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Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

Local farmers and fishermen who suffered serious losses caused by the recent rainstorm disaster can register with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) from tomorrow (August 7) for assistance from an emergency relief fund. According to the application guideline of the emergency relief fund, the application deadlines for affected farmers and fishermen are August 15 and September 17 respectively.

An AFCD spokesman said today (August 6) that an appropriate amount of the relief funding would be released to affected eligible farmers and fishermen according to established criteria.

“After each typhoon or natural disaster, AFCD staff will contact farmers, fishermen and fish farmers to assess the resultant damage to their farmland areas, fishing vessels, fish rafts and fish ponds. Depending on the extent of the damage, the department may launch an operation to provide some relief to affected persons.” the spokesman said.

The department’s preliminary investigation has revealed that about 300 hectares of farmland in the New Territories and some fishing vessels were affected by the rainstorm disaster.

Affected farmers who need to apply for the fund can submit their applications in person at the Agricultural Extension Office of the AFCD at 5/F, Yuen Long Government Offices, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long, or submit their applications online (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/agriculture/agr_loan/agr_loan_erf/agr_loan_erf.html). Enquiries can be made to 2476 2424 during office hours. Local farmers who have already submitted applications due to the impact of Typhoon Wipha earlier do not need to apply again for this rainstorm disaster. The department will evaluate the damage situation altogether.

Affected fishermen can submit their applications at the Liaison and Market Section of the AFCD at Room 825, 8/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon, or submit their applications online (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/fish_cap/fish_cap_techsup/fish_cap_erf.html). Enquiries can be made to 2150 7099 during office hours.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

The Correctional Services Department (CSD) held the second graduation ceremony of the Ethics College at Pak Sha Wan Correctional Institution today (August 6) to present graduation certificates to persons in custody (PICs) who have completed the Diploma of Applied Education programme.

All of the second batch of 75 PIC students of the Ethics College, including 60 male PICs from Pak Sha Wan Correctional Institution and 15 female PICs from Lo Wu Correctional Institution, have successfully completed the programme.

Addressing the graduation ceremony, Head of Charities of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Ms Winnie Ying extended her heartfelt congratulations to the graduates. She expressed her appreciation to the PIC students for their relentless efforts and for overcoming limitations during their studies, demonstrating their determination and ability in pursuing a better future through actions. She said that the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust donated funds to the CSD in 2023 to establish the Jockey Club Education Fund for Rehabilitation to support the operation of the Ethics College and assist PICs in continuing their education. This initiative represents community support for PICs, with the hope that through education, PICs who aspire to pursue studies can equip themselves and reintegrate into society.

The Vice President (Research and Institutional Advancement) of the Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Professor Ricky Kwok, teachers from the Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education of the Hong Kong Metropolitan University, and volunteer mentors shared their thoughts on stage and encouraged PICs to maintain their passion for learning and a positive attitude, so that they can contribute to society with the knowledge and skills they have acquired.

Moreover, a band composed of PICs delivered a music performance at the ceremony to express their gratitude to their families and correctional officers for their support in the course of PICs’ rehabilitation.

In the sharing session, a PIC student expressed his thankfulness to his family members for their unwavering love and to correctional officers for their encouragement, which enabled him to regain his resolve and commit to his studies. He also thanked the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its support, as well as teachers and volunteers for their guidance, enabling him to successfully complete the course.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

The Department of Health’s Centre for Health Protection today announced that three new cases of chikungunya fever (CF) had been recorded, all of them imported cases, as of 5pm today.

 

The first case involves a 79-year-old woman with good past health, living in Southern District. The patient travelled to Foshan in Guangdong to visit relatives between July 1 and 31, and did not recall receiving any mosquito bites during her stay.

 

The woman experienced fever and joint pain from August 4. She went to Queen Mary Hospital’s accident and emergency department yesterday and tested positive for CF virus. She was admitted for treatment in a mosquito-free environment and is now in stable condition.

 

The woman had no travel companions in Guangdong and has not had household contacts. The centre has reported the case to Guangdong’s health authorities.

 

The second and third case involve a 55-year-old man with underlying illnesses and his 10-year-old son, who has good past health. They live in Kwai Tsing District.

 

Both patients travelled to Bangladesh on July 12 and arrived back in Hong Kong on August 3. The boy recalled experiencing mosquito bites during their stay, although his father did not.

