DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Sunday, September 1,1996
Contents Page No.
Exhibition to enhance labour relation starts tomorrow.................... 1
Tax reserve certificate interest decrease authorised..................... 1
Teacher Recruitment Information Office disbands tomorrow................. 3
1
Exhibition to enhance labour relation starts tomorrow ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
A five-day exhibition will be held in Wan Chai tomorrow (Monday) to introduce the Employment Ordinance to both the employers and employees so as to enhance harmonious labour relations.
There will be display panels introducing the main provisions of the ordinance including annual leave, maternity leave, long service payment, severance payment and termination of employment contract. Leaflets on these provisions can be obtained at the exhibition area.
Members of the public are welcomed to visit the exhibition at the ground floor, Immigration Tower, Wan Chai, from 9 am to 5.30 pm from tomorrow to Thursday (September 5) and from 9 am to 2 pm on Friday (September 6). Admission is free.
Previous similar exhibitions held in Central and Tsuen Wan had attracted over 6,000 visitors from nearby districts.
End
Tax reserve certificate interest decrease authorised ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Secretary for the Treasury has authorised a decrease in the rate of interest payable on tax reserve certificates, it was gazetted on August 23.
As from tomorrow (Monday), the new annual interest rate will be 4.68% as against the current rate of 4.92%
Interest on the certificates is calculated in monthly steps and the new rate will be $0.39 per month per $100. Simple interest will be credited as before in respect of complete months between purchase and surrender in payment of tax.
Interest is only credited when certificates are used to pay tax and no interest is due where the principal value of a certificate is repaid to the holders.
- 2 -
The new rate will apply to all certificates issued on or after September 2. Certificates issue before that day will continue to earn interest at the rates prevailing on their respective issue dates as follows but always subject to the general rule that interest ceases to accrue after 36 complete months:
3.00% per annum for certificates issued on or after July 8, 1992, and before March 30, 1994;
3.84% per annum for certificates issued on or after March 30, 1994, and before May 25, 1994;
4.56% per annum for certificates issued on or after May 25, 1994, and before August 24, 1994;
5.04% per annum for certificates issued on or after August 24, 1994, and before December 4, 1995;
5.64% per annum for certificates issued on or after December 4, 1995, and before March 4, 1996;
5.28% per annum for certificates issued on or after March 4, 1996, and before June 1, 1996;
4.92% per annum for certificates issued on or after June 1, 1996, and before September 2, 1996; and
4.68% per annum for certificates issued on or after September 2, 1996, until further notice.
End
3
Teacher Recruitment Information Office disbands tomorrow *****
The Education Department's Teacher Recruitment Information Office (TRIO) will disband tomorrow (Monday) as schools already have all the teachers in place for the start of a new school year.
During its period of operation this year, TRIO, which provided an information link between schools with teacher vacancies and people seeking teaching appointments, had attracted over 3,350 applications job seekers.
Among them, 2,260 are degree holders, 680 graduated from the Hong Kong Institute of Education or previous colleges of education and 190 are diploma holders from approved post-secondary colleges.
The lists of applicants who have registered with TRIO before its disbandment will now be kept at the department's district education offices. Schools are welcome to approach them for the lists to fill any vacancies arising during the school year.
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Monday, September 2,1996
Contents Page No,
HK-Guangdong talks on boundaries of administration........................ 1
Pilot control scheme for publicity materials display...................... 1
Tai A Chau Detention Centre to close...................................... 3
Textbooks to split into volumes........................................... 4
Buildings Ordinance discussed............................................. 4
Safety auditors accredited................................................ 5
Water storage figure...................................................... 6
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations...................... 6
1
HK-Guangdong talks on boundaries of administration ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Further discussions on matters relating to the boundaries of administration between Hong Kong and Guangdong will take place in Hong Kong on Wednesday to Friday (September 4 to 6) between the Hong Kong Government and the Guangdong provincial authorities, a government spokesman said today (Monday).
The Deputy Political Adviser, Mr John Ashton, will lead the Hong Kong team.
The Deputy Director of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Guangdong Provincial Government, Mr Xiao Jinzhe, will lead the Guangdong team.
End
Pilot control scheme for publicity materials display ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
A trial scheme to control the display of publicity materials in public places will be launched in Wan Chai in November for six months.
From November 1, the display of publicity materials in the district would be confined to 100 suitable spots identified and designated for this purpose, a spokesman for the Lands Department said today (Monday).
Plans showing the location of these spots will be displayed at the District Lands Office/Hong Kong West, 19th floor, Southom Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, and the Public Enquiry Service Centre of Wan Chai District Office, ground floor, 2 O’Brien Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, from today.
The spokesman said the pilot scheme was aimed at addressing the problem of proliferation of unauthorised publicity materials.
•'Any publicity materials displayed outside these spots will be considered unauthorised by definition and will be removed immediately once identified," he said.
Before the start of the scheme, a large scale clearance operation will be launched by the Urban Services Department from October 21 to clear all display materials in the district.
2
Applications for display of publicity materials should be made on the standard application forms designed to include appropriate indemnity and disclaimer provisions.
The form can be obtained from today at the District Lands Office, Hong Kong West, and the Public Enquiry Service Centre of Wan Chai District Office.
Completed forms should be returned on or before October 1 to the District Lands Office for processing. An open ballot with applicants or their representatives' present will be held on October 14 at the Wan Chai District Board Conference Room on the 21st floor, Southom Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, to select successful applicants.
After the ballot, the spokesman said, a list of successful applicants would be displayed at the District Lands Office and the Public Enquiry Service Centre of Wan Chai District Office. Unsuccessful applicants will not be notified separately.
Vacant spots after balloting will be allocated to post-deadline applications on a first-come-first-served basis. The approved period for display will be one month from the first day of the month less the last two days.
"Upon expiry, the publicity materials must be removed within two days, and unmoved banners will be cleared and disposed of by the Government which reserves right to claim removal costs and prosecute offenders," said the spokesman.
The spots have been chosen to ensure that traffic and pedestrian safety will not be compromised.
"The pilot scheme is not applicable to properties managed by the Housing Authority and the Urban Council which already have their own control system," he , added.
A review will be conducted at the end of the trial period.
End
3
Tai A Chau Detention Centre to close ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
All the Vietnamese migrants (VMs) on Tai A Chau (TAC) will be moved to Whitehead Detention Centre (WHDC) starting from September 16, the Government announced today (Monday).
As at today, there are about 5,500 VMs on TAC.
A government spokesman said three ferries, each with a capacity of about 350, would be hired for the transfer.
"Every day these ferries will take about 550 VMs and their belongings from TAC to HMS Tamar, where they will be transferred to WHDC by truck.
"The VMs have been fully briefed on the arrangements, and they have indicated willingness to co-operate.
"We hope the operation will go smoothly and peacefully and can be completed in about 10 days," he said.
As is the practice for such operations, the whole transfer exercise will be observed by independent monitors.
The spokesman added that works to strengthen security measures in WHDC and High Island Detention Centre (HIDC) were mostly completed.
There are now about 550 southerners in WHDC (excluding the VMs in the voluntary departure centres), and 4,100 northerners in HIDC, after a series ofcamp transfers in the past two months.
end
4
Textbooks to split into volumes
*****
In response to press reports today (Monday) on the weight of Target Oriented Curriculum (TOC) textbooks and schoolbags, a spokesman for the Education Department said:
"Publishers have responded to a call by the Education Department and are splitting textbooks into separate volumes to reduce their weight.
"As far as TOC is concerned, learning materials of each term are in turn split into two volumes. Students are required to carry to school only one volume at any time.
"As the average weight of each volume of TOC textbook is not much different from that of conventional textbooks, and in some cases even lighter, the new curriculum initiative should not create a significant effect on the weight of schoolbags.
"Meanwhile, the Education Department has so far installed more than 232,000 lockers in primary schools at a total cost of $16.5 million. Pupils with the help of parents are encouraged to make full use of the lockers to avoid making schoolbags unduly heavy."
End
Buildings Ordinance discussed
*****
The Land and Building Advisory Committee had discussed the Buildings (Amendment) Ordinance 1996 and building site safety today (Monday).
Chaired by Dr Cheng Hon-kwan, the Committee noted the amendments brought about by the Buildings (Amendment) Ordinance 1996.
A new registration system had been worked out based on the provisions of the ordinance. There would be two types of contractors, namely registered general building contractors and registered specialist contractors. Only the latter would be permitted to carry out specialised works. This would enhance the quality of building works requiring specialist expertise.
An Authorised Persons Registration Committee and a Registered Structural Engineers Registration Committee would be formed to assist the Building Authority in considering applications for inclusion in the appropriate registers.
5
The Committee also noted that the Buildings Department had carried out some 2,400 inspections of construction and demolition sites between October 1995 and July 1996.
There were 422 cases of irregularities. All of them were quickly rectified after inspections.
Further measures would be taken to enhance the safety of works sites. These included increasing resources to enable more inspection; organising seminars for contractors to promote the general awareness of the importance of site safety; encouraging self-regulation by building professionals and contractors; and liaising closely with Labour Department on site safety matters.
When briefed on the land supply and requirements in the next 10 years, the Committee suggested giving more consideration to converting industrial land for residential development. The Planning Department was looking into this as one of the means to identify more land for residential development.
The Committee was also briefed on the performance of the property market in the first half of 1996. The number of property transactions had substantially increased during the period.
End
Safety auditors accredited * * * ♦ ♦
The Secretary for Works, Mr Kwong Hon-sang, today (Monday) presented accrediting certificates to the first batch of eight safety auditors and two safety auditing assistants on their successful completion of their training.
The accrediting will enable them to conduct safety audits for public works projects under the Independent Safety Audit Scheme introduced by the Works Branch to further strengthen worksite safety.
Mr Kwong noted that safety audits were indispensable in ensuring that good safety standards were achieved at construction sites.
He urged the construction industry to co-operate with these auditors to develop a safety culture in the works sector by further enhancing safety and health management practices.
End
6
Water storage figure *****
Storage in Hong Kong’s reservoirs at 9 am today (Monday) stood at 95.8 per cent of capacity or 561.379 million cubic metres.
This time last year the reservoirs contained 555.232 million cubic metres of water, representing 94.7 per cent of capacity.
End
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations
*****
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 2,469 0930 -511
Closing balance in the account 1,898 1000 -511
Change attributable to : 1100 -511
Money market activity -511 1200 -511
LAF today -60 1500 -511
1600 -511
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.0 *+0.0* 2.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.09 2 years 2808 6.00 99.34 6.46
1 month 5.08 3 years 3907 6.80 100.15 6.85
3 months 5.21 5 years 5106 7.23 99.57 7.47
6 months 5.40 7 years 7308 7.24 97.65 7.83
12 months 5.80 5 years M503 7.35 98.67 7.82
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $7,888 million
Closed September 2, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL.: 2842 8777
Wednesday, September 4,1996
Contents Page No,
Statement by the Judiciary................................................ 1
Statement of the Governor’s spokesman..................................... 1
Acting Chief Justice’s statement.......................................... 1
Senior government appointemnts announced.................................. 3
Exercise to test responses to combat oil pollution........................ 5
Consultation on student finance scheme extended........................... 6
STI to attend APEC small and medium enterprises meeting................... 6
Consultation on draft reproductive bill to close soon..................... 7
Nomination for conduct council by-election closed......................... 8
Stormwater drainage master plan study commissioned........................ 9
Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results.............................. 10
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations.................. 11
1
Statement by the Judiciary *****
The Chief Justice, Sir Ti Liang Yang, has confirmed that he will accept nomination as a candidate for the post of Chief Executive. When such nomination is formally put forward, a decision will be made regarding his appointment as Chief Justice.
End
Statement of the Governor’s spokesman 1 *****
, -• ’ i. ’•>i'
Commenting on the statement by the Chief Justice, Sir Ti Liang Yang, the Governor’s spokesman said Sir Ti Liang had informed the Governor about the matter and confirmed that he would accept nomination as a candidate for the post of Chief Executive.
As regards Sir Ti Liang’s position as Chief Justice, the spokesman said a decision would be made if and when Sir Ti Liang’s nomination was formally put forward.
End
Acting Chief Justice’s statement *****
• . r,’ ... . /it .
’’Widespread publicity has been given to statements by Crown Counsel, Mr Ian McWalters and Mr John Reading, that during the weekend of August 17 and 18, 1996, District Judge Caird complained to them that two fellow judges had tried to influence him against Mr Aaron Nattrass, a defendant in a District Court prosecution which was being heard by Judge Caird.
"This matter having become public Judge Caird on August 22 stated in Court that ’there's a few matters which have been raised. I wish to state there’s been no pressure, political or otherwise, exerted on me other than length and complexity of the hearing and Mr Nattrass's state of health. I do not consider that any statement in the nature of gossip, when I was not seized of the case, warrants any action'.
2
"The Chief Justice was gravely concerned and commenced an inquiry into the matter on August 22 which he directed me to pursue after he left Hong Kong on August 23 to attend the Commonwealth Law Conference in Vancouver.
"I have conducted a comprehensive inquiry into this matter and I am satisfied that no judge or judges have ever brought any pressure to bear upon Judge Caird in relation to the Nattrass case or any other matter.
"As can be seen from Judge Caird's statement set out above he now accepts that this is so. Disquiet may, however, remain in the public mind as to the complaints made to Mr McWalters and Mr Reading. This must be dispelled.
"Judge Caird says that his statements to Crown Counsel were made at a time when, because of the length and complexity of the trial and his concern with the health of the defendant, he felt himself to be under acute pressure which resulted in persistent insomnia over a number of weeks.
"He states that as a result of this on the weekend of August 17 and 18 purely social conversations became magnified in his mind and assumed a significance which they did not have. He acknowledges that any complaints of pressure were unfounded and should never have been made.
"This morning Judge Caird has removed himself from the Nattrass prosecution stating: 'I have been concerned about my health. As a consequence I sought medical advice and am continuing to do so. I am unable to continue with this hearing and can only add that I believe it would not be in the interests of either the Crown or the defence, i.e. the applicant, for me to continue as I cannot be confident of ensuring a fair trial. Accordingly, I shall not continue for health reasons and disqualify myself for the reasons given.'
"Judge Caird is presently on sick leave and is receiving medical attention. He will only resume duty when I am satisfied that he has fully recovered."
End
3
Senior government appointments announced ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Government today (Tuesday) announced the appointments of Mr Andrew Leung as Director of Social Welfare; Mr Kenneth Pang as Commissioner, USA; Mr Thomas Chan as Director of Information Services and Dr B N Dailly as Government Chemist.
Mr Leung, currently Police Administration Officer, will take over from Mr Ian Strachan as Director of Social Welfare. Mr Strachan will be retiring in early October after 31 years of service in Government.
Mr Pang, currently Land Registrar, will fill the post vacated by Mr Barrie Wiggham as Commissioner, USA. Mr Wiggham has earlier proceeded on preretirement leave after 35 years of service in Government.
Mr Chan will be taking over from Mrs Irene Yau as Director of Information Services upon her retirement early next year. Mrs Yau will have served in the Government for over 32 years. Mr Chan is now Director (Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs) San Francisco.
Dr Dailly, Assistant Government Chemist, will succeed Mr Lee Nam-sang as Government Chemist with effect from November 4 upon the latter’s retirement from the civil service.
The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, expressed full confidence in the four officers.
"They are all competent and conscientious officers who will bring a wealth of experience and proven leadership skills to their new posts,” she said.
"With nearly 30 years of service in the Government and a strong track record in a wide variety of posts, Mr Andrew Leung is eminently qualified to head the Social Welfare Department.
"His ability in the administration of a sizeable department and in resource management has been well honed through his previous postings as Deputy Director-General of Industry, Policy and Administration Co-ordinator of Legal Aid Department, and now as Police Administration Officer.
4
"Mr Kenneth Pang is a versatile officer with strong leadership skills and I am confident that he will be very effective in promoting Hong Kong’s interests in the US as our senior representative there.
"Mr Thomas Chan stands out as a highly suitable candidate to succeed Mrs Yau as Director of Information Services on the basis of his solid record of performance as Deputy Director of Information Services from 1990 to 1994 and his experience in overseas public relations work."
On the appointment of Dr Dailly as the Government Chemist, Mrs Chan said: "Dr Dailly has served the Government Laboratory for 23 years and is best suited to head the Government Laboratory on the strength of his ability, experience and professional expertise."
The Chief Secretary also thanked Mr Barrie Wiggham, Mr Ian Strachan, Mr Lee Nam-sang and Mrs Irene Yau for their dedicated and meritorious service in Government. Each of them has devoted more than 30 years to serving the community of Hong Kong.
Following are biographical notes of the officers:
Mr Leung Kin-pong. Andrew. JP
Aged 51. Mr Leung joined the Government in 1967 as an Executive Officer II. He joined the Administrative Service in 1973 and rose to his present rank of AOSGB1 in January 1995.
While in the Administrative Service, Mr Leung took up a variety of appointments including Security Branch, the former New Territories Administration, the former Office of Unofficial Members of the Executive and Legislative Councils, Finance Branch, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels, Industry Department, Transport Branch and the Legal Aid Department. He has been Police Administration Officer since October 1994.
Mr Pang Tsan-wing, Kenneth. JP
Mr Pang is 50 years old. He joined the Hong Kong Government in 1967 as a Valuation Assistant and became a Rating and Valuation Surveyor in 1972. He was promoted to Assistant Commissioner of Rating & Valuation in 1984 and to Deputy Commissioner of Rating and Valuation in 1989.
He attended a Master of Public Administration programme at the Harvard University from 1990 to 1991. He has been Land Registrar since February 1993.
5
Mr Chan Chun-yuen. Thomas
Aged 46. Mr Chan joined the Government in June 1973 as an Assistant Trade Officer. He joined the Administrative Service in October in the same year and rose to his present rank of AOSGB in January 1994.
Over the years, Mr Chan has worked in a number of departments and branches including the Labour Department, Finance Branch, the then New Territories Administration, Civil Service Branch, the then Medical and Health Department, the City and New Territories Administration and Housing Branch.
He was seconded to the Radio Television Hong Kong from September 1989 to April 1990 and was Deputy Director of Information Services from 1990 to 1994. He has been Director (Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs) San Francisco since August 1994.
Dr Bryce Nelson Dailly, JP
Dr Dailly is aged 57. He joined the Hong Kong Government as Chemist in 1973 and was promoted to Senior Chemist in 1976 and then to Chief Chemist (later retitled as Assistant Government Chemist) in 1985. He has acted as Government Chemist on a number of occasions previously.
End
Exercise to test responses to combat oil pollution
*****
The Marine Department will co-ordinate an annual exercise to test various government departments and oil companies’ responses to combat oil pollution, a department spokesman said today (Tuesday).
The exercise, code name “Exercise Martha", will begin with a table top exercise tomorrow (Wednesday) and a practical one on Thursday (September 5).
The table top exercise will test the communication and co-ordination between government departments and oil companies while the practical exercise will further test their responses in the deployment of oil pollution equipment and co-operation in combating oil pollution, the spokesman said.
A total of 15 government departments will take part in the exercise on the first day. On the second day, the Civil Aid Services, the Government Flying Service and the Marine Department will be involved.
End
6
Consultation on student finance scheme extended
*****
&
The public consultation period for the consultancy study on local student finance scheme has been extended from August to October, the Student Financial Assistance Agency (SFAA) announced today (Tuesday).
A spokesman for SFAA said in view of the complexity and importance of the recommendations, members of the Joint Committee on Student Finance (JCSF) felt that they needed more time to consider carefully the recommendations and to conduct extensive consultations where necessary.
The deadline was extended to enable students and staff of various institutions to give their views when they returned to school after the summer holidays, the spokesman said.
"Moreover, given the far-reaching impact of the recommendations, members considered it necessary that the new students, who will be enrolled in September/October, should be consulted before the JCSF’s next meeting in November.
"The Administration is open-minded on the consultants’ recommendations and will consider the way forward in the light of the advice of the JCSF and public feedback." the spokesman said.
End
STI to attend APEC small and medium enterprises meeting *****
The Secretary for Trade and Industry. Miss Denise Yue, will leave tomorrow (Wednesday) to attend the third Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) to be held in Cebu, the Philippines, on September 5 and 6.
The meeting, with the theme "creating the climate for globalisation of SMEs", will focus on existing and new initiatives in the SME Action Program in the five priority areas: human resources development, information access, technology and technology sharing, finance, and market access.
7
Ministers from APEC economies will discuss the participation of, and linkage with, other support groups and institutions which address the needs of SMEs. They will also exchange views with representatives from the private sector of the APEC economies on issues related to SMEs.
Mr Denis Lee Wing-kwan and Mrs Rosa Hung Shum Kan-fong, chairman and member respectively of the Small and Medium Enterprises Committee, will attend the meeting as representatives from the private sector of Hong Kong and will participate in the discussion with ministers.
Other government officials including the Director-General of Industry, Mr Francis Ho, and Assistant Director-General of Industry, Mr Wong Hon-ho, will also attend the meeting.
The first APEC SME ministerial meeting was held in Osaka, Japan in October 1994 and the second one in Adelaide, Australia in September last year.
APEC comprises 18 member economies, namely: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and the United States of America.
End
Consultation on draft reproductive bill to close soon *****
The consultation period of the consultation paper on the draft Reproductive Technology Bill published by the Provisional Council on Reproductive Technology (PCRT) on July 17 to seek public views on three major issues arising from the bill will be closed on September 15.
"As the future ordinance has far-reaching implications on the community, the PCRT hopes to receive as many views as possible during the consultation period which will close on September 15, 1996," a spokesman of PCRT said.
"The PCRT will then carefully examine and consider the views received before finalising the recommendations on the provisions for the draft Reproductive Technology Bill.
- 8 -
”So far, we have received some written submissions from individuals/organisations concerned, and various views expressed through the media. The LegCo Panel on Health Services will discuss the Paper at its coming meeting on September 9, 1996.
’’The paper contains the major arguments for and against sex selection achieved by means of Reproductive Technology procedures and the use of fetal ovarian/testicular tissue. These issues had not been examined by the former Committee on Scientifically Assisted Human Reproduction.
’’In addition, the paper outlines the proposed licensing mechanism and the relevant provisions will have significant implications on the existing and potential Reproductive Technology service providers.”
The paper can be obtained at the public enquiry counters of district offices or at the Secretariat of PCRT at second floor, Shun Feng International Centre, 182 Queen’s Road East. Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Views should be sent to PCRT on or before September 15.
End
Nomination for conduct council by-election closed *****
Three nominations were accepted for five vacant seats in the by-election to the Council on Professional Conduct in Education as the nomination deadline expired at noon today (Tuesday), the Education Department announced.
The nominees are Mr Au Yeung Chi of Hong Kong Teachers’ Association for the teachers' unions category; Mr Ho Kwok-suen of North Point Government Primary AM School for the government primary' schools category; and Ms Ho Yun-ling of Hong Kong Shu Yan School for the private primary schools category.
A spokesman for the department said as the seat being sought by Mr Au Yeung was in the organisation-nominated categories, he would be elected uncontested.
However, the seats being sought by Mr Ho and Ms Ho are in the teacher-nominated categories and they will each need at least 500 votes on voting day in order to be elected.
9
The spokesman said the seats for the kindergartens and the government secondary schools categories, for which no nominations were accepted in the byelection, will be left vacant through the end of the present term on April 30, 1998.
There was in fact a nomination for the government secondary schools category but as it was received at 12.25 pm today after the close of nominations, it was therefore declared null and void, he added.
"The reason for not accepting the nomination has been explained to the school concerned," the spokesman said.
On the schedule of the by-election, the spokesman said circulars on voting arrangements would be issued to schools on September 18, after which the department would consider holding an election forum for candidates.
Schools will collect ballot papers from district education offices on October 1. Voting will be conducted in all primary schools on October 3.
"Schools will be required to return the voting results return forms to district education offices by noon on October 4, 1996," the spokesman said.
The election results will be announced on October 7.
End
Stormwater drainage master plan study commissioned ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Drainage Services Department has commissioned a feasibility study on the stormwater drainage master plan scheme for Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi with a view to reduce Hooding.
The $5.88 million contract was signed today (Tuesday) by the Assistant Director of Drainage Services (Operations and Maintenance), Mr Victor Bradley, and a representative of Montgomery Watson Hong Kong Limited.
Speaking after signing the agreement, Mr Bradley said the study would examine the existing drainage system and recommend short and long term improvement measures to reduce flooding.
10
"Some of the drains, which were built some 30 years ago, were under-capacity and cannot meet current flood protection standard.
"The study will also develop a computerised asset management system to facilitate future planning, management and operation of the drainage system," Mr Bradley said.
The study, expecting to take 20 months to complete, is the third in the seven drainage master plan schemes undertaken by the department.
The first study covering Yuen Long, Kam Tin and Tin Shui Wai started in January, while the second for northern Hong Kong Island began in May.
End
Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Tender date 3 Sept 1996 3 Sept 1996
Paper on offer EF bills EF bills
Issue number Q636 Y693
Issue date 4 Sept 1996 4 Sept 1996
Maturity date 4 Dec 1996 3 Sept 1997
Coupon - -
Amount applied HK$4,870 MN HK$3,370 MN
Amount allotted HK$ 1,500 MN HKS500 MN
Average yield accepted 5.20 PCT 5.77 PCT
Highest yield accepted 5.20 PCT 5.77 PCT
Pro rata ratio About 74 PCT About 90 PCT
Average tender yield 5.21 PCT 5.79 PCf
/
- 11 -
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
Tenders to be held in the week beginning 9 Sept 1996
Tender date 10 Sept 1996 10 Sept 1996
Paper on offer EF bills EF bills
Issue number Q637 H673
Issue date 11 Sept 1996 11 Sept 1996
Maturity date 11 Dec 1996 12 Mar 1997
Tenor 91 days 182 days
Amount on offer HK$1,5OO+3OOMN HKS800+160MN
End
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 1,898 0930 +61
Closing balance in the account 1,689 1000 +61
Change attributable to: 1100 +61
Money market activity +66 1200 +66
LAF today -275 1500 +66
1600 +66
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.1 *+0.1* 3.9.96
12
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.08 2 years 2808 6.00 99.40 6.43
1 month 5.08 3 years 3907 6.80 100.20 6.83
3 months 5.19 5 years 5106 7.23 99.71 7.43
6 months 5.37 7 years 7308 7.24 97.78 7.80
12 months 5.74 5 years M503 7.35 98.80 7.79
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $5,444 million
Closed September 3, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Thursday, September 5,1996
Contents Page No,
Student Health Service extended to secondary schools.................... 1
Opening of temporary flyover at Au Tau Roundabout....................... 2
Gurkha engineers disband at Sek Kong tomorrow........................... 2
Tuen Mun Road speed limit returns to 70 km/h............................ 3
Publication of Hong Kong mountains stamps postponed..................... 4
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations.................... 4
1
Student Health Service extended to secondary schools ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Student Health Service provided by the Department of Health has been extended to all secondary day schools students this academic year.
The service, introduced last year, aims to promote the physical and psychological health of school children.
A spokesman for the department said: ’’With the full implementation of the Student Health Service, all primary and secondary day school students are now entitled to receive a comprehensive range of promotive and preventive health services annually.
’’Each enrolled student will be given an annual appointment to attend a Student Health Service Centre for health programmes designed to cater for the health needs at various stages of the student’s development,” he said.
’’These programmes include physical examination; screening for health problems related to growth, nutrition, blood pressure, vision, hearing, posture, sexual development and psychological health; individual counselling and health education.
’’Students found to have health problems will be referred to the Special Assessment Centre (SAC) for detailed assessment and follow-up or to the appropriate specialist clinics for further management.”
Invitation letters are being sent to parents of all primary and secondary day school students.
Those who wish to enrol should complete and return the enrolment form through their schools. Appointment letters stating the scheduled date of health visit will be sent to students in due course.
There are now a total of 11 student health service centres and two special assessment centres serving a target population of some 920,000 primary and secondary school students.
End
M
- 2 -
Opening of temporary flyover at Au Tau Roundabout *****
. -Jr"' ' "• ’ .
The temporary flyover at Au Tau Roundabout will be opened for public use from 11 am on Saturday (September 7), the Transport Department announces today (Friday).
The $14-million single-lane flyover will enable the traffic on Castle Peak Road (Tam Mi section) westbound directly onto Castle Peak Road (Yuen Long section) westbound.
Putting the flyover into use is an important interim measure to relieve traffic pressure at Au Tau Roundabout until the completion of Route 3’s country park section which runs from Yuen Long through to urban Kowloon.
In view of its capacity, the flyover will be designated ban zone for all motor vehicles exceeding 5.5 tonnes in weight 24 hours a day.
To maintain better road safety, a speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour will be applied to the flyover and Au Tau Roundabout from 11 am on Saturday.
End
Gurkha engineers disband at Sek Kong tomorrow ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Over 30 years service in Hong Kong comes to an end this week when 67 Gurkha Independent Field Squadron, Queen’s Gurkha Engineers, disbands at Borneo Lines, Sek Kong.
Under the command of Major Alistair Sheppard, 120 Gurkha and British soldiers will be present when Commander British Forces, Major General Bryan Dutton, takes the salute at their disbandment parade tomorrow (Friday).
Also present will be Colonel, The Queen's Gurkha Engineers, Major General Tony Pigott who is in Hong Kong specially to take part in the parade.
Among those attending the ceremony will be former Gurkha engineer officers from Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand while special guests of honour will include ex-67 Squadron members Corporal Dave Mayhew (Retired) who had flown from his home in the United Kingdom for the parade, and Hong Kong resident Lieutenant (Queen's Gurkha Officer) Ranbahadur Gurung who, at only 17 years of age, was among the first batch of Gurkha engineers to be recruited back in 1961.
3
Music during the parade will be provided by the Band of the Corps of Royal Engineers, visiting Hong Kong from their headquarters in Chatham, in the UK, and the Pipes and Drums of 1st Battalion the Royal Gurkha Rifles.
67 Squadron first served in Hong Kong between 1962 and 1966, returning to the Territory from Malaysia in 1970.
As the only remaining engineer unit with the British Forces in Hong Kong, it has provided engineering support, from its base at Malaya Lines, for the Garrison since the diabandment of the Queen's Gurkha Engineer Regiment in 1994.
Over the years Gurkha engineers have assisted with a variety of community relations projects, the most recent being the construction and refurbishment of accommodation units on Town Island for Operation Dawn, a drug rehabilitation centre. Abroad, the Sappers have twice returned to their homeland of Nepal in 1994 and earlier this year to assist with a major road building project in the Everest region.
Of the men on parade tomorrow, half of them will remain in the British Army and are set to return to the UK to join 69 Gurkha Squadron with 36 Engineer Regiment in Maidstone.
Of the remainder, three will transfer to the Royal Gurkha Rifles while 62 men will leave the Squadron. Some of them have applied to join the Gurkha Reserve Unit in Brunei, some will take up jobs in Hong Kong and the rest will return to Nepal to set up their own business.
End
Tuen Mun Road speed limit returns to 70 km/h *****
The Transport Department today (Thursday) announces that with effect from 10 am tomorrow, the speed limit on Tuen Mun Road will return to 70 kilometres per hour (km/h) all the way from Tsuen Wan to Tuen Mun.
Following the opening of the climbing lane of the Kowloon-bound carriageway of Tuen Mun Road at Ting Kau West, the speed limit of 50 km/h implemented there has been reviewed.
A decision has been made to change it to 70 km/h to help keep vehicle speed uniform for the whole stretch of the road.
End
4
- 4 -
Publication of Hong Kong mountains stamps postponed ♦ * * ♦ ♦
The Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman, today (Thursday) announced that the issue of special stamps on Hong Kong mountains, which was scheduled on September 11, will be postponed to September 24.
"I apologise to our customers for any inconvenience this may cause them. It is most unfortunate that the stamps cannot be delivered on time as originally planned, hence the revision of the issue date.
"We will make available corrigendum sheets for amending the date of issue printed on first day covers at all post offices on September 24," said Mr Footman.
Customers who have ordered serviced first day covers through the advance order service are advised that the collection period - from October 2 to 30 - remains unchanged.
End
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations
*****
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (S.miUion)
Opening balance in the account 1,990 0930 -31
Closing balance in the account 1,952 1000 -31
Change attributable to : 1100 -31
Money market activity -38 1200 -31
LAF today NIL 1500 -31
1600 -38
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.0 *+0.0* 5.9.96
5
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.02 2 years 2808 6.00 99.30 6.49
1 month 5.05 3 years 3907 6.80 100.10 6.87
3 months 5.22 5 years 5106 7.23 99.56 7.47
6 months 5.40 7 years 7308 7.24 97.67 7.82
12 months 5.85 5 years M503 7.35 98.72 7.81
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $14,767 million
Closed September 5, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Friday, September 6,1996
Conlenls PageNo.
Transcript of CS’s media session.......................................... 1
Resignation of Chief Justice announced.................................... 2
Statement from acting Chief Justice....................................... 2
HK’s financial infrastructure inspires confidence: FS............... 3
Volume and price movements of external trade in June................ 6
Inquiry into sinking of barge ordered............................... 13
STI attended APEC Small and Medium Enterprises meeting.............. 13
1994 annual economic surveys reports now on sale.................... 15
Decision notice for proposals to alter rateable values sent......... 16
Fifty-two government apprentices graduated.......................... 16
Tenders invited for two public works projects....................... 17
Causeway Bay Outline Zoning Plan amended............................ 18
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations................ 19
1
Transcript of CS’s media session *****
Following is the transcript of remarks (English) made to the media by the Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, outside the Central Government Offices today (Friday):
Question: (inaudible)
CS: Sir T L’s resignation is of course his personal decision and as the Governor has said, we respect his decision. You all know that Sir T L has served in the Judiciary for the past 40 years. He’s also been very active in a number of community services and his achievements both to the Judiciary and serving the community is a matter of record and I’m sure that the community would wish to express their appreciation of Sir T L’s service these past 40 years. I wish him and Lady Yang every happiness and I hope everything goes smoothly for him.
Question: (inaudible)
CS: Well, Sir T L will be on leave. At the moment he is on leave but he also has some leave accumulated which he will take and on the expiry of that leave, his resignation takes effect. But he has also made it quite clear that he will not in fact be resuming active service as Chief Justice.
Question: (inaudible)
CS: Well, Justice Power will continue to act as Chief Justice and the Governor will clearly be given consideration to a successor but I’m sure he would wish among other things to take into account the desirability of this successor being able to straddle 1997.
Question: (inaudible)
CS: You’ll be all quite sick and tire of my answer to this question but I’ll repeat it. I said on numerous occasions that if circumstances permit I would like to continue to serve the people of Hong Kong. That’s all. All right?
End
2
Resignation of Chief Justice announced ♦ * * * ♦
The Government today (Friday) announced that the Chief Justice, Sir Ti Liang Yang, had resigned.
In a letter to the Governor, Sir Ti Liang stated that following his decision to accept nomination to the post of Chief Executive of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, constitutional propriety required him to resign from the post of Chief Justice.
Sir Ti Liang’s resignation will take effect on November 4, upon the expiration of his earned leave entitlement. He will therefore not resume active duty as Chief Justice.
Sir Ti Liang was first appointed as a magistrate in 1956 and has been Chief Justice for the past eight and a half years.
The Governor said he accepted and respected Sir Ti Liang’s decision to resign and wished him well for the future.
’’Sir Ti Liang has given long and dedicated service to Hong Kong during his 40 years of service with the Judiciary. As the first local Chief Justice, he has led the Judiciary through many changes in recent years.
"The whole community is grateful for his record of public service. I wish him and Lady Yang every happiness in the years to come,” said the Governor.
A government spokesman said Mr Justice Power will continue to act as Chief Justice.
End
Statement from acting Chief Justice
*****
The following is a statement of the acting Chief Justice, Mr Justice Power:
"The announcement of the resignation of the Chief Justice, Sir Ti Liang Yang, is noted by all in the Judiciary with regret.
3
"Sir Ti Liang has given 40 years of outstanding service to the Judiciary of Hong Kong. He served with distinction throughout as Magistrate, District Judge, Judge of the High Court, Judge of Appeal and finally as the first local Chief Justice. His patience and fairness in the exercise of judicial office have been an example to us all.
"In his term as Chief Justice, his administrative and procedural reforms have set the Judiciary upon a course which will place it in the forefront of Common Law jurisdictions as we proceed into the 21st century.
"All in the Judiciary join with me in sending to him and Lady Yang our best wishes for their health and happiness in the future."
End
HK’s financial infrastructure inspires confidence: FS *****
Hong Kong’s improved financial infrastructure, backed by a fair and transparent regulatory regime, had inspired the confidence of international investors and financial market practitioners, the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, said today (Friday).
Speaking at the International Currency Options Symposium this morning, Mr Tsang said the Government was committed to maintaining Hong Kong as an international financial centre.
"As far as the securities and futures sector is concerned, our targets are to ensure the orderly operation of the sector and to encourage the development of new products and services.
"We seek to strike a balance between the degree of prudential regulation necessary to ensure the continued reliability and high reputation of our goods and services, and the degree of freedom necessary to ensure that our markets remain vigorously innovative and competitive," he said.
Mr Tsang said Hong Kong's financial services regulatory system had evolved in response to changes in the international scene and its financial services regulators had continued to develop in the recent years.
"Following the October 1987 world-wide stock market crash, we have overhauled our regulatory framework and risk management system," he said.
4
"We have implemented many reforms recommended by the Securities Review Committee and introduced safeguards at every level.”
Mr Tsang highlighted some of the more important reforms which included:
♦ the establishment of the Securities and Futures Commission, to ensure the integrity of the markets and the protection of investors;
* the restructuring of the clearing and guarantee system of the Hong Kong Futures Exchange to strengthen the risk management arrangements;
* the establishment of Hong Kong clearing and the Central clearing and settlement system which now provides guaranteed clearing and settlement services for over 99 per cent of all Stock Exchange transactions; and
* the overhaul of the stock exchanges by building safeguards into the constitution of the Stock Exchange, with representation on the governing body for individual and corporate members, and for independent members to be appointed to ensure that the Exchange is properly governed and works in the interests of all members and users.
"We are confident that our system now in place is efficient by international standards and can meet the demands of a sophisticated financial marketplace", Mr Tsang said.
"As an illustration, Hong Kong has stood up well in the wake of international financial crises, notably the one brought on by the Barings incident.
"We know that we must not sit still and must continue to improve our systems and service to investors, setting an ever rising benchmark of excellence as an international financial centre in the first league."
As for further integration with the international markets, Mr Tsang said fortunately Hong Kong had come to appreciate the danger of a lack of synchronisation in the development of payment and settlement arrangements at an early stage.
"We are aware that a weak link in the system could well mean an inability to prevent an individual failure from sparking off a domino-like chain reaction spreading through the payment and settlement system," he said.
5
He said Hong Kong had sought to institute reforms to counter risks identified by the GIO Committee, such as credit risk, Herstatt risk and systemic risk.
"We have taken three important initiatives in recent years, represented by the three acronyms Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), Delivery versus Payment (DvP) and Payment versus Payment (PvP)," he said.
Mr Tsang said before Christmas this year. Hong Kong would have implemented an inter-bank payment system based on RTGS principles.
Under the new system, payment is settled on a real-time basis and, once executed, is considered final and irrevocable.
’’Such finality and irrevocability will anchor the stability of the payment and settlement system and will serve as a fundamental building block for DvP and PvP,” he said.
"DvP concerns a major upgrade of our debt market clearing system. The Central Moneymarkets Unit (CMU) operated by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority was originally set up for the clearing of Exchange Fund paper.
"The CMU extended its service to private sector instruments in 1994. Our plan is to enhance CMU to become an integral part of the implementation of RTGS system which will have real-time DvP capability.
"The third initiative - PvP is still in the pipeline. After the implementation of RTGS, our next goal is to achieve bilateral PvP linkages with other overseas payment systems."
Mr Tsang said the Hong Kong Monetary Authority had also reached agreement in principle with the People's Bank of China to establish a PvP link between Hong Kong dollar payment system and China’s National Automated Payment System when both had gone live on the RTGS system.
"These initiatives have set the scene for Hong Kong's financial markets to integrate further with the international markets," he said.
Mr Tsang noted that the Hong Kong Futures Exchange and the Philadelphia Stock Exchange had joined forces to set up a facility in Hong Kong for trading currency options contracts during Asian business hours.
6
"The trading opportunity for investors in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the region created through this linkage will reinforce Hong Kong's position as a leading financial centre in the region," he said.
The link-up with the Philadelphia Stock Exchange was a good demonstration of the energy, enthusiasm and resolve of the professionals in Hong Kong's financial market and of the workforce to ensure that the successes of the past would be sustained in the future, he added.
"It is also another example, another good example, of our continuing effort towards East-West integration in the financial market.
