MIL Asia Pacific Publishing Engine

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

​A spokesperson for the Hospital Authority (HA) reminded the public today (August 14) that, to further safeguard patients’ personal data and privacy, starting tomorrow (August 15), the telephone appointment system (TAS) of Family Medicine Clinics (FMCs) will only accept calls from phone numbers with caller ID for appointment booking. If patients hide their phone number before calling the TAS, the system will automatically play a recorded message reminding them to switch to a phone with caller ID and call the FMC again.

     For patients with episodic diseases requiring consultation services (such as influenza or gastroenteritis), before calling the TAS of an FMC, they may first check whether the “Show my caller ID” function is enabled in the settings of their mobile phones. If a patient’s landline has opted for a per-line blocking, they should dial 1357 before making a call to display the phone number once for that specific call, or contact the telecommunications service provider to cancel the arrangement for per-line blocking.

     The spokesperson for HA reiterated that the updated TAS of FMCs, which no longer accepts calls without caller ID for appointment bookings, aims to accurately record the source of each booking call, facilitate verification of patient information when necessary, and help prevent criminals from using phones without caller ID to impersonate patients when making appointments, thereby enhancing protection for patients.

     The HA reminds new patients, namely those who have never registered in the HA nor used HA services, that they are required to bring their original identity documents and visit any FMC in person to register and verify their information before they can use the telephone appointment service thereafter. As for chronic disease patients, after each follow-up visit, the FMC will arrange the next appointment based on the patients’ clinical needs, and these patients do not need to make an appointment again by calling the TAS. The HA encourages patients to use the Book FMC function in the mobile application, HA Go, which is more convenient and efficient.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Civil Aid Service (CAS) today (August 14) published its 2025 Annual Report, detailing the work of the department and the CAS in 2025.
 
     In the foreword, the Chief Staff Officer of the CAS, Mr Leung Kwun-hong, said that the department is a government department under the Security Bureau. Its responsibilities include assisting the CAS in managing its operations and administrative work, and providing professional training and logistical support to volunteer members.
 
     Mr Leung said that, measured in figures, the actual man-hours of the CAS in 2025 for mountain search and rescue, hill fire suppression, crowd management at major events and country park patrols increased by 8.4 per cent compared with the previous year. Member recruitment also showed encouraging results, with the number of adult and cadet members rising by 3.3 per cent. He thanked the department’s staff and volunteer members for their collective efforts and unwavering teamwork.
 
     In the Message, the Commissioner of the CAS, Mr Victor Pang, said that looking back on 2025, the CAS faced numerous significant challenges, including the onslaught of Super Typhoon Ragasa, the emergency evacuation following the discovery of a wartime bomb in Quarry Bay, the emergency response to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, as well as crowd management for the 15th National Games of the People’s Republic of China, the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the 9th National Special Olympic Games, and the Legislative Council General Election. Every operation bore witness to the dedication and professionalism of CAS members.
 
     The annual report also introduced the CAS’s related skills training, new e-systems, recruitment channels and emergency knowledge for public reference. It is available on the CAS’s website (www.cas.gov.hk/eng/cas_pub/annuel_report_2025.html).

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

​ ​Hongkong Post today (August 12) appealed to members of the public to stay alert to fraudulent SMS messages purportedly to be sent by Hongkong Post. The SMS message spoofed the name “EMS” and pretending as the Hongkong Post’s mail delivery service. The message claimed a failed delivery and urged recipients to call a non-Hongkong Post telephone number to arrange re-delivery of mail.

Hongkong Post clarifies that it has no connection with these SMS messages and has reported the case to the Police for follow-up. Hongkong Post reminded the public that the Hongkong Post will only use “#HKPost” to send SMS messages to local subscribers of mobile phone services. Any SMS messages that do not use the prefix “#” are not sent by Hongkong Post. In addition, Hongkong Post will not provide phone numbers via SMS messages, emails or social media platforms for arranging deliveries or collecting personal information.