 

The boy’s father experienced fever and joint pain in Bangladesh from July 27. After returning to Hong Kong, he sought medical attention at Tsing Yi Cheung Hong General Out-patient Clinic on August 4 and was referred to Princess Margaret Hospital’s accident and emergency department. He was admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital for treatment in a mosquito-free environment on the same day.

 

The boy developed similar symptoms in Bangladesh from August 1. He sought medical attention at and was admitted to the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Tsuen Wan on August 3. He was transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital yesterday for treatment in a mosquito-free environment.

 

Both patients tested positive for CF virus and are now in a stable condition.

 

The patients’ two household contacts, who were also in Bangladesh, are currently asymptomatic and under medical surveillance. The centre has reported the cases to the health authority of Bangladesh.

 

Head of the centre’s Communicable Disease Branch Dr Albert Au urged the public to adopt precautions in the rainy season against mosquito-borne diseases.

 

He added that if people return from areas affected by mosquito-borne diseases, they should apply insect repellent for 14 days upon arrival in Hong Kong and closely observe their personal health condition.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Local farmers and fishermen who suffered serious losses due to the recent rainstorm can register for assistance from an emergency relief fund, the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department announced today.

 

Registration opens tomorrow, with the application deadlines for affected farmers and fishermen being August 15 and September 17, respectively.

 

The department’s preliminary investigation revealed that about 300 hectares of farmland in the New Territories, and also some fishing vessels, were affected by the rainstorm. Relief funding will be released according to established criteria.

 

Affected farmers can submit their applications in person at the department’s Agricultural Extension Office at 5/F, Yuen Long Government Offices, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long, or register online.

 

The department highlighted that local farmers who have already applied emergency relief funds due to the impact of Typhoon Wipha need not apply again, as the damage in relation to the typhoon and the rainstorm will be evaluated altogether. Farmers can call 2476 2424 for enquiries.

 

Meanwhile, affected fishermen can submit their applications at the department’s Liaison & Market Section at Room 825, 8/F, Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices, 303 Cheung Sha Wan Road, Kowloon, or enrol online. They should call 2150 7099 for enquiries.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

     The Immigration Department (ImmD) mounted a series of territory-wide anti-illegal worker operations codenamed “Swordfish” for four consecutive days from August 2 to 5, targeting foreign domestic helpers (helper) who breached their conditions of stay. A total of 24 persons, including 18 suspected illegal workers and six suspected employers, were arrested.

     During the operation, ImmD investigators raided 66 target locations including restaurants, retail stores, guest houses, and commercial and residential buildings. The 18 suspected illegal workers comprised four men and 14 women, aged 19 to 54. Among them, three persons were current helpers, six persons were overstaying ex-helpers, three persons were permitted to stay in Hong Kong on visitor status, five persons were found to be holders of recognisance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment in Hong Kong, and one person was an imported worker. ImmD investigators found most of the suspected illegal workers at restaurants performing various jobs, including dishwashing, cooking, waiters and waitresses. Meanwhile, six suspected employers, aged 38 to 49, were in charge of the involved companies or restaurants and suspected of employing the suspected illegal workers.

Source: Hong Kong Information Services

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki chaired the 19th meeting of the Youth Development Commission today, during which members expressed an appreciation for two funding schemes and steps to help young people purchase their own flats.

 

The two funding schemes that nurture youth positive thinking, introduced by the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), include the HYAB Funding Scheme for Youth Positive Thinking Activities and the HYAB Funding Scheme for Youth Adventure Training Activities.

 

Members appreciated that the funding schemes are conducive to young people’s whole-person development, enhancing their confidence, and helping them face challenges in life with a positive attitude, thereby nurturing them to become a new generation with a sense of responsibility and an aspiration and willingness to contribute to the development of the country and Hong Kong.

 

Furthermore, the Housing Bureau (HB) introduced a series of measures to help young people purchase their own flats and achieve upward mobility. These include a plan of action by the Housing Authority (HA) to further assist young people, such as increasing the quota by 1,500 starting from the White Form Secondary Market Scheme 2024, all of which were allocated to young applicants aged below 40, allocating an extra ballot number to young people for the purchase of Home Ownership Scheme flats, etc.

 

Members considered such measures effective in encouraging young people to move up the appropriate housing ladder and realise the dream of home ownership.