"The link-up will only bode well for the financial services sector and for Hong Kong," Mr Tsang said.
End
I
Volume and price movements of external trade in June
*****
In the first six months of 1996, the volume of re-exports increased by 6.9% over the same period last year, while the volume of domestic exports decreased by 8.2%, according to the statistics released today (Friday) by the Census and Statistics Department.
Taking re-exports and domestic exports together, the volume of total exports increased by 4.3%. Meanwhile, imports increased by 3.7% in volume.
The growth in the volume of trade is derived from the growth in trade values with the effect of price changes being discounted.
As regards price changes over the same period of comparison, the prices of reexports and domestic exports increased by 0.4% and 1.2% respectively. Import prices decreased by 0.2%.
Price changes are reflected by changes in unit value indices, which are compiled based on average unit values or. for certain commodities, based on specific price data.
7
I'he terms of trade index, defined as the ratio of total export price index to import price index, recorded an increase of 0.7% in the first six months of 1996 over the same period last year.
Comparing June 1996 with June 1995, the volume of re-exports decreased by 1.4%, while that of domestic exports decreased by 14%. Taken together, the volume of total exports decreased by 3.7%. Meanwhile, the volume of imports decreased by 2%.
Over the same period of comparison, the prices of re-exports decreased by 0.9%, while domestic exports increased by 0.7%. Import prices decreased by 2.4%.
The changes in the value, unit value and volume of re-exports by end-use category are shown in Table 1.
Comparing June 1996 with June 1995, increases in volume were recorded for most of the end-use categories of re-exports: fuels (+19%); capital goods (+6.1%); and foodstuffs (+4.2%). %
On the other hand, the volume of re-exports of raw materials and semimanufactures; and consumer goods decreased by 7.1% and 1% respectively.
Over the same period of comparison, increases in the prices of re-exports were noted of fuels (+9%) and consumer goods (+0.7%).
On the other hand, the re-export prices of raw materials and semi-manufactures; capital goods; and foodstuffs decreased by 3.7%, 1% and 0.1% respectively.
The changes in the value, unit value and volume of domestic exports by principal commodity group are shown in Table 2.
Comparing June 1996 with June 1995, commodity groups which recorded significant increases in volume of domestic exports included domestic electrical appliances (+37%) and textile yarn and thread (+14%).
On the other hand, the volume of domestic exports of radios of all kinds; and textile made-up and related articles decreased by 48% and 38% respectively.
Commodity groups which recorded increases in domestic export prices included metal ores and scrap (+10%); and radios of all kinds (+5.6%).
On the other hand, the domestic export prices of domestic electrical appliances and footwear decreased by 3.7% and 3% respectively.
8
The changes in the value, unit value and volume of imports by end-use category are shown in Table 3.
The import volume of foodstuffs increased by 1.4% in June 1996 compared with June 1995.
Significant increases in the import volume were noted of live poultry; and milk, butter, cheese and eggs. However, decreases were recorded in the import volume of sugar; and animals of the bovine species, live.
Over the same period of comparison, the import volume of consumer goods decreased by 4.5%.
Decreases in import volume were recorded in miscellaneous made-up articles of textile materials; and cameras, flashlight apparatus and supplies for photography. However, increases in the import volume were noted of passenger motor cars; and alcoholic beverages.
The import volume of raw materials and semi-manufactures decreased by 9.4% in June 1996 compared with June 1995.
Decreases in import volume were recorded in most of the raw materials and semi-manufactures. Significant decreases in the import volume were noted of wood, lumber and cork; and silk fabrics. However, increases were noted of lime, cement, and fabricated building materials except glass, clay construction materials and refractory construction materials; and iron and steel.
Imports of fuels increased by 55% in volume in June 1996 compared with June 1995.
As regards capital goods, the import volume increased by 12% in June 1996 over June 1995.
Notable increases were recorded in the import volume of transport equipment; and office machinery. The import volume of industrial machinery, other than textile machinery and electrical machinery; and construction machinery however decreased.
Comparing June 1996 with June 1995, the import prices of fuels and consumer goods increased by 3.3% and 0.8% respectively.
On the other hand, the import prices of capital goods; raw materials and semimanufactures; and foodstuffs decreased by 5%, 4.8% and 1.7% respectively.
9
Details of the above statistics are published in the June 1996 issue of the Hong Kong Trade Index Numbers.
The report will be on sale at $14 per copy around September 10 at either the Government Publications Centre, ground floor, Low Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway; or the Publications Unit of the Census and Statistics Department, 19th Floor, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai.
Enquiries regarding regular subscription to this report may be directed to the Publications (Sales) Office of the Information Services Department at 28th floor, Siu On Centre, 188 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Tel 2598 8194; and enquiries on trade indices to the Census and Statistics Department, Tel 2582 4918.
10
Table 1 : Changes in re-exports by end-use category
Comparing JUN 1996 with JUN 1995 Comparing JAN-JUN 1996 with JAN-JUN 1995
End-use category % changes % changes
Value Unit Value Volume i Value Unit Value Volume
Foodstuffs 4.8 -0.1 4.2 9.2 -0.1 9.1
Consumer goods 0.6 0.7 -1.0 4.7 1.3 2.8
Raw materials and semi-manufactures -10.7 -3.7 -7.1 5.3 -1.0 6.3
Fuels 26.8 9.0 19.3 34.5 12.8 21.5
Capital goods 3.5 -1.0 6.1 13.9 -0.7 17.7
ALL COMMODITIES -2.2 -0.9 4 -1.4 6.9 0.4 6.9
11
Table 2 : Changes in domestic exports by principal commodity group
■j
Comparing JUN 1996 Comparing JAN-JUN 1996 with JUN 1995 with JAN-JUN 1995
% changes % changes
Commodity group Value Unit Value Volume Value Unit Value Volume
Clothing -13.3 0.2 -13.1 -7.7 1.5 -8.7
Textile fabrics -23.2 -1.4 -23.1 -6.9 0.2 -8.5
Textile yarn and thread 13.5 0.5 14.3 20.8 5.9 15.0
Textile made-ups and related articles -37.5 1.2 -38.3 -23.1 0.4 -23.8
Radios of all kinds -42.4 5.6- -47.7 8.6 6.5 -5.0
Electronic components -22.8 -1.2 -23.1 -7.0 -0.2 -8.2
Footwear -13.1 -3.0 2.1 -58.8 -3.8 -57.8
Metal manufactures -24.4 4.6 -28.1 -10.8 6.3 -16.4
Metal ores and scrap -16.6 10.5 -25.0 -4.3 8.5 -9.3
Watches and clocks -13.3 -0.5 -13.2 -9.9 -0.3 -9.8
Travel goods, handbags and similar articles -37.6 -2.6 -35.8 -8.3 1.5 -10.2
Domestic electrical appliances 35.0 -3.7 37.5 44.6 -3.2 50.3
ALL COMMODITIES -17.9 0.7 -14.1 -8.2 1.2 -8.2
12
Table 3 : Changes in imports by end-use category
Comparing JUN 1996 Comparing JAN-JUN 1996 with JUN 1995 with JAN-JUN 1995
End-use category % changes % changes
Value Unit Value Volume Value Unit Value Volume
Foodstuffs -0.1 -1.7 1.4 4.6 0.3 4.4
Consumer goods -3.3 0.8 -4.5 1.3 1.9 -0.7
Raw materials and semi-manufactures -13.6 -4.8 -9.4 -0.1 -1.7 1.9
Fuels 60.2 3.3 54.9 38.0 7.3 28.9
Capital goods 8.4 -5.0 12.1 9.9 -2.7 12.8
ALL COMMODITIES -4.0 -2.4 -2.0 3.2 -0.2 3.7
End
13
Inquiry into sinking of barge ordered ♦ * * ♦ ♦
The acting Director of Marine, Mr S Y Tsui, has ordered a Local Marine Inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the sinking of a barge near Fat Tong Chau early this (Friday) morning.
In accordance with the powers granted under section 58 of the Shipping and Port Control Ordinance, Mr Tsui appointed Senior Surveyor of Ships, Mr P C So, and Surveyor of Ships (Nautical), Mr S T Li, to be the Inquiry Officers.
A Hong Kong licensed barge "SHB 1006" sank sometime between midnight and 3.30 am today in the area between Tai Long Bay and Tit Cham Chau.
End
STI attended APEC Small and Medium Enterprises meeting ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
The Secretary for Trade and Industry, Miss Denise Yue, had participated in the third Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Ministerial Meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) held at Cebu, the Philippines, yesterday and today (Thursday and Friday).
The meeting, chaired by the Secretary of Trade and Industry of the Philippines, Mr Cesar B Bautista, was attended by all the 18 APEC economies, namely Australia. Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China. Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea. Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and the United States.
At the meeting, member economies discussed existing and new initiatives in the SME Action Program which incorporated a set of principles to guide APEC SME work and projects in the five priority areas - human resources development, information access, technology and technology sharing, financing and market access.
Through the Action Program, policy makers have increased their understanding of issues affecting SMEs in the APEC region. This enables them to develop tools to help SMEs grow and adapt to an environment of increasing globalisation.
14
The importance of support groups to facilitate the globalisation of SMEs was recognised by APEC member economies.
’’Globalisation allows enterprises to source and produce in the most cost-effective manner, and to widen their market access,” Miss Yue said.
"However, SMEs, with their limited resources and capabilities, are not best-positioned to take advantage of the opportunities presented by globalisation.
"Support groups, with their day-to-day interface with SMEs, are more attuned to the changing needs of SMEs and are best placed to react flexibly and pragmatically to problems and challenges faced by SMEs."
APEC member economies welcomed the increasing participation of the private sector and encouraged greater business involvement in the APEC SME Action Program.
In the ministers/private sector session, ministers found their dialogue with business representatives from the third Asia-Pacific Business Network on issues of concern to SMEs extremely productive. Mr Denis Lee Wing-kwan and Mrs Rosa Hung Shum Kan-fong of Hong Kong's Small and Medium Enterprises Committee took part in the session.
At the end of the meeting, APEC ministers in charge of SMEs issued a joint statement reaffirming the commitment to contribute to the APEC goals of free and open trade and investment and enhanced economic and technical co-operation in the region.
The joint statement also sets out the direction of future actions to achieve those goals.
End
15
1994 annual economic surveys reports now on sale ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The following five reports on the 1994 annual economic surveys have recently been published by the Census and Statistics Department and are now on sale:
♦ Report on 1994 Survey of Industrial Production ($34);
♦ Report on 1994 Survey of Building, Construction and Real Estate Sectors ($31);
♦ Report on 1994 Survey of Wholesale, Retail and Import and Export Trades, Restaurants and Hotels ($34);
♦ Report on 1994 Survey of Transport and Related Services ($18); and
♦ Report on 1994 Survey of Storage, Communication, Financing, Insurance and Business Services ($26).
These reports, which are bilingual publications in English and Chinese, contain a wide range of statistics on the structural and operating characteristics of various economic activities for the reference year 1994, based on data collected from establishments engaged in those activities.
Examples of statistical items included in the reports are:
♦ number of establishments, number of persons engaged;
♦ compensation of employees;
♦ gross output, sales of goods, business receipts and other income;
* value added (a measure of contribution to gross domestic product);
♦ purchases of goods and materials;
* other operating expenses; and
* gross additions to fixed assets.
Apart from statistics relating to the year 1994, the reports also contain summary statistics for the year 1992 and 1993 to facilitate comparison in recent years.
The statistics are useful to both the Government and the private sector in formulating policies and making decisions.
The reports may be purchased at the Government Publications Centre of the Information Services Department, Low Block, ground floor. Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong; and the Publications Unit of the Census and Statistics Department, 19th Floor, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
End
16
Decision notice for proposals to alter rateable values sent ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Rating and Valuation Department has now dealt with all proposals received in April and May to alter the rateable values in the valuation lists.
Any applicant who had not yet received a notice of decision on his/her proposal should contact the department immediately on 2805 7666, a spokesman for the department said today (Thursday).
If a rateable value had been altered as a result of a proposal, the amendment and any adjustment to the rates payable would take effect from April 1, the spokesman added.
Such adjustment, if any, will be made in the rates demands as soon as possible.
End
Fifty-two government apprentices graduated * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
A total of 35 craft apprentices and 17 technician apprentices have completed their four-year training and were presented graduation certificates and trophies today (Friday).
They were congratulated by the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Hugh Phillipson, for their successful completion of the apprenticeship.
"This is an important milestone in your careers," said Mr Phillipson.
At today’s graduation ceremony, the 52 government craft and technician apprentices received their certificates and trophies from Legislative Councillor, Mrs Elizabeth Wong.
Among them were the "Brown" Cup winner, Mr Chan Chi-tuk, the "Laishley" Cup winner, Mr Wong Chi-kwong, and the "Howes" Plaque winner, Mr Cheung Kwok-on, who were praised for their outstanding performance.
17
The Government Apprentice Training Scheme was introduced in 1969 with an aim to providing trained craftsmen and technicians for both the Government and the community.
The scheme is being run by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, jointly sponsored by the Water Supplies and Fire Services departments.
Apprentices are required to complete a four-year training which include both theoretical learning and practical work through studying at technical institutes and attachments to the various workshops of the participating governments.
}-, U -ij-
So far, over 2,274 craftsmen and 750 technicians have successfully completed their training and are making valuable contribution to meeting the needs of various industries in Hong Kong.
J ’ ’ • • J/i • I *.i
” , »v. .
End
Tenders invited for two public works projects *****
The Architectural Services Department is inviting tenders for two public works projects.
The first project comprises improvement works to six existing public toilets under the Regional Council at Kam Tin Bor Tei and San Tin in Yuen Long, Shek Tsai Po Street in Tai O, Sheung Shui Wai and Luen Cheong Street in North district and San Hing Back Street in Cheung Chau.
The works include improvement to toilet facilities, drainage system, ventilation system, lighting, floor surface as well as signage.
The project will begin in early December this year for completion in April 1997.
The second project relates to the extension and conversion works, including associated drainage, for three existing aided schools.
The project is part of the school improvement programme and works will start in January 1997 for completion in 10 months.
18
Tender forms and further particulars can be obtained from the Architectural Services Department, 34th floor, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong.
Tender offers for the public toilet and school projects will close at noon on September 27 and October 4 respectively.
End
Causeway Bay Outline Zoning Plan amended * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Town Planning Board today (Friday) announced two amendments to the draft Causeway Bay Outline Zoning Plan (No S/H6/3).
The first amendment involves the rezoning of a site with an area of about 0.23 hectares at the junction of Victoria Park Road and Gloucester Road from "Other Specified Uses (Petrol Filling Station)" and "Open Space" (O) to "Govemment/Institution/Community".
"This is to facilitate the development of a refuse collection point," said a spokesman for the Board.
Another amendment is to rezone a 0.06 hectares site at the junction of Gloucester Road and Cleveland Street from "O" to "Road".
The amendment plan No S/H6/4 is now available for public inspection until September 27 at:
* Planning Department, 16th floor, Murray Building, Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong;
♦ Hong Kong District Planning Office,
11th floor, Leighton Centre,
77 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong; and
* Wan Chai District Office,
Public Enquiry Centre,
ground floor, 2 O'Brien Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
19
Any person affected by the amendments may submit written objections to the Secretary of the Town Planning Board, c/o Planning Department, 13th floor, Murray Building, Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong, on or before September 27.
Copies of the draft plan can be bought at the Survey and Mapping Office, Lands Department, 14th floor, Murray Building, and the Kowloon Map Sales Office, ground floor, 382 Nathan Road, Kowloon.
End
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations
*****
Cumulative
$ million Time (hours) change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 1,952 0930 + 7
Closing balance in the account 1,962 1000 + 7
Change attributable to : 1100 + 7
Money market activity +10 1200 + 7
LAF today NIL 1500 + 7
1600 +10
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.0 *+0.0* 6.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.05 2 years 2808 6.00 99.22 6.54
1 month 5.09 3 years 3907 6.80 99.97 6.92
3 months 5.26 5 years 5106 7.23 99.40 7.51
6 months 5.43 7 years 7308 7.24 97.41 7.88
12 months 5.89 5 years M503 7.35 98.48 7.87
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $11,974 million
Closed September 6, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Saturday, September 7,1996
Contents Page No,
Environmental impact report to be released............................... 1
Appeal to social security board drops.................................... 2
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations..................... 3
Sunday, September 8,1996
Contents
Page No,
Governor’s "Letter to Hong Kong"........................................ 3
Young offenders to stage Beating Retreat 1996............................... 6
1
Environmental impact report to be released *****
The report of a study on the nature and extent of potential environmental impact on Wong Chu Road and Lung Mun Road arising from the development of Tuen Mun Area 38 will be released on Monday (September 9).
"The study which started in December 1994 aims to provide information on the environmental impacts resulting from the road works and to recommend practical mitigation measures to minimise the potential impacts on the environment and residents," said a spokesman for the Highways Department.
The development of Tuen Mun Area 38 involves improvements to the junctions at both erids of Wong Chu Road. A bypass along the foothills of Castle Peak will also be built from Tuen Mun Area 45 at the north western of Melody Garden to Wong Chu Road.
"The road works will help overcome the anticipated traffic problems on Lung Mun Road and Wong Chu Road and to provide a main access for traffic to and from Area 38," said the spokesman.
Endorsed by the Tuen Mun District Board and the Advisory Council on the Environment, the report of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) recommends a series of mitigation measures for impacts during construction and operation in the future.
■ >
These include building a total enclosure for the section of Wong Chu Road outside On Ting Estate and Yau Oi Estate and noise barriers at some other places.
The EIA final report is on sale at $500 and its executive summary free of charge. Both are available at the Major Works Project Management Office of the Highways Department, third floor, Ho Man Tin Government Offices, 88 Chung Hau Street, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon.
They can also be seen at reference libraries of the Urban and Regional councils’ district central libraries at the City Hall, Kowloon Central, Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin and Tuen Mun.
End
2
Appeal to social security board drops ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Social Security Appeal Board has received a total of 113 appeals in 1995/96 - two cases less than the preceding year.
Among the appeals, 50 were for comprehensive social security assistance, 61 for social security allowance and two were associated with the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Scheme, according to the latest annual report of the Social Security Appeal Board.
’’All appeals were heard by members of the Board who are all unofficials appointed by the Governor,” a spokesman for the Board said today (Saturday).
"They act as an independent body to provide a means of redress for persons who are not satisfied with the decision of the Social Welfare Department in respect of eligibility and payment of social security benefits.”
The Board has so far heard 46 cases for 1995/96 and another 27 cases brought forward from previous years.
i.
Of these 73 appeals heard during the year, the Board confirmed the decision of the Social Welfare Department in 36 cases and varied the ruling of the other 37.
Of the 37 cases with decision in favour of the appellants, 32 - or 86 per cent - of them lodged their appeals against the medical assessment.
• . •«! • -JO'
To keep members of the public well inform of the appeal system, posters about the Appeal Board are displayed at all 33 social security field units throughout the territory as well as the Traffic Accident Victims Assistance Section. Leaflets are also available for collection at these offices.
In addition, whenever a person is notified in writing of the result of his application for social security benefits by the Social Welfare Department, he is also informed of his right to appeal to the Board if he is dissatisfied with the department's decision.
End
3
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations
*****
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change ($ million)
Opening balance in the account 1,962 09:30 NIL
Closing balance in the account 1,842 10:00 NIL
Change attributable to: 11:00 NIL
Money market activity NIL 11:30 NIL
LAF today -120
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.1 *+0.1* 7.9.96
End
Governor's "Letter to Hong Kong" * ♦ * ♦ ♦
The following is the full text of the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten's broadcast on RTHK's "Letter to Hong Kong" this (Sunday) morning:
Well, that wasn't a bad August for Hong Kong, was it?
The weather was less fierce than it's sometimes been in recent years. And we covered ourselves in glory on the sporting field - or, in the most celebrated case, sporting water. Everyone in Hong Kong is specially proud of our Paralympics and Olympics teams for all of whom I gave a government reception this week. They did marvellously well. We think above all of course of Lee Lai-san who won a gold medal in the Olympics, and Benny Cheung Wai-leung who won 4 gold medals in the Paralympics. But I'm sure that they would be the first to say that every member of both teams deserved a big pat on the back for trying their best and doing their best for Hong Kong.
- 4 -
Now, for those of us who’ve been on holiday, it’s back to work, although when I listen to one or two commentators there's apparently nothing left for us to do. That familiar old pet, the lame duck, has come quacking out of the house of political cliches. He was first sighted many years ago. Would you believe it, my distinguished predecessor the energetic and decisive Lord Maclehose was the first Governor to earn this sobriquet. After him the much loved Teddy Youde had the same things said about him. Then, too, my immediate predecessor, David Wilson. The lame duck quacks on. Firing a few shots into his feathers won't prevent his re-appearance. A lot of people find it easier to talk than think. But let's try to give his life a little context.
What's true? It's true, for a start, that a Governor of Hong Kong won't ever return from his summer holidays again. The fact that I'm the last of one breed, and my successor is the first of another, imposes a reality on events which it would be ludicrous to deny. Increasingly, the tough questions will be directed towards my successor, because he or she will have to answer for what happens from the second half of next year onwards. And my successor will have to give a vision for the future, in the same way that in 1992 when I arrived here I set out what I wanted to do -keeping our economy strong and competitive, opening up government and making it more accountable, putting in place more protection for our civil liberties as promised in the Joint Declaration, developing our social and educational programmes in a way we could afford. In short, ensuring that Hong Kong remained prosperous, socially and politically stable, and free.
But my shelf-life ends at the end of June, next year. No one seeks to prolong that, whatever the imaginative conspiracy theorists and the Communist press may say. 28th and last Governor means just that - 28th and last.
But what that does not mean - forgive the double negative - is that there's nothing left to do. Let me tell you what is going to keep me and my administration very busy for the next 10 months. I identify 5 main tasks.
First, we have to govern Hong Kong as well as we can. Government - good public administration - should be a seamless robe. We couldn't simply close down the government for the next 10 months and hope that it could be switched on again, like a sports coupe under winter wraps, next summer. We have to ensure that the economy stays strong; that investors stay confident; that the fight against inflation goes on; that the fight for greater competitiveness continues; that we see off the doomsters and any speculative sharks.
And we have to keep Hong Kong safe and orderly, too. Driving crime down. Fighting drugs. Hitting the triads. Supporting our police.
- 5 -
Remember the predictions, the forecasts of calamity, that we used to hear about Hong Kong in the last years of transition? The fact that those forecasts haven't come true is the result of many factors. But at least one of them is that Hong Kong has been well governed, carefully governed. Success isn't simply an accident. You've worked for it; the Government has worked for it. We intend to go on working for it.
Second, back in 1992 - and this was something that many people including Lee Kuan Yew encouraged me to do - back on those days I set out a five year agenda for Hong Kong. It's interesting to look back at the newspaper headlines from then. It was seen as a pretty bold programme, and some doubted how much of it we could achieve.
Much of it is now completed. And we do something which is unusual if not unique for modem governments. Every year we set out for you a clear record of what we've done against what we promised. What it shows is where we've fallen behind, and we naturally get criticised for that. But I hope that some people will also give us the credit for being honest.
My second task will be to try to complete successfully that 5 year agenda of change and renewal. Programmes for the elderly. For the disabled. For our school children, students and teachers. For the needy. For those at the frontiers of our commercial efforts.
A great deal has been achieved, but some things remain to be done.
For instance - and this is our third main task - we have to complete our programme of legislation to ensure that all our laws are in line with the international covenants and the Bill of Rights. There are some people who ask - why bother, if China's advisers are urging them to reverse all that you and LegCo do? There's a simple answer to that. I intend to see that we do all that we promised to do before 1st July 1997 to live up to the promises made to Hong Kong in the Joint Declaration. If others afterwards resile from their promises and obligations, than that's for them to explain. For our part, we’ll keep our word even if keeping our word is thought by some to be disgracefully provocative.
Fourth, we've still got quite a few important bits of work to do in the Joint Liaison Group. The much maligned JLG has actually got through much more work than it's been given credit for. But we're not yet at the end of the road, and time is running out. We shall also, as part of the work of managing the transition, wish to establish as good a co-operative relationship as possible with the Chief Executive-Designate and his or her team. That shouldn't be too difficult. After all, the likelihood is that most of those who are running Hong Kong today will be running Hong Kong tomorrow. And while there will obviously be some changes in policy, reflecting perhaps different perspectives and priorities, Hong Kong's social and economic record doesn't suggest that a complete overhaul of everything we do is required. There isn't too much wrong with Hong Kong today. Maybe the best analogy is that the car will need a good service rather than to be traded in for a completely different model.
6
Finally, there'll be one other task as well. To speak up for Hong Kong, here and abroad, and to argue with passion and conviction for the things, the values that have made Hong Kong such a success, a medal winner in almost every event.
Hong Kong is free. Hong Kong lives under the rule of law. Hong Kong has a clean government accountable to an increasingly democratic legislature and Hong Kong has a free and outspoken press. We are most likely to retain those things -whose future has been promised - if we speak up for them. "Go quietly into the night" has never struck me as a very good motto or guide to leadership in a free society. So I shall continue to speak out, without - as they say - fear or favour, and I hope you will, too.
End
Young offenders to stage Beating Retreat 1996 *****
The Correctional Services Department's (CSD) Beating Retreat 1996, an elaborate musical event featuring boy scouts and girl guides who are inmates of CSD institutions, will be held at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium on October 4 and 5.
The event is significant to both participants and organisers because it provides young inmates with the opportunity of serving the community as the proceeds will be donated to various charities. More importantly, it promotes the rehabilitation for young offenders.
In collaboration with the Scout Association of Hong Kong, CSD introduced scouting into training centres in 1986 and it is through scout training and activities that young offenders learn to acquire self-reliance, self-discipline, self-confidence and sense of responsibility - qualities they need to turn over a new leaf.
"Scouting has since become an established feature of character training for the training centre programme," said a CSD spokesman.
"The aim of scouting is to promote the physical, mental, social and spiritual development of young people so that they may take a constructive place in society.
"This is achieved by providing enjoyable and attractive scheme of progressive training based on the Scout Promise and Scout Law, and guided by adult leadership.”
The 221st Hong Kong Group was established in July 1986 for the inmates of Lai King Training Centre and Cape Collinson Correctional Institution with 78 inmates from the two training centres joining the Group voluntarily. Nineteen CSD staff were appointed scout leaders.
Today, some 250 scout members from the two training centres receive training under the leadership of 35 CSD staff. In the past 10 years, a total of 1,485 inmates had joined the Group at different times.
Activities and training for the young scouts include camping, expedition, community services, recreational activities and scouting skills such as knotting, map reading, firs-aid and orienteering.
Scout members also participate in activities at district, regional and international levels such as the Eastern District Scout Day, Scout Rally, Prince of Wales Competition and World Jamboree.
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Monday, September 9,1996
Contents Page No.
HK invited to join Bank for International Settlements....................... 1
Sites in Area 44 of Tuen Mun will be cleared................................ 2
CSD statement in response to newspaper report............................... 3
Application for primary one school places................................... 4
Tender for 5-year exchange fund notes to be held............................ 6
Report on social statistics published....................................... 8
Water storage figure........................................................ 8
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations........................ 9
1
HK invited to join Bank for International Settlements * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has been invited by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) to become a member by subscribing to its shares.
The invitation came after the Board of Directors of BIS met today (Monday) in Basle, Switzerland. The offer also extended to eight other central banks and monetary authorities, marking BIS's decision to enlarge its membership first time in 25 years.
Formalities related to the subscription of BIS shares will be completed in the next few months.
"This is very good news for Hong Kong," said the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang.
"The invitation to join the BIS is a clear recognition of Hong Kong's status as a leading and autonomous international financial centre and Hong Kong's increasingly active role in co-operation among central banks."
BIS was incorporated in 1930 to promote co-operation among central banks. Based in Basle, BIS is a prestigious bank for central banks. It has developed standards for banking supervision and payment systems that Hong Kong and most countries in the world have recognised and followed.
Taking up BIS shares will formalise Hong Kong's long association with the institution that has intensified in recent years.
Hong Kong is one of the 12 founding members of the Offshore Group of Banking Supervisors formed in 1980 at the instigation of the Basle Committee on Banking Supervision.
"As a member of the BIS, the HKMA will be able to participate more fully in BIS activities and policy discussions," the Chief Executive of HKMA, Mr Joseph Yam, said.
2
Noting that the People’s Bank of China has also been invited to join the BIS, Mr Yam said: "This goes to show that the international financial community is fully supportive of the 'one country, two systems' policy enshrined in the Basic Law."
Hong Kong and China are also independent members of other international organisations such as the Asian Development Bank and the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation.
End
Sites in Area 44 of Tuen Mun will be cleared ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Marine Department tomorrow (Tuesday) will seal off the road access to the waterfront sites in Area 44 of Tuen Mun where cargo operators are continuing to occupy the waterfront illegally and will proceed to clear the sites, said the Assistant Director of Marine, Mr Raymond Tang, today (Monday).
"We hope the operators would co-operate with the Marine Department by vacating the Area 44 sites which is required to be handed back to the Lands Department," Mr Tang said.
He said the new Tuen Mun public cargo working area (PCWA) in Area 16 which was opened on August 10 with much better facilities and road access was now available for them to continue their cargo handling business.
Mr Tang admitted that some operators resist moving to the new Tuen Mun PCWA because they object to the berths in the new PCWA being managed as "fastworking" berths.
He said the fast-working berth arrangement would improve the cargo throughput in each berth and the availability of berths to all users.
Flexibility in the application of fast-working berths will be applied and no cargo handling will be affected by the arrangement which is also well practised in the other PCWAs.
The operators in Area 44 insist on the new PCWA to be operated under the old system of berth management which is criticised by the Director of Audit and Public Accounts Committee. The old system of berth management is susceptible to abuse and monopolisation.
End
3
CSD statement in response to newspaper report *****
In response to a report in an English language newspaper this (Monday) morning that Vietnamese gang lords were running the Vietnamese migrant detention centres, the Correctional Services Department issued the following statement:
"The Correctional Services Department (CSD) takes pride in upholding the law and takes very seriously any allegation of wrong-doing, especially if it involves staff within the service.
"The allegations that so-called ‘big brothers’ actually run the detention centres and with the connivance of CSD officers, is totally unfounded.
"Allegations of the existence of so-called 'big brothers' in detention centres is not something that is new - from time to time such allegations are dusted off and presented as startling revelations.
"Our answer remains the same - if you have evidence of this sort of criminal activity by CSD staff, report it to the police or even the ICAC.
"The allegation that someone is collecting money for the use of bedspace is fraud and/or corruption. Let the relevant authorities investigate.
"In the early 1990's the Government, after consultation with a wide range of bodies including non-govemment organisations, agreed to a system, supervised by the UNHCR, whereby the Vietnamese detainees would elect representatives in certain aspects of their sections to look after the welfare of a particular subject, e.g. a hall representative to see to it that the food distribution was adequately supervised or that there is enough play equipment for children in the centre, etc.
"These representatives are elected by the Vietnamese detainees themselves and not selected as some would have us believe.
"Indeed, any candidate found to have a dubious background, one of which includes a history of exerting influence or intimidating others, would not be allowed to stand for election (this follows the spirit of Hong Kong's election process where persons with criminal records are not allowed to stand for general election).
4
"The CSD views the bullying of other detainees as a serious infringement of the discipline and security of the centres.
"We have, when sufficient evidence is available, taken action against such 'bullies' and have sought to reduce their malignant influence. This we will continue to do until all screened-out VMs have returned to Vietnam in accordance with internationally-accepted agreements."
r? • ■ • - • - ' ■
End
Application for primary one school places ♦ ♦ ♦ * *
Parents wishing to apply for primary one places in public sector schools for their children next September under the Primary One Admission (POA) System can obtain application forms from today (Monday) to September 27, Senior Education Officer, Mrs Lai Lau Shui-kuen, said.
Application for school entry through POA system in September 1997 is open to all Hong Kong children bom on or before December 31, 1991, except those who are studying in a primary school, or those aged six or over and have been allocated a primary one place previously, she said.
"Parents may obtain an application form, information leaflet and explanatory notes from the kindergartens their children studying.
"For children not attending kindergartens, application forms are available at Public Enquiry Service Centre of district offices and offices of the Education Department,” Mrs Lai said.
She stressed that if parents wished to apply for a discretionary place for their children, they should submit the completed form and all required documents directly to the government or aided primary school they intend to enter during office hours between September 23 to 27.
The school might either be within or outside the school net in which the child Jived. However, parents are strongly advised to select a neighbourhood school in order to reduce unnecessary transport problems and to consider the "points system" while selecting school.
5
Mrs Lai emphasised that parents should only submit one application form for each child.
. I
"If parents are found to have applied for more than one places in government or aided schools, their applications will be rendered void and no discretionary place will be allocated," she said.
Parents of children who cannot use Chinese as learning medium are requested to seek advice from the department's POA Unit at second floor, 269 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong, Tel 2832 7700, before submitting the application form.
"Schools receiving insufficient applications for discretionary places might not be allowed to operate primary one classes.
"In such cases, children already accepted by these schools for discretionary places will have to be subsequently reallocated to other schools which had vacancies," Mrs Lai said.
If parents wish to participate in central allocation only, they should send in the completed application form and relevant documents to one of the following collection centres from September 23 to 27 during office hours:
■■J <-J
♦ Primary One Admission Unit,
Lui Kee Education Services Centre,
second floor, 269 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai
* Education Department Kowloon Sub-office,
seventh floor, 405 Nathan Road, Kowloon
♦ Sha Tin District Office,
Public Enquiry Service Centre, first floor, Citylink Plaza, 1 Shatin Station Circuit, Sha Tin
* Tai Po District Office,
Public Enquiry Service Centre, ground floor, Tai Po Government Offices Building, 1 Ting Kok Road, Tai Po
♦ Tsuen Wan District Office,
Public Enquiry Service Centre,
first floor, Tsuen Wan Station Multi-Storey Car Park Building,
174-208 Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan
6
♦ Tuen Mun District Office,
Public Enquiry Service Centre, second floor, Tuen Mun Government Offices Building, 1 Tuen Hi Road, Tuen Mun
* Yuen Long District Office,
Public Enquiry Service Centre, ground floor, Yuen Long District Office Building, 269 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long
♦ North District Office,
Public Enquiry Service Centre,
ground floor, North District Government Offices, 3 Pik Fung Road, Fanling
Parents wishing to enrol their children at private primary schools or primary schools of the English Schools Foundation which are not included in the POA system should apply to those schools directly.
For updated information regarding the different stages of POA procedures, parents are welcome to use the department’s automatic telephone enquiry service on 2891 0088.
End
Tender for 5-year exchange fund notes to be held * * * ♦ ♦
Tender for the ninth issue of 5-year exchange fund notes will be held on September 16 for settlement on September 17, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) announces today (Monday).
Similar to the previous issue, an amount of $500 million 5-year notes will be on offer. In addition to that, another $100 million will be held as reserve by HKMA for supply to market makers in the secondary market.
The notes will mature on September 17, 2001, and will carry interest at the rate of 7.32% per annum payable semi-annually in arrears.
7
Members of the public who wish to tender for the notes may do so through any of the market makers or recognised dealers on the published list which can be obtained from HKMA at 30th floor, 3 Garden Road, Hong Kong, Tel 2878 8150. Each tender must be for an amount of $50,000 or integral multiples thereof.
The tender information for the ninth issue of 5-year exchange fund notes is as follows:
Issue number : 5109
Tender date and time 9 J • - . . » : Monday September 16, 1996, 9.30 am to 10.30 am
Issue and settlement date : Tuesday September 17, 1996
Amount on offer : $500 million plus an additional $100 million as reserve stock for the Monetary Authority
Maturity : Five years
Maturity date : September 17, 2001
Interest rate : 7.32% per annum payable semi-annually in arrears
Interest payment dates : Mar 17, 1997, Sep 18, 1997, Mar 17, 1998, Sep 17, 1998, Mar 17, 1999, Sep 17, 1999, Mar 17, 2000, Sep 18, 2000, Mar 19, 2001, Sep 17, 2001
Tender amount : Each tender must be for an amount of $50,000 or integral multiples thereof. Members of the public who wish to tender for the notes may approach market makers or recognised dealers on the published list
Other details : Please see information memorandum published or approach market makers or recognised dealers
End
8
Report on social statistics published *****
Special Topics Report No 13 on social statistics, containing findings of four special enquiries conducted by the Census and Statistics Department via the General Household Survey in different periods between November 1994 and August 1995, is published today (Monday).
The four topics included in the report are part-time employment; students taking up summer jobs; hospitalisation; and worker displacement.
The report is now on sale at $30 per copy at the Government Publications Centre, ground floor, Low Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong; and the Publications Unit of the Census and Statistics Department, 19th floor, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
End
Water storage figure ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Storage in Hong Kong’s reservoirs at 9 am today (Monday) stood at 95.4 per cent of Capacity or 556.852 million cubic metres.
This time last year the reservoirs contained 556.609 million cubic nietres of water, representing 95 per cent of capacity.
End
- 9 -
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 1,842 0930 +114
Closing balance in the account 1,980 1000 + 114
Change attributable to: 1100 + 114
Money market activity +108 1200 +114
LAF today +30 1500 + 108
1600 + 108
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.1 *+0.0* 9.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.02 2 years 2808 6.00 99.43 6.42
1 month 5.07 3 years 3907 6.80 100.25 6.81
3 months 5.24 5 years 5106 7.23 99.77 7.42
6 months 5.40 7 years 7308 7.24 97.85 7.79
12 months 5.81 5 years M5O3 7.35 98.89 7.77
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $15,582 million
Closed September 9, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Tuesday, September 10,1996
Contents Page No.
Transcript of FS’s media session....................................... 1
37th JLG meeting to be held in Peking.................................. 1
HK’s monetary system to remain independent after 1997 ................. 1
Beat drugs fund applications discussed................................. 4
Findings of sex knowledge of secondary students released............... 5
Sharp increase in spending on rural improvement works.................. 6
Announcements on school closure made on schedule: ED................... 8
EPD to commission consultant........................................... 9
218 VMs depart on orderly repatriation flights..................... 10
Monitors' report submitted to CS...................................... 10
Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results........................ 11
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations.................. 12
1
Transcript of FS's media session ♦ ♦ * * ♦
Following is the transcript of remarks by the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, on CT9 when questioned by the media at the doorstep of the Central Government Offices this (Tuesday) afternoon:
Question: What is the latest development of the CT9?
FS: The consortium has come to an agreement on how the various berths of the CT9 should be best utilised and we are discussing, putting this proposal to the Chinese side and we hope to bring this matter to finality at the next Joint Liaison Group meeting.
End
37th JLG meeting to be held in Peking
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The thirty-seventh meeting of the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group on Hong Kong will take place in Peking from September 17 to 19.
The British team will be led by the Senior Representative, Mr Hugh Davies. The other members of the British team will be the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs, Hong Kong Government, Mr Nicholas Ng; Counsellor, Office of the British Senior Representative, Sino-British Joint Liaison Group, Mr Alan Paul; and Political Adviser, Hong Kong Government, Mr Robert Peirce.
End
HK's monetary system to remain independent after 1997
*****
The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), Mr Joseph Yam, today (Tuesday) reassured international banking and investment community of Hong Kong's monetary autonomy after 1997.
Mr Yam was speaking at a seminar - Hong Kong's Monetary Arrangements through 1997 - organised by the Bank of England in London and chaired by its Governor, Mr Eddie George.
2
Other speakers included Deputy Governor of the People's Bank of China (PBoC), Mr Chen Yuan; Chairman of the HSBC Holdings plc, Sir William Purves; Chairman and President of the Bank of China, Mr Wang Xuebing; and Chairman of the Standard Chartered Bank plc, Mr Patrick Gillam.
In his introductory remarks, Mr George said the seminar was unprecedented in bringing together speakers from both the central banks and the major commercial banks and that the Bank of England fully supported the plan for monetary autonomy in Hong Kong.
"Today's seminar underlined the commitment on all sides to ensuring a smooth and stable transition," Mr George said.
Noting the enthusiastic involvement and the supporting statements made by the Bank of England, the PBoC and Hong Kong's three note-issuing banks at the seminar, Mr Yam said he was thankful of the wide support HKMA was getting from the central banking fraternity and the banking community.
He was confident that with such support, Hong Kong's status as an international financial centre will go from strength to strength.
In his speech, Mr Yam referred to and dispelled six popular myths about monetary affairs in Hong Kong.
He presented facts and analyses demonstrating that there will not be any erosion of the territory's monetary autonomy after 1997 and that there has not been and it is unlikely there will be massive capital flight from Hong Kong.
Hong Kong dollar would neither disappear nor be replaced by the Renminbi and the linked exchange rate would not break, he said, adding that the territory's reserves would not be absorbed by China and there would not be any deterioration of regulatory standards.