Members of the public are reminded to stay alert to suspicious messages and not to call suspicious phone numbers or disclose any personal information. For enquiries, members of the public may contact the Hongkong Post enquiry hotline at 2921 2222 or email hkpo@hkpo.gov.hk.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Hong Kong Customs today (August 12) conducted joint anti-illicit cigarette publicity campaigns with members of the District Council, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the Department of Health and the Housing Department (HD) at Pak Tin Estate and Lei Cheng Uk Estate in Sham Shui Po. Customs also publicised the Duty Stamp System. 

Customs officers patrolled the housing estates and introduced to residents Customs’ enforcement actions against illicit cigarettes, and reminded them that the maximum penalty for offences related to duty-not-paid cigarettes had been increased to a $2 million fine and seven-years’ imprisonment. Customs also explained to estate security personnel how to deal with suspected illicit cigarette activities.

Customs officers also introduced the Duty Stamp System to be implemented in Hong Kong to members of the District Council and residents. The three-month Pilot Run for the Duty Stamp System launched by Customs concluded early this year. The department will continue to maintain close communication with all stakeholders and optimise the design and implementation details of the system. Customs expects the Duty Stamp System to achieve the ultimate goal of effective distinguishment of duty-paid cigarettes from duty-not-paid ones, and to combat “cheap whites”.

Customs will continue to strengthen publicity and education to raise the public awareness of anti-illicit cigarettes. If public rental housing units are found to be involved in illicit cigarette crimes, Customs will notify the HD for follow-up action after the conclusion of court proceedings. Customs reminds members of the public not to buy or sell illicit cigarettes or distribute illicit cigarette leaflets to avoid creating a criminal record that could affect their future. 

Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance (Cap. 109), anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years. Members of the public are urged to report any suspected illicit cigarette activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080, its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002). 

In accordance with the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap. 371), no person shall distribute any smoking product advertisement (including any promotional leaflet). Any person who contravenes the regulation is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000. Members of the public are also urged to report any suspected activities of illicit cigarette leaflet distribution to TACO’s hotline 2961 8823.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The following is issued on behalf of the Judiciary:

The Judiciary today (August 12) announced the appointment of His Honour Judge Wong Lai-wing as the Principal Family Court Judge. The appointment will take effect from August 13, 2026.

The appointment is made by the Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission.

The biographical note of His Honour Judge Wong Lai-wing is as follows:

His Honour Judge Wong was born in Hong Kong in 1962. He obtained a Bachelor of Social Science Degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1985. He further acquired LL.B. from the University of London (External) in 1988, and P.C.LL. and Master of Laws in Human Rights from the University of Hong Kong in 1989 and 2001 respectively. He was admitted as Solicitor in Hong Kong in 1991 and in England and Wales in 1993. He was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 2002. He was in private practice from 1991 until he joined the Judiciary as Permanent Magistrate in 2009. He was appointed as District Judge in 2017.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (August 15) conducted the second large-scale drill at the Huanggang Port Hong Kong Port Area, together with an inter-departmental counter-terrorism and major incident exercise, with a view to further testing the overall management of passenger and vehicular flows at the port building and the public transport interchange (PTI), as well as strengthening the response capabilities of various departments in case of emergencies.

     About 5 000 civil servants from around 30 bureaux and departments had been mobilised for this drill. They were instructed to take different modes of public transport to arrive at the port, and then proceeded to the departure hall and the arrival hall of the port building. Subsequently, they followed the instruction to leave the port by taking public transport. Participants and vehicles dispatched by various public transport operators participated in cyclical trials involving more than 250 departures to simulate the flow of people and vehicles arriving and departing from the port.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) held the National Ecology Day 2026 Launching Ceremony cum Symposium today (August 15) at the Hong Kong Science Museum. It invited representatives from the Mainland and HKSAR Governments, and non-governmental organisations, scholars and experts to exchange ideas on ecological civilisation concepts and conservation work, and set the stage for a series of activities related to environmental protection and ecological conservation.

     The launching ceremony was officiated by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing; the Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan; the Deputy Director-General of the Social Development Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR, Mr Ye Shuiqiu; and member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress and the President of the Legislative Council (LegCo), Dr Starry Lee.