 

The HB also reported on the Well Being · Start-Up Programme, launched in 2024, which aims to encourage and support young people in pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams.

 

The HA offered rent-free shops in its shopping centres for a seven-month period for young people to trial their business plans. The programme subsequently extended this vision to private shopping centres, inviting the commercial sector to collaborate in supporting young entrepreneurs and offering participants a three-year staged rental at discounted market rents after the first phase of the programme.

 

Members concurred that this programme not only provides the community with more diverse shopping experiences through the vitality and innovative ideas of young people but also effectively increases patronage in shopping centres, creating a win-win situation for all stakeholders.

 

Apart from stressing that the current-term Government attaches great importance to youth development, Mr Chan said that he looks forward to continuing to work closely with all members to build on the Youth Development Blueprint and draw the community together to nurture a new generation of young people with an affection for the country and Hong Kong, and equipped with global perspectives, an aspiring mind-set and positive thinking.

Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

     The Transport Department (TD) today (August 6) said that the next online auction of vehicle registration marks (VRMs) will be held from noon on August 21 (Thursday) to noon on August 25 (Monday) through the auction platform E-Auction (e-auction.td.gov.hk). Interested bidders can participate in the online auction only after they have successfully registered as E-Auction users.
 
     A spokesman for the TD said, “A total of 200 Ordinary VRMs will be available at this online public auction. The list of VRMs (see Annex) has been uploaded to the E-Auction website. Applicants who have paid a $1,000 deposit to reserve the Ordinary VRM for auction should also register as an E-Auction user in advance in order to participate in the online bidding, including placing the first bid at the opening price of $1,000. Otherwise, the VRMs reserved by them may be bid on by other interested bidders at or above the opening price. Auctions for VRMs with ‘HK’ or ‘XX’ as a prefix, special VRMs and personalised VRMs will continue to be carried out through physical auctions by bidding paddles, and their announcement arrangements remain unchanged.”
 
     Members of the public participating in the online bidding should take note of the following important points:
 
(1) Bidders should register in advance as an E-Auction user by “iAM Smart+” equipped with the digital signing function; or by using a valid digital certificate and an email address upon completion of identity verification. Registered “iAM Smart” users should provide their Hong Kong identity card number, while non-Hong Kong residents who are not “iAM Smart” users should provide the number of their passport or other identification documents when registering as E-Auction users.
 
(2) Bidders are required to provide a digital signature to confirm the submission and amount of the bid by using “iAM Smart+” or a valid digital certificate at the time of the first bid of each online bidding session (including setting automatic bids before the auction begins) to comply with the requirements of the Electronic Transactions Ordinance.
 
(3) If a bid is made in respect of a VRM within the last 10 minutes before the end of the auction, the auction end time for that particular VRM will be automatically extended by another 10 minutes, up to a maximum of 24 hours.
 
(4) Successful bidders must follow the instructions in the notification email issued by the TD to log in to the E-Auction within 48 hours from the issuance of email and complete the follow-up procedures, including:
 

• completing the Purchaser Information for the issuance of the Memorandum of Sale of Registration Mark (Memorandum of Sale); and
• making the auction payment online by credit card, Faster Payment System (FPS) or Payment by Phone Service (PPS). Cheque or cash payment is not accepted in the E-Auction.

(5) A VRM can only be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser. Relevant information on the Certificate of Incorporation must be provided by the successful bidder in the Purchaser Information of the Memorandum of Sale if the VRM purchased is to be registered under the name of a body corporate.
 
(6) Successful bidders will receive a notification email around seven working days after payment has been confirmed and can download the Memorandum of Sale from the E-Auction. The purchaser must apply for the VRM to be assigned to a motor vehicle registered in the name of the purchaser within 12 months from the date of issue of the Memorandum of Sale. If the purchaser fails to do so within the 12-month period, in accordance with the statutory provision, the allocation of the VRM will be cancelled and a new allocation will be arranged by the TD without prior notice to the purchaser.
 
     The TD has informed all applicants who have reserved the Ordinary VRMs for this round of auction of the E-Auction arrangements in detail by post. Members of the public may refer to the E-Auction website or watch the tutorial videos for more information. Please call the E-Auction hotline (3583 3980) or email (e-auction-enquiry@td.gov.hk) for enquiries.