On the issue of monetary autonomy, Mr Yam said the monetary relationship between China and Hong Kong under the concept of "one country, two systems" had now been defined as one country with two currencies, two monetary systems and two monetary authorities which were mutually independent.
"The meaning of the term 'mutually independent' is clear in both the English and Chinese languages, and so there is no scope for misunderstanding.
3
"Insofar as the two currencies, the two monetary systems and the two monetary authorities are concerned, one does not have precedence over the other, one is not superior to the other and one does not take instructions from the other," said Mr Yam.
These messages on monetary autonomy were reinforced by Mr Chen who revealed the seven principles governing the monetary relationship between Hong Kong and the mainland in a speech referring to China’s policy on a crucial aspect of Hong Kong’s future.
These seven principles are:
* The Hong Kong dollar will be treated as foreign currency in the mainland while the Chinese Renminbi will be treated as foreign currency in Hong Kong reflecting the mutual independence of the two currencies after 1997.
* HKMA and PBoC will remain two mutually independent monetary authorities after 1997 and PBoC will not take the place of HKMA or set up an office in Hong Kong.
* HKMA and PBoC will continue to co-operate in prudential supervision of banking institutions according to international rules and practices.
♦ PBoC will fully support the currency stability of the Hong Kong dollar and that PBoC stands ready to use its foreign reserves for this purpose if necessary.
♦ The claims and liabilities between banks and companies from the mainland and those in Hong Kong will continue to be regarded as external claims and liabilities after 1997.
♦ Mainland financial institutions in Hong Kong will not receive any preferential treatment before or after 1997.
* Shanghai will not replace Hong Kong as an international financial centre.
Mr Chen also predicted that Hong Kong will continue its role as the most important funding centre for China and very likely for the Asian region as a whole.
End
4
Beat drugs fund applications discussed *****
The Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN) had discussed the supportworthiness of the applications to the Beat Drugs Fund at its meeting today (Tuesday) and made recommendations to the Beat Drugs Fund Association, the governing body of the Fund.
A total of 44 applications, seeking about $59.5 million, were received between April 30 to June 1 when applications for the first batch of grants of the fund were invited.
Among them, 21 asked for funding for projects on preventive education and publicity, 20 on treatment and rehabilitation and three on research.
The Chairman of ACAN , Professor C N Chen, said the enthusiastic responses to the Fund indicated a keen interest within the community to battle the drug menace.
ACAN's recommendations would shortly be considered by the Beat Drugs Fund Association. The results of the application are expected to be announced in late September or early October.
The $350-million Beat Drugs Fund was established in April to provide funding support to worthwhile projects which can help reduce the drug abuse problem. Applications to the Fund are invited twice a year.
At today's meeting, members of ACAN also discussed the drug statistics for the second quarter of 1996 compiled by the Government's Central Registry of Drug Abuse (CRDA).
The figures indicated that the number of reported drug abusers under 21 decreased by 14.2 per cent to 1,273 in the second quarter of 1996 from 1,484 in the corresponding period of last year.
Among them, 511 were newly reported, down by five per cent from 538 recorded in the second quarter of 1995.
During the second quarter of 1996, a total of 7,150 drug abusers of all ages were reported to CRDA, representing a slight decrease of 0.6 per cent from 7,194 in the same period last year.
5
Of them, 1,049 were reported for the first time, showing a decrease of 2.4 per cent from 1,075. The other 6,101 were previously reported, down by 0.3 per cent from 6,119.
This quarter registered an increase in the percentage of female drug abusers.
For female of all ages, the percentage rose from 11.2 per cent (805) to 12 per cent (860). For those under 21, an increase by 2.2 percentage points was noted although the actual figure decreased from 307 to 291.
Compared on the drug abuse pattern, a slight increase was noted in the mean initial age of drug abuse from 18.1 to 18.3 and the percentage of multiple drug abusers (from 3.7 per cent to 4.7 per cent).
For those under 21, the comparison indicated that the mean initial age of drug abuse decreased slightly from 15.4 to 15.3 while the percentage of multiple drug abusers dropped from 8.5 per cent (118) to 7.8 per cent (93).
On the treatment front, a total of 4,222 persons were admitted to the three government-funded treatment programmes during the second quarter of this year. The three programmes are voluntary in-patient treatment programme, the methadone programme and the compulsory placement programme.
Of them, 1,066 or 25.2 per cent were first-time admissions. These represented an increase in total admissions by nine per cent and an increase in new admissions by 2.1 per cent.
End
Findings of sex knowledge of secondary students released ♦ ♦ ♦ * *
The findings of a commissioned survey aimed at improving sex education in schools were released by the Education Department today (Tuesday).
The study on the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of secondary school pupils relating to sex was conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong by means of a questionnaire and a structured interview.
Some 4,600 secondary school students aged between 12 to 20 were approached from April to July last year and the findings showed that their sex knowledge was adequate.
6
Among the 21 items listed in the questionnaire testing their sex knowledge, the mean percentage score of the respondents was 68.4. The study showed that they obtained the knowledge mainly from newspapers and television programmes.
It was found that a large proportion of secondary school students had a relatively healthy concept regarding conventional marriage system.
However, some of them regarded divorce was inevitable and premarital sex was acceptable while more than half of them approved the concept of cohabitation and trial marriage.
Some 60 per cent of the students were of the view sex education was necessary. They preferred guidance teachers and social workers to conduct the sessions.
Among the top five interesting topics indicated by the students, three related to self-development. The most popular ones were self-understanding, interpersonal relationship and making friends.
. • ' ' ' • - * X i • -
The study concluded that schools should continue to play an important role to facilitate healthy sexual development of the young generation.
In order to induce quality services for students, the study held that it was time to implement sexuality curricula for guidance teachers and social workers and to explore alternative insturctional methods.
The Principal Inspector (Biological Science), Mr Ho Chung-nin, said the Education Department would study the findings with a view to improving sex education in schools.
End
Sharp increase in spending on rural improvement works *****
To improve the environment and development in the New Territories, the Home Affairs Department (HAD) will spend a total of $280 million on some 220 projects for the Rural Planning and Improvement Strategy (RPIS) Minor Works Programme in 1996-97, the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Michael Suen, said today (Tuesday).
Speaking at a luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of The Peak, Mr Suen pointed out that the budget represented a 15-fold increase in five years over the expenditure on local public works undertaken in 1991-92.
7
He said HAD had introduced a two-tier administrative structure - the RPIS Minor Works Steering Committee and the nine NT district working groups - to enhance local participation in the formulation of the programme and facilitate consultation with rural residents in November 1994 when it took over the RPIS Minor Works programme from the Territory Development Department (TDD).
The Steering Committee, chaired by the Director of Home Affairs, comprised the NT District Board Chairmen, Heung Yee Kuk representatives and senior government representatives while the district working groups, chaired by their respective district officers, included local leaders and departmental representatives.
They were tasked with overseeing the general programme and offering advice and assistance to help expedite the RPIS Minor Works projects, identifying and setting priorities for projects.
The close relationship established between HAD and rural villagers and the two-tier administration structure allowed the department to gain a better understanding of the villagers' needs in improving their living standards and conditions and to meet those needs, Mr Suen said.
To avoid time consuming problems previously encountered in resuming private land, Mr Suen said HAD would try to carry out most of the projects on government land.
• * •
"This also gives the department better control over the projects' completion date," he added.
Mr Suen also said the department had been employing outside specialist contractors in the design and construction of the projects. By doing so, he believed it could alleviate the Government's manpower shortage while providing employment opportunities to local residents.
He noted that the most suitable contractors were hired to carry out the works giving the best value for money through open bidding.
RPIS programme was endorsed by the Executive Council in 1989. It was divided into two segments - with TDD being responsible for all the major public works in the programme and HAD undertook minor works projects, valued less than $15 million each.
The Administration has earmarked $1.6 billion for a 10-year minor works programme of infrastructural development and environmental improvement.
End
8
Announcements on school closure made on schedule: ED *****
In response to media reports on school closure announcements made during the passage of Typhoon Sally, an Education Department spokesman said today (Tuesday):
"There are standard procedures to ensure that the department's public announcements on school closure or resumption of classes reach the public in good time. The department's pledge is that announcements for AM classes and PM classes would be made no later than 6.15 am and 11 am respectively.
"At about 6 am, less than half an hour after the change of tropical cyclone signal from No 8 to No 3, our spokesman spoke live on Commercial Radio and RTHK, followed by an announcement transmitted via the Government Information Services.
"It was announced that whole-day schools and AM schools would be suspended, as road conditions were not stable and there had been reports of dangerous scaffoldings and fallen trees.
"At the same time, pupils of PM schools were asked to watch for further announcements to be made before 11 am. Thus these pupils have been alerted of possible resumption seven hours before their classes were due to begin.
"Safety of children, as reflected in forecasts by the Royal Observatory, together with weather and road conditions at the time, are taken into account in deciding whether or not classes should be suspended. Naturally, the desirability of keeping these children away from school despite normal weather and road conditions was another factor for consideration.
"Conditions were back to normal when all tropical cyclone signals were lowered at 10.15 am. Hence, a decision was made that afternoon and evening classes could resume.
"The announcement concerning afternoon classes was transmitted by group fax from the department's Information Unit direct to TV and radio stations at 10.36 am, 21 minutes after the Royal Observatory's lowering of all tropical cyclone signals, with the first announcement broadcast on RTHK Radio-1 (Chinese) at 10.48 am.
i
- 9 -
’’Meanwhile, the message was also transmitted via the Government Information Services to ensure that it is received by electronic media stations.
"The timing of this announcement also fulfils the department’s performance pledge for the first such announcement to be made before 11 am for afternoon classes.
’’The department will continue to exercise flexibility in executing the standard procedures so as to keep the public informed at the earliest possible moment."
End
A
EPD to commission consultant * ♦ * + *
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) will commission a consultant to determine an appropriate scope and strategy for obtaining International Standards Organisation (ISO) certification under ISO 14000 and IS09000 for some of its activities, the Director of Environmental Protection, Mr Robert Law, said today (Tuesday).
Speaking at the Asian Productivity Organisation Workshop on ISO 14000 Environmental Management Systems (EMS) for small and medium enterprises, Mr Law said this was to ensure that the services delivered by the department could meet the expectation of the local community in both quality and environmental aspects.
He said the ISO 14000 EMS standards would enable businesses to use resources more effectively, operate in a more environmentally friendly way and ultimately become more competitive.
"As the local statutory pollution control authority, we firmly believe that this voluntary standard, coupled with a third party certification mechanism, would provide us with an indication that an organisation is taking a positive attitude towards environmental protection.
"In exercising our statutory functions we would certainly take certification under IS014000 into account," he said.
Mr Law thanked the Hong Kong Productivity Council for organising this series of workshops, which he said should provide opportunities for participants from the 19 Asian countries to exchange their experience, knowledge and know-how on the development and implementation of the ISO 14000 EMS standards.
End
10
218 VMs depart on orderly repatriation flights *****
Two groups totalling 218 Vietnamese migrants (VMs) returned by air to Hanoi, Vietnam, today (Tuesday) on the 57th and 58th flights under the Orderly Repatriation Programme (ORP).
All of the returnees, comprising 101 men, 51 women, 40 boys and 26 girls, are from North Vietnam.
The majority of them arrived in Hong Kong in 1989, with the remaining in 1991, 1995 and 1996.
The two groups brought the total number repatriated on ORP flights to 5,487 since November 1991.
End
Monitors’ report submitted to CS
*****
The monitors appointed to observe the Orderly Repatriation Programme operation this (Tuesday) morning have submitted their report to the Chief Secretary.
The two monitors comprised a non-official Justice of the Peace, Mrs Justina Leung Ngai Mou-yin; and representative from a non-govemment organisation, Ms Phoenix Leung from Oxfam, Hong Kong.
End
11
Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results
*****
Tender date 10 Sept 1996 10 Sept 1996
Paper on offer EF bills EF bills
Issue number Q637 H673
Issue date 11 Sept 1996 11 Sept 1996
Maturity date 11 Dec 1996 12 Mar 1997
Coupon - -
Amount applied HK$5,930 MN HK$5,120MN
Amount allotted HK$ 1,500 MN HKS800 MN
Average yield accepted 5.22 PCT 5.39 PCT
Highest yield accepted 5.23 PCT 5.39 PCT
Pro rata ratio About 54 PCT About 86 PCT
Average tender yield 5.25 PCT 5.42 PCT
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
Tenders to be held in the week beginning 16 Sept 1996
Tender date 16 Sept 1996 17 Sept 1996
Paper on offer EF notes EF bills
Issue number 5109 Q638
Issue date 17 Sept 1996 18 Sept 1996
Maturity date 17 Sept 2001 18 Dec 1996
Tenor 5 years 91 days
Amount on offer HKS500+100MN HK$1,5OO+3OOMN
End
■i
- 12 -I
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations
*****
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change ($million)
Opening balance in the account 1,980 0930 . -24
Closing balance in the account 2,384 1000 -24
Change attributable to: 1100 -24
Money market activity +76 1200 -24
LAF today +328 1500 +76
1600 +76
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.2 *+0.1* 10.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.07 2 years 2808 6.00 99.49 6.38
1 month ’ 5.07 3 years 3907 6.80 100.31 6.79
3 months 5.24 5 years 5106 7.23 99.92 7.38
6 months 5.40 7 years 7308 7.24 98.00 7.76
12 months 5.80 5 years M5O3 7.35 99.05 7.73
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $9,329 million
.J V-b'
Closed September 10, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL.: 2842 8777
Wednesday, September 11,1996
Contents Page No,
Two New Territories lots to let........................................ j
Education Sunday to mark new school year............................... I
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations................... 2
- 1 -
Two New Territories lots to let ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Lands Department is inviting tenders for the short-term tenancies of two pieces of government land in Kwai Chung.
The two lots are located at Container Port Road South, each with an area of about 18,000 square metres.
Both are earmarked for consolidation and handling of container cargoes, storage of containers and other non-offensive goods. The tenancy is for one year, renewable monthly.
The closing date for submission of tenders is noon on September 27.
Tender forms, tender notices and conditions can be obtained from the Lands Department, 14th floor, Murray Building, Garden Road, and the district lands offices of Kowloon and Kwai Tsing.
Tender plans can also be inspected at these offices.
- ni;
End
Education Sunday to mark new school year ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Special church services to mark the start of the new school year will be held on Sunday (September 15) which has been designated Education Sunday.
An Education Officer, Mr Leung Cheuk, said teachers and students are welcome to attend the services at the following churches:
♦ Catholic Cathedral
16 Caine Road, Hong Kong
* St John’s Cathedral
Garden Road, Hong Kong
(Chinese Service) 11 am
(English Service) 11.30 am
St Teresa’s Church 258 Prince Edward Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon
(English Service) 11.15 am
t
- 2 -
* Holy Trinity Church 135 Ma Tau Chung Road, Kowloon City, Kowloon
(Chinese Service) 11 am
Attending the service will be the acting Director of Education, Mr Kwan Ting-fai (Catholic Cathedral); acting Deputy Director of Education, Mr Tsui See-ming (St John's Cathedral); Principal Education Officer, Mr Chong Kwok-kit (St Teresa's Church); and Assistant Director of Education , Mr Tong Kai-hong (Holy Trinity Church).
End
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 2,384 0930 -326
Closing balance in the account 1,812 1000 -326
Change attributable to: 1100 -321
Money market activity -332 1200 -321
LAF today -240 1500 -321
1600 -332
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.4 *+0.2* 11.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.03 2 years 2808 6.00 99.42 6.42
1 month 5.06 3 years 3907 6.80 100.21 6.83
3 months 5.23 5 years 5106 7.23 99.78 7.41
6 months 5.41 7 years 7308 7.24 97.79 7.80
12 months 5.79 5 years M5O3 7.35 98.75 7.80
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $13,634 million
Closed September 11, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Thursday, September 12,1996
Contents Page No,
Transcript of the Governor’s media session.............................. 1
Governor’s Employment Summit opening statement.......................... 5
Governor’s Employment Summit closing statement.......................... 8
Efforts to match job seekers and vacancies continued................... 10
Considerable successes action against illegal employment............... 12
Ways to curb overseas property sales advertisment issued............ 15
Government statement on the outcome of judicial review................. 17
CS to launch first Hong Kong promotion in Australia................. 18
New measure to encourage hotel development............................. 19
External trade statistics by country and commodity for July............ 21
/Second dose....
Contents
Page No,
Second dose measles vaccine for P6 pupils to be introduced.............. 31
Parade to mark Royal Air Force farewell................................. 31
Insider Dealing Tribunal lay members appointed.............................. 32
236 VMs depart on orderly repatriation flights.............................. 33
Monitors' report submitted to CS............................................ 34
Postal services to Burundi temporary suspended.............................. 34
The weather of Augsut....................................................... 34
Air quality model for Hong Kong............................................. 37
Grading of beach water quality.............................................. 38
Prestige annual stamp album will be on sale................................. 42
Arch SD exhibition moves to Kwai Chung...................................... 43
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations........................ 44
1
Transcript of the Governor’s media session ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Following is the transcript of the media session by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, after the Summit on Employment this (Thursday) afternoon:
Governor: Good afternoon. We have had another useful discussion on employment. This is the third of the summits that we have had on employment. The first was in the summer of last year, then we had a second one in November of last year when the unemployment rate stood at 3.6 per cent, and this was the third and it was against a background, I think, of considerable improvement in the employment situation which we very much hope will be sustained.
Unemployment now stands at 2.9 per - fallen from 3.6 per cent. It is the lowest level for 14 months and the aggregate figure is that the number of people unemployed has fallen from 110,000 to about 90,000. There have also been improvements in the underemployment figures as well, so it definitely represents a move in the right direction which I think is largely a result of the figures for the creation of new jobs and the figure for the number of people in the labour market coming into line. They had drifted out of balance last year with such a large number of people joining our labour force here in Hong Kong, both because of returning emigrants and for other demographic reasons as well.
The improvement in the position does not make any of us complacent, and I don’t think should take our eye off the long term which all my colleagues, the other panellists representing employers and employees, were very keen to focus on today.
There are a number of things that have to concern us and continue to concern us. The first is the improvement of our labour market programmes. We have, I think, successfully developed our local employment services and our job matching programme. The numbers who are gaining employment with the help of those programmes has increased very steadily but we obviously want to be even more proactive and even more successful with those programmes.
We have also, of course, taken tougher measures against illegal employment, increasing the number of people who have been involved in policing the labour market and increasing the penalties for abuses and for breaking the law importing illegal labour.
2
Thirdly, we have of course been attempting to establish schemes for the importation of labour which meet our requirements as a modem developed economy while at the same time carrying the support of employers and employees. Now, that has not proved easy but we want to continue to try to work with employers and employees to get the best possible balance and to get a programme which everybody thinks in the circumstances is a reasonable one for an economy like ours which is still growing at a steady rate, a trend rate of about 5 per cent a year.
For the longer term - and I repeat it is where our panellists concentrated their attention - for the longer term what we have been particularly concerned about is to ensure that Hong Kong has the vocational training and the retraining that we need. We have had a couple of consultancies looking at those two issues. We will be consulting widely on the way ahead and I hope that we will be able to agree to proposals with the employers and employees which will ensure that we are able to improve our skill base in Hong Kong and give people the opportunity of moving from one area of employment to another as quickly as possible.
The Financial Secretary of course announced in his Budget a number of measures for giving greater assistance to the service industries which are now such an important source of employment in Hong Kong but that does not mean that we can forget the extremely important role played by manufacturing, and we will continue to try to work with our manufacturers to meet their principal requirements.
Overall, the best way we can help sustain high levels of employment in Hong Kong is by retaining our competitive edge. The international think-tanks have been pretty complimentary about us over the last year and of course so has the International Monetary Fund, but we are always open to advice and always aware that we have got to keep ahead of the competition. But I am grateful for everybody who took part in the discussion today. As ever the conversation was a lively one and I am sure the debate will continue well after today’s summit.
Question: Governor, some trade unions, while welcoming what they call 'short term improvements' say that the Government's proposals do not go far enough. How would you react to this criticism?
Governor: I think I mentioned that what we are most concerned about is what is done in the long term and there I think the focus has got to be on training, on retraining, above all, and I hope that the measures that we bring forward in both those areas will command the confidence of the employees as well as the employers.
Question: Governor, my question is not about employment, but recently the Hong Kong people held a demonstration against... strong protest the occupation of Japan of the islands. So what is your opinion about this?
Governor: It is of course a foreign policy issue and therefore not one on which it is really appropriate for me to comment. But of course I recognise the strength of feelings locally. I hope those feelings will continue to be expressed in an orderly and restrained and dignified fashion. And like everybody else, I hope that that dispute and others in the region can be solved peacefully as soon as possible.
Question: But some of them have been looking for boats to the island to demolish the Japanese lighthouse. Do you think it is a rational decision as there may be dangers?
Governor: I very much hope that the issue can be solved peacefully and through discussion.
Question: Mr Patten, I wonder ... according to a survey the real wages of the employees have been ... So do you think really there is a real improvement and what will the Government do to lift the living standard of the employees?
Governor: A lot of the employees' representatives today were claiming that there had been some reduction, certainly in comparison with inflation, in real wages. I think over the years real wages have been increasing as Hong Kong's economy has grown. Certainly the latest figures, I think, on wages suggest that there has been a real increase. The most important thing the Government can do is to abate inflation, as we have been doing. It is now about half the level it was at the year before I arrived as Governor in Hong Kong. 1 think that it is important as well for Government to ensure that employees and businesses on their profits pay as low taxes as possible.
What is 1 think always difficult for employees to understand is why governments in some other places take such a high proportion of their income in tax. Fortunately, that is not the case here.
Question: Mr Patten, as the Government promised some more things will be done on the employees retraining programme, does it mean that the Government will financially inject into the ... ?
Governor: We want to make sure - it is a point that we have made clear to Mr Tam -we want to make sure that he has in the retraining board the resources that are required to do the job which our economic needs themselves require, so we do not want to see training or retraining starved of funds.
4
Question: Governor, what is your reaction to the judicial review this morning about civil servants serving on the Selection Committee?
Governor: We believe that the policy we have pursued is the right and sensible one. We think it has been striking a good balance between on the one hand allowing civil servants over the years to pursue their political interests, their interests as citizens, while on the other hand retaining the public’s faith in the political neutrality of the civil service. We think that the arrangements that we had proposed as far as the Preparatory Committee and the Selection Committee were concerned were sensible arrangements and we are pleased that they have received a legal endorsement again today.
Question: Governor, I would like to ask you one question. There are a lot of employers claiming that the supplementary labour scheme is not really working and that they ask you to speed up the scheme. What do you think?
Governor: We think that it is early days. We think that the figures will look a lot more substantial over the coming weeks and months as the LAB process a large number of applications and the visas follow those applications. We have promised, as you know, a full scale review of the scheme when the figure of people using the scheme reaches 2,000 but in the meantime we will take account of all the proposals put to us by employers and employees. It is in everybody’s interests that we have as effective and efficient a scheme as possible. We have had a number of particular proposals put to us by the Hong Kong employers and by others and we will be looking at them.
Question: Mr Patten, does that mean that you won't do anything as far as the importation of labour is concerned - I mean the quota, the importation quota is concerned, the Government won't do anything until the review is carried out?
Governor: We are always in the position of wanting to improve our administrative arrangements if we can do so but there won’t be a fundamental review of the scheme until we have reached the 2,000 figure. In the meantime we will make any improvements which seem to us to be sensible.
Question: Governor, you mentioned that the long term work of the Government, the Government's plan to tackle the unemployment situation is to put emphasis on the training and retraining side and we know that there are two consultation studies - on the VTC and ERB. Can you disclose something about the result and what will the Government specifically do to improve the training and retraining ...?
5
Governor: I think it would be both unwise and unreasonable of me to say what we are proposing to do before we have consulted on those studies because we want to have the advice of the employers and employees as well as, of course, as the informed and experienced input that we will get from the Employees Retraining Board, and in addition to that from those who have been involved in vocational training in Hong Kong for many years.
We are talking about a huge contribution to the skills of our work force. We are talking, I suppose, in any one year of the training which about 150,000 Hong Kong people, Hong Kong men and women receive. That is an enormous contribution to their well-being and it is a considerable contribution to Hong Kong’s as well. We don’t have any natural resources in Hong Kong except the people who live here and that is why investment in education and training is so vitally important and that is why we want to work with Mr Tam and the Employees Retraining Board and we want to work with the Vocational Training Council in ensuring that Hong Kong has a first-class set of training arrangements as well as a first-class education system. Thank you very much indeed.
End
Governor's Employment Summit opening statement ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Following is a transcript of the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten’s opening statement at the third Summit on Employment held today (Thursday):
Good afternoon and welcome. I feel slightly discriminated against - there is no bitter melon today.
When we held the last summit on employment about 10 months ago in November last year, it is worth recalling that our unemployment rate was at what I think was a ten year high point of 3.6%. As one might expect in a dynamic economy like ours, the labour market has undergone very considerable changes since then.
I think it is useful to have this meeting today and I am grateful to all of you for attending when I know you have got many other responsibilities. I think it is a useful time for us to take stock of the latest developments in the labour market, to look at the results of what we have done so far to tackle the unemployment and related problems, and perhaps to exchange views about what has gone wrong and what may have gone slightly better. We will be interested to hear from you about any improvements you think we should make in our existing labour market arrangements or any changes that we should make to the measures introduced during the last nine or 10 months.
6
We also need, obviously, to chart a course for human resources development in Hong Kong for the 21st century, and that has a particular bearing on what we do about training and retraining.
Let me say a few words about the latest labour market situation. During the past ten months we have obviously seen some encouraging improvements. The provisional seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has fallen from the then high of 3.6 to 2.9 per cent. It is the first time it has fallen below 3% in the past 14 months with the number of unemployed people coming down from the peak figure of over 110,000 from August to October 1995 to around 90,000 at the latest count. The underemployment rate has also fallen gradually from 2.2% around November last year to 1.6% in the three months ending June 1996. There have been a number of factors underlining these encouraging indicators.
First there has been an across the board strengthening in demand for labour in various major service sectors as well as in the construction sector - that is the one that of course was most hard hit by the unemployment problem over the past year - and that has been shown by a sustained pick-up of employment in these sectors.
Second, there has been a gradual downward adjustment in the growth rate of total labour supply towards a level close to the growth in total employment. You may remember that at the time of the last summit we had seen quite a substantial increase in the number of jobs being created in the economy, but an even larger increase in the supply of labour which was working in Hong Kong.
The number of vacancies has fallen from slightly over 50,000 in September last year to 41,300 in December, and then risen again to around 49,000 in the spring of this year, in March. And that, I suppose, indicates there are still plenty of jobs available in the market.
Against the decline in the number of unemployed persons and the improvement in the vacancy situation there has been a reduction in the net shortfall of vacancies over the unemployed in the labour market, mainly as a result of first a drop in the total net shortfall of vacancies over the numbers employed - that has been mostly in manufacturing, restaurants and hotels and the wholesale and retail trades; second, the rise in the net surplus of vacancies over the numbers unemployed in the import/export sector, in financing, in insurance, in real estate and in business services; third, there has been a slight decrease in the net shortfall for certain jobs, including clerical jobs, service and shop sales jobs and those requiring little or no skill; and finally, there has been a noticeable increase in the surplus of vacancies in the professional, associate professional and technician categories. These improvements are obviously largely driven by general economic factors but the package of measures to tackle the unemployment problem which we promulgated during the last two summit meetings has certainly played a part in the process.
7
During the past 10 months I think we have made good progress on measures first of all to help local workers find jobs by expanding our job matching and placement services. Second, to protect the employment interests of local workers by tackling illegal employment - as you know, we have put much more effort into that and of course increased the fines. And thirdly, to deal with a genuine manpower shortage facing employers by introducing the Supplementary Labour Scheme which I imagine will once again be the subject of some discussion and occasional disagreement during the course of this afternoon if what I heard on the radio this morning was anything to go by.
But there is no room for complacency. We still need to redress the mismatch and to help the unemployed and displaced workers to find jobs. We will therefore continue with these efforts with vigour and will endeavour to improve their effectiveness. Both the Secretary for Education and Manpower and the Secretary for Security will expand on these areas in their presentations a little later.
On top of these measures we are planning to take things forward, to chart the way ahead, in respect of employment, vocational education and retraining basing on the results of the consultancy studies we have recently undertaken on vocational education, on employees retraining and on age discrimination in employment. And Joseph will later explain to you in detail our latest thinking on all these aspects of the labour market.
On measures to facilitate economic development much has been done to sustain and promote the development of the services sector, and the Financial Secretary is going to speak on this in a moment.
The success of these employment related measures so far shows how effective it can be if both employers and employees do work together for the common good of the community. To map the way forward I certainly have to count on you all again for your continued co-operation.
What I would now like to do is to invite my colleagues from the Administration to report on the progress we have made since November last year. Then I would like to ask the panellists representing both the employers and the employees to set out their views. And then we will have a general discussion inviting you to comment from the floor - and there will be no discrimination against those who wear ties or fail to wear ties, I can assure you of that.
Can I first of all ask you, Donald, if you could begin the discussion.
End
8
Governor’s Employment Summit closing statement ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Following is the transcript of the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten's closing statement at the third Summit on Employment held today (Thursday):
Perhaps I can just try to summarise what was becoming, I think, an agreeably more lively discussion as we went on.
As in previous meetings we have heard the concerns of employers and employees put forward very clearly and cogently. I think to be fair and to respond to Mr Lee Cheuk-yan, maybe today it was employers who were talking more about the importation of labour, but certainly at previous meetings it has been the representatives of employees who have spoken cogently and eloquently about the importation of labour, so I don't think it is fair to, as it were, turn the tables on the employers in that way.
What we are trying to find - and I am sorry if the attempt to find a consensus is regarded by some people as irredeemably wet - but what we are trying to find is an approach to the importation of labour which meets our requirements as a modem developed economy and which can carry the support of both employers and employees. Now if we have got it wrong, if we have moved too far in a particular direction, if there are improvements in our bureaucratic arrangements that we could make, then we will want to do that and we will want to do it with as much support as possible, using the admirable institutional machinery of the LAB.
But I must say I do think that sometimes we get these figures, or some of these figures, slightly out of context. I would like to see the figures for the total increase in labour coming from abroad compared with the sort of figures we have been talking about, even at maximum, through the Supplementary Labour Scheme. We have about a net return of former Hong Kong citizens back to Hong Kong of twenty or thirty thousand a year. We have got all those with professional skills who fall quite outside these arrangements, these schemes. So we are not talking about these very small numbers joining the Hong Kong labour force, we are talking about much larger numbers. And maybe the reason why we don't acknowledge that sufficiently is we are not quite sure that we like the political consequences of doing so. But the fact of the matter is that there are quite a lot of people joining our labour market from other countries every year.
9
The other thing that I think it is important for us to remember is this is an economy which is increasing the number of jobs in it by 3 to 3.5 per cent a year. There are of course some economies around the world and around the region which are doing better than that but it is a pretty good striking rate. And we are, it is worth noting, doing that year after year, increasing the number of job opportunities for people in this economy.
I think that it is important for us to focus, as far as we can, on the ways in which we can continue to improve the mechanisms of the labour market to put people without a job in touch with the vacancies which are still there. I think it is extremely important that, as a number of speakers have suggested, that we work very rapidly after the studies have been completed on vocational training and on retraining to make sure that we have got the best possible arrangements for raising the skill levels of our workforce and allowing workers to move from one sector to another. And it is of course important for us, as Peter was saying earlier, to clamp down vigilantly on illegal employment and to make sure that unscrupulous employers and illegal workers are warned of the consequences of what they are doing.
The long term was touched on by the Financial Secretary in his contribution. The importance of us maintaining a highly competitive economy, the importance of us helping some of the new sectors where there is so much employment, like in services, without ignoring the important contribution which manufacturing makes to our economic well-being.
Most of the adjustments that have been made in our economy over the years have been made by the private sector, by adjustments within what is still perhaps the most open market in the world. I totally accept that there is an important role for government to support those market driven changes but I must say I would be pretty suspicious of any proposition that the Government itself should start intervening more and the Government should try to second-guess the market and try to get into the business once again which some European governments have done, with I think considerable damage to their economies, of attempting to discover winners and back them only to discover invariably that they were actually pouring a lot of money into losers.
The job for government is to make sure that we have the right educational skills, to make sure that we have the best sort of training, to make sure that we run our economy with the lowest possible tax with the maximum macro-economic success. And I think, to be honest, that if we can go on getting the sort of reports that we had recently from the International Monetary Fund, we won’t be doing badly. I think that is an objective for all of us.
10
We will follow up the ideas and the proposals which have been put forward today. We are obviously particularly concerned at the number of employers who have been raising some of the difficulties they have experienced with the Supplementary Labour Scheme. We will look at those without, I hope, getting the figures out of context and without ignoring what is happening overall in the labour market to which the SLS even if we had got to the 2,000 level would be making a very small contribution.
But thank you once again all of you for coming here today. I make no excuse whatsoever for trying to build a consensus on these issues. There is in Hong Kong a surprising degree of social stability and political moderation in comparison with other places in the region and other places in the world and I think those things are worth hanging on to and I am grateful to all of you for the contribution you make to that. Thank you very much.
End
Efforts to match job seekers and vacancies continued ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Government, with the support of employers and employees, has managed to achieve good results in tackling unemployment and redressing the ’mismatch' in the labour market.
However, the Government believes that long-term solution lies in equipping the territory's workforce with the necessary skills and expertise to cope with changing demands of the economy.
This was stated today (Thursday) by the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph W P Wong, when addressing the third Governor's Summit Meeting on Employment.
Mr Wong said the two separate consultancy studies commissioned by his Branch to study the direction, strategy and management structure of the Vocational Training Council and the Employees Retraining Board were nearing completion.
"The relevant bodies and other interested parties will shortly be consulted on the recommendations.
11
’’The Government is determined to ensure the provision of the most efficient, cost-effective and market responsive training and retraining programmes for our workers well into the 21st century”, Mr Wong said.
Noting that the 'mismatch’ in the labour market was largely a product of the restructuring process of Hong Kong's economy, Mr Wong said the Government had been using a three-dimension approach to solve the problem.
They include: (a) helping the unemployed find jobs to fill the vacancies in the market; (b) implementing a suitable labour importation policy to cope with the possible manpower shortage facing employers; and (c) ensuring that the labour force possess the requisite skills to cope with the needs of the Hong Kong economy in the longer term.
To help the unemployed rejoin the workforce was the Government's top priority in solving the employment problems, Mr Wong stressed, pointing out that the Labour Department had expanded its free employment services to cater for the needs of different job-seekers.
From November 1995 to July 1996, the Local Employment Service (LES) of the department had placed over 19,500 job seekers as against around 14,000 for the same period last year, representing an increase of 46 per cent.
Within LES, the Job Matching Programme (JMP) has been open to unemployed job-seekers of all ages from February. The service has been made more efficient with the installation of a computer network system at all the nine LES offices to facilitate the sharing of vacancy information.
As at the end of July, a total of 10,244 job-seekers have registered with JMP and 5,928 job offers have been secured for them, representing a consistent success rate of around 75 per cent, up from 64 per cent at the time of the last Summit.
Other arrangements put in place by the Labour Department are: a Job Matching Centre tasked with matching job-seekers to fill vacancies under the Supplementary Labour Scheme (SLS); an outreaching placement service for providing on-the-spot registration service to workers affected by major retrenchments; and the Special Placement Service for the New Airport and Related Projects.
In addition, the Airport Authority and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation have jointly operated a job centre for the airport related projects.
Mr Wong appealed to employers who are looking for staff, and workers who may need employment assistance, to make good use of these services.
12
On labour importation scheme, he reiterated that the objectives of SLS were to ensure that local workers would have priority in employment, and that only those employers who were genuinely unable to recruit local workers for certain vacancies would be allowed to import workers to fill such places.
He encouraged employers and employees to give their views when the administration conduct a review of the Scheme after 2,000 visa applications have been approved.
Outlining the significant changes that had been introduced when SLS was introduced in February, Mr Wong said the administration had dispensed with the much-criticised industry quota system by allowing each application to be considered on its own merits, mainly through the wage and job requirement screening process and the mandatory local recruitment test.
In addition, SLS is a more open and transparent scheme than the previous General Labour Importation Scheme as the operation is being monitored by the Labour Advisory Board. So far, 900 applications for imported workers covering a wide variety of posts have been approved.
To guard against abuses of the labour importation schemes, the Labour Department has introduced a series of measures such as stepping up inspections, conducting more on-site briefings for workers to familiarise them with their rights and benefits and setting up a 24-hour complaints and interactive telephone enquiry service.
End
Considerable successes action against illegal employment ♦ ♦ * * ♦
The Government has achieved considerable successes in recent months in combating illegal employment through a combination of enforcement action, legislative and administrative improvements and public education, the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai, said.
With the doubling of the size of the Immigration Task Force since last October, Mr Lai . aid from January to August this year the Immigration Department had conducted 985 anti-illegal employment operations, including joint operations with the Police and the Labour Department.
13
"As a result, 3,024 illegal workers, and 1,139 suspected employers of illegal workers have been arrested. Some 2,328 illegal workers and 415 employers have been prosecuted," said Mr Lai at the Governor's third Summit Meeting on Employment this (Thursday) afternoon.
He stressed that these results should not be seen as a matter of short-term expediency as the Government had always regarded the combating of illegal employment one of its priorities.
He said prosecution of both illegal workers and employers of illegal workers had been increasing since 1993.
"We prosecuted 2,531 illegal workers in 1993; we prosecuted 4,683 illegal workers in 1995.
"In 1993, we prosecuted 519 employers of illegal workers; in 1995 we prosecuted 1,170 employers," he said.
The increases, since January, in the maximum fines for employing illegal workers (from $250,000 to $350,000) and for taking up unapproved employment (from $5,000 to $50,000), have helped enhance the deterrent effect of enforcement actions.
Mr Lai noted that after the revisions, there had been a conspicuous increase of fines imposed by the courts on both illegal workers and their employers.
"For example, fines for employers of illegal workers have increased from the $2,000 to $7,500 range in December 1995, to the $2,000 to $50,000 range in July and August 1996.
"Fines for employers aiding and abetting breaches of condition of stay (including employment) have also increased considerably from the $2,000 to $5,000 range in December 1995, to the $2,500 to $20,000 range in July and August 1996.
"In early August this year, a restaurant was fined $50,000 for employing a person not lawfully employable. In serious cases, custodial sentences of three to 12 months were imposed," he said.
Mr Lai said legislative and administrative measures were being taken to overcome two obstacles to effective prosecution of employers who employ contract workers illegally.
14
To clarify the current definition of the term "lawfully employable" in the Immigration Ordinance, a bill has been introduced to amend the ordinance to make non-permanent residents not lawfully employable if they breach a condition of stay imposed on them.
Mr Lai said the bill was being considered by the Legislative Council, and its enactment would help the authorities to prosecute those employers who hired or directed contract workers to perform illegal work more effectively.
The second obstacle stems from the fact that an identity card does not indicate whether the holder is restricted to a specific job and employer.
"To overcome this obstacle, we are seeking to amend the law to impose a duty on the employer to inspect both the Hong Kong identity card and the travel document held by job-seekers who are not holders of permanent identity cards," Mr Lai said.
To assist employers in checking the travel documents of their prospective employees, a new bilingual and enlarged immigration stamp for contract workers has been introduced setting out clearly that the travel document holder is only allowed to work for a specific employer under a specific contract, and that change of employer is not permitted.
Mr Lai noted that the new stamp had been put on the travel documents of foreign domestic helpers and imported workers with effect from May this year; and that it was anticipated that the travel documents of all contract workers would bear the new stamp in about a year's time.
Another measure to facilitate employers to ascertain the employability of prospective employees is to issue all contract workers with identity cards carrying the W-prefix.
Workers imported under the various importation of labour schemes have already been issued with such identity cards. Starting in December last year, W-prefix identity cards have also been issued to foreign domestic helpers who enter Hong Kong for the first time, or who apply for replacement of lost or damaged identity cards.
"We are looking at ways to accelerate this process in order to complete the replacement of their ordinary identity cards by W-prefix cards in two to three years' time," Mr Lai said.
15
On public education, Mr Lai pointed out that successes were tangible: 782 complaints of illegal employment were received from January to August through the 24-hour complaints hotline and faxline of the Immigration Department, providing very valuable information to facilitate enforcement actions.
In addition to posters and TV announcements to publicise the criminal liability of both employers and employees, Mr Lai said new TV APIs would be introduced to coincide with the introduction of new legislative measures when enacted. j
End
Ways to curb overseas property sales advertisement issued *****
A sub-committee of the Law Reform Commission today (Thursday) issued a consultation paper on the ways to curb misleading advertisements for overseas uncompleted residential properties advertised or offered for sale in Hong Kong.
