces, begging for sanctions and hostile actions against the central authorities and the Hong Kong SAR Government. The court also clearly pointed out that Lai Chee-ying’s only intent, whether pre or post-Hong Kong National Security Law, was to seek the downfall of the Communist Party of China, even though the ultimate cost was the sacrifice of the interests of the people of the People’s Republic of China and the Hong Kong SAR.

Anyone who vilifies the rule of law and human rights situation in Hong Kong using this case is fact-twisting and has no integrity at all, the Government stated.

It urged the so-called “human rights experts” should understand the facts clearly and stop making any unfounded criticisms.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The General Assembly of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT) has decided to establish its Asia-Pacific Liaison Office in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

The office is expected to open in the second half of 2026, marking the first regional presence of UNIDROIT outside its seat in Rome in its 100-year history.

Secretary for Justice Paul Lam said UNIDROIT or its members could have decided to set up the office in any of the member states as there are numerous choices, but ultimately it decided to set up the office in Hong Kong which is a very significant vote of confidence in the city.

“The decision to set up the Asia-Pacific Liaison Office is a very important move to enhance the level of our co-operation, which is of critical importance in enhancing Hong Kong’s status as an international legal service centre.”

Hong Kong has already housed the Hague Conference on Private International Law Regional Office for Asia & the Pacific and the Department of Justice Project Office for Collaboration with United Nations Commission on International Trade Law.

Also, the International Organization for Mediation has its headquarters in the city.

Mr Lam believes that this will help solidify Hong Kong’s position as an international legal hub.

“If more and more international organisations are willing to do the same, by agreeing to have some sort of physical presence in Hong Kong, that would imply that more and more people are willing to cast their vote of confidence in Hong Kong.

“Having regard to its status and function as an international legal service centre, that naturally will enhance Hong Kong’s reputation in this respect, it will attract more people to come here to participate in different types of activities.

“It is just sort of a snowball effect. Hopefully it can enhance Hong Kong’s reputation. It can attract more people to come to Hong Kong to use our legal service.

“I think in the long run, this is a very significant development and I am very confident that this would help to reinforce Hong Kong’s position as a genuine international legal service and dispute resolution services centre.”

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Fire Services Department started a two-day citywide special fire safety inspection and enforcement operation yesterday on commercial buildings with a high fire risk to ensure public safety. 

In regulating the fire safety of licensed premises such as restaurants, the department specified relevant fire safety requirements to licence applicants and conducted inspections to ensure the premises complied with fire safety standards.

Inadequate management of buildings and individual premises may give rise to potential fire hazards, such as smoke stop doors being wedged open, means of escape obstructed or locked, the depositing of combustible articles in the means of escape, or fire service installation or equipment (FSIs) not in efficient working order.

Anticipating a significant increase in the number of people visiting commercial buildings with a higher number of licensed premises, the department targeted 132 such commercial buildings in its special fire safety inspection and enforcement operation.

A total of 376 fire hazard abatement notices were issued for various fire hazards, and 53 prosecutions were initiated.

Among the buildings, 57 were suspected of lacking annual inspections for FSIs which the department has followed up in a serious manner.