The sub-committee, chaired by Professor Derek Roebuck of the Department of Law of the City University and includes among its members lawyers, architects, surveyors and others with relevant expertise, was appointed by the Commission in November 1992 to consider the sales descriptions of uncompleted residential property.
The study on the first part of the reference relating to local uncompleted flats was finished in September 1994 and the proposals for reform was made to the Commission.
The proposals, which were largely adopted, formed the basis of the Commission report published in April last year on the sales descriptions of local uncompleted residential property.
The consultation paper issued today covers the second part of the subcommittee's study, namely the sales descriptions of overseas uncompleted residential properties including those in the People’s Republic of China. The paper also carries interim recommendations.
Professor Roebuck said prospective purchasers of these properties are sometimes given inaccurate, insufficient or even misleading sales information in advertisements and sales literature.
16
The sub-committee had come to the interim conclusion that these materials should be subject to regulation, he said.
The sub-committee would welcome submissions on the proposals contained in the consultation paper, he said, inviting the public to make their views known in writing by November 18. The sub-committee will present their final proposals to the Commission after taking into account views on consultation.
The main recommendations in the consultation paper are:
* Any vendor of overseas uncompleted residential property must engage a licensed estate agent in Hong Kong. However, this requirement shall not apply to the sale of a single dwelling.
* No media in Hong Kong (including television, radio and printed media) shall publish an advertisement for sale of overseas uncompleted residential property unless it refers to a licensed estate agent in Hong Kong, together with the estate agent's licence number. However, the requirements shall not apply to advertisements for the sale of a single dwelling, nor to advertisements of overseas property not put up for sale in Hong Kong.
* The estate agent who is referred to in the advertisement shall be liable for all false or misleading information in the advertisement and in all sales brochures not forming part of the advertisement.
* Anything in any advertisement or sales brochure which is false or misleading should constitute a breach of the proposed legislation.
* Up-to-date sales brochures must be made available to prospective purchasers. It should be the licensed estate agent's responsibility to make available the sales brochure.
* The sales brochure must be available in Chinese. If there are discrepancies between the Chinese and any other version of the sales brochure, purchasers can choose which version or part thereof is applicable.
* The sales brochure must state the date of the property being ready for occupation and the grounds on which the date of completion can be extended.
- 17 -
The sales brochure must state whether there are any mechanisms for protecting all deposits and instalments paid by purchasers in the event of delayed completion or project failure.
Any description of the fittings and finishes in the sales brochure must be accurate.
♦ Anything stated in advertisements or sales brochures about gifts and benefits including nationality schemes must be accurate and not misleading.
The Hong Kong definition of saleable area must be adopted in all sales brochures and advertisements of overseas uncompleted residential property. The saleable area must be disclosed in the sales brochure.
* All the recommendations should be enforced by legislation.
End
Government statement on the outcome of judicial review *****
The government issued the following statement on the judgment delivered by Mr Justice Sears today (Thursday) to dismiss the application for judicial review filed by the Senior Non-Expatriate Officers Association:
"We are naturally very pleased that the Court has found our guidelines to be reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances.
"Our aim has all along been to balance two important principles. The first, the civil service must be and must be seen to be impartial and politically neutral. The second is the legitimate expectation of civil servants in general to participate in public affairs.
"We think the balance we have struck is the right one and we are pleased that the Court has agreed."
End
CS to launch first Hong Kong promotion in Australia ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, will lead a delegation to Australia in late September to launch the first Hong Kong promotion in the country.
This promotion is jointly organised by the Government, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA).
This is part of a continuing effort by the Administration to promote Hong Kong overseas. In June, the Chief Secretary had led an overseas promotion in the United States following a successful one in Japan in September last year.
Announcing details of the Australia visit, a government spokesman said today (Thursday) the ’’Hong Kong-Australia, Partners in Asia Pacific” promotion would take place in three Australian cities - Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne - from September 23 to 27.
The main objectives of the promotion arc to strengthen economic links and trading relationship between Australia and Hong Kong, and to boost Australian confidence in Hong Kong's future, the spokesman said.
Mrs Chan will also take the opportunity to officially open the Hong Kong and Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Sydney on September 23 and to sign the Hong Kong/Australia Agreement on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters.
During the visit, the Chief Secretary will call on other senior Australian politicians, government officials and community leaders.
Business delegates will join her in roundtable discussions with local business leaders in Sydney and Melbourne and she will also deliver keynote speeches at business luncheons in the two cities. In Canberra. Mrs Chan will make a luncheon speech at the National PresS Club.
HKTDC will organised a half-day seminar entitled "Hong Kong-Australia: building a new Pacific partnership" in both Sydney and Melbourne.
Speaking at the seminar and associated workshops will be some of Hong Kong's leading businessmen. Plenary speakers include the Secretary for Economic Services, Mr Stephen Ip; Executive Director of HKTDC, Mr Michael Sze; Chairman of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, Mr Alfred Chown; Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of Hang Seng Bank, Mr Alexander Au; Chairman and Chief Executive of Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Ltd, Mr Victor Lo; Managing Director of Cathay Pacific Airways, Mr Rod Eddington; and Managing Director of Leighton Asia Ltd. Mr John Falkner.
19
Workshop speakers include the Deputy Chief Executive of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Ltd, Mr Herbert Hui; Managing Director of Salomon Brothers Hong Kong Ltd, Mr Trevor Rowe; Director of Maunsell Consultants Asia Ltd, Mr Richard Garrett; Chairman of Hong Kong Coalition of Services Industries (HKCSI), Mr Brian Stevenson; Chairman of Professional Services Committee, HKCSI, Mr Anthony Griffiths; President of Law Association for Asia and the Pacific, Mr Donald Yap; Senior Assistant Director (Regulatory), Office of the Telecommunications Authority, Mr Anthony Wong; and Chairman of INFA Telecom Group, Mr Peter Tsang.
Apart from business seminars and luncheons, the promotion will also feature a pop concert produced by Television Broadcasts Ltd (TVB) at the Sydney Town Hall on September 24.
Pop singer Frances Yip and an Australian singer will stage a cabaret show at a gala dinner hosted by HKETO on September 23.
For events organised by HKTA, an 18-metre tall lantern, the world’s biggest, will be put on display for two weeks in Queen Victoria Building, Sydney, from September 20 to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
On September 27, HKTA will launch a Hong Kong Food Festival at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Melbourne.
End
New measure to encourage hotel development *****
fhc Government has decided to exclude back-of-thc-house facilities from plot ratio calculation for hotels, the Director of Buildings, Dr Choi Yudeuk, announced today (Thursday).
"This is to encourage the development of more new hotels in Hong Kong," he said.
Under the existing policy, hotels are regarded as non-domestic development with a plot ratio up to 15 times of the site area, depending on the limits set on statutory outline zoning plans.
20
Areas designed for setting-down and picking-up of hotel users have already been exempted from the plot ratio computation.
Dr Choi said the new measure will indirectly increase the gross floor area for about five per cent.
"Hong Kong, as one of the most popular travel destinations in the world, attracts millions of overseas visitors each year. The demand for hotel rooms has been on the increase.
"In the first half of this year, the Buildings Department received seven new hotel building plan submissions, compared with a total of eight submissions in 1995.
"The Government is committed to promoting the territory's tourism industry. We hope that the new concession will encourage the building of more new hotels with a view to further boosting our tourism," he said.
To qualify for exemption from the new plot ratio computation, the back-of-thc-house facilities should comply with the following criteria:
* in reasonable size, its location practical and designed only for the intended purpose;
* accessible to hotel staff only; and
* abuse of use is impossible or unlikely.
The areas acceptable as back-of-the-house facilities include workshops, storage areas, or facilities for the welfare of staff. While shops, restaurant, cinemas and any commercial areas to which the general public has access will not be approved.
A practice note containing details of the new measure has been issued to all authorised persons and registered structural engineers.
End
21
External trade statistics by country and commodity for July ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Detailed statistics on external trade with breakdown by country/territory and commodity for July 1996 was released by the Census and Statistics Department today (Thursday).
In July 1996. the value of re-exports grew by 11% over a year earlier to $111.1 billion, while the value of domestic exports decreased by 6.1% to $20.8 billion. Meanwhile, imports increased by 3.5% to $138.6 billion.
Changes in the value of Hong Kong's re-exports to 10 main destinations are shown in Table 1.
Comparing July 1996 with July 1995. increases were recorded in the value of re-exports to the United Kingdom (+27%), Japan (+16%), France (+16%), China (+13%). the Netherlands (+13%), the United States (+12%), Germany (+11%) and South Korea (+4.4%).
However, the value of re-exports to Taiwan and Singapore decreased by 3.5% and 1.8% respectively.
Comparing the first seven months of 1996 with the same period in 1995. the value of re-exports to most main destinations showed increases of various magnitudes: Japan (+24%). the United Kingdom (+16%), France (+13%), China (+8.9%), Germany (+8.6%), the Netherlands (+8.5%), Singapore (+6.7%), South Korea (+6.0%) and the I Jnited States (+1.5%).
I lowever. the value of re-exports to Taiwan decreased by 4%.
Taking all destinations together, the value of re-exports in the first seven months of 1996 was $661.9 billion. 7.6% higher than that in the same period in 1995.
fable 2 shows changes in the value of re-exports of 10 principal commodity divisions.
Comparing the first seven months of 1996 with the same period in 1995, the value of re-exports of most principal commodity divisions rose.
22
More notable increases were registered for office machines and automatic data processing machines (by $7.4 billion or 24%); electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof (by $7.2 billion or 12%); clothing (by $5.2 billion or 11%); miscellaneous manufactured articles consisting mainly of baby carriages, toys, games and sporting goods (by $4.9 billion or 6.7%); photographic apparatus, equipment and supplies, optical goods, watches and clocks (by $3.5 billion or 13%); and footwear (by $3.1 billion or 8.9%).
Over the same period, a decrease in the value of re-exports was registered for telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment (by $698 million or 1.1%).
Changes in the value of domestic exports to 10 main destinations are shown in Table 3.
Comparing July 1996 with July 1995, the value of domestic exports to most main destinations showed decreases of various magnitudes: Taiwan (-34%), Singapore (-21%), the United States (-9%), Japan (-5.2%), Canada (-4.4%), the Netherlands (-2.6%), France (-2.3%), Germany (-2.3%) and China (-1.9%).
However, the value of domestic exports to the United Kingdom increased by 6.9%.
Comparing the first seven months of 1996 with the same period in 1995, the value of domestic exports to most main destinations showed decreases of various magnitudes: Singapore (-12%), the United States (-11%), Canada (-9.8%), Taiwan (-9.5%), the Netherlands (-9.4%), France (-8.7%), Germany (-7.6%), China (-5%) and Japan (-1.9%).
However, the value of domestic exports to the United Kingdom increased slightly, by 1.3%.
Taking all destinations together, the value of domestic exports in the first seven months of 1996, at $120.1 billion, decreased by 7.8% over the same period in 1995.
Table 4 shows changes in the value of domestic exports of ten principal commodity divisions.
23
Comparing the first seven months of 1996 with the same period in 1995, decreases in the value of domestic exports were recorded for office machines and automatic data processing machines (by $3.1 billion or 28%); clothing (by $2.8 billion or 7%); telecommunications and sound recording and reproducing apparatus and equipment (by $1.2 billion or 20%); miscellaneous manufactured articles consisting mainly of jewellery, goldsmiths' and silversmiths' wares (by $1.1 billion or 9.7%); and photographic apparatus, equipment and supplies, optical goods, watches and clocks (by $775 million or 8.1%).
Over the same period, increases in the value of domestic exports were registered for electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof (by $790 million or 4.6%); and professional, scientific and controlling instruments and apparatus (by $176 million or 11%).
Changes in the value of imports from 10 main suppliers are shown in Table 5.
Comparing July 1996 with July 1995, increases were recorded in the value of imports from Italy (+25%), Singapore (+21%), the United Kingdom (+12%), China (+9.4%), Malaysia (+5.3%), South Korea (+4.7%) and Germany (+4.6%).
However, the value of imports from the United States, Japan and Taiwan decreased by 11%, 3.5% and 1.8% respectively.
Comparing the first seven months of 1996 with the same period in 1995, increases were recorded in the value of imports from Italy (+19%), Malaysia (+18%), the United Kingdom (+12%), Singapore (+11%), the United States (+6.5%), China (+5.5%), Germany (+2.3%) and South Korea (+0.8%).
However, the value of imports from Japan and Taiwan decreased by 7.3% and 3.3% respectively.
Taking all sources together, the value of imports in the first seven months of 1996, at $872.4 billion, increased by 3.2% over the same period in 1995.
Table 6 shows changes in the value of imports of 10 principal commodity divisions.
Comparing the first seven months of 1996 with the same period in 1995, increases in the value of imports were registered for electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances, and electrical parts thereof (by $8.9 billion or 8.7%); office machines and automatic data processing machines (by $7.5 billion or 20%); clothing (by $3.2 billion or 6.1%); miscellaneous manufactured articles consisting mainly of baby carriages, toys, games and sporting goods (by $2.5 billion or 4.4%); and general industrial machinery and equipment, and machine parts (by $2.3 billion or 8.8%).
4
- 24 -
Over the same period, decreases in the value of imports were recorded for textiles (by $3.1 billion or 3.9%); and non-metallic mineral manufactures (by $832 million or 3.2%).
All the trade statistics described here are measured at current prices and no account has been taken of changes in prices between the periods of comparison.
A separate analysis of the volume and price movements of external trade for July 1996 will be released in early October 1996.
Detailed trade statistics analysed by commodity and by country/territory are published in trade statistics reports.
The July 1996 issue of the Hong Kong External Trade with detailed analyses on the performance of Hong Kong’s external trade in July 1996 will be on sale at $129 per copy around September 23.
The report can be purchased at either the Government Publications Centre, ground floor, Low Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong, or the Publications Unit of the Census and Statistics Department, 19th Floor, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
Enquiries regarding regular subscription to this report may be directed to the Publications (Sales) Office, 28th Floor, Siu On Centre, 188 Lockhart Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong, Tel 2598 8194, and enquiries on trade statistics to the Census and Statistics Department, Tel 2582 4915.
25
TABLE 1 : RE-EXPORTS TO TEN MAIN DESTINATIONS
DESTINATION r. i JUL 1996 (HKD Mn.) JUL 96 OVER JUL 95 (% CHANGE) JAN-JUL 1996 (HKD Mn.) JAN-JUL 96 OVER JAN-JUL 95 (% CHANGE)
CHINA 37,572 ♦ 13.5 237,009 + 8.9
UNITED STATES 25,494 + 11.6 129,612 + 1.5
JAPAN 6,846 + 16.3 44,443 + 24.1
GERMANY 4,492 + 10.6 26,897 + 8.6
UNITED KINGDOM 3,660 + 26.6 19,134 + 15.8
SINGAPORE 2,338 - 1.8 15,406 + 6.7
TAIWAN 2,244 - 3.5 15,076 - 4.0
SOUTH KOREA 1,760 + 4.4 11,636 + 6.0
FRANCE 1,789 + 15.7 10,615 + 12.6
NETHERLANDS 1,767 + 13.0 10,076 + 8.5
26
TABLE 2 : RE-EXPORTS OF TEN PRINCIPAL COMMODITY DIVISIONS
COMMODITY DIVISION JUL 1996 (HKD Mn.) JUL 96 OVER JUL 95 (% CHANGE) JAN-JUL 1996 (HKD Mn.) JAN-JUL 96 OVER JAN-JUL 95 (% CHANGE)
MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURED ARTICLES (MAINLY BABY CARRIAGES, TOYS, GAMES AND SPORTING GOODS) 15,761 + 9.8 78,703 + 6.7
ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF 11,041 + 13.9 69,095 + 11.7
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT 10,952 + 3.3 '.Z ri 64,164 - 1.1
TEXTILE YARN, FABRICS, MADE-UP ARTICLES AND RELATED PRODUCTS 8,758 + 11.3 55,266 + 1.6
ARTICLES OF APPAREL AND CLOTHING ACCESSORIES 10,283 + 13.9 53,940 + 10.7
OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING MACHINES 6,365 + 41.9 38,295 + 24.1
FOOTWEAR 6,712 + 14.5 38,008 + 8.9
PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES, OPTICAL GOODS, WATCHES AND CLOCKS 5,324 + 27.4 30,860 + 12.8
TRAVEL GOODS, HANDBAGS AND SIMILAR CONTAINERS 3,328 + 0.7 20,835 + 2.5
GENERAL INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT, AND MACHINE PARTS 2,446 + 8.7 18,907 + 9.4
27
TABLE 3 : DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO TEN MAIN DESTINATIONS
f • ■ DESTINATION JUL 1996 (HKD Mn.) JUL 96 OVER JUL 95 (% CHANGE) JAN-JUL 1996 (HKD Mn.) JAN-JUL 96 OVER JAN-JUL 95 (% CHANGE)
CHINA 5,595 - 1.9 34,547 - 5.0
UNITED STATES 5,580 - 9.0 29,218 - 11.1
JAPAN 1,009 - 5.2 6,774 - 1.9
GERMANY 1,361 - 2.3 6,443 - 7.6
SINGAPORE 835 - 20.9 6,324 - 11.9
UNITED KINGDOM 1,181 + 6.9 5,933 + 1.3
TAIWAN 469 - 33.8 3,913 - 9.5
NETHERLANDS 637 - 2.6 2,752 - 9.4
CANADA 477 - 4.4 2,249 - 9.8
FRANCE 319 - 2.3 1,643 - 8.7
28
TABLE 4 : DOMESTIC EXPORTS OF TEN PRINCIPAL COMMODITY DIVISIONS
COMMODITY DIVISION JUL 1996 (HKD Mn.) JUL 96 OVER JUL 95 (% CHANGE) JAN-JUL 1996 (HKD Mn.) JAN-JUL 96 OVER JAN-JUL 95 (% CHANGE)
ARTICLES OF APPAREL AND CLOTHING ACCESSORIES 8,078 - 4.8 36,962 - 7.0
ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF 2,627 - 4.3 17,963 + 4.6
MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURED ARTICLES (MAINLY JEWELLERY, GOLDSMITHS' AND SILVERSMITHS' WARES) 1,680 - 8.2 10,194 - 9.7
PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES, OPTICAL GOODS, WATCHES AND CLOCKS 1,356 - 7.6 8,740 - 8.1
TEXTILE YARN, FABRICS, MADE-UP ARTICLES AND RELATED PRODUCTS 1,224 + 3.7 7,896 - 4.1
OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING MACHINES 1,038 - 27.7 7,746 - 28.3
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT 857 - 16.2 4,888 - 20.3
MANUFACTURES OF METALS 412 + 0.1 2,468 - 8.8
PLASTICS IN PRIMARY FORMS 379 + 18.5 2,275 - 12.3
PROFESSIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CONTROLLING INSTRUMENTS AND APPARATUS 284 + 22.4 1,804 + 10.8
29
TABLE 5 : IMPORTS FROM TEN MAIN SUPPLIERS
SUPPLIER JUL 1996 (HKD Mn.) JUL 96 OVER JUL 95 (% CHANGE) JAN-JUL 1996 (HKD Mn.) JAN-JUL 96 OVER JAN-JUL 95 (% CHANGE)
CHINA 54,035 + 9.4 314,988 + 5.5
JAPAN 18,938 - 3.5 119,780 - 7.3
TAIWAN 11,003 • - 1.8 71,243 - 3.3
UNITED STATES 9,701 - 11.0 69,574 + 6.5
SINGAPORE 7,408 + 20.8 48,238 + 11.2
SOUTH KOREA 6,105 + 4.7 43,397 + 0.8
GERMANY 2,996 + 4.6 19,349 + 2.3
MALAYSIA 2,853 + 5.3 19,111 + 17.7
UNITED KINGDOM 2,976 + 12.2 18,743 + 11.8
ITALY 3,105 + 25.3 17,825 + 19.2
30
TABLE 6 : IMPORTS OF TEN PRINCIPAL COMMODITY DIVISIONS
COMMODITY DIVISION JUL 1996 (HKD Mn.) JUL 96 OVER JUL 95 (% CHANGE) JAN-JUL 1996 (HKD Mn.) JAN-JUL 96 OVER JAN-JUL 95 (% CHANGE)
ELECTRICAL MACHINERY, APPARATUS AND APPLIANCES, AND ELECTRICAL PARTS THEREOF 17,544 + 8.4 110,812 + 8.7
TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND SOUND RECORDING AND REPRODUCING APPARATUS AND EQUIPMENT 12,044 - 8.2 79,521 - 0.8
TEXTILE YARN, FABRICS, MADE-UP ARTICLES AND RELATED PRODUCTS 11,201 + 5.7 75,391 - 3.9
MISCELLANEOUS MANUFACTURED ARTICLES (MAINLY BABY CARRIAGES, TOYS, GAMES AND SPORTING GOODS) 11,094 + 3.8 59,256 + 4.4
ARTICLES OF APPAREL AND CLOTHING ACCESSORIES 10,218 + 10.3 55,853 + 6.1
OFFICE MACHINES AND AUTOMATIC DATA PROCESSING MACHINES 7,702 + 24.6 45,008 + 20.0
PHOTOGRAPHIC APPARATUS, EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES, OPTICAL GOODS, WATCHES AND CLOCKS 6,085 + 12.9 35,952 - 0.1
FOOTWEAR 5,607 + 15.4 32,687 + 7.4
GENERAL INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT, AND MACHINE PARTS 3,935 + 14.7 28,884 + 8.8
NON-METALLIC MINERAL MANUFACTURES 3,904 + 4.3 25,080 - 3.2
End
31
Second dose measles vaccine for P6 pupils to be introduced ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
A second dose of measles vaccine will be introduced to all primary six students with effect from this academic year, the Department of Health announced today (Thursday).
A spokesman for the department said: ’’The two-dose regime, in line with the strategies in UK and USA, will boost the coverage of the measles vaccine in the population and hence the herd immunity of the disease.
"The second dose will also enhance the immunity of older children, especially those not protected by the first dose."
The vaccination will be administered in the form of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first dose will as usual be given to infants at one year of age. The second dose will be given to primary six students as part of the school immunisation campaign.
Given at primary six, MMR second dose will also replace the antirubella vaccine hitherto given to all primary six schoolgirls.
Parents are urged to give consent for their children to receive the vaccination in schools. Health education leaflets and consent forms are now being distributed to primary six school children via the school principals.
"Measles is a highly contagious and serious infection. With increased herd immunity, the chances of measles outbreak will be minimised in the territory," the spokesman said.
End
Parade to mark Royal Air Force farewell
*****
The Royal Air Force will pay a ceremonial farewell to its last station in Asia at the annual Battle of Britain commemoration parade at its base in Sek Kong on Sunday (September 15).
The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, accompanied by Commander British Forces, Major General Bryan Dutton, will take the salute.
32
She will receive a ceremonial parchment from Air Vice Marshal (Air Officer Commanding Directly Administered Units) Terry Sherrington, marking the long and close association between the Service and the people of Hong Kong.
Air Vice Marshal Sherrington is visiting Hong Kong from its headquarters at RAF Strike Command, High Wycombe, in the United Kingdom, specially to take part in the parade.
Mrs Chan, accompanied by Senior RAF Officer Hong Kong, Wing Commander Barrie Simmonds, will also be invited to inspect a 24-man parade flight.
The RAF station at Borneo Lines, Sek Kong, will continue for two more months before closure, and the Wessex helicopters of No 28(AC) Squadron will continue to operate in the territory from Kai Tak Airport until June 1997.
However, the annual commemoration of RAF’s finest hour, when it repulsed the German air invasion of Britain in 1940, provides the best opportunity for a fitting farewell ceremony to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has hosted RAF since 1927, when the very first RAF station in the Far East was established at Kai Tak. For over 20 years, it has also been the home of the last RAF station in the region, first at Kai Tak and then, since 1978, at Sek Kong.
The parade will include the final lowering of the RAF ensign and a formation flypast by four Wessex helicopters. It will then be followed by the last Battle of Britain memorial service to be held in St Martin’s, the RAF church at Sek Kong.
End
Insider Dealing Tribunal lay members appointed
*****
The Financial Secretary had appointed Mr Kennedy Liu Tat-yin and Mr Simon Lam Siu-lun as lay members of the Second Division of the Insider Dealing Tribunal to hear the case of Hong Kong Parkview Group Ltd, a government spokesman announced today (Thursday).
The Parkview case is the fifth insider dealing case referred by the Financial Secretary to the Tribunal since the Securities (Insider Dealing) Ordinance came into effect in September 1991.
33
The spokesman said both Mr Lui and Mr Lam are accountants by profession. Mr Lui had extensive experience in finance, investment consulting and organisation reviews, Mr Lam was the managing director of an accounting firm.
He said the Second Division of the Tribunal would hold a preliminary hearing on the Parkview case on September 17. Chairman of the Second Division of the Tribunal, Mr Justice Burrell, will preside over the inquiry.
At the preliminary hearing, the Tribunal will announce its terms of reference and procedures for the inquiry, state its duties and powers, receive applications for representation and set a date for the main hearing.
The preliminary hearing will start at 4.30 pm at Court No 16, eighth floor, Supreme Court Building.
End
236 VMs depart on orderly repatriation flights *****
Two groups totalling 236 Vietnamese migrants (VMs) returned by air to Hanoi, Vietnam, today (Thursday) on the 59th and 60th flights under the Orderly Repatriation Programme (ORP).
All of the returnees, comprising 106 men, 61 women, 31 boys and 38 girls, are from North Vietnam.
The majority of them arrived in Hong Kong in 1989, with the remaining in 1988 and 1996.
The two groups brought the total number repatriated on ORP flights to 5,723 since November 1991.
End
34
Monitors’ report submitted to CS ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The monitors appointed to observe the Orderly Repatriation Programme operation this (Thursday) morning have submitted their report to the Chief Secretary.
The two monitors comprised a non-official Justice of the Peace, Mr Ho Sai-chu; and representative from a non-govemment organisation, Mr Tai Kie-ying from Christian Action.
End
Postal services to Burundi temporary suspended ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman, today (Thursday) announced that due to the present situation in Burundi and the economic embargo imposed by its neighbouring countries, it is now not possible to forward any mail to that country.
All postal services to Burundi are therefore temporarily suspended with immediate effect. A further announcement will be made as and when the services can be resumed.
End
The weather of August ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
August 1996 was cloudier than normal and there were nine days with thunderstorms.
The total monthly rainfall of 308.3 millimetres was 21 per cent below normal, making the cumulative rainfall since January 1 of 1,596.8 millimetres six per cent below the normal for the same period. The stand by signal No 1 was hoisted on two occasions in the month
35
Typhoon Herb crossed Taiwan on the first day of August. Its circulation brought a hot continental airstream to Hong Kong. The month's highest temperature of 33.5 degrees was recorded during that sunny afternoon.
Cloudy weather with isolated showers were the order of the next few days as winds turned southwesterly. Showers became frequent and thundery particularly over the eastern part of the territory as winds changed to easterly by August 4.
An area of low pressure developed over the northern part of the South China Sea on August 5 and local winds were occasionally strong offshore. It intensified into tropical depression Lisa the next day and necessitated the hoisting of the stand by signal No 1.
Lisa made landfall near Shantou that evening. For the next five days, the weather remained cloudy with isolated showers and southwesterly winds. There were also a few thunderstorms on August 10, then weather cleared by August 12.
Under the influence of an unstable maritime airstream, occasional showers and thunderstorms affected the territory from August 14 to 18. Torrential rain on August 15 caused flooding in many parts of the territory.
Temperatures fell to 22.6 degrees, the lowest in the month, during heavy showers on the morning of August 18. The rainfall recorded during this five-day period amounted to 206.1 millimetres, two thirds of the monthly total.
Winds turned northeasterly on August 18 with fine weather for the next couple of days.
Meanwhile, Typhoon Niki crossed the northern part of the South China Sea. The stand by Signal No 1 was hoisted on August 20. Easterly winds freshened on August 21 and outer rainbands of Niki brought showers to the territory early the next day. Niki made landfall over Vietnam on August 23 but locally cloudy weather prevailed.
Rain and thunderstorms affected the territory on the morning of August 25. The weather then improved gradually becoming fine and sunny by August 27. The month ended with a trough of low pressure from south China which brought heavy and thundery showers to the territory.
Nine tropical cyclones occurred in the western North Pacific and the South China Sea in the month.
36
Details of the issuance/hoisting and cancellation/lowering of various warnings/signals in the month are summarised in Table 1.1. Monthly meteorological figures and departures from normal of August are tabulated in Table 1.2.
Table 1.1 Warnings and signals in August 1996
Wamings/Signal
Effective date and time
Tropical cyclone warning signals
Name of T C Signal No
Lisa 1
Niki 1
Flood warnings
6 Aug 0900- 6 Aug 2030 20 Aug 0945 -21 Aug 2245
14 Aug 1200- 14 Aug 1330
15 Aug 1445 - 15 Aug 1715
Thunderstorm warnings
1 Aug 2255 - 2 Aug 0655 2 Aug 1100- 2 Aug 1400 4 Aug 0910 - 4 Aug 1110 4 Aug 1920- 4 Aug 2220 10 Aug 1215 - 10 Aug 1715 11 Aug 1015- 11 Aug 1215 11 Aug 1505 - 11 Aug 1905 14 Aug 0215 - 14 Aug 0415 14 Aug 0950 - 14 Aug 1350 15 Aug 0200- 15 Aug 0700 15 Aug 0950- 15 Aug 1900 16 Aug 0645 - 16 Aug 1245 16 Aug 2230- 17 Aug 1030 18 Aug 0430- 18 Aug 0730 20 Aug 2030 - 20 Aug 2230 21 Aug 1830.-21 Aug 2030 25 Aug 0600-25 Aug 1000 31 Aug0300-31 Aug 1000 31 Aug 1950- 31 Aug 2200
37
Table 1.2 Figures and departures from normal - August 1996
'( • •• Total bright sunshine 177.5 hours; 29.5 hours below normal
Mean daily global solar radiation 16.29 MJ/SQM; 1.32 MJ/SQM below normal
Total rainfall 308.3 mm; 83.1 mm below normal
Mean cloud amount 72%; 6% above normal
Mean relative humidity 81 %; normal
Mean daily maximum temperature 30.8 Degrees Celsius; 0.5 Degree Celsius below normal
Mean air temperature 28.5 Degrees Celsius; 0.1 Degree Celsius above normal
Mean daily minimum temperature 26.7 Degrees Celsius; 0.4 Degree Celsius above normal
Mean dew point 24.7 Degrees Celsius; 0.1 Degree Celsius below normal
Total evaporation 131.6 mm; 25.3 mm below normal
Remarks: All measurements were made at the Royal Observatory except sunshine, solar radiation and evaporation which were recorded at King's Park.
End
Air quality model for Hong Kong ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Environmental Protection Department today (Thursday) commissioned a consultancy study to develop the first comprehensive air quality model for Hong Kong.
"Future levels of air pollution in Hong Kong will be determined by urban and transportation growth and the effectiveness of air pollution control measures.
38
"The air quality model will help evaluate air quality implications of major development proposals and fine tune air pollution control requirements," Assistant Director of Environmental Protection, Mr Tse Chin-wan, said.
The model will be run on a computer, using equations and algorithms, that has been developed, modified and tested to suit the hilly and highly urbanised environment of the territory.
"The study will include the compilation of a set of air pollution emission data. Verification work using actual field measurement data and meteorological data will be done to ensure that results obtained by the air quality model will be in line with real life pollution levels," Mr Tse said.
The $14.9 million consultancy study, scheduled for completion in early 1998, has been awarded to ERM-Hong Kong Limited.
End
Grading of beach water quality *****
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (Thursday) announced the latest gradings of Hong Kong's beaches, based on the bacteriological water quality, for the 1996 swimming season.
I . • • • f,. ,
The purpose of the grading system is to inform swimmers and the general public about the state of bacteriological pollution at various beaches.
The grading, based on the most recent E coli data obtained by EPD in its routine monitoring programme, will be announced biweekly during the bathing season to coincide with the frequency at which beach waters are usually sampled.
As with last year, the grading also includes an estimate of the risk of suffering some minior skin or gastrointestinal complaints as a result of swimming at a beach which has some degree of pollution.
The estimate is based on a large body of statistical information gathered in Hong Kong in recent bathing seasons.
39
The grading of some beaches may vary during the summer. This represents a natural fluctuation in the bacteriological quality of bathing waters in most cases, as rain and tides bring more or less pollution to the beaches.
However, the grades give a good general picture of the water quality at bathing beaches at the time of reporting and form the best available forecast for the immediate future.
Beaches with highly developed hinterlands are likely to be more polluted than the grades suggested during and after heavy rain.
"Bathers should avoid such beaches for two or three days after a storm, longer if the weather remians overcast or less if there is strong sunshine," Principal Environmental Protection Officer, Mr Patrick Lei, said.
The system for grading beach water quality is as follows:
Grade "1" indicates that the water quality is good. The E coli count is no more than 24 per 100 millilitres at each beach so graded, and the expected risk of minor illness to swimmers is undetectable.
Grade "2" indicates that the water quality is fair. The E coli count is no more than 180 per 100 millilitres at each beach so graded, and the expected health risk is no more than 10 cases of minor illness per 1,000 swimmers.
Grade "3" indicates that the water quality is poor. The E coli count is no more than 610 per 100 millilitres at each beach so graded, and the expected health risk is no more than 15 cases of minor illness per 1,000 swimmers.
Grade "4" indicates that the water quality is very poor. The E coli count is more than 610 per 100 millilitres at each beach so graded, and the expected health risk is more than 15 cases of minor illness per 1.000 swimmers.
The decision whether or not to close a beach to swimmers is based on a judgement of what degree of pollution is acceptable.
Normally, the closure of a beach would only be considered by the Urban or Regional Council if a grade "4" occurred repeatedly, so that the average health risk over the bathing season exceeded 15 cases per 1,000 swimmers.
At present five gazetted beaches, namely Anglers'. Approach. Castle Peak, Rocky Bay and Ting Kau, are closed to swimmers, while Old Cafeteria is re-opened.
40
The decision to open or close the beaches has been made by the Regional and Urban Councils on the basis of beach water quality monitoring data for 1995. The public are advised not to swim at the closed beaches.
The grades of the bacteriological water quality of various beaches in Hong
Kong today are listed below:
Beach Previous Grading (as at 29.8.96) Present Grading (as at 12.9.96)
Hong Kong South
Big Wave Bay (S) 2 2
Chung Hom Kok (S) 1 1
Deep Water Bay (S) 1 2
Hairpin (S) 2 2
Middle Bay (S) 2 2
Repulse Bay (S) 1 2
Shek 0 (S) 2 2
South Bay (S) 1 1
St Stephen's (S) 1 2
Turtle Cove (S) 2 2
Stanley Main (S) 2 2
Tuen Mun District
Golden Beach 3 3
Old Cafeteria 3 3
New Cafeteria 3 3
Kadoorie (S) 3 3
Butterfly (S) 3 3
Sai Kung District
Clear Water Bay 1st Beach (S) 2 2
Clear Water Bay 2nd Beach (S) 2 2
Hap Mun Bay (S) 1 1
Kiu Tsui (S) 1 1
Silverstrand (S) 2 2
Trio (Hebe Haven) (S) 1 1
- 41
Islands District
Cheung Sha Upper 1
Cheung Sha Lower 4
Discovery Bay* 2
Hung Shing Yeh 1
Kwun Yam Wan 2
Tong Fuk 2
Lo So Shing 1
PuiO 2
Silvermine Bay 3
Tung Wan, Cheung Chau (S) 1
Tsuen Wan District
Casam (S) 3
Gemini 3
Hoi Mei Wan 3
s.,Lido(S) 4
Tung Wan, Ma Wan 2
1
3
1
1
2
2
1
2 3
2
3
3
3
4
2
Note: * Non-gazetted beaches.
(S) The beach has a shark-prevention net installed.
The following beaches have changed grading on this occasion: Discovery Bay from "2" to "1"; Cheung Sha Lower and Approach from "4" to "3"; Deep Water Bay, Repulse Bay, St. Stephen's and Tung Wan, Cheung Chau from "1" to "2".
The changes are within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of these beaches.
’ ’ ’ r »
• •
End
42
Prestige annual stamp album will be on sale
*****
The Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman, today (Thursday) announced that the 1995 Prestige Annual Stamp Album will be on sale on September 19 at the following eight philatelic offices:
General Post Office
Harcourt Road Post Office
Peak Post Office
Tsim Sha Tsui Post Office
Granville Road Post Office
Sha Tin Central Post Office
Tsuen Wan Post Office
Airport Post Office
The Album, at $220, is a prestige philatelic product for collectors. It is a complete collection of all the special stamps and definitive stamp sheetlets issued last year.
Another special feature of the Album is that it contains descriptions and over 20 attractive colour photographs and illustrations on the theme of each special stamp issue.
The Album consists of a book and a separate package of one set each of the following special stamps and stamp sheetlets issued in 1995 to be inserted into the relevant pages in the book by the collector:
* Year of the Pig
* Hong Kong International Sporting Events
* Hong Kong Rural Heritage
* The Royal Hong Kong Regiment
* Hong Kong Movie Stars)
♦ Definitive Stamp Sheetlets No 10 (Singapore World Stamp Exhibition)
* Hong Kong Classics Series No 6 (End of Second World War)
"The Album is ideal both as a gift and for personal collection," said Mr Footman.
A beautifully designed compliment card is enclosed to enable the Album to be used as a gift item.
A restriction of not more than two albums per customer will be imposed on September 19. No advance order service or hand-back-service will be provided.
End
43
Arch SD exhibition moves to Kwai Chung ♦ ♦ * * *
The last one of a series of exhibition to celebrate the Architectural Services Department’s (Arch SD) 10th anniversary will be held from tomorrow (Friday) for three day at Level 1 of Metroplaza in Hing Fong Road, Kwai Chung.
The exhibition aims at demonstrating the important role played by the department in the development of Hong Kong and its close involvement with the daily livelihood of the general public.
"Overwhelming response had been received from members of the public to the first part of this series of exhibitions held at Times Square and New World Centre last month," a spokesman for the department said.
The exhibition at Kwai Chung will be the last one of the series.
Through photographic and model displays, the exhibition will show the many public projects designed and completed by Arch SD in the last 10 years.
These include hospitals, schools, office buildings, recreational facilities such as parks and swimming pools, facilities of the two municipal councils such as the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, market complex and town halls, as well as the latest Air Traffic Control Complex in the new airport at Chek Lap Kok.
Architectural awards won by the department during the last 10 years will also be displayed.
■ ot
The exhibition will be open daily from 10 am to 8 pm until Sunday (September 15). Admission is free.
End
44
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Cumulative
S million Time (hours) change (^million)
Opening balance in the account 1,812 0930 +248
Closing balance in the account 1,893 1000 +346
Change attributable to: 1100 +346
Money market activity +346 1200 +346
LAF today -265 1500 +346
1600 +346
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.4 *+0.0* 12.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 4.96 2 years 2808 6.00 99.46 6.40
1 month 5.00 3 years 3907 6.80 100.27 6.80
3 months 5.20 5 years 5106 7.23 99.85 7.40
6 months 5.38 7 years 7308 7.24 97.86 7.79
12 months 5.76 5 years M503 7.35 98.90 7.77
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $16,520 million
Closed September 12, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL.: 2842 8777
Friday, September 13,1996
Contents Eage No,
Amendments to Land Sales Programme.................................... 1
Elderly homes appeal board members appointed.......................... 2
Road works for Ha Mei San Tsuen amended............................... 2
Submarine cable circuit for new airport............................... 3
TC inmates awarded certificates for academic achievements............. 4
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations.................. 5
1
Amendments to Land Sales Programme ♦ * ♦ ♦ *
The Lands Department announced today (Friday) a number of amendments to the 1996-1997 Land Sales Programme which was issued on May 16.
The following sites are to be withdrawn:
(i) Lot 264 in DD 390 - Sham Tseng Reclamation. There are still outstanding studies and planning issues to be resolved.
(ii) Shau Kei Wan Inland Lot 839 - Aldrich Bay Reclamation. Further engineering studies have to be carried out and gazattal of road works have to be arranged.
••
The replacement sites to be sold are:
(i) Fanling Sheung Shui Town Lot 183 - Shek Wu Hui, Sheung Shui. This commercial/residential site comprises an area of 3,500 square metres and is scheduled to be sold on March 25, 1997.
(ii) Sha Tin Town Lot 461 - Area 100, Ma On Shan, Sha Tin. This commercial site comprises an area of 8,000 square metres and is scheduled to be sold on March 25, 1997.
Apart from this, the sale of Kowloon Inland Lot 11055, Wan Hoi Street in Hung Hom, is to be postponed to January 15, 1997 in order to allow more time to resolve outstanding planning issues. Whereas, the sale of Yuen Long Town Lot 491 at the junction of Ma Tin Road and Tai Yuk Road in Yuen Long has been advanced to November 13. Garden Road, Central.
End
2
Elderly homes appeal board members appointed
*****
The Governor has appointed Mr Moses Cheng Mo-chi as chairman, and Mrs Choy Pun Siu-fun, Dr Fong Yuk-fai, Mr Kenneth Ho King-man, Mrs Alice Tsang Lau Kit-ping, Dr Andrew Wang Wei-hung and Mr Stephen Yau How-boa as panel members of the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Appeal Board for a term of two years with effect from September 14.
Details of the appointment are published in the Government Gazette today (Friday).
Any person aggrieved by a decision of the Director of Social Welfare made in respect of him under section 7, 8, 9 or 10 of the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Ordinance may lodge a notice of appeal to the Appeal Board in the prescribed form and manner stipulated in the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) (Appeal Board) (Amendment) Regulation within 28 days after receiving notice of the decision to which the appeal relates.
Any notice, statement or other document required to lodge with the Chairman of the Appeal Board should be sent by registered post to the Chairman at the office of the Secretary for Health and Welfare, seventh floor, Central Government Offices (Main Wing), Lower Albert Road, Central, Hong Kong.
End
Road works for Ha Mei San Tsuen amended
*****
The Government has proposed amendments to road works planned for Ha Mei San Tsuen as part of the Village Flood Protection Scheme for Tin Shui Wai Development.
Proposed amendments include minor change in road profile of a short section of a footpath and emergency vehicular access, revision of the limit of works area and replacement of resumption plans.
Details of the proposed amendments are contained in a notice published in the Government Gazette today (Friday) and on notice boards posted near the site of the proposed works.
3
Plans and amendment scheme can be seen at the Central and Western District Office, Public Enquiry Service Centre, ground floor, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong; the Yuen Long District Lands Office, Yuen Long Government Offices, ninth to 11th floors, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long, New Territories; and the Yuen Long District Office, Yuen Long District Branch Offices Building, 269 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long, New Territories.
Any person wishing to object to the proposal should send his objection in writing to the Secretary for Transport, Central Government Offices, East Wing, second floor, Lower Albert Road, Hong Kong, on or before November 12.
He should describe his interest and the manner in which he alleges he will be affected by the amendment to the scheme and plans.
End
Submarine cable circuit for new airport ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Government has approved the laying of a submarine cable circuit within an area of about 118 hectares of foreshore and sea-bed from Tuen Mun Area 40 to the new airport at Chek Lap Kok.
A government spokesman said today (Friday) that the project was to provide permanent electricity supply to the new airport.
"It will include installation of a 132 kv submarine cable circuit comprising three 132 kv 115 mm diameter submarines cables and one 60 mm diameter submarine telecommunication cable," he said.
The work, to be carried out by China Light and Power Company Limited, will be carried out in two phases.
Phase I comprises conventional dredging at both sides of the landing points, while Phase II will be laying of submarine cables by water jetting method. No underwater blasting and chemical will be used.
Work will commence after November for completion by the end of January 1998. Duration of work on site will not last more than six months.
4
The extent of the area affected is described in a notice published in the Government Gazette today.
Any person who considers that his interest, right or easement in or over the foreshore and sea-bed involved will be injuriously affected by the undertaking may deliver a written claim for compensation to the Director of Lands on or before September 13, 1997.
He should state in his submission the sum of money which he is willing to accept in full and final settlement of his claim and should submit such particulars which he possesses to substantiate his claim.
The notice, in English and Chinese, together with related plans can be seen at the Lands Department, Survey and Mapping Office, 14th floor, Murray Building, Garden Road, Hong Kong (where copies can be purchased on order).
It can also been seen at the Tuen Mun District Office, second floor, Tuen Mun Government Offices, 1 Huen Ti Road, Tuen Mun, New Territories; the Islands District Office, 20th floor, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong, and the Mui Wo Sub-office, Islands District Office, ground floor, Mui Wo Government Offices, 2 Ngan Kwong Wan Road, Mui Wo, Lantau Island.
End
TC inmates awarded certificates for academic achievements * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Certificates were presented to a total of 23 serving prisoners and 38 discharged inmates at a ceremony held at Lai King Training Centre today (Friday) to signify recognition of their academic achievements.
They had taken part in the Pitman examinations in English for speakers of other languages; practical word processing; basic craft certificate in air-conditioning and refrigeration; and individual subjects in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination.
5
They had obtained a total of 11 first-class passes in the Pitman examinations.
Justice of the Peace, Mr Justein C Wong, who officiated the certificate presentation ceremony, praised the inmates for their diligence and determination in study. He also expressed his appreciation to the professionalism and high degree of responsibility shown by the teachers.
At present, training centres inmates are provided with half-day general education and half-day vocational training. They are encouraged to take part in the open examinations and the results have been very encouraging.
End
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 1,893 0930 +267
Closing balance in the account 1,877 1000 +267
Change attributable to: 1100 +267
Money market activity +274 1200 +274
LAF today -290 1500 +274
1600 +274
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.5 *+0.1* 13.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 4.93 2 years 2808 6.00 99.55 6.34
1 month 4.99 3 years 3907 6.80 100.41 6.75
3 months 5.19 5 years 5106 7.23 100.09 7.33
6 months 5.35 7 years 7308 7.24 98.15 7.73
12 months 5.73 5 years M5O3 7.35 99.15 7.70
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $9,209 million
Closed September 13, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL.: 2842 8777
Saturday, September 14,1996
Contents Page No.
Transcript of the Governor and Mr Jeremy Hanley's media session...... 1
SHW to attend rehabilitation congress.................................... 4
Applications for health courses invited.................................. 5
Governor and Minister of State call on Sai Kung.......................... 6
Water cut in Tai Po..................................................
Flushing water cut in Tai Po............................................. 8
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations..................... 8
Sunday, September 15,1996
Contents Page Nil
49 new building plans approved in July................................... 9
Information books on social welfare facilities published................ 10
Slope maintenance exhibition opens at Heng Fa Chuen..................... 10
Fresh water cut in Sham Shui Po...................................... 11
1
Transcript of the Governor and Mr Jeremy Hanley’s media session ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Following is the transcript of the media session by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, and the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the Rt Hon Jeremy Hanley, after visiting the Sai Kung District this (Saturday) morning:
Governor: I am delighted that Mr Hanley is able to spend some time with us again in Hong Kong, and particularly pleased that he has been able to visit Sai Kung with me this morning to see the University of Science and Technology, and to see this estate and the work that is being done in Tseung Kwan O.
We have invested, I suppose, about 12 billion so far in this new town and there will be about twice that much still to invest. And as you know, we want to get on with building the railway extension which is a project which we are considering at the moment, and we also want to complete the work on the hospital which I announced a couple of years ago. Those are important facilities for the community and the sooner we can get on with them and finish them the better. I am very pleased to see this excellent centre for the elderly and to see so many cheerful senior citizens here.
Mr Hanley: And also to see how young they really look. And it is a fact that there is in that room a lot of sunshine on a very rainy day. And I thank the Governor very much indeed for bringing me here to Sai Kung, it is a remarkably inspirational place. These communities are so important to thousands of people and it is wonderful to see the way that the standards that have been set here are so high, and the way that the community is benefiting from the investment.
And indeed, as the Governor said, I can see for myself the foundations for the new hospital which will be quite a tremendous resource, and the way in which the area has grown since I was here ten years ago - in this particular spot ten years ago. I couldn't have recognised it. So thank you, Governor, for bringing me here - and seeing such happiness.
Question: Mr Hanley, some people in Hong Kong say that actually the British Government has given up its fight against the setting up of the Provisional Legislature. How far is this true?
Mr Hanley: It is not true at all, for the simple reason that I spent my meetings in Peking last week with all three people that I met - Vice Minister Wang, Lu Ping and Qian Qichen - and we expressed very strongly what our position is: that we believe that LegCo has been properly elected and should complete its usual term. And I look forward to further discussions on the subject between the Foreign Minister, Malcolm Rifkind, and Qian Qichen in New York on the 26th of this month.
2
Question: Mr Hanley, how confident are you that Sino-British relations are now in fact on track again ... ?
Mr Hanley: It is very important indeed for the people of Hong Kong that the * relationship between the United Kingdom and China is good. And I think that over the last year or so we have made very great progress, through the Joint Liaison Group, through ministerial discussions, through the actions of the Government of Hong Kong too. I think that proves that the relationships are good and constructive. What I am particularly pleased about is that China does seriously recognise the benefit to China and to the wider world that Hong Kong, a successful vibrant Hong Kong with the greatest degree of autonomy, with the greatest degree of continuity of the civil service, that all of that is vital, as I say, not just for Hong Kong but for the wider world.
And I am pleased that the Chinese also recognise that the choice of the Chief Executive is such a sensitive and important point in making sure that the confidence in Hong Kong remains.
The United Kingdom has, not a historical interest in Hong Kong, it has a vast future interest in Hong Kong. And that is why we are investing so much in our consulate general, that is why a thousand British companies will continue, that is why our interest not only under the law will continue until the year 2047 but why our interest in Hong Kong will last for all time.
Question: Mr Hanley, why, last night, did you say that the problem of the legal basis of the consulate general should be resolved? What is the problem?
Mr Hanley: Yes, but there is no problem. What it is is that a consulate general needs a legal basis and I raised that last week in Peking and I am very pleased indeed that the Chinese are looking seriously at the issue and I expect a resolution before too long. They recognise the investment we are putting in but it needs a legal basis, just as with other countries from all around the world are wanting to discuss the legal basis for their Consulates general here in Hong Kong, and that will be achieved before too long.
Question: What are the details? Is that something related with the relationship with Taiwan?
Mr Hanley: No, it is a normal contract, a contractual arrangement which needs to be worked out so that we can serve the interests that our consulate general will undertake. It will be a very big job that is going to be carried out by the consulate general, that is why it is a very big building, that is why it is a tremendous investment and it is important that the legal basis is formulated and I expect that before, as I say, just a few weeks.
3
Question: Mr Patten, 18 cargoes of firearms have been seized in the cargo terminal, do you think that Hong Kong has been used by a certain group of those people as the transition centre of firearms in Asia?
Governor: I don't think it is a principal distribution point for weapons in Asia but there has always been concern about arms proliferation and always concern about arms - or drugs - going through Hong Kong, which is why we work very closely with other law enforcement agencies in North America, in Asia and in Europe, and why I am very pleased that the Police and the Customs have identified this particular group of weapons. It is terribly important for our integrity as a principal trading city that we deal with issues like drugs and arms very vigorously indeed. We do so now and I am sure the future Government of the SAR will want to operate just as effectively.
Question: Mr Hanley, how does your visit here by the President of the Board of Trade indicate China's and its neighbours importance to Britain commercially for the next millennium?
Mr Hanley: The relationships between nations of this world are going to be vital to make sure that we all maximise the benefits that extra trade can bring to our own people. And that is one of the reasons why we are so keenly interested to preserve this remarkable miracle that is Hong Kong because Hong Kong is one of the most vibrant places in the world. The standard is set by Hong Kong as far as the business excitement and the flourishing city that is Hong Kong, all of that is part of what we want to preserve. But our relationship with China is part of an international relationship and when I was in Peking last week it was interesting to note that no fewer than eight or nine countries were there looking at the trading arrangements between them and China, and that is nothing more than normal.
I am pleased that our investment in South-east Asia, the United Kingdom's investment, is the largest of any country in Europe. We have this deep commitment to the region and obviously our trade links with Japan, Korea and Taiwan are important for the United Kingdom. Inward investment into the United Kingdom has preserved or created over 100,000 jobs in the last one year alone and we want to make sure that jobs are created here, that Hong Kong continues to grow, and the relationship with China is one very good way of making sure that we continue to see eye to eye for the benefit of the people of Hong Kong.
Question: Mr Patten, what is your view on an Executive Councillor participating in the Selection Committee?
4
Governor: Well, I have always been reluctant, as you know, to answer questions before they arise. But if there were any members of the Executive Council chosen for the Selection Committee, I would want to discuss that with the individuals concerned and with my Executive Council colleagues as a whole, to consider whether it was the general view that there would be any conflict of interest. As you know, one of our Executive Councillors for a time was also on the Preparatory Committee and then felt that it was difficult to go on without there being some conflict of interest. So it is important, I think, to take an intelligent view of these issues and to discuss them with those concerned. It is, I think, a little more difficult to draw up hard and fast rules in advance.
Question: Some Hong Kong citizens will go to the Diaoyu Islands, do you think the British Forces have an obligation to ensure their safety in case of confrontation with the Japanese?
Mr Hanley: I do recognise the sensitivity on this issue that is felt by so many people here in Hong Kong but it is not an issue that I can comment on, it is a matter for the parties themselves to resolve and I hope they will do so amicably.
Question: Governor, will there be consular protection if people involved in the Diaoyu Islands protest have some personal safety matters?
Governor: I very much hope that questions of personal safety won’t arise over an issue on which I know people locally feel very strongly. I hope that they will be able to express their views in a way which does not in any way risk their personal safety. And we all hope that the dispute in question about which very strong views have been held for a very long time can be resolved amicably by those concerned.
Mr Hanley: May 1 thank you again very much indeed. Thank you.
End
SHW to attend rehabilitation congress ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
The Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, left Hong Kong today (Saturday) for Auckland, New Zealand, to attend the 18th World Congress of Rehabilitation International.
She is accompanied by the Commissioner for Rehabilitation, Mr Augustine Choi, and four senior officers from the Social Welfare, Labour and Education departments.
5
Rehabilitation International is a federation of national and international organisations working for the prevention of disability, the rehabilitation and equalisation of opportunities for persons with disabilities and their families.
The Congress will look into the key issues of access, human rights and vision. Mrs Fok will address the participants on Hong Kong's rehabilitation policy on Monday (September 16).
Mrs Fok and Mr Choi will fly to Australia on Tuesday (September 17) where they will call on the New South Wales Department of Health and the Department of Ageing and Disability. They will also take the opportunity to study the local health reforms, health financing options, disabled and rehabilitation services, as well as the elderly care programmes.
They will return to Hong Kong on Friday (September 20).
End
Applications for health courses invited *****
Applications are now invited for the next round of health worker training courses organised by the Social Welfare Department (SWD) in conjunction with three professional health care training institutes.
The three institutes are the College of Nursing Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Red Cross and the Hong Kong St John Ambulance Association.
"This is the sixth round of training courses since 1995," a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department said today (Saturday).
"The courses are organised with an aim to meeting the demand for health care staff in residential care homes for the elderly as well as raising the professional standard of health workers."
SWD plans to train 630 health workers in 1996-97. The first of the next round of courses is scheduled to start on December 6.
"Under the Residential Care Homes (Elderly Persons) Regulation, all health workers are required, among other things, to complete training approved by the Director of Social Welfare before being qualified for registration," the spokesman said.
6
Each course, covering 140 hours, is designed to equip trainees with the necessary knowledge and skills for a comprehensive understanding of health care for the elderly.
The content of the course includes lectures on basic nursing skills for elderly persons, physiological and psychological development and common medical conditions of the elderly, basic skills in interpersonal relationship, communication and management of residential care homes for the elderly.
Hong Kong residents who have completed Form 3 or equivalent and are competent to complete the training course can apply.
Priority will be given to those who have two or more years of working experience in services for the elderly and those who have received medical, nursing, first aid or home nursing training.
Copies of invitation have already been sent to elderly home operators, inviting them to recommend suitable candidates for the course. Posters of the training courses will also be put up at all public housing estates and group work units of SWD.
Individuals who are interested to take up a job in elderly homes may obtain an application form from any of the three institutes or SWD’s Licensing Office of Residential Care Homes for the Elderly at Room 2354, 23rd floor, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai.
Enquirers may call the licensing office on 2961 7220 or 2961 7221. The deadline for application is October 11.
End
Governor and Minister of State call on Sai Kung ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, and the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the Rt Hon Jeremy Hanley, visited Sai Kung district today (Saturday).
Accompanied by the acting Director of Home Affairs, Mr Lee Lap-sun, and the Sai Kung District Officer, Mr Tony Dickinson, they first called on the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and visited its Council Chamber and library.
7
Chairman of the University Council, Sir S Y Chung, briefed them on the operation of the university which first opened its doors in 1991 and has since saw its students body increased tenfold in five years to 7,000.
Most of its 500 academic staff were trained in the world's leading institutions of learning.
The visitors then went to Tseung Kwan O, now Hong Kong's latest and most rapidly expanding new town. Its population has grown by about five times from 49,000 in 1987 to 204,000 in just 10 years.
At King Lam Estate, Mr Patten and Mr Hanley walked through an elegant Chinese-style landscape garden, which provide a spacious recreational area for residents' enjoyment. Features in the garden include a waterfall, a pond, pavilions, stone bridges, rock carvings and children's play equipment.
The party concluded their visit at the King Lam Neighbourhood Community Centre, which accommodates the Christian Family Service Centre Jackie Chan King Lam Children and Youth Centre; the Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service, Lutheran Church - Hong Kong Synod, Day Nursery; and the Christian and Missionary Alliance Bradbury King Lam Elderly Centre.
Residents at the elderly centre gave the visitors a demonstration on mini mooncake, Chinese calligraphy, paper-flower and bookmark making.
>'
End
Water cut in Tai Po
*****
The fresh and flushing water supply to some premises in Tai Po will be temporarily suspended from 11 pm on Tuesday (September 17) to 6 am the following day for waste detection work on watermains.
The suspension will affect Tai Hang, Wai Tau Tsuen, Nam Wa Po and Kiu Tau of Tai Wo Section of Tai Po Road.
End
8
Flushing water cut in Tai Po ***** i
The flushing water supply to some premises in Tai Po (South) will be suspended from 6 pm on Tuesday (September 17) to 6 am on Thursday (September 19) for checking of the flushing water supply system.
The suspension will affect all premises in Kwong Fuk Estate, Wang Fuk Court, Nam Wan Road south of Tai Po Tai Wo Road, Plover Cove Road, Po Wu Lane, Tung Mau Square, Tung Sau Square, Tung Fat Square, Tung Cheong Street, Luk Heung Lane, Kwong Fuk Road, Po Heung Street, Po Yick Street, Sui On Street, Yan Hing Street, Fu Shin Street, Tsing Yuen Street, Hei Yuen Street,Yan Wo Lane, Pak Shing Street, Shung Tak Street, On Fu Road, Wan Yan Street,Nam Shing Street, Wai Yi street, Po Heung Square, Tai Wing Lane, Heung Sze Wui Square, Heung Sze Wui Street, Kwong Fuk Lane, Kwong Fuk Square, Tai Ming Lane, Tai Kwong Lane, Wan Tau Street, Wan Tau Square, Wan Tau Kok Lane, Tai Po Market Station, Uptown Plaza, Elegance Garden, Pan Chung Road, Yat Nga Court, Wan Tau Tong Estate, Tak Nga Court, King Nga Court, Classical Garden, Ma Wo Road, Ma Chung Road, Kam Shan Road, Kam Shek New Village and Shek Lin Road.
End
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations
*****
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change ($ million)
Opening balance in the account 1,877 09:30 +85
Closing balance in the account 1,877 10:00 +85
Change attributable to: 11:00 +85
Money market activity +85 11:30 +85
LAF today -85
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.5 *+0.0* 14.9.96
End
9
49 new building plans approved in July *****
The Buildings Department had approved 49 building plans in July - 11 for Hong Kong Island, 15 for Kowloon and 23 for the New Territories.
The approved plans include 19 for apartment and apartment/commercial developments, 20 for commercial developments, two for factory and industrial developments, and eight for community services developments.
Consent was given for work to start on 45 building projects in July, involving 195,681 square metres of usable domestic floor area and 400,256 square metres of usable non-domestic floor area.
During the same period, the department also issued 24 occupation permits -seven for Hong Kong Island, five for Kowloon and 12 for the New Territories.
Of the buildings certified for occupation in the month, the usable floor areas for domestic and non-domestic uses are 21,606 square metres and 70,323 square metres respectively.
The declared cost of new buildings completed in the month totalled about $1,086 million.
In addition, 25 demolition consents involving 92 buildings and structures were issued.
In the same month, the Buildings Department’s Control and Enforcement Division had received 1,008 complaints of unauthorised building works, and issued 202 removal orders on unauthorised works.
End
10
Information books on social welfare facilities published ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
A set of comprehensive information books containing details of existing and planned social welfare facilities in each of the 18 districts throughout the territory are now available for the public.
Copies of the 1996 English edition of the information books have been placed at all regional and district offices of the Social Welfare Department as well as district offices of the Home Affairs Department.
Members of the public interested in such information could approach any of these offices and asked to see the books which should be returned after perusal, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department said today (Sunday).
They can also contact the department's hotline on 2343 2255 in case they have any queries about the books, he added.
The books contain three parts: a glossary on the types of social welfare facilities and explanation about the services provided, a list of existing welfare facilities in the district and another list of facilities being planned in the district.
"The Chinese version of the information books is being prepared and will be published as soon as it is available," said the spokesman.
End
Slope maintenance exhibition opens at Heng Fa Chuen
*****
An exhibition on slope safety and maintenance will begin tomorrow (Monday) at Heng Fa Chuen in Chai Wan.
Organised by the Civil Engineering Department, the exhibition will be open daily between 10 am and 10 pm until September 22 at the ground floor of the Heng Fa Chuen Shopping Centre (East Wing). Admission is free.
The event is the second of a series of roving exhibitions organised to promote public awareness of slope safety and the importance of slope maintenance, a spokesman for the department said.
11
"The first exhibition held in China Hong Kong City in Tsim Sha Tsui last month had attracted hundreds of visitors," he said.
The exhibition will feature various aspects of proper slope maintenance through display of colourful illustrations and photographs.
Information on landslip warning messages, warning signs, evidence of landslip danger and precautionary measures to take when the landslip warning is in force, will also be displayed.
A promotional video on slope maintenance will be shown at the exhibition
venue.
Similar exhibitions will be staged at Luk Yeung Sun Chuen in Tsuen Wan between November 11 and 17 and Cheung Fat Estate in Tsing Yi between December 2 and 8.
End
Fresh water cut in Sham Shui Po *****
The fresh water supply to some premises in Sham Shui Po will be temporarily suspended from 11 pm on Wednesday (September 18) to 6 am the following day for waste detection work on watermains.
The suspension will affect all premises in the area bounded by Nam Cheong Street, Tai Po Road, Castle Peak Road, Kweilin Street and Fuk Wing Street.
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL.: 2842 8777
Monday, September 16,1996
Contents Page No.
Unemployment and underemployment statistics.............................. 1
Gas Safety Advisory Committee to meet tomorrow........................... 2
Reception for Australian promotion supporters held....................... 3
Premises closed for residents' safety.................................... 4
Trade Department customer group to recruit new members................... 4
Interactive computers installed to promote health education.............. 5
Calling number display to be introduced.................................. 6
New membership of BOE sub-committees..................................... 7
Air quality report for August............................................ 8
Monitors’ Report submitted to CS........................................ 10
Water storage figure.................................................... 10
Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results.......................... 11
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations................. 11
1
Unemployment and underemployment statistics *****
The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the period May to July 1996 was 2.9%, and the underemployment rate was 1.6%, according to the latest labour force statistics released today (Monday) by the Census and Statistics Department.
For the period June to August 1996, the provisional seasonally adjusted unemployment rate edged further lower to 2.8%, while the provisional underemployment rate also fell, to 1.4%.
Commenting on the latest figures, a government spokesman said labour market conditions continued to improve in recent months. In particular, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has edged lower for four consecutive months in a row.
For the latest period June to August 1996, decreases in the unemployment rate were mainly observed in the manufacturing, wholesale and retail trades, and restaurants and hotels sectors.
As to the underemployment rate, decreases continued to occur in the manufacturing and construction sectors. The unemployment and underemployment rates in the other major sectors remained generally stable.
In the three months ending July 1996, total labour supply grew by 2.6% over a year earlier, while total employment rose relatively faster, by 3%. With the growth in total labour supply coming down further, while the growth in total employment remaining robust, this has helped to lower the overall unemployment rate in recent months.
During the period May to July 1996, the number of unemployed persons with previous jobs was estimated at 80,100. Another 9,400 unemployed persons were firsttime job-seekers. The number of underemployed persons was estimated at 51,600.
The unemployment and underemployment statistics were obtained from a continuous General Household Survey. The survey for May to July 1996 covered a quarterly sample of some 23,200 households or 79,200 persons, selected scientifically to represent the land-based civilian non-institutional population in Hong Kong. Data were obtained from the survey by interviewing each member aged 15 or over in the households sampled.
In the survey, the definitions used in measuring unemployment and underemployment follow closely those recommended by the International Labour Organisation.
’Seasonally adjusted’ refers to adjustment for seasonal variations in the proportion of first-time job-seekers in the labour force.
2
Detailed analysis of labour force characteristics is given in the report on the General Household Survey which is published four times a year.
The next report covering the quarter ending June 1996 will be on sale at by the end of September at the Government Publications Centre at ground floor, Low Block, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong.
End
Gas Safety Advisory Committee to meet tomorrow *****
The Gas Safety Advisory Committee (GSAC) will hold its eighth meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) to consider a number of items concerning gas safety including safety controls regarding the procurement and use of liquefied petroleum gas cylinder regulators.
GSAC was formed in 1991 to advise the Gas Authority on any matter relevant to the importation, manufacture, storage, transport, supply or use of gas as defined under the Gas Safety Ordinance.
The committee also conveys to the Gas Authority any views pertaining to the interests of the gas industry and those of consumers of fuel gases in general.
It advises the Gas Authority on matters relating to the gas safety legislation.
The first meeting was held in 1992 and subsequently conducted meetings about twice a year.
Chaired by the Gas Authority, Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Hugh Phillipson, the committee comprises 10 unofficial members.
Unofficial members are Ms Jennifer Chow, Director of Wah Hing Group; Mr Alan Lee, Materials Management Manager of Dow Chemical Pacific Ltd; Mr Albert Ma, Managing Director of Hong Kong LP Gas (Holdings) Ltd; Mr Malcolm J Matthews, Managing Director of The Hong Kong and China Gas Co Ltd; Mr Pang Yiu-kai, Director of Jardine Pacific Ltd; Mr Edward Pong, Executive Director of Shiu Wing Steel Ltd; Mr So Bo-ming, Vice General Manager of Crown Gas Stoves Co Ltd; Mr Charley Song Lin, Vice President of China Resources Petrochems (Group) Co Ltd; Mr Clement Tao, Managing Director of Associated Advisers Ltd and Dr Samuel Wong, Managing Partner of Associated Consulting Engineers.
End
3
Reception for Australian promotion supporters held *****
The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, hosted a reception at Victoria House today (Monday) for about 70 people taking part and supporting the Hong Kong-Australia, Partners in Asia Pacific promotion, which will take place between September 23 and 27.
Mrs Chan will be leading a delegation to strengthen economic links and trade partnership between Australia and Hong Kong.
The promotion, covering three cities - Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne - is coorganised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) and the Hong Kong Government.
Programmes for the visit include business seminars and luncheons in Sydney and Melbourne, roundtable discussions with business leaders, opening of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Sydney, a pop concert featuring Hong Kong Television Broadcasts Ltd (TVB) singers and artistes at the Sydney Town Hall.
Mrs Chan will also be going on her own round of political calls and media interviews.
Dignitaries attending the reception today included the Australian Consul-General, Mr Geoff Walsh; HKTDC Executive Director, Mr Michael Sze; HKTA Executive Director, Mrs Amy Chan; Vice Chairam of the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, Mr Matthew Cheng; and the Chairman of Sing Tao Group, Miss Sally Aw.
At the reception, Mrs Chan presented certificates of appreciation to supporting organisations, sponsors and TVB artistes.
Representing the sponsors were the General Manager, Pacific and Southern Africa Routes of Cathay Pacific Airways, Mr Robert Atkinson; Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of Hang Seng Bank, Mr Alexander Au; Chairman of INFA Telecom Group and Chief Executive of New World Telephone Group, Mr Peter Tsang; and Executive Director of Sing Tao Group, L Y Tang.
The General Manager, Corporate Affairs of TVB, Mr Alex Ying; singers Ekin Cheng, Vivian Chow, Cass Phang, Hacken Lee, and compere for the pop concert, Mr Natalas Chan, were also present.
End
4
Premises closed for residents’ safety
*****
A total of 14 residential units on the mezzanine floor of No 1 Wang Fung Terrace, Tai Hang, have been evacuated and will be closed temporarily following the collapse of a portion of slope in the vicinity on Saturday evening, a spokesman for the Buildings Department said today (Monday).
Emergency slope stabilisation works are being carried out and expected to be completed in about two weeks’ time.
A notice of intention was posted at the building this (Monday) afternoon informing the residents that a closure order would be applied from the Court on Wednesday morning.
The spokesman said as the slope was still in a unstable situation, the units had to be closed for the residents’ safety.
Any enquiry on the closure order can be made to the Buildings Department on 2626 1368.
End
Trade Department customer group to recruit new members
*****
A recruitment exercise was launched by the Trade Department's Customer Liaison Group (CLG) to bring in new blood in an effort to further enhancing its services to traders.
Letters had been sent today (Monday) to companies registered with the department, encouraging their staff to join CLG for the year 1996-97.
The members the department has in mind to recruit are employees of these companies who are directly responsible for or involved in the process of import and export licenses and/or certificate of origin applications.
Ilie Trade Department is committed to providing traders with efficient, courteous and high quality services.
CLG was set up in 1994 with a view to further enhancing the department's services. It is to serve as an additional channel of communication between the department and its customers and to provide a forum for them to exchange views on the services in a relaxed setting.
5
It aims at soliciting members’ ideas on improvements of the department’s services to facilitate planning and implementations. It also helps to build up a cordial customer relationship and to enhance customers' understanding of the department's operation and services.
Apart from meeting quarterly, CLG organises a variety of activities including workshops, small group discussions, surveys, field visits and tours of the department's licensing offices.
The Managing Director of Leighton Apparel Ltd, Mr Jay Leung, and the Deputy Managing Director of Texwood Ltd, Mr Norman Tam, both local prominent industrialists and members of the Textiles Advisory Board, were appointed as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively by the Director-General of Trade.
Users of the department's services aged 18 or above, with the endorsement of their employers, may apply by completing a reply form obtainable from the enquiry counter at the ground floor, Trade Department Tower, 700 Nathan Road, Kowloon.
Completed forms should be returned on or before October 5 either by hand or by post to Room 211, second floor, of the same address, or by fax 2380 8504. Enquiries about CLG can be directed to Miss Teresa Poon on 2398 5474 or Mr Alan Sze on 2398 5668.
End
Interactive computers installed to promote health education
*****
Members of the public can now learn about health education in an entertaining and lively way with the Department of Health's new interactive learning computer system.
The $2.4 million system, which was set up with funds donated by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, was officially handed over to the department at a ceremony at the Central Health Education Centre today (Monday).
Speaking at the ceremony, acting Deputy Director of Health, Dr S P Mak said the main tasks of the department were to promote health education and to encourage people to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
The installation of the computer system would allow users to learn about health in a relaxed and interesting way, she added.
6
The system, which is comprised of five touch-screen computers, has been installed at the Central Health Education Unit's (CHEU) four health education centres.
There are a total of 19 health topics to choose from, including healthy lifestyles, family and child health, organ donation, chronic degenerative diseases and communicable diseases with emphasis on disease prevention.
The touch-screen is easy and interesting to operate, and the system's vivid pictures, animation and sound effects further increase the attractiveness of the programme.
The system is now accessible to the public free of charge. In addition, extra copies of the system's software will be made available to schools and other organisations for educational and non-profit-making purposes.
For further enquiries, please contact CHEU on 2835 1825.
End
Calling number display to be introduced *****
Following his report on previous public consultation in July, the Telecommunications Authority, Mr Alexander Arena, formally announced today (Monday) that Calling Number Display (CND) could be introduced into Hong Kong.
The decision is based on the general support indicated by the community and the prospective service providers.
It is envisaged that interested service providers will submit their applications for providing CND shortly, and equipment suppliers will proceed to manufacture suitable telephone terminals in accordance with the standards approved by the Authority.
However, a spokesman for the Office of the Telecommunication Authority emphasised that before launching their services, the service providers must demonstrate to the Authority's satisfaction that they would comply with stringent codes of practices to be issued by the Authority on the handling of CND information, and would fully inform their customers of their choice regarding the transmission or withholding the transmission of their telephone numbers.
7
”An effective publicity programme is a pre-requisite for introducing CND. The public must fully understand how the service works so as to make good use of it and benefit from it,” the spokesman said.
Customers are advised to look out for further announcements from the various fixed and mobile service providers regarding the timing for launching CND on their networks and the application procedures.
End
New membership of BOE sub-committees ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Four educators and a businessman have been elected to head the five subcommittees of the Board of Education (BOE).
At a meeting today (Monday), the board endorsed new membership for the five sub-committees on educational aims, educational services liaison, pre-primary education, special education and review of school education respectively. The term of office of the sub-committees is two years.
Membership of the five BOE sub-committees are as follows:
Educational Aims implementation
Chairman: Sr Bernadette Au Yee-ting
Members: Mr Chan Tak-hang
Mr Cheng Chi-leung
Mr Michael Hong Man-hoi
Educational Services Liaison
Chairman: Mr Clement Tao Kwok-lau
Members: Miss Elisa Chan Ching-har
Mr Tang Hing-lin
Pre-primary Education
Chairman: Mr Irving Koo Yee-yin
Members: Mrs Chu Tang Lai-kuen
Professor Leslis Lo Nai-kwai
Dr Pang King-chee
Mr Pun Tin-chi
8
Special Education
Chairman: Professor Leslie Lo Nai-kwai
Members: Mrs Chu Tang Lai-kuen
Dr Simon Leung Man-on
Mr Pun Tin-chi
Review of School Education
Chairman: Dr Pang King-chee
Members: Mr Chan Tak-hang
Mr Cheng Chi-leung
Mr Irving Koo Yee-yi
Mr Ronald Lau Yiu-fai
Mr Pun Tin-chi
Mr Tang Hing-lin
Mr Tik Chi-yuen
Mr Isaac Tse Pak-hoi
Mr Isaac Tse Pak-hoi has been appointed Chairman of the Task Group on Aims, Objectives, Targets and Enforcement of nine-year Compulsory Education.
End
Air quality report for August *****
The Environmental Protection Department today (Monday) released air quality information for August.
The purpose of the announcement is to keep the public informed of the air quality levels in the territory and to explain the measurements.
The announcement contains monitoring results from Mong Kok, Central/Westem and Kwai Chung, which represent three important land use types in the territory:
* locations close to road traffic in built-up urban areas,
* combined commercial and residential districts, and
♦ districts close to industrial areas.
9
The reported air pollutants include sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), total suspended particulates (TSP) which comprise all sizes of dust particles, and the respirable fraction of the dust (RSP). All these pollutants can affect respiratory health in sufficient concentration.
Air quality was poor on August 20. The Mong Kok Station recorded high NO2 levels of 159 ug/m3 which was about six per cent higher than the daily air quality objective (AQO).
The ozone concentration was also very high for a few hours in the territory at late afternoon. The peak concentration of ozone of 314 ug/m3 or about 30% higher than the air quality objective was recorded at the Central/Westem Station.
The ozone was formed by reactions between other air pollutant such as nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, in the presence of strong sunlight.
The gases and particles described originated from various sources. SO2 is mostly produced when fuels that contain sulphur are burned. NO2 is formed during combustion by the combination of nitrogen and oxygen, and by the atmospheric oxidation of nitric oxide (NO), also a product of combustion.
Vehicle exhaust is an important source of NO and NO2 in terms of impact on local air quality. It is also a major source of airborne particulate matter, especially the smaller respirable particles.
Diesel-engined vehicles such as taxis, public light buses, passenger coaches, franchised buses and light and heavy goods vehicles are the greatest contributor of particulate matter. Other sources include industry, furnaces and boilers, construction activities, the sea and the soil.
It is worth noting that while the weather and climate always affect the concentrations of pollutants in the air, the only sure way of reducing the levels is to reduce emissions from the man-made sources.
End
10
Monitors’ Report submitted to CS
*****
The monitors appointed to observe the Tai A Chau Detention Centre decantation operation this (Monday) morning have submitted their report to the Chief Secretary.
The four monitors comprised two non-official Justices of the Peace, Mr Tang Pui-tat and Mr Raymond Choy Wai-shek; and representatives from two nongovernment organisations, Mr Peter Fung from Christian Action and Mr Yau Sun-kit from Caritas, Hong Kong.
End
Water storage figure ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Storage in Hong Kong’s reservoirs at 9 am today (Monday) stood at 97.4 per cent of capacity or 570.986 million cubic metres.
This time last year the reservoirs contained 558.087 million cubic metres of water, representing 95.2 per cent of capacity.
End
X
- 11 -
Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
Tender date 16 Sept 1996
Paper on offer EF notes
Issue number 5109
Issue date 17 Sept 1996
Maturity date 17 Sept 1996
Coupon 7.32 PCT
Amount applied HK$2,230
Amount allotted HKS500 MN
Average price accepted (yield) 100.89 (7.23 PCT)
Lowest price accepted (yield) 100.87 (7.24 PCT)
Pro rata ratio About 62 PCT
Average tender price (yield) 100.78 (7.26 PCT)
End
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations
*****
Cumulative
Time change
Lmillion Opening balance in the account 1,877 Closing balance in the account 2,388 Change attributable to: Money market activity +281 LAF today +230 LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.5 *+0.0* (hours) (Smillion) 0930 +281 1000 +281 1100 +281 1200 +281 1500 +284 1600 +281 16.9.96
12
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 4.84 2 years 2808 6.00 99.85 6.17
1 month 4.92 3 years 3907 6.80 100.84 6.57
3 months 5.12 5 years 5106 7.23 100.76 7.16
6 months 5.25 7 years 7308 7.24 99.04 7.56
12 months 5.59 5 years M5O3 7.35 99.81 7.53
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $12,436 million
Closed September 16, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL.: 2842 8777
Tuesday, September 17,1996
Contents Page No.
Reports on Old Age Allowance unfounded.................................... 1
Port clearance for Diaoyu Islands-bound vessel required................... 1
Mid-1996 estimated population............................................. 2
HKMA’s Deputy Chief Executive’s contract renewed.......................... 2
Director-General of Trade to visit Beijing and Dalian..................... 3
99 convicted pollution cases in August.................................... 4
Monitors' report submitted to CS.......................................... 4
Fresh water cut in the New Territories.................................... 5
Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results............................... 6
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations...................... 7
1
Reports on Old Age Allowance unfounded ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
A spokesman for the Health and Welfare Branch said today (Tuesday) that recent reports suggesting the Governor might announce in his Policy Address plans to cut the Old Age Allowance were ’’wholly without foundation”.
"In view of the possible confusion caused by such reports, there was a need to clarify the situation," he said.
He confirmed that a review of both the disability and old age allowances was indeed under way and that this was the last part of a comprehensive review of all social security arrangements which had started following the completion of the review of CSSA in March.
He explained that the objective of the review was not to cut costs but rather to ensure that vulnerable elderly and people with a disability would receive financial support in the best possible way.
I
"No recommendations have yet been made and it would be premature to speculate what they might eventually be," the spokesman stressed, adding that no changes would be introduced without prior consultation.
End
Port clearance for Diaoyu Islands-bound vessel required ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
In response to media enquiiies concerning press reports that a vessel has been hired to take about 50 people from Hong Kong to mount a demonstration at the Diaoyu Islands, a Marine Department spokesman said today (Tuesday) that the department’s prime concern in this case is the safety of the people at seas.
He said the vessel, like any vessels leaving Hong Kong waters, had to apply for port clearance from the department's Port Formalities Office.
"Port clearance will be issued when we are satisfied that the vessel has compiled with the requirements of the International Safety Regulations at Seas, including the requirement of having sufficient life saving apparatus on board the vessel," the spokesman said.
The organisers of the voyage were today advised of these requirements, the spokesman added.
End
2
Mid-1996 estimated population *****
The estimated population of Hong Kong at the end of June 1996 was 6,311,000, according to figures released by the Census and Statistics Department today (Tuesday).
..... «
This represents an increase of 154,900 persons or 2.5 per cent as compared with mid-1995 when the revised population estimate was 6,156,100.
The above population figures are estimated on the basis of the results of the 1996 Population By-census conducted in March.
Between mid-1995 and mid-1996, there were 66,900 births and 31,300 deaths in Hong Kong. Natural increase, i.e. the balance of births and deaths, amounted to 35,600 and accounted for 23 per cent of the population growth.
During the same period, the balance of total arrivals and departures showed a net inflow of some 119,300 persons.
• -•
Population estimates for mid-1991 to end-1995 have been revised correspondingly. The revision has incorporated more accurate estimates of population changes that were not available at the time when the previous population estimates were prepared.
End
HKMA's Deputy Chief Executive's contract renewed
*****
The contract of Deputy Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), Mr David Carse, which is due to expire on April 30 next year, has been extended for three years from that date, it was announced today (Tuesday).
The extension was approved by the Financial Secretary.
Mr Carse was seconded to Hong Kong from the Bank of England in June 1991 to be the Commissioner of Banking.
3
In April 1993, the Office of the Commissioner of Banking was merged with the Office of the Exchange Fund to form HKMA and Mr Carse has since assumed his current position, responsible for banking supervision and policy issues.
As a consequence of the extension, he will be resigning from the Bank of England.
’’The extension of Mr Carse’s contract will ensure continuity and a smooth transition for the banking arm of the HKMA in the run-up to and beyond 1997,” said HKMA Chief Executive, Mr Joseph Yam.
"Mr Carse has played an important role in strengthening the banking supervisory regime in Hong Kong over the past five years. We at the HKMA are very pleased to be able to continue to benefit from his experience and expertise."
■ «.;.»? r\ *■>.
End
Director-General of Trade to visit Beijing and Dalian ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Director-General of Trade, Mr Alan Lai, left for a four-day visit to Beijing and Dalian today (Tuesday).
In Beijing, Mr Lai will call on officials in China's Customs General Administration, the Hong Kong and Macau Office, the State Planning Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Co-operation, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to exchange views on matters of mutual interest.
He will also visit Dalian to gain a better understanding of the latest developments of the city.
"I hope the visit will further the contacts the Trade Department has established with corresponding authorities in Beijing, and facilitate the exchange of views on various trade and economic issues of mutual interest," Mr Lai said.
Mr Lai will be accompanied by the Deputy Director-General of Trade, Mrs Rebecca Lai; the Assistant Director-General of Trade, Mr Edward Yau; the Principal Assistant Secretary for Trade and Industry, Ms Salina Yan; and other officials from the Trade Department.
End
- 4 -
99 convicted pollution cases in August *****
A total of 99 convictions were recorded in courts in August for breaching antipollution legislation enforced by the Environmental Protection Department.
Among them, 34 were convictions made under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance, 24 under the Noise Control Ordinance, 30 under the Air Pollution Control Ordinance, one under the Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance, nine the Waste Disposal Ordinance and one under the Dumping At Sea Ordinance.
The fines ranged from $2,000 to $85,000.
Cheong Hing Dyeing Factory Ltd was fined $85,000 for failing to comply with the Water Pollution Control (General) Regulation.
End
Monitors' report submitted to CS *****
The monitors appointed to observe the Tai A Chau Detention Centre decantation operation this (Tuesday) morning have submitted their report to the Chief Secretary.
The four monitors comprised two non-official Justices of the Peace, Mr Kenneth Ting Woo-shou and Mr Lester Kwok Chi-hang; and representatives from two non-govemment organisations, Mr Thierry Taveaux from Medecins Sans Frontieres and Mr Edward Chan from Oxfam.
End
- 5 -
Fresh water cut in the New Territories ♦ ♦ * ♦ ♦
Fresh water supply to some premises in Fanling, Ta Kwu Leng and Sha Tau Kok will be temporarily suspended from 10 pm on Friday (September 20) to 6 am the following day for connection work on watermains.
The suspension will affect the following:
♦ villages along Sha Tau Kok Road, between Kwan Tei to Sha Tau Kok, including Ko Po, Hung Leng Tsuen, Kan Tau Tsuen, Tan Chuk Hang Tsuen, Hok Tau Tsuen, San Uk Tsai, Sze Tau Leng, Ma Mei Ha, Ta Tong Wu, Loi Tung, Man Uk Bin, Wo Hang, Au Ha, Ma Tseuk Leng, Yim Tso Ha, Wu Shek Kok, Muk Min Tau, Tam Shui Hang, Kong Ha and Sha Tau Kok Market;
* villages along Lau Shui Heung Road, including Fanling, Tong Po and Lau Shui Heung Tsuen;
* villages along Ping Che Road,including Hung Leng Tsuen, Ping Che, Shui Lau Hang, Shan Kai Wat, Tai Po Tin, Ping Yeung, Lei Uk, Tong Fong, Fung Wong Wu, Chau Tin Tsuen and Kan Tau Wai;
* villages along Luk Keng Road, including Nam Chung, Luk Keng and Kat Kuk Shu Ha;
* villages along Lin Ma Hang Road, including Chuk Yuen, Tsung Yuen Ha ,Heung Yuen Wai and Ta Kwu Leng.
End
6
Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results
♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
Tender date 17 Sept 1996
Paper on offer EF bills
Issue number Q638
Issue date 18 Sept 1996 ■f.
Maturity date 18 Dec 1996
Coupon -
Amount applied HK$6,420 MN
Amount allotted HK$ 1,500 MN
Average yield accepted 5.12 PCT
Highest yield accepted 5.12 PCT
Pro rata ratio About 72 PCT
Average tender yield 5.14 PCT
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
Tenders to be held in the week beginning 2 Sept 1996
Tender date 24 Sept 1996 24 Sept 1996
Paper on offer EF bills EF bills
Issue number Q639 H674
Issue date 25 Sept 1996 25 Sept 1996
Maturity date 27 Dec 1996 26 Mar 1997
Tenor 93 days 182 days
Amount on offer HK$l,500+300MN HKS800+160MN
End
7
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations
*****
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 2,388 0930 -232
Closing balance in the account 2,039 1000 -232
Change attributable to: 1100 -232
Money market activity -229 1200 -232
LAF today -120 1500 -232
1600 -229
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.5 *+0.0* 17.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 4.85 2 years 2808 6.00 99.84 6.18
1 month 4.92 3 years 3907 6.80 100.81 6.58
3 months 5.13 5 years 5109 7.32 100.86 7.24
6 months 5.25 7 years 7308 7.24 99.03 7.56
12 months 5.59 5 years M503 7.35 99.79 7.54
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $9,841 million
Closed September 17, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL.: 2842 8777
Wednesday, September 18,1996
Contents Page No.
The way forward for a more liberalised telecoms market................ 1
HAD's role in building management disputes impartial.................. 3
Antiquity board delegation visit to Beijing........................... 5
Recommendation to declare five lighthouses as monuments............... 6
Improvements to social centres for the elderly....................
Keen support for World Bank/Intemational Monetary Fund meetings... 8
1997 commemorative gold coin to be issued............................. 9
Royal Marines to take up charity challenge........................... 10
Monitors' report submitted to CS.................................. 11
Fresh water cut in Yau Tong.......................................... 11
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations................. 12
1
The way forward for a more liberalised telecoms market *****
The Government is fully committed to fair trade and competition in its telecommunications policy, the Secretary for Economic Services, Mr Stephen Ip, said today (Wednesday) when releasing the Administration's response to the Consumer Council's report "Achieving Competition in the Liberalised Telecommunications Market".
"There are some 23 recommendations in the Report and many of these have already been implemented or are being implemented," he said.
"We liberalised the fixed telecommunications network market in July 1995 and have currently entered into a dialogue with Hong Kong Telecom International Limited (HKTI) on the existing arrangements for Hong Kong's international telecommunications sector to see whether these arrangements are best suited to the continued development of the Government's policy of maintaining Hong Kong as the pre-eminent telecommunications hub in the Asia-Pacific region."
Commenting on specific proposals by the Consumer Council, Mr Ip said there were already licence conditions requiring for the clear separation of functions between Hong Kong Telephone Company Limited (HKTC) and its affiliates as well as for carriers to exchange information on interconnection and sharing of facilities and for the Telecommunications Authority (TA) to issue directions on sharing of facilities among licensees.
He was pleased that HKTC had concluded commercial agreements on interconnection with New T and T Hong Kong Limited and New World Telephone Limited on May 31 and August 10 respectively.
"On tariff, the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) is now analysing comments received during a large-scale public consultation on the review of the pricing structure of local telephone services (including interconnection charge) which just closed on July 22," Mr Ip said.
He said following the issue of a TA statement on April 23 defining HKTI's exclusive operating right, the Government and HKTI had recently entered into a dialogue on the existing arrangements for Hong Kong's international telecommunications sector.
On the question of tariff rebalancing, the Government agreed with the Consumer Council that it should be achieved in the long run, he said: "We shall take into account the level of competition in the market as well as the public's acceptance of the change in so doing."
2
As for universal service, he said, the Government agreed that all fixed network operators should be allowed to compete to provide universal service and intended to do so in the medium-term future when network rollout of the new fixed network operators became mature.
”On quality of service, the TA, as suggested by the Consumer Council, will consider issuing a guideline to fixed network operators on what to include in their customer charters,” he said.
Noting the Consumer Council's call for an early introduction of a comprehensive Telecommunication Ordinance to more clearly define TA's policy objectives, responsibilities and other related issues, Mr Ip said this would be addressed by a bill to amend the Telecommunication Ordinance in the 1996-97 legislative year.
However, he said, the Government did not consider it necessary to set up a statutory advisory board to tender advice to the TA on key telecommunications issues.
"The existing consultative mechanisms are working well and have a high degree of transparency: the TA is served by four advisory committees on telecommunications issues; public consultations are conducted on important issues; and the Legislative Council and its Economic Services Panel are also consulted on important telecommunications issues," Mr Ip said.
On the Consumer Council's proposal for the creation of a Secretary for Broadcasting, Telecommunications and Communications Technology, Mr Ip said: "This recommendation has already been considered in the context of Government Response to the Consumer Council Report on Broadcasting.
"We consider it unnecessary to combine policy responsibilities of broadcasting and telecommunications. But we are prepared to review this in the light of technological development and the review on broadcasting scheduled for 1998."
He added that the Government also could not support in full the technical proposal to give statutory force to OFTA's guidelines for property owners, developers and managers for the provision of facilities within property developments for access to public telecommunications and broadcasting services as there were no such access requirements for other utilities.
"As an alternative, OFTA is now working with the Buildings Department to look into the possibility of incorporating telecommunications access requirements into the code of practice for architects and authorised persons," he said.
3
The government response is prepared on the basis of views expressed in an extensive consultation exercise conducted both within and outside the Government after the publication of the Consumer Council’s report in March.
Members of the public who wish to obtain a copy of the response may write to the Economic Services Branch at second floor, Central Government Offices, Main Wing, Hong Kong, or OFTA, 22nd floor, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai. A copy is also placed on OFTA's home page at http://www.ofta.gov.hk.
End
HAD’s role in building management disputes impartial ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Home Affairs Department (HAD) must remain impartial when acting as mediator in handling complaints on building management from owners, the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Michael Suen, said today (Wednesday).
Speaking at the luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of Kowloon West, Mr Suen said the Multi-storey Buildings (Owners Incorporation) Ordinance was enacted in 1970 to assist owners in setting up building management organisations.
It was amended in May 1993 and renamed Building Management Ordinance (BMO) in a bid to simplify the formation procedure of Owners' Corporations (OCs).
"Furthermore, the BMO has extended the jurisdiction of the Lands Tribunal to cover building management matters", he said.
"The HAD has also strengthened the support work in building management.
"To enrich the knowledge of owners in building management and to encourage them to form OCs, the department has been organising promotional activities and training courses including seminars and workshops.
"It has also produced educational videotapes and information pamphlets on how to achieve effective building management.
"HAD staff will also visit newly formed OCs to understand their work and, if needed, suggest solutions to problems that may arise. They will act as mediator when conflicts occur.
4
"The amendments in BMO have empowered owners to oversee the operation of OCs, while OCs are legal entities which will represent owners in carrying out building management duties. With their rights and duties stipulated in the law, owners are able to participate in the management of their own buildings," Mr Suen said.
As the owners were empowered to monitor OCs, Mr Suen stressed that HAD, when dealing with inquiries from owners, could only give advice on how to solve the problems instead of making a decision for the owners. This is to ensure that the rights and duties of the owners are respected.
"Therefore, when conflicts arise, HAD's staff are forbidden by law to judge the cases, nor could they take over the management committee upon complainants' requests because all these would only lead to an adverse impact on the impartiality of the department.
"Monitoring the Management Committee is OCs' duty which should not be taken over by the Government," he said.
"As the owners also have the right to monitor the work of the management committees, they can dissolve the committees when they are poorly-operated and terminate the contract with an inefficient management company."
Mr Suen also noted that owners' active participation in OCs through attending OC meetings and maintaining good communication with OCs is the best way to solve building management problems.
He said of the 1,000 inquiries received by the department each year, about half were complaint cases mainly triggered by disputes between owners and the management company or between owners and the OCs' management committees.
For example, some owners might suspect that someone was trying to take advantage from their management posts, or they had lost confidence in some members of the management committees because of lack of communication.
"However, from our experience, the cause of many complaints was not solely due to the faults of managing members. In most cases, complaints arose because of owners' insufficient knowledge in building management as well as a lack of participation in OC meetings," Mr Suen said.
Reiterating that the owners had the right to monitor OCs, Mr Suen assured that the building management problems could be solved and avoided if the owners could maintain good communication with OCs and be more committed to undertaking their duties in building management issues.
End
5
Antiquity board delegation visit to Beijing ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
A delegation of the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) had visited Beijing from September 3 to 7 to establish a closer relationship with related heritage preservation bodies in China and Hong Kong to facilitate future co-operation.
More importantly, the purpose of the trip is to bring to the institutes and authorities in China the fact that Hong Kong has a history of more than six thousand years instead of some 150 years as witnessed by the excavations carried out in the past few years.
The visit was considered very fruitful. It provided an opportunity for AAB and the professionals in mainland to exchange views on heritage preservation and archaeological studies.
The delegation was assured that heritage preservation works in Hong Kong will be carried out continuously by the future Special Administration government based on the Basic Law; that no other regional interference will be made to such works; and that support will be given to the future Hong Kong government when encountering difficulties in pursuing the works.
Special mention was also made to the importance of the works in educating people to understand the past of Hong Kong and its relation with China both historically and culturally.
The visit had succeeded in forging a closer relationship with the academic institutions in China dealing with archaeological studies and preservation of historical buildings.
They were given to understand the difficulties confronted with the heritage preservation work in Hong Kong, which included the high land value, the extraordinary pace of development, the lack of professionals in the field and the hot and humid climate.
With the launching of the two territory-wide surveys - one on historical buildings and structures and the other on archaeological sites - it was hoped that the professionals in China could give professional advice and guidance during the conduct of the surveys.
The professionals from the Tsinghua University also gave the delegation a briefing on traditional Chinese architecture and their preservation, and the heritage preservation policy in China.
6
Conclusively speaking, the visit, which was arranged by the State Bureau of Cultural Relics, was very fruitful in achieving the goals and opening up more contacts with the professionals in China apart from understanding more thoroughly the policy of the Chinese authorities towards heritage preservation in Hong Kong after 1997.
The delegation comprised the Chairman of AAB, Professor David Lung, three Committee Chairmen of the Board, namely Dr Michael Lau, Chairman of the Archaeological and Palaeontological Committee, Dr Elizabeth Sinn, Chairman of the Historical Buildings and Structures Committee and Ms Jane Cheng, Chairman of the Education and Publicity Committee.
The delegation was accompanied by the Principal Assistant Secretary, Mr Raymond Tam and representatives of the Antiquities and Monuments Office of the Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Branch.
During the visit, the delegation had called on the State Bureau of Cultural Relics, the Bureau of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan Cultural Affairs of the Ministry of Culture, the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council, the Institute of Archaeology of the Chinese Academy of Social Science, the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeontology of Academia Sinica, the National Museum of Chinese History, the Palace Museum, the School of Architecture of Tsinghua University and the Department of Archaeology of the Beijing University.
End
Recommendation to declare five lighthouses as monuments ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
At its meeting held yesterday (Tuesday), the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) recommended that the Nam Koo Terrace be declared as historical building and five lighthouses as monuments under the Antiquities and Monument Ordinance. The five lighthouses are:
(i) Cape D’Aguilar Lighthouse on Hong Kong Island
(ii) Old Green Island Lighthouse on Green Island
(iii) New Green Island Lighthouse on Green Island
(iv) Kap Sing Lighthouse on Tang Lung Chau
(v) Waglan Island Lighthouse on Wagland Island
The Board also endorsed the proposal to organise the ’’Year of Heritage” in 1997 to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of AAB and the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO).
7
A series of activities have been proposed to be launched in 1997 to publicise the achievements of AAB and AMO in preserving the heritage of Hong Kong over the past decades, and to raise the profile of heritage preservation to a new height. The Board further agreed to form a steering group to implement the proposed programmes.
Representatives of the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) were invited to brief the Board on the Western Corridor Railway project.
Members expressed grave concern over the possible impact of the project on the historical and archaeological items along the future alignment. The Board urged KCRC to consult the Board and AMO fully on the Environmental Impact Assessment Study to be conducted soon.
The Board was briefed by representatives of the Planning Department and consulted on the Town Planning White Bill and the Territorial Development Strategy Review. The policy statement issued by the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands in June entitled "Urban Renewal in Hong Kong" was also discussed.
The Board expressed serious concern over the lack of proper regard in these proposals to the need to ensure heritage protection when devising developmental plans in Hong Kong.
Members reiterated the paramount importance of protecting the "cultural environment" of Hong Kong. The Board further urged that the future Urban Renewal Authority should have a mechanism to look after and protect the historical buildings in the urban area.
End
Improvements to social centres for the elderly ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Several improvements to social centres for the elderly have been implemented since the publication of the report of the working group on care for the elderly in August 1994.
This was stated by the Director of Social Welfare, Mr Ian Strachan, when he officiated at the opening ceremony of the Sik Sik Yuen Ho Wong Social Centre for Senior Citizens in Mong Kok today (Wednesday).
8
Mr Strachan said these improvements included the upward revision of the planning ratio to one centre for every 2,000 elderly population, improvements in staffing to provide better clerical support and adoption of open membership to enable more of the senior citizens to enjoy the facilities and services of the social centres.
"A range of community support services, such as social centres for the elderly, play an important role in enabling our senior citizens to live happily and in dignity as full participating members of the our society as long as possible," he said.
Mr Strachan said in view of the growing ageing population, the government had, in 1992, pledged to provide 70 more social centres for the elderly by the end of 1997.
"However, we have faced great difficulties in identifying suitable premises for setting up a sufficient number of these centres, especially in old urban areas without public housing estates.
"Fortunately, through a purchase programme jointly undertaken by the Architectural Services Department, Government Property Agency and Social Welfare Department, we have identified 28 sets of private premises in various parts of the territory for setting up social centres for the elderly to make up the shortfall," Mr Strachan said.
He said the Government had now purchased and fitted out six centres in Yau Tsim/Mong Kok District alone and the centre opened today was one of them.
Founded in 1921, Sik Sik Yuen is a well-established non-profit-making charitable organisation providing various services for the sick, the poor, the young and the elderly.
With regards to services for the elderly, it has five residential homes, nine social centres and one multi-service centre.
End
Keen support for World Bank/Intemational Monetary Fund meetings ♦ * * ♦ ♦
The 1997 World Bank Group/lntemational Monetary Fund annual meetings which will be held in Hong Kong next year has received enthusiastic support from the private sector.
Sponsorships resulting in a savings of more than $70 million have been received so far, with some $40 million in cash and the rest in kind.
9
At a cheque presentation ceremony to acknowledge the cash sponsors held today (Wednesday), the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang said: "This is one of the most important events to be held in Hong Kong after the change in sovereignty."
He also said by sponsoring the event, the private sector had demonstrated strong commitment to the future of Hong Kong.
A total of 19 sponsors, from the banking, property and trading sectors, were present in today's ceremony.
End
1997 commemorative gold coin to be issued ♦ * * ♦ ♦
A limited quantity of commemorative gold coins will be issued in July next year to mark the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 1997.
This continues a tradition of marking significant events in Hong Kong with the issue of a precious metal coin.
The 1997 commemorative gold coin will bear the standard Bauhinia design on the obverse side, with a special commemorative design of Hong Kong skyline on the reverse side.
It will have face value of $1,000 and will be in 22 carat gold. It is legal tender and will be issued by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority on behalf of the Government and for the account of Exchange Fund.
The coin is not anticipated to be circulated generally or used by the public for payment in transactions, but by making it a legal tender adds appreciably to its attractiveness and value in the eyes of the collectors.
A limited number of pieces will be minted by the Royal Canadian Mint with the bulk to be available for sales in Hong Kong.
Each coin will carry a certificate and will be individually numbered.
10
After covering the cost of issue, profits generated from the sale will be held in a suspense account of the general revenue and will be used to fund selected projects for the benefit of the community.
The coin will be sold in Hong Kong by inviting public application and, if necessary, by ballot, in late May or early June next year. The date of issue is July 1, 1997. The coin will be made available to international collectors by agents.
End
Royal Marines to take up charity challenge ♦ * * * ♦
Crack troops from HMS Tamar will take part in one of their most difficult exercises this weekend between September 20 and 23.
Leaving behind the world of anti-smuggling operations, and armed only with dusters, brushes and many willing hands, 10 Royal Marines from 45 Commando, based in Arbroath, Scotland, will take on any domestic challenge Hong Kong can throw up - all for only $100 per hour in aid of the Hong Kong Society for the Protection of Children and the Baby Joshua Fund.
The success of "Rent-A-Royal" earlier in the year prompted the current detachment to take up the challenge once again and they hope their fund-raising activities will exceed the previous total of $35,000.
No job is too big or too small for the Royal Marines. From spring cleaning apartments, delivering furniture, helping with the shopping or walking the dog, these elite troops will tackle any task put to them. Already bids have come in to clean kitchens and to serve up a gourmet breakfast for 10 people in Mid-levels.
The Commando are looking to the local community to help raise funds for these two deserving charities and are standing by their phones to take bids for their services. Anyone willing to "Rent-A-Royal" should contact Sergeant Dave Barback on 2746 0789.
End
11
Monitors’ report submitted to CS ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The monitors appointed to observe the Tai A Chau Detention Centre deeantation operation this (Wednesday) morning have submttted Ihetr report
Chief Secretary.
The four monitors comprised two non-offtcial Justices of the Peace, IMr Liu . Dr ctan chene Tsang-kay; and representatives from two non governmentorgani^tions0 Ms^CJUla NemVhi from Medecins Sans Premieres and Mr Neil Papenfus from Oxfam.
End
Fresh water cut in Yau Tong ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
waste detection work on watermains.
The suspension will affect ah premises along Cha Kwo Ling Road between Ko Fai Road and No 428 Cha Kwo Ling Road.
End
I I
- 12 -
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
$ million Time (hours.) Cumulative change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 2,039 0930 + 121
Closing balance in the account 2,162 1000 + 121
Change attributable to: 1100 + 121
Money market activity + 123 1200 + 123
LAF today Nil 1500 + 123
1600 +123
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.6 *+0.1* 18.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.00 2 years 2808 6.00 99.60 6.32
1 month 5.01 3 years 3907 6.80 100.51 6.70
3 months 5.20 5 years 5106 7.32 100.45 7.34
6 months 5.33 7 years 7308 7.24 98.51 7.66
12 months 5.70 5 years M5O3 7.35 99.35 7.65
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $ 19,311 million
Closed September 18, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Thursday, September 19,1996
Contents Page_Na,
Transcript of Governor’s media session............................... 1
Rationalisation of container terminal berths endorsed...................... 4
37th JLG meeting: Joint Communique......................................... 6
Governor visits Yau Tsim Mong District............................... 6
Mail services to UK subject to delay................................. 7
New health centre in Ma On Shan...................................... 8
ABC Guide to Basic Law published..................................... 8
Applications invited for challenging civil service career............ 9
Mobil phone charges reimbursement available for teachers............. 11
Soliders have sights set on Swiss shooting competition............... 12
Governor meets student painters...................................... 12
No mail for public holiday........................................... 13
Monitors' report submitted to CS..................................... 14
HK to participate in international stamps exhibition................. 14
Stamp collector's kit on sale........................................ 15
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations................. 16
1
Transcript of Governor's media session
*****
Following is the transcript of the media session by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, after visiting the Yau Tsim Mong District this (Thursday) afternoon:
Governor: I am sorry to keep you waiting. I am delighted to have been able to make my third official visit to Yau Tsim Mong District today. I have been very happy to see some of the work that is being done in the district and to have an opportunity of an exchange of views with the Chairman of the District Board and with Members of the District Board.
I will be continuing my round of district visits from now through until 30 June next year and hope to get through all the districts for a third time and perhaps embark on a fourth round with some districts.
Question: CT9 - the JLG has reached agreement on CT9, what do you think about that?
Governor: I think, like everybody else in Hong Kong, I breathe a huge sigh of relief. I think the agreement which has been reached is in everyone's interests. It is particularly in the interests of Hong Kong, of the development of our port, the creation of jobs and the strengthening of our economy.
Four years ago we set out with the objective of developing our port, increasing its capacity while introducing a new competitor into the delivery of services. Well, we've finished up four years later, after I don't know how many meetings, by achieving that objective. So our objective of developing the port and introducing, as it were a new player into the enterprise, has been achieved.
I am sorry that it has taken four years. I think many people have a view about why it has taken so long. But at last we have got the objective that we should all want and I think that each of the firms involved, each of the consortiums, the port itself and the whole community are the winners.
2
Question: Do you think it is a political decision because Jardines has been ruled out being one of the developers of CT9?
Governor: No, what has happened is that the allocation of terminals has been rearranged and Jardines is part of a consortium which will be managing another of the terminals, rather ahead of the position which would have been the case if they had been involved with CT9. So I think if anybody thought there was any political gain to be made in this they must be wondering about the result.
Question: Mr Patten, the Senior British Trade Commissioner, Francis Cornish, has called for restraint relating to the Diaoyu Islands protests and the anti-Japanese sentiments that we saw yesterday. Where do you stand on that and are you concerned about the level of protests?
Governor: This is a free society and in a free society people are of course able to express their views, within the law. We know that people in Hong Kong feel very strongly about this issue. We know that from the numbers, for example, who have been involved in demonstrations. But we also know that people in Hong Kong want to see these views, however strongly they are felt, expressed in a calm and rational way. And I think that we can say that despite one or two unfortunate minor incidents, that has happened so far.
We are a tolerant community and a moderate community and I think that an indication of that tolerance and moderation is that even when you feel passionately strongly about something, you respect other people's rights, you respect other people's opinions and you don't go outside the law. So I very much hope that people will continue, when they feel strongly about issues, to express their views as moderately as possible.
Question: Governor, don't you think it is about time the JLG discusses matters regarding the transferral of government properties?
Governor: Well, the JLG have discussed the transfer of government properties on a number of occasions. I am not quite sure what the difficulty is. I am not going to set off on 30 June at midnight next year carrying the Central Government Offices under my arm, I am not going to be setting off with 12 gross of the Government's elastic bands in my pocket. The assets that are left for the SAR Government will be the assets which have been owned by the present Hong Kong Government and of course those assets will include the huge fiscal reserves which should, I would guess, by the middle of next year, total altogether about 150 billion.
3
Question: Mr Governor, Exco Member, Vincent Cheng has already confirmed that himself and Mr Raymond Ch’ien have been already nominated to the Selection Committee. So do you know that before and please comment?
Governor: Yes, I did of course know it before because they discussed it with me, and I have talked to a number of other Exco Members about it. And just as I took a relaxed view about membership of the Preparatory Committee, so I do the same about membership of the Selection Committee. I don't think that there is any inherent conflict of interest but obviously it is up to individual members to work out from time to time whether they think there is a conflict of interest.
Mr C H Tung, for some time, was on both the Executive Council and on the Preparatory Committee and then after a time decided that he could not manage to work on both bodies and I respected that opinion.
Everybody knows that there is not any change in the Government’s position on the fundamental issues. The fundamental issues for the next few months are that we are delighted to work with a Chief Executive(Designate); and the other position is that we certainly won’t change our view that the present Legislative Council should be able to complete its four year term and that we won’t help or co-operate in any way with a Provisional Legislature which we think would be extremely bad for Hong Kong. Now that is our position and it is not going to change.
If I can just add one other thing about Dr Ch’ien and Mr Cheng. They are both outstanding servants of the community. As well as having distinguished commercial records themselves, they work in a number of ways to help this community. You only have to look at the number of bodies and boards that they have served on or chaired over the years. They are both men of very considerable integrity. I think that I will be fortunate to go on having them as colleagues on the Executive Council and if they are not only nominated for but chosen for the Selection Committee, I am sure that they will give equally distinguished service on the Selection Committee. So I repeat, Hong Kong is very fortunate that it has people like Dr Ch’ien and Mr Cheng who give so much service to the community.
Question: What will be in your last policy speech in October?
Governor: Ha, ha, ha. Oh, I’ll tell you now! I’ll tell you straight away. All you’ve got to do —
4
Question: Can you foreshadow anything?
Governor: Well, let me say a word or two about that. It won't be the same as all my previous policy addresses, so I think that you should be looking for something different. And why won't it be the same? Not because government is closing down for the winter and the spring of 1997. We have still got a lot of work to do, completing, for example, the five-year programme that I put in hand in the autumn of 1992. But it will be different because this is my last year as Governor, my last year responsible for the administration of Hong Kong, and I obviously will look forward to hearing my successor, the Chief Executive (Designate)'s views on the development of policy in Hong Kong after 1997.
It wouldn't be right for me to say exactly what the Government is going to do in the next few years but I will want to sketch out in broad terms what I think our objectives should be. I will want to set out how we have performed over the last few years and what still remains to be done in order to complete our agenda. And, of course, I will want to speak about the values which have made Hong Kong so successful and which will, I hope, keep Hong Kong just as successful, more successful, in the future. It will be a shorter speech than last year's but I hope that you won't find it uninteresting. Thank you very much.
End
Rationalisation of container terminal berths endorsed
*****
The Joint Liaison Group today's endorsement of the agreement reached by the commercial parties to Container Terminal 9 (CT9) on the way forward on rationalisation of berths at the Kwai Chung port was welcomed by the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang.
He said the Government's objectives to enlarge the capacity if the container port and to introduce more competition had been achieved.
"This agreement will enhance the capacity of the terminal, while reducing the negative environmental impact.
"It will also introduce a new major operator into our container port in the interest of competition," he said, referring to Asia Container Terminals (ACT) Limited, previously known as Tsing Yi Consortium Ltd.
5
Mr Tsang hoped that construction work could start on the CT9 project by the end of the year.
"Resolution of the matter has been complex. The successful conclusion is the culmination of a great deal of hard work by all parties concerned, by both sides of the Joint Liaison Group and by the direct parties to the grant," Mr Tsang said.
The agreement provides for ACT to exchange its share in the CT9 development for the two existing berths in CT8 owned by Modem Terminals Ltd (MTL) and for CT9 itself to be shared between MTL and Hong Kong International Terminals Ltd (HIT).
Additional adjacent feeder berthing would be provided for both MTL and HIT. This would facilitate shipping access and direct delivery of cargo to the terminals by feeder vessels instead of by lorries through the increasingly congested roads.
The southern feeder berth will be within the existing CT9 area; the northern feeder berth will occupy part of the cargo handling area planned at the seafront north of CT9. This is in accordance with provisions in the gazetted town plan.
The arrangement also provides for the implementation of suitable measures to address environmental matters. These include the early construction of an off-site screen building which is to be in place before the northern berths become operational.
Mr Tsang said detailed arrangements would now be worked out and the Government would seek early agreement of the Land Commission on the provision of land required for CT9 development.
End
6
37th JLG meeting: Joint Communique ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
The Joint Liaison Group held its thirty-seventh meeting in Peking from September 17 to 19.
The Group had a discussion about the transfer of Government, including the transitional budget and related matters, transfer of archives, government assets, the handover ceremony etc; matters relating to Hong Kong's international rights and obligations; Hong Kong's air services agreements; civil service matters; the defence of Hong Kong and public order; franchises and contracts extending beyond 1997 and related matters, (including the railway development strategy and container terminals); investment promotion and protection agreements between Hong Kong and relevant countries; surrender of fugitive offenders agreements between Hong Kong and certain countries; the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgements in civil and commercial matters between Hong Kong and foreign countries; localisation of laws, adaptation of laws; the Court of Final Appeal; the implementation of the provisions of the Joint Declaration relating to the right of abode in Hong Kong after 1997; visa abolition agreements; and Vietnamese migrants in Hong Kong (boat people and refugees).
The next meeting of the Joint Liaison Group will take place in Hong Kong at a time to be decided.
End
Governor visits Yau Tsim Mong District
*****
The Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, was updated on the general situation in Yau Tsim Mong district during his visit today (Thursday).
Mr Patten first toured the Flower Market, or 'Fa Hui', where he was briefed on the history and operation of the market, which has more than 60 florists who account for more than 80 per cent of the flowers sold wholesale in the urban area.
Later at the activity centre of Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui Culture and Arts Association (YTCAA), he viewed an exhibition of Chinese painting and calligraphy by local artists.
7
The YTCAA activity centre in Salisbury Road, which has been the venue for holding cultural and arts activities since 1986, has to move out by the end of February 1998 owing to the construction of a nearby subway.
The Governor then visited the Henry G Leong Yau Ma Tei Community Centre where he was briefed on the operation of a day nursery and a centre for the elderly run by two voluntary agencies. A painting by the children at the nursery and a lantern made by the elderly at the centre were presented to Mr Patten.
Mr Patten also visited the Chinese Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) of Hong Kong's new premises in Waterloo Road, where a renovation project was mostly completed to provide more recreational and sports facilities to its members and the public.
Before concluding his visit, Mr Patten attended a reception to meet local district board members and community leaders.
Accompanying the Governor were acting Director of Home Affairs, Mr Lee Lap-sun, and Yau Tsim Mong District Officer, Mr Bart Ireland.
End
Mail services to UK subject to delay ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman, announced today (Thursday) that as advised by the British Post Office, the Communication Workers' Union will hold two 24-hour postal strikes from 7 pm on September 20 (Friday) and 10 pm on September 22 (Sunday).
All air and surface letter mail services to the UK may be subject to delay.
During the past three months, the postal workers in the UK have carried out short duration strikes intermittently and air and surface letter mails have been slightly affected.
However, the British Post Office has confirmed that Speedpost and parcel services have not been affected and have been operating normally.
End
8
New health centre in Ma On Shan ♦ * * * ♦
A new health centre set up by the Department of Health in Ma On Shan will commence operation on September 23 (Monday).
The new centre, Ma On Shan Health Centre, is comprised of a general outpatient clinic and a maternal and child health centre.
’’Local residents will enjoy better primary health care services with the opening of the new centre,” a spokesman for the department said.
"It will provide a wide range of health services including general out-patient consultation, as well as a comprehensive services to women of child-bearing ages and children from birth to five years old.”
The centre is located at 609 Sai Sha Road, Ma On Shan. It will be open from 9 am to 1 pm and 2 pm to 5 pm on weekdays, and 9 am to 1 pm on Saturdays.
Following the opening of the new centre, the Ma On Shan (Temporary) Clinic will be closed on the same date.
End
ABC Guide to Basic Law published *****
To promote public understanding of the Basic Law, the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education (CPCE) has compiled a new bilingual publication - An ABC Guide to the Basic Law - which is now available at all district offices.
The contents of the booklet are grouped by chapters under different subject matters such as general principles; relationship between the Central authorities and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; fundamental rights and duties of the residents; political structure; Economy; Education, Science, Culture, Sports and others; external affairs; and interpretation and amendment; for readers’ quick reference.
"The Committee has devoted much time and effort in preparing an easy-to-read and attractively-illustrated booklet,” a spokesman for CPCE said today (Thursday).
9
’’Whilst each article of the Basic Law is equally important, for the purpose of this booklet, we have focussed on those articles more relevant to the everyday life of the public and have presented them in a format appropriate to a simple guide.
’’Readers are also strongly encouraged to refer to the original text of the Basic Law, which has been reproduced in full in the booklet.”
Copies of the booklet are now available for collection at the public enquiry centres of all district offices; the Civic Education Resource Centre on the second floor, Tung Sun Commercial Centre, 194-200 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; and the Information Services Department’s Marketing Office, 17th floor, Siu On Centre, 176-192 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai.
Free copies, together with teaching posters in Chinese highlighting the contents, will also be distributed to public libraries, schools, voluntary agencies, educational bodies and community organisations in Hong Kong.
End
Applications invited for challenging civil service career ♦ ♦ * ♦ ♦
Applications will be invited to join five civil service grades from Saturday (September 21) until October 11.
These grades arc: Administrative Officer, Executive Officer II, Assistant Labour Officer II, Assistant Trade Officer II and Management Services Officer II.
Applications are open to candidates who possess a degree from a university in Hong Kong (or equivalent qualifications) and undergraduates who are taking their final degree examinations in summer 1997.
Suitable diploma holders and matriculants with relevant experience may be considered exceptionally for the post of Management Services Officer IL
Announcing this today (Thursday), a government spokesman said: ”We are looking for talents who are committed to serve the people of Hong Kong. Candidates selected to fill the posts must be sensitive to the needs of the community and be able to make sensible judgements.
10
’’They should be dynamic in their character and be innovative in solving problems. They should also have good communications skills and be proficient in both spoken and written Chinese and English.”
Vacancies for these five grades will be advertised in two English and two Chinese dailies and a Chinese evening daily on September 21 and 28. The advertisement will also be posted on the Internet at Civil Service Branch Homepage (http://www.hku.hk/hkgcsb). The closing date for application is on October 11.
A common recruitment examination will be held for the five grades on November 30.
"In line with government’s aim for a biliterate (Chinese and English) civil service, the examination will emphasise the use of both Chinese and English," the spokesman said.
The examination comprises three papers: Chinese Paper (two hours) and English Paper (1 hour 45 minutes) are to test candidates on the use of Chinese and English languages and to assess their analytical power and problem-solving ability; Aptitude Test Paper (one hour) is to assess candidates’ logical thinking and their ability in the interpretation of statistics.
Application forms (GF 606 and 606A) (Rev 9/96) are available at district offices of Home Affairs Department, local employment services of Labour Department and student affairs offices of the various universities.
Applicants applying for more than one grade need to fill only one application form. For the first time, applicants can make on-line applications through the Internet at the Civil Service Branch Homepage. Alternatively, they can also download the necessary application forms from the same site.
Following is an outline of the responsibilities of the five grades:
Administrative officers are responsible for the formulation and implementation of government policies, planning the use of resources and managing the delivery of Government services. They form a cadre of generalists filling key positions of different natures in secretariat branches and government departments throughout their career.
Executive officers II are deployed to various secretariat branches and government departments for assisting in planning and acquiring the necessary and appropriate human, financial and other resources for the organisation they serve, putting in place efficient and effective systems and ensuring that good management practices are implemented, and promoting a service-oriented culture in the organisation.
11
Assistant labour officers II in Labour Department provide employment services to job seekers and employers; provide careers advisory service to students; process claims for employees' compensation; assist in promotion of good labour-management relations; and enforce labour legislation.
Assistant trade officers II work either in Trade Department or Industry Department and assist in research and analysis of trade and industry matters, management of licensing and control matters, design and development of computer systems relating to licensing, trade control procedure and industrial data, and industrial promotion. The job may require them to attend overseas conferences, to assist in overseas negotiations, or to be posted to Hong Kong Government's overseas offices.
Management services officers II work either in Management Services Agency or various government departments to provide management services such as management consultancies, organisation reviews, value for money studies, office automation studies, office accommodation planning and modernisation of office equipment. They help government branches and departments deliver the best service possible within the resources available.
End
Mobile phone charges reimbursement available for teachers *****
Teachers who use their personal mobile phones in excursions, picnic, hiking and other outdoor students activities may claim reimbursement of expenses from September 2, a spokesman for the Education Department said today (Thursday).
However, repayment would only be considered when the activities took place where other kinds of communication are not readily available and there were genuine needs for making the calls, he said, adding that it would be limited to one mobile phone per location.
"The Education Department has considered thoroughly the feasibility of providing mobile phone to teachers for use in outdoor activities.
"It is considered not cost-effective to make mobile phone as a standard equipment in schools," the spokesman said.
Enquiries on the procedure of reimbursement should be directed to respective District Education Officer/Senior Inspector (Special Schools Administration).
End
12
Soldiers have sights set on Swiss shooting competition ♦ ♦ ♦ * *
Gurkha and British soldiers from the Queen's Gurkha Signals will challenge members of the Swiss Rifle Association of Hong Kong to a shooting competition this weekend.
Operation Mercury 1996 marks the 25th anniversary of the competition and will see Swiss military and consulate staff, along with their rifle association colleagues, pit their shooting skills against the Regiment's crack shots in a good-natured and friendly event at Lo Wu Ranges on September 21 and 22.
By coincidence the Regiment also celebrates its 47th birthday on Monday (September 23).
Also present at the range will be Commander British Forces, Major General Bryan Dutton, and Colonel of the Regiment, Brigadier Mervyn Lee, who will swop their rifles for a traditional Swiss crossbow in a VIP competition against a team from the Swiss Consulate, headed by the Consul Jean-Jacques Mayor.
Once the shooting events have been completed, on Sunday, there will be a short commissioning parade during which Lieutenant Rajendraman Gurung will be commissioned as a Queen's Gurkha Officer.
This will be followed by the presentation to all members of the Regiment of specially engraved Swiss army knives, an appropriate symbol to commemorate 25 years of partnership between the Queen's Gurkha Signals and the Swiss community.
End
Governor meets student painters
*****
The three first prize winners of "My City of Vision" student painting competition presented their paintings to the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, at Government House today (Thursday).
They were among the 39 winners in the painting competition organised last September to promote students' awareness of the growth and future development of Hong Kong.
Mr Patten congratulated the three students, aged eight, 14 and 16 respectively, and was impressed by their creativity and artistic skills.
13
Jointly organised by the Planning, Architectural Services, Education, Information Services departments and the Urban Council, the competition had attracted over 1,700 entries from 221 primary and secondary schools.
In view of the high standard of the paintings, the organising committee decided to publish a book comprising all winning entries and information on some future major projects in the territory.
The Governor also encouraged the students by signing personal book copies for all prize winners.
The painting books were presented to the winners at a ceremony held last Saturday (September 14) at the Hong Kong Science Museum.
End
No mail for public holiday ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
There would be no mail delivery during the forthcoming public holiday on September 28 - the day following the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman, announced today (Wednesday).
While all post offices would be closed, one mail collection would be made for all street posting boxes except those located on outlying islands and in remote areas. The time of collection is shown on the time-plate of each posting box.
"This arrangement will serve to advance the processing of letters posted on that i day and hence improve our quality of letter service to the public," said Mr Footman.
End
14
Monitors' report submitted to CS *****
The monitors appointed to observe the Tai A Chau Detention Centre decantation operation this (Thursday) morning have submitted their report to the Chief Secretary.
The three monitors comprised a non-official Justice of the Peace, Mr Tsim Tak-lung; and representatives from two non-govemment organisations, Ms Harriet Sewell from Christian Action and Mr Lum Kwok-choi from Oxfam, Hong Kong.
End
HK to participate in international stamps exhibition *****
The Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman, announced today (Thursday) that the Hong Kong Post Office will participate in the '96 International Stamps Exhibition in Guangzhou, China, from September 30 to October 2.
The exhibition is organised by the General Office of Guangzhou Municipal People's Government, the Foreign Affairs Office of Guangzhou Municipal People's Government and the Guangzhou Postal Service Bureau to commemorate the 2210th anniversary of the founding of Guangzhou city.
To commemorate the Hong Kong Post Office’s participation in the exhibition, a specially designed souvenir cover will be placed on sale at all post offices at $2 each from September 23.
A special postmark and cachet will be introduced for cancellation purpose at all post offices on September 30. Hand-back service will be provided at all post offices to official and privately-made covers bearing an indication of the event. The cachet will also be available for cancellation at the exhibition venue.
End
15
Stamp collector’s kit on sale ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
The Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman, announced today (Thursday) that a stamp collector's kit and a stamp catalogue will be placed on sale from September 25 (Wednesday) at the following eight philatelic offices:
Airport Post Office
General Post Office
Granville Road Post office
Harcourt Road Post Office
Peak Post Office
Sha Tin Central Post Office
Tsim Sha Tsui Post Office
Tsuen Wan Post Office
The collector's kit, a starter's kit for beginners and youths, comprises a stamp stock book, a magnifying glass, a pair of tweezers, and a souvenir cover. It will be sold at $50.
In addition, a stamp catalogue ”1996 Yang's Postage Stamp and Postal History Catalogue of Hong Kong” will also be put on sale at $65. This is a guide for stamp collectors with full colour illustrations on postage stamps and philatelic products issued by the Hong Kong Post Office since 1862.
Mr Footman said: "By making available basic stamp-collecting accessories at the philatelic offices, the Post Office hopes to provide convenience for beginners to start the hobby.”
The Post Office will also put on sale other items such as albums for stamps and First Day Covers for the experienced collectors in due course.
End
16
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations
*****
$ million Time (hours.) Cumulative change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 2,162 0930 -5
Closing balance in the account 2,808 1000 -5
Change attributable to: 1100 -5
Money market activity -2 1200 -2
LAF today +648 1500 -2
1600 -2
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.4 *-0.2* 19.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.01 2 years 2808 6.00 99.62 6.31
1 month 5.01 3 years 3907 6.80 100.52 6.70
3 months 5.18 5 years 5109 7.32 100.49 7.33
6 months 5.32 7 years 7308 7.24 98.51 7.66
12 months 5.69 5 years M503 7.35 99.43 7.63
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $6,720 million
Closed September 19, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Friday, September 20,1996
Cnuients Page No,
Transcript of Governor’s media session................................... 1
Government’s response to Airport Authority’s agreements.................. 4
Maximum support and minimum intervention underpins HK’s success : FS 5
Final consultancy report on VTC released................................. 6
Laws to fight sex and disability discrimination take effect.............. 8
District Court Equal Opportunities Rules in operation.................... 9
Final section of West Kowloon Corridor completed.................... 10
Staffordshire Regiment arrives to replace Gurkhas................... 11
Water Supplies Department aims to reduce water main bursts.............. 12
Value of manufacturers’ orders-on-hand in July.......................... 14
Management of mud pits at East Sha Chau................................. 16
Expansion of Sha Tau Kok vehicle holding area proposed.................. 16
Monitors’ report submitted to CS........................................ 18
Water cut in Yuen Long.............................................. 18
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations................ 19
1
Transcript of Governor's media session ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Following is the transcript of the media session given by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, after officiating at the opening of the Castle Peak Hospital Redevelopment this (Friday) afternoon:
Governor: I'm very pleased to have been here today to this opening. I think that this is a sign of our commitment to improving services for the mentally ill. We've made a terrific start here with the great assistance of the Jockey Club and I’ll look forward to the redevelopment of the rest of the hospital in due course.
Question: Governor, Mr C H Tung has announced he is actively proceeding on his bid for the Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive. What is your reaction to that?
Governor: The question of the selection of the Chief Executive (designate) isn't a matter for me and it would be wrong for me to comment on any candidate, so if you'll excuse me I won't say anything at all. I'm sure that Hong Kong would like to see a Chief Executive (Designate) selected who will represent them and their interests to the best of his or her abilities.
Question: How do you comment on his personality and his ability?
Governor: I can't do that. You'll know very well that I was very anxious to encourage him to become a member of my Executive Council back in 1992, which I think speaks for my recognition of his abilities, but I don't wish to say more than that.
Question: Do you ever concern that the business background of C H Tung is an obstacle to being the Chief Executive?
Governor: I don't want to comment on any of the arguments surrounding the candidates. I'm sure you realise that it would be entirely inappropriate for me to do so.
Question: Mr Governor,... criticised that the Government let an ExCo member to be a nominee at the Selection Committee is a double standard because the Government do not let a certain group of civil servants join the Selection Committee. Do you agree with that?
Governor: No, of course I don't. I set out my views on the subject yesterday in some detail but on the specific point that you've raised, there's a difference between the civil service and the Executive Council which is an advisory body to the Governor.
2
Question: But can you just clarify what kind of difference can you see because both Executive Councillors and senior government officials are involved in the decision making of Hong Kong Government and Hong Kong Government policies?
Governor: I think that the difference should be clear to most people. A senior civil servant is running a part of the public administration. A member of the Executive Council is an advisor to the Governor. I think that puts them in a very different position and, as you know, I was perfectly content for Mr C H Tung to be a member of both the Executive Council and the Preparatory Committee, leaving it to him to reach a judgement about whether there was ever any conflict of interest.
Question: But Mr Patten, don’t you think both Executive Councillors and senior government officials are in fact very sensitive positions and they shouldn’t join the Selection Committee?
Governor: I've answered that question and you can ask it in lots of different ways but you’ll get the same answer.
Question: Mr Patten, Chinese leaders have told the British side before that the future CE (Designate) will be one that will be acceptable to the British side, the British Government. So do you think Mr C H Tung will be acceptable to the British side?
Governor: I don’t want to comment on any individual. One candidate - two candidates — have declared themselves, one of whom was of course the Chief Justice for many years, including under my governorship. Another candidate has said that he may declare himself in the next few weeks. He was a member of my Executive Council. So I know two of the candidates very well, but it would be wrong for me to comment on either of their abilities or on the ability of the candidate whom I don't know well that was a member of a previous Executive Council.
Question: Is that a threat to future administration that the Chief Executive has got some business background or business connection with ... Is that a threat to the future administration?
Governor: I don't want to comment on the background ...
Question: This is of great concern to the people in Hong Kong.
Governor: Well, but the people of Hong Kong would be very concerned if the Governor of Hong Kong appeared to be siding with one candidate or another for the Chief Executive. I think that really would concern them.
3
Question: There is also comment from a Preparatory Committee member, Professor Lau Siu-kai that you're afraid that if you don't allow Mr Vincent Cheng and Mr Raymond Chi'en to join the Selection Committee, you will lose two more supporters for yourself. Is that the case?
Governor: No, I think that's the sort of thing that I would expect Professor Lau to say. The truth of the matter is that, as I said yesterday extensively and all you have to do is look up what I said yesterday to know what my views are on the subject. Mr Cheng and Dr Chi'en have been wonderful servants of the community and I think they make an important contribution to the Executive Council. If they are chosen, which I don't know whether it will happen or not, if they're chosen for the Selection Committee, I'm sure that they'll undertake their duties there with equal integrity and I'm content to leave it up to them to decide whether or not there is any conflict of interest. Nobody is under any doubt at all, a point which I made clear yesterday and which the Secretary for Constitutional Affairs made clear yesterday, that we will have nothing whatsoever to do with a provisional legislature, if foolishly the Chinese side continue with their plans to try to set one up.
Question: Are you suggesting that they can stay in ExCo, or whatever they want until maybe they are selected ...?
Governor: What I am saying is what I have just said. That I see no reason at all why I shouldn't leave it to them to decide whether or not there is a conflict of interest in the position.
Question: But you have accepted your junior civil servants to vote for provisional legislature councillors, so are you accepting the provisional legislature? This establishment will be a fact of life in Hong Kong.
Governor: No, I'm saying that the provisional legislature would be an extremely bad idea. There is no reason whatsoever why the present properly elected legislature shouldn't continue to the end of it's four year term. The British Government's position and my position on the provisional legislature is absolutely clear. It was made clear again my Mr Hanley, the Minister of State at the Foreign Office at the beginning of the week. He made it clear a couple of weeks ago when he was in Peking. That position hasn't changed. It isn't any different today and won't change.
4
Question: But why do you let the junior civil servants vote for the provisional legislature?
Governor: Because we’ve I think behaved sensibly in the decisions that we’ve made about junior civil servants and we’ve treated them in this respect exactly as we treated them in respect of other political rights.
Thank you very much indeed.
End
Government’s response to Airport Authority's agreements
*****
In response to media enquiries, a government spokesman said today (Friday) that it supported the action taken by the Airport Authority (AA) to conclude supplemental agreements with the two main Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) contractors at the new airport at Chek Lap Kok.
”We are aware that the Passenger Terminal Building works have experienced delays. The AA’s decision to take positive steps to arrest the problems is the best way forward in the circumstances,” the spokesman said.
The agreements settle claims and other outstanding matters with the contractors. These include the re-establishment, in agreement with the contractors, of a works programme that supports April 1998 as the target airport opening date.
As the payment to the two contractors will be within the overall budget of $49.8 billion for the construction of the new airport, there will be no increase in the overall cost of the project as a result of these agreements.
“The commercial settlements with the contractors are the best way forward in the circumstances. Both the AA and the PTB contractors remain committed to a programme that targets April 1998 as the opening date for the new airport," he said.
End
5
Maximum support and minimum intervention underpins HK’s success : FS ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
The Government’s industrial policy of maximum support and minimum intervention had underpinned Hong Kong’s culture of success, the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, said today (Friday).
Speaking at the presentation ceremony of the Young Industrialist Awards of Hong Kong 1996, Mr Tsang said the Government recognised that business decisions were best made by businessmen and that the free market mechanism was the best driving force for the economy.
The Government would maintain and enhance a business-conducive environment and keep the business routes as clear as possible of obstacles so that industrialists could concentrate on making their businesses competitive and profitable, he said.
Mr Tsang said the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 1996 regarded Hong Kong as the second most competitive economy in the world.
In the report, Hong Kong ranked second in management and topped the world in entrepreneurship and innovation.
’’The Forum attributes Hong Kong’s favourable performance to its high degree of internationalism, good supply of quality manpower, presence of well-managed enterprises, business-friendly government policies and efficient financial markets,” Mr Tsang said.
While praising Hong Kong’s industrialists for their entrepreneurial flair, innovation and professionalism which enabled Hong Kong to make extraordinary advances in its economy, Mr Tsang pointed out that the next decade would present many new challenges.
"Given the acceleration of the globalisation of production, industrialists must continue to equip themselves with the skills to manage multi-locational manufacturing and adopt an increasingly strategic perspective in running their business," he said.
"I am confident that our industrialists will have no difficulty turning new challenges into opportunities and continuing to excel themselves," Mr Tsang concluded.
End
6
Final consultancy report on VTC released ♦ ♦ ♦ * *
The Government is inviting views from concerned parties on the consultancy report on the Strategic and Organisational Review of the Vocational Training Council (VTC).
The consultancy was commissioned by the Education and Manpower Branch (EMB), and the report is being sent to VTC and other interested parties including the industrial and commercial sectors for comments. The aim is to secure all comments within one month.
Making the announcement today (Friday), a spokesman for EMB said the report acknowledged that VTC had many strengths and had achieved a great deal over the years. However, given the rapid economic changes in Hong Kong, market pressures and demands of employers for skills at various levels, VTC needs to adapt.
The consultants pointed out that more emphasis should be placed on generic skills such as information technology, communication and language proficiency which are important to the service sector.
"Hong Kong needs a workforce of world-class standard and the VTC has a major role to play in securing this vital economic and human objective.
"The VTC will need to put in place a robust yet flexible management system able to cope with and. indeed, benefit and grow from a constantly changing economic and social environment," the spokesman said.
The consultants have identified a number of key issues that need to be addressed. They cover VTC’s involvement in the strategic planning and monitoring of its own performance, staff development, a quality assurance programme for courses; the unfavourable perception of the VTC by parents and students; and the apparent imbalance between the provision of courses for manufacturing and manual jobs and those for the service industry.
The consultants have come up with 44 recommendations which seek to promote an organic, rather than radical and fundamental, change in the VTC. Among the key recommendations are:
♦ Drawing up a Memorandum of Understanding to define more clearly the roles and responsibilities of the EMB and VTC;
7
* The establishment by the VTC of a new planning system, the principal elements of which would be a three-year corporate plan, an annual business plan and a yearly benchmarking exercise to test assumptions on labour market developments;
♦ To strengthen the role of the VTC Council to determine VTC strategy, and to change the way in which the Council works;
* To reform the apprenticeship scheme;
* To create new posts to strengthen the VTC’s senior management team and to develop an in-depth expertise in the design of training programmes to meet different client needs.
Commenting on the consultancy report, the spokesman said the Government broadly endorsed its general thrust and spirit, and considered that the recommendations are worthy of serious consideration and, where appropriate, support.
"We will work closely with the management and staff of the VTC to take this issue further," the spokesman said.
During the consultancy study, the consultants adopted a proactive approach and canvassed the views of all stakeholders. These included employer and employee groups, industry organisations and related institutions, in addition to the VTC Council and staff members.
"I expect the VTC to look at the report carefully and put forward its considered views to the Government. I also urge all those individuals and organisations which have a stake in the future of vocational training in Hong Kong to send us their views," the spokesman concluded.
End
8
Laws to fight sex and disability discrimination take effect
*****
Over 65 sections in each of the Sex Discrimination Ordinance (SDO) and the Disability Discrimination Ordinance (DDO) have come into force today (Friday).
"With the gazettal of the commencement notices today, it is now unlawful to discriminate against a person in specified areas of activity on the grounds of gender, marital status or disability," a government spokesman said.
These areas include education; provision of goods, facilities, or services; disposal or management of premises; eligibility to vote for and to be elected or appointed to advisory bodies; and activities of clubs and of government.
It is also unlawful to discriminate against a pregnant woman, the associate of a person with a disability or sexually harass a person in these areas of activity.
Aggrieved persons may seek the assistance of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) which is an independent statutory body responsible for the implementation of the two ordinances.
Among its statutory functions and duties as provided for under SDO and DDO, EOC will handle complaint cases lodged under the ordinances, conduct investigations and facilitate the settlement of complaints through conciliation between the parties in dispute. It may also provide legal or other forms of assistance.
Remaining provisions of SDO and DDO, prohibiting discrimination and harassment in the employment field, will come into force when the relevant codes of practice on employment, issued by EOC, are approved by the Legislative Council.
Subject to public consultation which will start later this month, the employment codes of practice are expected to be introduced into the Legislative Council for approval later this year.
The provision of DDO which relates to granting building approvals will not come into operation until a publication -Design Manual: Barrier Free Access 1996 -being prepared by the Planning, Environment and Lands Branch is ready for adoption towards the end of the year.
9
The manual will apply to newly constructed private buildings and those undergoing substantial alteration. Government departments will also follow it in the design and construction of government and public buildings.
Meanwhile, a separate commencement notice which brings the District Court Equal Opportunities Rules into immediate operation is also gazetted today.
End
District Court Equal Opportunities Rules in operation *****
The District Court Equal Opportunities Rules, which set out procedures to be adopted in the District Court for hearing cases lodged under the Sex Discrimination and Disability Discrimination ordinances have been brought into operation today (Friday).
Rule 3 provides for the keeping of an Equal Opportunities Register in which cases lodged under the two ordinances are filed.
To ensure that cases filed are heard without delay, they will be placed in a new list - the Equal Opportunities List - instead of joining the queue with other civil cases. The List will be handled by Judge H C Wong and she will hear cases arising from the two ordinances.
To ensure a readily accessible channel of redress in sex and disability discrimination cases. Rule 6 provides that certain categories of persons acting for a party under the two ordinances may appear to conduct or defend proceedings and address the court. Such persons who need no legal qualifications include members or employees of the Equal Opportunities Commission, office-bearers of a registered trade union and carers or relatives of any party.
The general procedures for bringing proceedings under the two ordinances will follow those of the District Court, except as otherwise provided in the Rules.
End
10
Final section of West Kowloon Corridor completed * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The opening of the last ramp of the final section of the West Kowloon Corridor signifies the overall completion of the entire road project, the Director of Highways, Mr Leung Kwok-sun, said today (Friday).
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the road section, Mr Leung said the completion of the five-kilometre corridor will result in much shorter travelling time between Lai Chi Kok and Yau Tsim Mong areas.
The final section, or Phase II of Stage IV, of the West Kowloon Corridor project involves the construction of a two-lane upramp, providing a direct link from Ferry Street northbound passing over Cherry Street to the existing Tai Kok Tsui Road Flyover.
The project also includes demolition of an end section of the existing Gascoigne Road Flyover and the construction of a flyover extension along Ferry Street over Waterloo Road junction to meet at the ground level near Dundas Street.
In addition, four connection ramps are provided at suitable locations to cater for local traffic.
“Two footbridges across Ferry Street at Waterloo Road and Dundas Street and one pedestrian subway have been built to replace two old subways there. This is to enhance pedestrian safety and cater for the future developments in the West Kowloon Reclamation,” Mr Leung said.
The final section of the corridor with a contract value of $400 million was one of the largest in-house projects designed and supervised by the Highways Department. Construction work, which took 34 months to complete, was carried out by Shui On Civil Contractors Limited.
The whole West Kowloon Corridor was constructed in four stages. Stages I to III of the project were completed in late 1987. The first phase of Stage IV was finished in January 1995. while most parts of the flyovers in Phase II were opened in advance to traffic earlier this year.
11
The last ramp of the corridor was opened by the Director of Highways, Mr Leung Kwok-sun, at a ceremony today.
Other officiating guests included the Chairman of the Yau Tsim Mong District Board, Mr Chow Chun-fai; the Chairman of the board's Traffic and Transport Committee, Mr Ip K.wok-chung; the District Officer of Yau Tsim Mong, Mr Bart Ireland; the Regional Highway Engineer (Kowloon) of the Highways Department, Mr Chiu Wing-hung; and General Manager of Shui On Civil Contractors Limited, Mr Fung Ching-nam.
End
Staffordshire Regiment arrives to replace Gurkhas ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The main body of the 1st Battalion, the Staffordshire Regiment, arrived in Hong Kong today (Friday). It will take over operational responsibility for providing the infantry element of the Hong Kong Garrison from the 1st Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, which is to be redeployed to the United Kingdom.
The Staffords are the first of two UK-based battalions which will share the operational task during the remaining nine months of British sovereignty. They will remain in Hong Kong until February, when they in turn will be replaced by the 1st Battalion, the Black Watch.
Both battalions are unaccompanied by their families. The battalion's headquarters will be on Stonecutters Island.
The Staffordshire Regiment is one of the oldest in the British Army, tracing its history back to 1705 when one of its predecessor regiments was formed at the King's Head Pub in the town of Lichfield, Staffordshire. England. The pub still exists and past and present members of the Regiment still use it.
Of far greater significance to Hong Kong was another predecessor regiment, the 98th Regiment of Foot, first formed in 1825. It was to become only the second British Army regiment ever to be stationed here.
Having first been deployed at Chusan, near Shanghai, the regiment arrived in Hong Kong harbour on September 29, 1842, aboard the vessel Belleisle. Conditions ashore were still primitive and no barracks were available, so the regiment had to remain aboard their ship, at anchor in the harbour, for four months before being disembarked.
12
During this time the men suffered dreadfully from disease and some 283 soldiers, over half the regiment, had died by the end of December 1842, just three months after their arrival.
The Regiment was eventually brought on shore in February 1843 and established detachments at Saiwan and Stanley where they were employed keeping pirates away from the infant colony.
Conditions were so unhealthy that the regiment continued to suffer heavy casualties and special reinforcements had to be brought out from Britain in order to keep the strength up to an acceptable level.
The Regiment left Hong Kong in 1845, initially to return to Chusan before finally leaving the China Coast for India, where it arrived at Calcutta in November 1846.
Other predecessors of the Staffordshire Regiment also served in Hong Kong from 1872 to 1876, between 1949 and 1951, and from 1954 to 1956.
In more recent times, the 1st Battalion saw active service in the Gulf War in 1991. The battalion is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Jim Tanner.
End
Water Supplies Department aims to reduce water main bursts *****
The Water Supplies Department is committed to improving its services to the community and has been working hard to reduce the number of water main bursts, a spokesman for the department said today (Friday).
Commenting on a report on the problem of water main bursts released by the Commissioner for Administrative Complaints (COMAC) today, the spokesman said the department had provided a great deal of information and analyses of statistics to COMAC to facilitate his investigation.
"The whole issue is a very complicated one, encompassing engineering and legal matters.
13
"Most of the COMAC's recommendations in preventing water main bursts are for boosting our current endeavour to reduce the number of main bursts.
"The other recommendations would need consultation with other government departments and relevant authorities to look into their practicalities, in particular the legal aspects in connection with punishing the roadwork contractors for damaging water mains,” he said.
The spokesman also pointed out that there was no water supply system in the world that was totally free from water main bursts or leaks.
"The principal reasons behind most main bursts in Hong Kong, about 80 per cent of the total number of main bursts are the extreme limitation of space and high population density, which resulted in congested underground utility services.
"Furthermore, the rapid and large scale developments and redevelopments as well as major infrastructural projects in Hong Kong which has no parallel in other major cities caused an enormous amount of external interference and disturbance of the underground water mains.
"The department has all along been working faithfully and consistently on proper preventive maintenance and timely replacement of aged water mains." he said.
"These are recognised by the water supply industry worldwide as the best means of ensuring effective functioning of a supply system.
"We have been doing our best with the available financial and staff resources to tackle the problem of main bursts in order to minimise inconvenience to the public. We will continue to strive for improvement to the service we are responsible for providing to the people of the Hong Kong," said the spokesman.
End
14
Value of manufacturers' orders-on-hand in July *****
The value of manufacturers' orders-on-hand for local production in July 1996 decreased by 7% over a year earlier, according to the provisional results of a monthly survey released today (Friday) by the Census and Statistics Department.
This was in line with the generally weak domestic export performance. The high base of comparison a year earlier also contributed.
Comparing July 1996 with July 1995, a significant increase in the value of orders was registered in the fabricated metal products industry (+23%). A notable increase in the value of orders was also registered in the printing and publishing industry (+8%).
On the other hand, decreases in the value of orders were recorded in the electronic products industry (-15%), the plastic products industry (-14%), the textiles industry (-8%), the electrical products industry (-5%) and the wearing apparel industry (-3%).
Compared with June 1996, and bearing in mind that this comparison may be affected by seasonal factors, the value of manufacturers' orders-on-hand in July 1996 decreased by 1%.
The monthly survey of orders-on-hand covers a sample of some 300 manufacturing firms engaging 50 or more workers.
Manufacturers' orders-on-hand refer to orders and parts of orders received earlier by manufacturers for local production which remain unfilled as at the end of the reference month.
Orders received by traders not engaged in production are included if such orders are further placed to manufacturers for production locally. However, orders placed to manufacturing firms for production in China and other places outside Hong Kong are not included in this series of orders-on-hand statistics.
A spokesman of the department pointed out that caution should be exercised in interpreting the manufacturers' orders-on-hand figures in a single month. Instead, the trend movement of the series as displayed over a wider span of time points should be looked at.
15
The survey report for July, at $7 a copy, is now on sale at the Government Publications Centre, Queensway Government Offices, Low Block, ground floor, Queensway; and at the Census and Statistics Department Publications Unit, 19th Floor, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai.
Enquiries about the survey results may be made to the Industrial Production Statistics Section of the Census and Statistics Department on 2805 6441.
The following table shows the year-on-year percentage changes in the value of orders-on-hand in different manufacturing industries.
Percentage changes in the value of orders-on-hand in
June 1996 July 1996
over June 1995 over July 1995
(Revised) (Provisional)
All industries covered in the survey - 6 - 7
* Wearing apparel - 4 - 3
♦ Textiles - 9 - 8
* Electronic products - 7 - 15
* Electrical products - 9 - 5
* Fabricated metal products +25 +23
* Plastic products - 13 - 14
* Printing and publishing - 14 + 8
End
16
Management of mud pits at East Sha Chau ur ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
■ ; '• >*.’ iV ‘ n
The Civil Engineering Department (CED) is inviting tenders for the management and capping of mud pits at East of Sha Chau.
The project comprises the dredging of clean mud, and the management and capping of mud pits at East of Sha Chau.
. S • -3 -.1 • .
Contaminated mud arising from dredging of the anchorage area for the Stonecutters Island Naval Base and other projects will be disposed of at the mud pits at East of Sha Chau.
When completely filled with contaminated mud, the pits will be covered with a three-metre thick cap of sand and clean mud.
Works will commence in November for completion in 12 months.
Designed by the Fill Management Division of the Geotechnical Engineering Office, the project will be supervised by the Port Works Division of the Civil Engineering Office, CED.
Tender forms and further particulars can be obtained from the Chief Engineer, Port Works Division, Civil Engineering Office, fifth floor, Civil Engineering Building, 101 Princess Margaret Road, Ho Man Tin, Kowloon.
Tender offers for the project will close at noon on October 11.
End
Expansion of Sha Tau Kok vehicle holding area proposed ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Government is proposing to expand the northbound vehicle holding area at Sha Tau Kok border crossing.
Situated at north western to the junction of Sha Ho Road and Sha Tau Kok Road inside the border closed area, the 5,500 square-metre holding area is now capable of accommodating about 50 goods vehicles.
17
It is proposed to double its size to increase its capacity to hold 120 goods vehicles.
The expansion will help cope with the growth in China bound vehicles on Sha Tau Kok Road and minimise interference to other road users on the road as a result of the recent commissioning of Yantian Port Phase I and the scheduled completion of Phase II in late 1996.
Sha Tau Kok control point currently handles about 2,000 cross border vehicles each day and the northbound vehicle holding area is already saturated with the current demand.
•I
The proposed expansion will involve: w 4
* realignment of an existing village road and footpaths;
■' .If
* widening of a section of about 80 metres of Sha Ho Road at the exit of the expanded vehicle holding area;
♦ extension of an existing pedestrian subway across Sha Ho Road; and
* construction of associated slope work, footpaths, drainage and landscaping works.
A notice of the proposed works was published in the Government Gazette today (Friday).
A plan showing the extent of the proposed works together with a scheme description can be seen at the following government offices:
Public Enquiry Services Centre,
Central and Western District Office,
ground floor, Harbour Building,
38 Pier Road, Central,
Hong Kong.
District Lands Office, North,
Sixth floor, North District Government Offices,
3 Pik Fung Road, Fanling,
New Territories; and
18
North District Office,
third and fourth floors, North District Government Offices,
3 Pik Fung Road, Fanling, New Territories.
Any person who wishes to object to the works or the use, or both, should write to the Secretary for Transport on or before November 19.
End
Monitors' report submitted to CS
*****
The monitors appointed to observe the Tai A Chau Detention Centre decantation operation this (Friday) morning have submitted their report to the Chief Secretary.
The three monitors comprised a non-official Justice of the Peace, Mr Francis Bong Shu-ying; and representatives from two non-govemment organisations, Rev John Aldis from Christian Action and Mr Thierry Taveaux from Medecins Sans Frontieres.
End
Water cut in Yuen Long *****
The fresh and flushing water supply to some premises in Yuen Long will be temporarily suspended from 11 pm on September 23 (Monday) to 6 am the following day for waste detection work on watermains.
The suspension will affect all premises along Kam Tin Road between Ko Po Tsuen and Kam Sheung Road, including Tsz Tong Tsuen, Tai Hong Tsuen, Kat Hing Wai and Shek Wu Tong Tsuen.
End
19
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations * * * ♦ ♦
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change ($million)
Opening balance in the account 2,808 0930 -652
Closing balance in the account 2.331 1000 -652
Change attributable to: 1100 -652
Money market activity -652 1200 -652
LAF today +175 1500 -652
1600 -652
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.5 *+0.1 * 20.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
I week 5.05 2 years 2808 6.00 99.58 6.33
1 month 5.04 3 years 3907 6.80 100.46 6.72
3 months 5.19 5 years 5109 7.32 100.36 7.36
6 months 5.34 7 years 7308 7.24 98.40 7.68
12 months 5.69 5 years M503 7.35 99.35 7.65
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $4,860 million
Closed September 20. 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Saturday, September 21,1996
Contents Page No,
Transcript of CS's media session......................................... 1
Parents agree to implementation of sex education in schools.............. 2
Pharmacists registration examinations results announced.................. 3
Chief Secretary departs for Australia.................................... 3
Monitors’ report submitted to CS......................................... 5
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations..................... 5
Sunday, September 22,1996
Contents Page No,
Ma On Shan Water Treatment Works near completion......................... 6
Monitors' report submitted to CS......................................... 7
Fresh water cut in Yau Tong.............................................. 7
Transcript of CS's media session ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Following is the transcript (English) of the media session given by the Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, at the Central Government Offices today (Saturday):
CS: Good afternoon everyone. I leave for Australia this evening to begin a one-week promotion tour of Australia. I shall be visiting Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. This will be our first Hong Kong promotion in Australia and one of the main purposes of the visit would be to open our new Economic and Trade Office in Sydney. This building will house not only the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, but will also house the Trade Development Council office and also an office of the Hong Kong Tourists Association.
During my visit, 1 hope to meet with senior government officials, Australian politicians and leading members of the Australian business community. As part of our activities, we will also be bringing a taste of Hong Kong cuisine and an introduction of Hong Kong culture. I will be returning on Sunday week.
Question: Up to now. some people run for competitions for the post of Chief Executive Hong Kong. You've won very high reputation of Hong Kong people. The opinions say that you are the most representative of Hong Kong people. So do you intend to run for competitions for Chief Executive?
CS: I’m very grateful and extremely encouraged by the degree of support that the community of Hong Kong has given me. But my answer to this question has always been and will always be that I hope very much that if circumstances permit that I will be able to continue to work for the people of Hong Kong after 1997.
Question: ... the specific question this gentleman asked about the Chief Executive ... Tung Chee-hwa came out recently to end speculations about himself. Do you think it's time that you came out to end speculations ...?
CS: 1 refer to the answer I gave just now. 1 do wish to be able to continue to serve with the Hong Kong Government after 1997. And I would be delighted if that will happen after 1997. The selection of the Chief Executive is of course a responsibility of the Selection Committee and it is not for me to say who will be the Chief Executive after 1997. But I think the entire community and the civil service are looking for a Chief Executive who has clearly demonstrated leadership qualities, who will defend and stand up for Hong Kong's autonomy and for Hong Kong's interests, and who will be a person acceptable to the community of I long Kong and respected and supported by the civil service.
If
- 2 -
Questions: Can you tell us if there is any substance to reports about the possibility of the Governor taking long leave?
CS: I do not think there is any substance to this rumour. The Governor has made it very very clear on many occasions in the past that he will remain the Governor of Hong Kong until June 30, 1997.
End
Parents agree to implementation of sex education in schools ♦ * * * ♦
A recent survey commissioned by the Committee on Home-School Cooperation revealed that parents generally agreed to the implementation of sex education in schools.
Entitled ’’Parents’ view on Sex Education”, the survey was conducted by the City University of Hong Kong. A total of 500 parents from a sample of 41 secondary schools were interviewed.
The survey was a follow-up action of a book review on obscene comics by members of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) last year.
The review showed that young people obtained negative sex materials through various channels such as comics and computer.
Members of PTA urged the Education Department to review the curriculum of sex education and provide students with updated knowledge in order to tie in with the changes of information technology.
End
3
Pharmacists registration examinations results announced ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
Results of the registration examinations for pharmacists held in June were announced by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong today (Saturday).
Sixty-three, 86 and 72 candidates had sat for the examinations in Pharmacy Legislation in Hong Kong, Pharmacy Practice and Pharmacology respectively with corresponding passing rates of 60.3, 52.3 and 47.2 per cent.
Apart from meeting other conditions set by the Board, a pharmacy graduate returning from overseas who intends to be registered as a pharmacist in Hong Kong is required to pass all the three subjects.
The Board conducts its examinations twice a year, normally in June and December.
End
Chief Secretary departs for Australia *****
The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, will leave Hong Kong this (Saturday) evening for a seven-day visit to Australia to launch the first Hong Kong promotion in the country.
The Chief Secretary is leading a delegation to Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne and will return to Hong Kong on September 29. The delegation comprises more than a dozen of Hong Kong leading businessmen and senior government officials.
The visit is aimed at strengthening the already flourishing ties between the two communities, enhancing trade partnership and boosting Australian confidence in Hong Kong’s future. The promotion is co-organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA).
During the visit, Mrs Chan will meet senior Australian politicians, government officials, business and community leaders.
- 4 -
Mrs Chan will first visit Sydney where she will officially open the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office on September 23. The office has been in operation since October last year to strengthen Hong Kong’s economic and trade links with Australia and New Zealand.
At the same occasion, Mrs Chan will sign the Hong Kong/Australia Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.
While in Sydney on September 24, Mrs Chan will deliver a keynote speech at a business luncheon organised by IIKTDC, visit a children's hospital and meet Hong Kong student groups.
In the evening, Mrs Chan will attend a pop concert featuring leading Hong Kong Television Broadcasts Ltd singers and artistes at Sydney Town Hall. About 1,500 spectators will attend the concert. The programme will be televised in Australia and Hong Kong.
The Chief Secretary will visit Canberra on September 25. In the Australian capital. She will meet members of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade and other parliamentarians. She will also deliver a keynote speech at a luncheon hosted by the National Press Club.
On the following day, Mrs Chan will set off for the last leg of the visit, Melbourne. There, she will call on the Premier of Victoria, Mr Jeff Kennett, the Governor of Victoria, Mr Richard Elgin; and the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Councillor Ivan Deveson.
She will deliver keynote speeches at a HKTDC business luncheon and a dinner hosted by the Asialink Centre of Melbourne University on September 26.
In Sydney and Melbourne, the business delegates will join Mrs Chan in roundtable discussions with local business leaders. The Chief Secretary will also be conducting media interviews and having editorial board meetings with leading Australian newspapers.
Mrs Chan will return to Hong Kong on September 29.
End
5
Monitors’ report submitted to CS
*****
The monitors appointed to observe the Tai A Chau Detention Centre decantation operation this (Saturday) morning have submitted their report to the Chief Secretary. / ...
The three monitors comprised a non-official Justice of the Peace, Mr Lam Hang-fai; and representatives from two non-govemment organisations, Mr Tai Kie-ying from Christian Action and Ms Mabel Au from Oxfam.
End
. V-. I -‘‘d ■ "* ■- - ' 44 ~
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations
*****
7 Cumulative
Time change
$ million (hours) ($ million)
Opening balance in the account 2,331 09:30 -175
Closing balance in the account 1,816 10:00 -175
Change attributable to: 11:00 -175
Money market activity -175 11:30 -175
LAF today -340 I/)
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.5 *+0.0* 21.9.96 ... .<. e*. .
End
6
Ma On Shan Water Treatment Works near completion *****
Work on the one-billion-dollar Ma On Shan Water Treatment Works at Kwun Hang, New Territories, is on schedule and will be ready for operation by the end of this year.
This is the newest water treatment works in Hong Kong built to meet the anticipated demand generated from the residential and industrial developments in Ma On Shan and parts of Sha Tin, a spokesman for the Water Supplies Department said today (Sunday).
"It will also be used to relieve the existing Sha Tin Water Treatment Works by providing additional capacity to meet the increasing demand from many other parts of the territory.
"The project includes the construction of a treatment plant, a pumping station, a primary service reservoir and the laying of nine kilometres of water mains of diameter ranging from 1,000 millimetres to 1,400 millimetres.
"The majority of the building work for the principal structures is nearing completion and the electrical and mechanical work is well advanced," he said.
The water mains for transferring water from the treatment works to Sha Tin have also been substantially completed.
Construction of the treatment work started in May 1994 and when commissioned will add a capacity of 227,000 cubic metres per day to the Water Supplies Department's overall treatment capacity.
End
- 7 -
Monitors* report submitted to CS
*****
The monitors appointed to observe the Tai A Chau Detention Centre decantation operation this (Sunday) morning have submitted their report to the Chief Secretary today.
The three monitors comprised a non-official Justice of the Peace, Dr Tam Wing-kun; and representatives from two non-governmental organisations, Ms Harriet Sewell from Christian Action and Mr Thierry Taveaux from Medecins Sans Frontieres.
End
Fresh water cut in Yau Tong *****
The fresh water supply to some premises in Yau Tong will be temporarily suspended from 11 pm on Wednesday (September 25) to 6 am the following day for waste detection work on watermains.
The suspension will affect:
* Blocks 1-9, Yau Tong Estate,
* both sides of Lei Yue Mun Road between Kwun Tong (Lei Yue Mun Road ) Estate and Yau Tong Road,
♦ Blocks 1-17, Sceneway Garden,
* Lam Tin MTR Station, and
* Lam Tin Ambulance Depot.
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Monday, September 23,1996
Contents EageJVsk
Transcript of the Governor’s media session................... 1
Chief Secretary launches HK Promotion in Australia................ 2
Consumer price indices for August............................ 4
Occupational Safety Charter launched............................. 10
Awards for excellent industrial performance.................. 11
HK team to attend UN hearing on rights of the child.......... 12
Non-official chairman for Advisory Council on AIDS appointed. 13
Ceiling seepage problem in buildings......................... 14
Quarterly employment and vacancies survey begins............. 15
Monitors' report submitted to CS............................. 16
Parents reminded to return primary one application forms..... 16
Moonrise, transit and moonset times for Mid-autumn Festival.. 18
PDB launches homepage on Internet............................ 19
Water cut in Yuen Long....................................... 20
Water storage figure......................................... 20
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations......... 20
Transcript of the Governor’s media session ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Following is the transcript of the media session given by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, after attending the launching ceremony of the Occupational Safety Charter at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this (Monday) morning:
Governor: Good morning. As you know, I’ve given particular priority over the last few years to improving standards of safety and health at work. The figures in Hong Kong have been very bad, while all our other figures have been showing considerable improvements in our standard of living and our quality of life. So I’m very keen to support the initiative that was launched today. We've started to see some improvements in the figures overall though, in particular sectors like the construction industry we've still got plenty to be worried about but I very much hope that as a result of the recognition that safety is a shared responsibility that we will see a real improvement in the situation in Hong Kong and much fewer examples of unnecessary tragedy blighting lives, blighting families and increasing the expense of our health service and employers and our economy.
Question: How do you respond to a report from Daily Telegraph that you will take a 6-month long leave next year to act as an off-shore Governor?
Governor: It's nonsense.
Question: Just nonsense?
Governor: Complete and utter nonsense.
Question: ... There are about 50 people going on a rather rusty ship to Diaoyu Islands. There might be British subjects on board. Has the Government actually informed the Japanese authorities as to this ship and if they run into problem, can Hong Kong do anything about it?
Governor: We've behaved with this group of travellers exactly as we would behave with any other and 1 understand that the ship was treated in exactly the same way as other ships would have been. I hope that those involved in this enterprise don't do anything which puts their health or the health of others at risk. None of us would like to see that but of course if that sort of risk was to happen, if there were to be problems, we’d react as we would for any other Hong Kong citizens. I just hope, as I’m sure the whole community hopes, which feels very strongly about this issue, that it can be amicably sorted out between the principle parties concerned.
2
Question: (inaudible)
Governor: I didn’t hear your question.
Question: Yesterday Mr Tsang Yok-shing ...?
Governor: Well, I've made it clear that it's the Government's position that we will give the maximum co-operation to the Chief Executive (Designate) and his or her team. I don't think I can say anymore than that. I very much hope that Mr Tsang Yok-shing and his colleagues and Chinese Officials in particular will ensure that the present administration gets the support and understanding that it deserves.
Question: Some Legislators have gone to Taiwan and early this morning the had gone near Diaoyu Islands and there were about 13 Japanese warships around them. Do you
think...?
Governor: Well, I don't want to repeat what I said before which was fairly explicit but I stand by the remarks I made earlier to a similar question.
End
Chief Secretary launches HK Promotion in Australia
*****
The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, today (Monday) began her week-long visit to three cities - Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne - in Australia.
The highlight of her first day's programme in Sydney was the launching of the first ever Hong Kong promotion in the country with the opening of the Hong Kong House and a gala dinner for 450 guests at the Regent Hotel. She also called on the Premier of New South Wales, Mr Bob Carr.
In the morning, Mrs Chan unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the opening of the Hong Kong House, the home to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade office (HKETO), Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA).
Mrs Chan said the opening of the new Hong Kong House signified a major step taken by Hong Kong to strengthen its already important trade and cultural ties with Australia.
3
She also took the opportunity to sign the Hong Kong/Australia Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters with Mr Dari Williams, Attorney General and Minister for Justice of Australia. Also present at the opening ceremony was the speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Mr John Murray.
The signing of the bilateral agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters was to enhance the co-operation between Hong Kong and Australia in the investigation and prosecution of criminal offences and proceedings relating to criminal matters.
Right next to the Hong Kong House in the Queen Victoria Building, a Hong Kong promotion organised by the HKTA was being staged. The main attraction at the promotion was a 18-metre tall lantern, the world's largest, specially built to celebrate the Mid-autumn Festival.
Joined by the Hong Kong delegates made up of senior government officials and leading businessmen who were currently in Sydney promoting Hong Kong, Mrs Chan toured the promotion featuring a travel expo and a consumer promotion.
During the day, Mrs Chan and the delegates also had opportunities to exchange views with the business community and members of a think-tank on issues of mutual interest. She first took part in a roundtable discussion with the State Chamber of Commerce, New South Wales, and later attended a luncheon hosted by the Asia-Australia Institute, University of New South Wales.
In the evening, Mrs Chan attended as a guest of honour a gala dinner organised by the HKETO to celebrate the Hong Kong promotion in Australia.
The Hong Kong delegates and guests from the Sydney political, business and professional community then enjoyed a cabaret show performed by singer Frances Yip and popular Australian singer, Tony Pantano.
Amid her hectic schedule during the day, Mrs Chan has given two live interviews with ABC AM Radio in the morning and ABC's '7.30 Report' in the evening. She also talked to the editorial board of The Australian, followed by a meeting with the published of the paper, Mr Lachlan Murdoch.
Tomorrow (Tuesday), the major promotional activity will be a half-day business conference organised by the HKTDC. Mrs Chan will deliver a keynote speech at a luncheon and hold a press conference afterward. She will also have meetings with political leaders and visit a children hospital. Her programme in Sydney will conclude in a pop concert organised by the HKETO and produced by the Television Broadcasting Ltd at the Sydney Town Hall.
End
4
Consumer price indices for August ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
Consumer price inflation moderated significantly further in August, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) figures for August 1996 released by the Census and Statistics Department today (Monday).
CPI(A) showed a year-on-year increase of only 4.9% in August 1996, substantially below the increase of 6.1% in July. This was the lowest inflation rate recorded since July 1987.
Moderation was also recorded in CPI(B) and Hang Seng CPI. In August, CPI(B) rose by 5.5%, compared with 6.4% in July, while Hang Seng CPI increased by 5.8%, compared with 6.1% recorded in July.
Composite CPI, which is compiled based on the combined expenditure pattern of all households, also showed a less rapid year-on-year rate of increase of 5.4% in August 1996, against 6.2% in July.
A government spokesman said the moderation in inflation could be attributed mainly to slower price increases in the food component, with a price decline for fresh vegetables and a more modest price rise for meals bought away from home. In addition, slower increases in private housing rentals also contributed.
Analysed by component, faster year-on-year increase than the overall average in August was recorded for housing (8.5% in CPI(A) and 9.2% in Composite CPI).
Meanwhile, those components with slower year-on-year increases in prices than the overall average were food (excluding meals bought away from home) (-1.3% in CPI(A) and -0.7% in Composite CPI); durable goods (1.3% in both CPI(A) and Composite CPI); meals bought away from home (3.8% in CPI(A) and 3.5% in Composite CPI) and miscellaneous goods (3.9% in CPI(A) and 3.2% in Composite CPI).
Comparing August 1996 with July 1996, CPI(A) and CPI(B) both increased by 0.1%. The corresponding increases for Hang Seng CPI and Composite CPI were 0.3% and 0.2% respectively.
Taking the first eight months of 1996 together, the increases in CPI(A) and CPI(B) averaged at 6.1% and 6.6% over a year earlier. The corresponding increases in the Hang Seng CPI and Composite CPI were 6.9% and 6.5% respectively.
5
For the three months ended August 1996, CPI(A) and CPI(B) were, on average, higher by 5.7% and 6.1% respectively over a year earlier. The corresponding increases for Hang Seng CPI and Composite CPI were 6.2% and 6% respectively.
For the 12 months ended August 1996, CPI(A) and CPI(B) were, on average, higher by 6.6% and 7.1% respectively than the preceding 12-month period. The corresponding increases for Hang Seng CPI and Composite CPI were 7.4% and 7% respectively.
The seasonally adjusted monthly rates of increase in CPI(A) and CPI(B) both averaged at 0.3% during the three months ended August 1996. The corresponding increases for Hang Seng CPI and Composite CPI were 0.4% and 0.3% respectively.
Further details are shown in Tables 1 and 2 and Charts 1 to 4.
More details are given in the Consumer Price Index Report for August 1996, which is on sale at $37 per copy from the Government Publications Centre, Queensway Government Offices, Low Block, ground floor, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong.
It is also available at the Publications Unit of the Census and Statistics Department, 19th floor, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
For local and overseas mailings, contact should be made with the Information Services Department, 28th floor, Siu On Centre, 188 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
For enquiries about the indices, please telephone the Consumer Price Index Section of the Census and Statistics Department on 2805 6403.
6
Table 1 Consumer Price Indices and Rates of Increase for August 1996 (Oct. 94 - Sep. 95 = 100)
CPI (A) CPI(B) Hang Seng CPI Ccnposite CPI
Caiponent Index for August 96 % change over August 95 Index for August 96 % change over August 95 Index for August 96 % change over August 95 Index for August 96 % change over ArjiEt95
Food 106.1 +1.5 106.0 +2.1 105.3 +2.3 106.0 +1.9
Meals bought away fran heme 106.5 +3.8 106.1 +3.4 104.9 +3.3 106.1 +3.5
Food, excluding meals bought away fran hone 105.6 -1.3 105.8 -0.3 106.1 40.3 105.7 -0.7
Housing 112.5 +8.5 113.9 +8.8 116.2 +10.3 114.2 49.2
Fuel and light 106.6 +4.5 106.4 +4.6 107.3 +5.9 106.6 +4.7
Alcoholic drinks and tobacco 108.7 46.3 108.8 46.2 107.9 +5.6 108.6 46.2
Clothing and footwear 108.1 +8.9 108.9 49.6 102.2 +2.6 106.5 +7.1
Durable goods 102.5 +1.3 102.0 +1.2 102.7 +1.6 102.3 +1.3
Miscellaneous goods 104.8 h;;i b;* +3.9 104.3 +3.3 103.3 +2.3 104.2 +3.2
Transport 109.3 +6.1 109.0 • +5.9 108.0 +5.4 108.8 +5.8
Miscellaneous services 108.9 +7.8 108.6 +7.3 106.7 +5.2 108.1 +6.7
All items 108.2 +4.9 108.7 +5.5 108.9 +5.8 108.6 +5.4
Monthly consumer price indices are ocnpiled cn the basis of (a) expenditure patterns of relevant households and (b) prices collected currently in the mcnth. The expenditure patterns underlying the 1994/95-based consumer price indices are based on those patterns derived fran the 1994/95 Household Expenditure Survey. The CPI (A) is based cn the expenditure pattern of about 50% of households in Hong Kong, which had an average naithly expenditure of $4,000-$15,999 in 1994/95. The CPI(B) is based on the expenditure pattern of the next 30% of households, which had an average ninthly expenditure of $16,00O-$29,999 in 1994/95. The Hang Seng CPI is based cn the expenditure pattern of the next 10% of households, which had an average monthly expenditure of $30,000-$59,999 in 1994/95.
Whereas the CPI (A), CPI(B) and Hang Seng CPI are based cn the expenditure patterns of groups of households with different magnitudes of household expenditure, the Composite CPI is ocnpiled based cn the expenditure pattern of all these households taken together. Thus, while the CPI (A), CPI(B) and Hang Seng CPI show the impact of consumer price changes cn different grcups of households, the Ccnposite CPI shows the inpact of consumer price changes cn the household sector generally.
7
Table 2 Consumer Price Indices and Year-on-year Rates of Change for __________________________October 1995 - August 1996____________________ (Oct. 94 - Sep. 95 = 100)
Year/month CPI(A) CPI(B) Hang Seng CPI Composite CPI
Index Year-on-year rate of change ft) Index Year-on-year rate of change ft) Index Year-on-year rate of change ft) Index Year-on-year rate of change ft)
1995 October 104.3 8.0 104.5 8.4 104.7 8.7 104.5 8.4
November 104.3 7.8 104.7 8.1 105.4 8.2 104.7 8.1
December 103.9 6.4 104.6 7.2 104.9 7.2 104.5 7.0
1996 January 104.1 5.8 104.8 6.6 105.1 7.3 104.7 6.5
February 105.4 6.4 105.9 7.0 105.7 7.5 105.7 6.9
March 106.1 6.5 106.4 7.0 106.3 7.6 106.3 7.0
April 107.3 6.8 107.8 7.0 107.5 7.1 107.6 7.0
May 107.1 6.1 107.9 6.6 108.5 6.9 107.8 6.5
June 107.8 6.1 108.3 6.4 109.1 6.6 108.4 6.4
July 108.0 6.1 108.5 6.4 108.6 6.1 108.4 6.2
August 108.2 4.9 108.7 5.5 108.9 5.8 108.6 5.4
8
Chart 1 Year-on-year Rates of Increase in CPI(A) (1994/95-based)
Chart 2 Year-on-year Rates of Increase in CPI(B) (1994/95-based)
9
End
Chart 3 Year-on-year Rates of Increase in Hang Seng CPI (1994/95-based)
Chart 4 Year-on-year Rates of Increase in Composite CPI
10
Occupational Safety Charter launched ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
A charter drawn up by the Labour Department to promote occupational safety and health in the territory was launched by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre this (Monday) morning.
The ceremony was attended by more than 300 representatives from various organisations and labour associations.
To signify their support to the implementation of the Charter, the Governor, together with the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph Wong; the Commissioner for Labour, Miss Jacqueline Willis; the chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Council (OSHC), Professor Leung Ping-chung; and 24 representatives from various organisations, had signed on a board.
With the main theme "safety is a shared responsibility", the Occupational Safety Charter conveys constructive and meaningful messages to employees so that they understand their rights to enjoy a safe working environment.
It also outlines the responsibilities of employers to prevent workplace accidents and promote occupational health.
With assistance from the Government Information Services and OSHC, the Labour Department has printed more than 100,000 copies of booklets, leaflets and posters to publicise the Charter.
The leaflets, printed in Chinese and English separately, are now available for collection at the field offices of the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Branch, OSHC and District Offices.
A short promotion film has also been produced for broadcast through television stations and more measures will be introduced to further publicise the Charter.
End
11
Awards for excellent industrial performance *****
The 1996 Hong Kong Awards for Industry were presented by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, this (Monday) evening to five companies in recognition of their excellence in industrial performance.
This year’s winners are: Spectra Technologies Co Ltd for the Consumer Product Design category; Prima Design Systems Ltd for the Machinery and Equipment Design category; C and C Offset Printing Co Ltd for the Productivity category; QPL International Holdings Ltd for the Quality category; and TAL Apparel Ltd for the Export Marketing category.
The winners are entitled to display the official logo of the awards scheme on the company letterheads, envelopes, complimentary slips, press advertising and other promotional materials for a period of three years.
They also receive a trophy, an individually-crafted sculpture, as a memento of their achievement.
Introduced in 1989, the award scheme commends distinguished companies which have achieved excellence in different aspects of industrial performance.
Competitions are held annually in the six award categories each organised by a different organisation.
The Federation of Hong Kong Industries is responsible for the Consumer Product Design category; the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong for the Machinery and Equipment Design category; the Hong Kong Productivity Council for the Productivity category; the Industry Department for the Quality category; the Private Sector Committee on the Environment for the Environmental Performance category and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council for the Export Marketing category.
Apart from the Hong Kong Awards for Industry, which are presented to the most outstanding entry in each category, each of the six organisations also gives out a number of awards and certificates of merit in its own name to deserving entries in the category for which it is responsible.
End
12
HK team to attend UN hearing on rights of the child *****
A six-member Hong Kong Government team headed by the Crown Solicitor, Mr Ian Wingfield, will attend a hearing on Hong Kong’s initial report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in Geneva on October 2 and 3.
A Government spokesman said today (Monday) that the team, which forms part of the British delegation, will explain to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child the contents of the report and will provide information on the latest developments in Hong Kong.
’’The team will also assist the British delegation in answering questions on various aspects concerning the implementation of the Convention in the territory,” the spokesman said.
The initial report was submitted by the United Kingdom Government to the United Nations in February this year. It was tabled in the Legislative Council and made public the following month.
The report details the measures adopted by the Hong Kong Government that give effect to the rights recognised in the Convention up to September 7 last year, the first anniversary of the extension of the Convention to Hong Kong.
The Convention was ratified by the United Kingdom Government in 1991 and extended to Hong Kong in 1994.
Apart from Mr Wingfield, the other team members are Principal Assistant Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Ng Hon-wah; Senior Assistant Solicitor General, Mr Ian Deane; Principal Assistant Secretary for Security, Mr Gordon Leung; Assistant Secretary for Health and Welfare, Ms Rebecca Pun; and Senior Crown Counsel, Miss Melody Hui.
End
13
Non-official chairman for Advisory Council on AIDS appointed ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The 19th meeting of the Advisory Council on AIDS (ACA), chaired for the first time by a non-govemment official, was held today (Monday).
Dr Conrad Lam was appointed by the Governor as the Chairman of ACA for three years with effect from August 1.
He took over from the Director of Health who became the Vice-chairman while a Consultant (Special Preventive Programme) of the department served as secretary to the Council.
The newly appointed Council has multisectoral representation and for the first time, its members include representatives of Education Department and Social Welfare Department.
At the first meeting of its new term today, the Council proposed to undertake a comprehensive review on Hong Kong’s AIDS programme, with a view of recommending future direction and strategies on the prevention, care and control of HIV/AIDS in the coming years.
To enhance transparency, the Council would report, on a regular basis, to the public on the progress of its work in the coming term.
ACA was first appointed by the Governor in March 1990. There were three committees under the Council - Scientific Committee on AIDS, AIDS Services Development Committee, and Committee on Education and Publicity on AIDS.
End
14
Ceiling seepage problem in buildings ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
In response to today’s (Monday) newspaper reports regarding the problem of water leakage on ceiling causing nuisance to residents and the methods used by the Water Supplies Department (WSD) to detect such leaks, a spokesman for the department said :
"The principal duty of WSD is to provide fresh and flushing water for the community. WSD’s involvement in leakage complaint cases is to avoid water wastage and pollution and is not responsible for resolving the nuisance caused by leakage of all types. The inspections by WSD staff in these ceiling seepage cases serve such purpose. The complainant should seek assistance from other authorities to deal with nuisance problem.
"The water pipes and fittings are part of the properties of building owners who are responsible for their proper maintenance. WSD has been issuing leaflets to the public advising people on how to deal with leakage problem in buildings.
"WSD has scientific equipment for detecting leakage from city water mains, but these equipment are not suitable for detecting small leakage causing nuisance inside buildings. The pressure test method as suggested by a political party is equally not possible to confirm the leakage location and may even cause unnecessary leakages at the weak points of the plumbing system, which would further enlarge the leakage problem and complicate the issue."
The spokesman also pointed out that less than 10 per cent of the ceiling seepage cases inside flats were caused by water mains leaking and the remainder were due to problems in the waste water and rain water drainage system.
"Prevention is always better than cure. The best long term solution to tackle the problem of ceiling seepage is to have good plumbing design, material of better quality and better workmanship in the construction stage," the spokesman stressed.
End
15
Quarterly employment and vacancies survey begins * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The survey to collect data on employment and vacancies in major sectors of the economy in respect of September 1996 has just started by the Census and Statistics Department.
The survey is conducted quarterly and the results are useful in serving as shortterm economic indicators and providing information on the latest changes in the labour market.
This round of the survey covers about 58,000 establishments which are drawn from various sectors including the industrial sector (mining and quarrying; manufacturing; electricity and gas), the distributive trades sector (wholesale, retail and import/export trades, restaurants and hotels) and the services sector (transport, storage and communications; financing, insurance, real estate and business services; community, social and personal services).
Information on number of persons engaged and vacancies as at September 30 will be sought from each sampled establishment and questionnaires are being mailed to them.
In accordance with the Census and Statistics (Quarterly Survey of Employment and Vacancies) Order, these establishments are required to complete and return the questionnaires to the Census and Statistics Department within the specified period.
If they have difficulties in completing the questionnaires, they may contact the department for assistance on 2582 5076.
End
16
Monitors' report submitted to CS * * * * *
The monitors appointed to observe the Tai A Chau Detention Centre
decantation operation this (Monday) morning have submitted their report to the Chief Secretary.
The three monitors comprised a non-official Justice of the Peace, Mr Chung Pui-lam; and representatives from two non-govemment organisations, Ms Judy Au from Oxfam and Dr Gilla Nemayechi from Medecins Sans Frontieres.
End
Parents reminded to return primary one application forms ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Education Department today (Monday) reminds parents wishing to apply for primary one places in public sector schools for their children next September to send in their application forms on or before Friday (September 27).
Parents applying for a discretionary place in government or aided primary schools should submit the completed application forms and all relevant documents to the school directly during school hours.
For those participating in central allocation only, they should return the completed application forms and relevant documents to one of the following centres during office hours:
♦ Primary One Admission Unit
Lui Kee Education Services Centre
second floor, 269 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai
* Education Department, Kowloon Sub-office
seventh floor, 405 Nathan Road, Kowloon
* Sha Tin District Office
Public Enquiry Service Centre
first floor, Citylink Plaza
Shatin Station Circuit, Sha Tin
17
* Tai Po District Office
Public Enquiry Service Centre
ground floor, Tai Po Government Offices Building
Ting Kok Road, Tai Po
* Tsuen Wan District Office
Public Enquiry Service Centre
first floor, Tsuen Wan Station Multi-Storey
Carpark Building,
Castle Peak Road, Tsuen Wan
* Tuen Mun District Office
Public Enquiry Service Centre
second floor, Tuen Mun Government Offices Building
Tuen Hi Road, Tuen Mun
♦ Yuen Long District Office
Public Enquiry Service Centre
ground floor, Yuen Long District Office Building
Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long
* North District Office
Public Enquiry Service Centre
ground floor, North District Government Offices
Pik Fung Road, Fanling
Parents are reminded that they should only hand in one application form for each child.
If they are found to have applied to more than one government or aided schools, their applications will be rendered void and no discretionary place will be allocated.
End
18
Moonrise, transit and moonset times for Mid-autumn Festival
*****
During the Mid-autumn Festive period, the times of moonrise, transit and moonset will be as follows:
S£piemb£i26> Thursday
Moonrise
Transit (Meridian passage) direction due south elevation 68 degrees
Moonset
at 05.40 pm
at 11.50 pm
at 06.05 am (next morning)
September 27, Friday (Mid-autumn Festival)
Moonrise
Transit (Meridian passage) direction due south elevation 72 degrees
Moonset
September 28» Saturday
Moonrise
Transit (Meridian passage) direction due south elevation 77 degrees
Moonset
at 06.25 pm
at 00.43 am (next morning)
at 07.06 am (next morning)
at 07.10 pm
at 01.36 am (next morning)
at 08.05 am (next morning)
End
19
PDB launches homepage on Internet ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Port Development Board (PDB) launched its homepage on the Internet today (Monday). The homepage contains exhaustive information on Hong Kong port development.
Accessing PDB’s newly set-up homepage today, the Chairman of the PDB, Mr Peter Thompson, said: ’’The homepage will enable us to share the future progress and development of our port with a wide audience in Hong Kong and overseas.”
He noted: "Since its establishment in 1990, the PDB has seen Hong Kong emerge as the world's number one container port for the years 1992 to 1995. In that period our throughput grew from eight million to 12.5 million TEUs.
"This came about as a result of the considerable co-operative efforts of the private sector and Government, both in planning and investment."
Mr Thompson said: "These efforts have been rewarded by the continuing support given to us by the shipping lines and the many diverse commercial enterprises which use our port.
"It is their confidence in our port which has been the cornerstone of our success and we will continue to ensure that we provide them with the facilities they require."
While sharing Mr Thompson’s view, the Secretary of the PDB, Mr Tony Clark, said: "The setting up of the homepage is part of PDB’s programme to raise the profile of Hong Kong port locally and overseas, in both general and in respect of development projects."
In addition to information on the history and the future of Hong Kong port development and the work of the PDB - together with its various committees — summary statistics on port traffic, including container, port cargo and river trade throughput and forecasts of port requirements can be obtained through PDB’s homepage. The address is http://www.info.gov.hk/pdb/.
End
20
Water cut in Yuen Long
*****
The fresh and flushing water supply to some premises in Yuen Long will be temporarily suspended from 11 pm on Thursday (September 26) to 6 am the following day for waste detection work on watermains.
The suspension will affect all premises at Tai Shu Ha Road East between Ma Tong Road and Tai Tong Road including Ma Tin Tsuen.
End
Water storage figure ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Storage in Hong Kong’s reservoirs at 9 am today (Monday) stood at 98.6 per cent of capacity or 577.716 million cubic metres.
This time last year the reservoirs contained 558.1 11 million cubic metres of water, representing 95.2 per cent of capacity.
End
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations
*****
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 1,816 0930 +340
Closing balance in the account 2,101 1000 +340
Change attributable to: 1100 +340
Money market activity +340 1200 +340
LAF today -55 1500 +340
+340
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.5 *+0.0* 23.9.96
21
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.06 2 years 2808 6.00 99.59 6.33
1 month 5.08 3 years 3907 6.80 100.47 6.72
3 months 5.20 5 years 5109 7.32 100.36 7.36
6 months 5.34 7 years 7308 7.24 98.41 7.68
12 months 5.69 5 years M503 7.35 99.34 7.65
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $5,610 million
Closed September 23, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Tuesday, September 24,1996
Contents Page No,
Transcript of the Governor's media session................................ 1
HK's success story will continue: CS...................................... 2
Chief Secretary addresses business community.............................. 4
Appointment of Judicial Tribunal.......................................... 6
Energy Advisory Committee holds second meeting............................ 6
Monitors' report submitted to CS.......................................... 7
TOC Teahcers' Reference Groups............................................ 8
Exporter fined $1.2 million............................................... 9
BN(O) applications for 1987 and 1991 bom close soon...................... 10
Businessmen donates mooncakes to BSA residents........................... 11
Provisional statistics of retail sales for July released................. 12
Feature articles in statistical report................................... 15
Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results.............................. 16
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations..................... 17
1
Transcript of the Governor’s media session
V . ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Following is the transcript of the media session given by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, after attending the 60th Anniversary Cocktail Reception of Boys’ and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong this (Tuesday) evening:
Question: You have made an order to investigate the Judge Caird case. Can you respond ...?
Governor: It's almost without precedent to establish the tribunal, but I regard it as imperative that we remove any doubts that may have been caused by this case about the quality of our judiciary. The acting Chief Justice was very concerned to clear the air. He asked me if I would establish a tribunal. I took legal advice from the Attorney General but had no real hesitation in responding to the Acting Chief Justice's request. I hope that the tribunal will be able to get on with its work reasonably quickly and that we'll have a satisfactory outcome as rapidly as possible.
I have, perhaps you could wait until I've finished.
I have great confidence in our judiciary and in the administration of justice in Hong Kong and I'm keen that everybody else in the community and beyond should have that confidence too.
Question: Why has the Government made the conclusion already before the tribunal has been set up, that the judge has made an ...?
Governor: But you misunderstand the nature of the tribunal. The tribunal has the job of inquiring into the circumstances surrounding a particular piece of behaviour and then has to decide whether it should recommend to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council the dismissal of a judge. And while a tribunal is working it would obviously be inappropriate for a judge to be still in his position. But the tribunal doesn't come to any decision before it sets out on the road of inquiry. It reaches its conclusions and then reports those to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
Question: ... if the case goes against him, is their still time for the Privy Council to decide...?
Governor: Yes, we believe that there is. We've obviously checked on that.
Question: And how long do you think the tribunal will take to give its verdict?
2
Governor: Well, I would hope that we can set it up reasonably quickly and obviously we would like to see it able to conclude its work before the end of the year.
Question: Any idea about its composition at this stage?
Governor: We’ve got some ideas about the composition. We would like to have a judge from another jurisdiction or a retired judge as well as a couple of judges with Hong Kong experience.
Question: It looks like the first case ... do you think it will affect people’s confidence on the judiciary?
Governor: As I said earlier, it’s precisely at this sensitive moment in Hong Kong’s history to underline the reasons for confidence in the judiciary that I thought it right to respond to the acting Chief Justice’s request. I don't believe that when things like this happen you should brush them under the carpet. I’ve tried to ensure while I've been in Hong Kong that Government is more open and more accountable, that people don't have reason for thinking that bad things are happening behind closed doors. When there are serious allegations made, when there are real public concerns expressed, I think it's vital that they should be cleared up, that they should be dealt with in as open and comprehensive a way as possible and that's why, even though establishing a tribunal is as I said almost without precedent, certainly without precedent in this century, I thought it right to do so today.
End
HK's success story will continue: CS ♦ ♦ ♦ * *
Factors that have helped create Hong Kong's success would not disappear after the change of sovereignty on July 1 next year, the Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, said today (Tuesday).
Speaking at a business luncheon in Sydney organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in conjunction with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Chief Secretary said Hong Kong's economy continued to grow, albeit at a slightly slower rate than previously, and its economic fundamentals were strong with a five per cent growth per annum forecast for the medium term.
3
On the importance of the partnership of Hong Kong and Australia, Mrs Chan noted that Hong Kong was the home of the largest overseas Australian Chamber of commerce and the base for more than 30,000 Australians, many of them doing business with the entire Asia-Pacific region.
"Over 350 Australian companies have set up their offices in Hong Kong and many more have representatives in the territory.
• - /
"Hong Kong is Australia's fourth largest source of foreign investment and Australia's fourth largest destination for foreign investment.
"Our bilateral trade last year grew by 16 per cent to reach AS5.6 billion and there is every indication that this growth will continue," she said.
On the factors that underpinned Hong Kong's success, the Chief Secretary noted that the territory had been the source or conduit of about 60 per cent of all investment going into China since 1978.
"We are the communications hub for the region in aviation, with the world's busiest airport for freight and the third busiest for internationals passengers," she said.
"In shipping, we have the world's busiest container port. We are the regional centre for telecommunications."
Mrs Chan said Hong Kong would still be the gateway to China and its accessible and predictable legal and judicial system would continue.
"Our simple and low tax system, where presently no individual pays more than 15% on their salary and no company more than 16.5 per cent on its profits, will still be amongst the world's lowest.
"Hong Kong's resilience and 'can do' attitude, which has enabled us to overcome so many apparently crippling political and economic problems in the past, will remain," she said.
In her address, the Chief Secretary also noted that both the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law recognised that Hong Kong's success as a community and as a business centre depended on the continuation of its system of government and its way of life after 1997.
4
She assured the audience that Hong Kong would continue with its capitalist way of life, without interference from the Chinese government, which would be responsible for foreign affairs and defence only. And running through both the Joint Declaration and the Basic law is the overriding principle of the rule of law.
Mrs Chan said Hong Kong had more than its fair share of sceptics, and Hong Kong had been written off by a number of newspapers and other commentators over the years.
"We were written off by some people in 1984, when the Joint Declaration was signed. But in the 12 years since then our GDP has grown in real terms by some 107 per cent and our fiscal reserves by almost 600 per cent.
"We were written off in 1989, after the tragedy in
Beijing. In the seven years since we have had a 38 per cent increase in GDP and our fiscal reserves have risen by over 140 per cent," Mrs Chan added.
The Chief Secretary is currently on a week-long visit to three cities in Australia - Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.
The highlight of her programme in Sydney yesterday was the launching of the first ever Hong Kong promotion in the country with the opening of the Hong Kong House and a gala dinner for 450 guests at the Regent Hotel.
End
Chief Secretary addresses business community
*****
The opportunities for investment and trade are going to continue in what is still the fastest growing economic region in the world - Asia, despite the changes that are taking place in the area, the Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, told the business community in Sydney today (Tuesday).
Speaking at a business luncheon concluding a half-day business conference entitled 'Hong Kong/Australia - Building A New Pacific Partnership', Mrs Chan noted that Australians had come to recognise the opportunities that were available in the Asian region in the past decade.
5
The seminar was organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). Other co-organisers were the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO), the Hong Kong Coalition of Service Industries and the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.
Key speakers at the conference included Vice Chairman and Chief Executive of Hang Seng Bank Ltd, Mr Alexander Au; Managing Director of Cathay Pacific Airways, Mr Rod Eddington; Chairman and Chief Executive of Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Ltd, Mr Victor Lo; Managing Director of Leighton Asia Ltd, Mr John Faulkner; and the Secretary for Economic Services, Mr Stephen Ip.
In the afternoon, Mrs Anson Chan had a 40-minute meeting with the South Australian Minister for Manufacturing Industry, Small Business and Regional Department, Minister John Olsen and attended a reception hosted by Lord Mayor of Sydney, Councillor Frank Sartor.
Apart from meeting with political leaders and business executives, Mrs Chan has also spent time with children and young people in the community today.
In the morning, she visited the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children where she distributed some toys to the children and presented a donation of A$500,000 to the Chief Executive of the hospital, Dr John Yu, on behalf of Cathay Pacific.
In the afternoon, Mrs Chan attended a reception for Hong Kong students where she had a chance to chat with more than 100 students who were attending universities or other educational institutions in Sydney.
Mrs Chan’s media activities today included an interview with ’Today’ programme on Channel 9 TV and a press conference.
Her second day ended with a pop concert organised by the HKETO and produced by Television Broadcasts Ltd (TVB) at the Sydney Town Hall.
Attended by an audience of 1,600, the Canton pop concert featured some of the most popular singers in Hong Kong including Leon Lai, Alan Tam, Cass Pang, Vivien Chow, Hacken Lee and Ekin Cheng. Comperes for the show were Natalis Chan and Young Yuen-yee. The show was telecast on HKTVB and selected Australian networks.
6
Mrs Chan will travel to Canberra tomorrow's morning (Wednesday). She will deliver a keynote speech at a luncheon hosted by the National Press Club.
She will have a meeting with the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade and call on Presiding Officers of Parliament: Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Senate before attending a reception hosted by the Parliament.
End
Appointment of Judicial Tribunal
*****
A Government spokesman said today (Tuesday) that the Governor had decided to accept a recommendation by the acting Chief Justice that a judicial tribunal should be appointed under Article XVIA(6) of the Letters Patent to investigate whether Judge Caird should be removed from office for misbehaviour, in that he made false allegations that two other judges had attempted to influence him in his handling of the trial of Aaron Nattrass.
"The tribunal will be appointed as soon as possible," the spokesman said.
"It is clearly in the public interest that Judge Caird's actions be investigated by a judicial tribunal as quickly as possible," he added.
End
Energy Advisory Committee holds second meeting
*****
The Energy Advisory Committee (EAC), set up to advise the Government on energy policy matters including energy efficiency and conservation, held its second meeting today (Tuesday).
At the meeting, the Committee, chaired by Professor Charles Kao Kuen, reviewed the supply and demand of electricity up to 2005. It advised the Administration on options for ensuring a reasonable match between the supply and demand.
7
It rendered advice on the basis for the Government to commence negotiations with the power companies, with a view to reaching agreement with them on demand side management programmes and related matters.
The Committee was briefed by the Hong Kong and China Gas Company on the proposals for the next tariff revision and it also noted the decisions made at the first Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Energy Ministers Meeting in Sydney, Australia, last month.
APEC members had issued a Declaration after the Sydney meeting setting out 14 non-binding principles covering the more efficient production, distribution and consumption of energy.
The next EAC meeting will be held in December.
End
Monitors' report submitted to CS *****
The monitors appointed to observe the Tai A Chau Detention Centre decantation operation this (Tuesday) morning have submitted their report to the Chief Secretary.
The three monitors comprised a non-official Justice of the Peace, Mr John Robertson Budge; and representatives from two non-govemment organisations, Ms Harriet Sewell from Christian Action and Mr Patrick Shek from Caritas, Hong Kong.
End
8
TOC Teachers’ Reference Groups ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Teachers are encouraged to join Teachers’ Reference Groups (TRG) to share their professional ideas and experiences on implementing Target Oriented Curriculum (TOC).
Vice principal of the Assessment Unit, TOC, Education Department, Mr Sou Hon-poo said: ”TRG are being formed on regional basis to encourage greater teacher involvement and collaboration in implementing TOC."
The groups also provide opportunities for teachers and staff of the department to share their views and experiences, he said.
Experience sharing sessions, talks, seminars and workshops on topics of interest and concern to teachers implementing TOC will be regularly organised for TRG members, Mr Sou noted.
In 1996-97 school year, over 500 primary and special schools, representing 61 per cent, have implemented TOC or have already embodied the characteristics of the curriculum in their current practices.
Over 80 per cent of the schools indicated that they would implement TOC in the following school year.
Mr Sou pointed out that a series of support materials for teachers, including assessment guidelines, programmes of study and exemplar learning tasks, are ready for distribution to primary and special schools through courier service.
"Subject-specific enquiries on TOC should be directed to the respective subject inspectors of the Development Unit, Teacher Education Unit or Assessment Unit of the TOC Section of the Curriculum Development Institute," he said.
He added that a roving exhibition on TOC will be held later this year throughout the territory to inform members of the public about the curriculum.
End
9
Exporter fined $1.2 million ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
An exporter cum manufacturer, Pac Fung Feather Company Limited, was fined $1,200,000 today (Tuesday) by magistrate, Mr Ernest Lim, after pleading guilty to 20 counts of causing to be furnished false information regarding the names of exporter and manufacturer in export licence application.
The three accomplices - an export firm AHtex Industrial Company Limited and the proprietor and manager of Hop Lee Garment Factory, Lee Sum and Li Kwong -were also fined $300,000, $50,000 and $70,000 respectively for furnishing false information as exporter and manufacturer in 20 export licence applications.
Kwun Tong Magistracy heard an investigation by officers of the Customs and Excise Department revealed that in April 1994, Pac Fung received a bulk order for the supply of cotton woven comforter shells to its buyer in the USA.
The goods were scheduled for export against free quotas in the second half of the year 1994. However, at the material time, Pac Fung was debarred from participation in the Free Quota Scheme as a result of its failure to utilise 95 per cent of the free quotas allocated in the preceding Scheme.
In order to effect shipments as scheduled, it procured Alltex Industrial Company Limited, Lee and Li of Hop Lee to participate in the Free Quota Scheme by falsely declaring themselves respectively as exporter and manufacturer in 20 export licence applications.
With the assistance rendered by the three accomplices, Pac Fung obtained 20 export licence issued against free quota to cover the export of its manufacture of a total of 81,560 cotton woven comforter shells worth $12.14 million to the USA between July and September 1994.
End
10
BN(O) applications for 1987 and 1991 bom close soon ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The final date for Hong Kong British Dependent Territories citizens (BDTCs) bom between 1987 and 1991 to apply for British National (Overseas) BN(O) passports will be next Monday (September 30), government spokesperson reminded the public today (Tuesday).
Hong Kong BDTCs (such as persons bom, naturalised or registered in Hong Kong) must obtain a BN(O) passport if they wish to continue to travel on British passports beyond 1997.
As specified in the second schedule to the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986, applications for BN(O) passports must be submitted on or before the final dates relevant to their age groups.
Parents or legal guardians of eligible children born between 1987 and 1991 must submit their applications on or before September 30. They should apply for a Hong Kong permanent identity card on behalf of the children at the same time.
Further publicity will be made in respect of BDTCs bom in other years (that is between 1992 and June 30, 1997) so that they may submit their applications by phases according to their age groups. They are of course free to submit their applications now.
Persons who do not comply with the relevant cut-ofT dates will not be able to travel on British passports beyond 1997. An application made after the final date will only be accepted if the applicant can show that there are special circumstances which justify his late application.
A BN(O) Late Registration Appeals Advisory Committee has been established to advise the Governor on those late applications which have been rejected by the Immigration Department.
The spokesperson emphasised that those who already had a I3N(O) passport, either the conventional hard-cover type or the burgundy red machine readable type, need not apply again.
Applications for BN(O) passports may be submitted to the Immigration Department either by post or in person. Applicants may also deposit their applications into the drop-in boxes installed at the Immigration Headquarters or at any immigration branch offices through the territory. Application forms are available at all immigration offices and district offices.
11
Hong Kong BDTCs living, working or studying abroad, are also required to observe the cut-off dates if they want to apply for a BN(O) passport. However, they are not required to return to Hong Kong for their applications.
They should submit their applications to the nearest British passport issuing office either by post or in person. The required overseas application forms can be obtained at those offices or the Hong Kong Immigration Department.
For more information, member of the public may telephone 2824 1177 (English) or 2824 1717 (Chinese).
End
Businessmen donates mooncakes to BSA residents ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
More than 2,700 residents of the 120 bedspace apartments (BSA) throughout the territory will be treated to a special Mid-autumn Festival this year through the concerted efforts of the Home Affairs Department (HAD) and two businessmen, the acting Director of Home Affairs, Mr Lee Lap-sun, said today (Tuesday).
Each of the residents will be given a box of mooncakes donated by the Chairman of Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, Mr James Tien and the Chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, Mr Henry Tang.
The one-week mooncake distribution exercise was launched at a BSA in San Po Kong tonight by the donors and Mr Lee, who expressed hope that this would bring some festive atmosphere to the residents in celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Mr Lee also expressed gratitude to the many volunteers and HAD staff who assisted in this exercise.
Also present at today’s distribution was the Wong Tai Sin District Officer, Miss Diane Wong.
End
12
Provisional statistics of retail sales for July released ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The value of total retail sales in July 1996, estimated at $18.9 billion, increased by 7% when compared with July 1995, according to the provisional figures released today (Tuesday) by the Census and Statistics Department.
After discounting the effect of price changes over the period, total retail sales increased by 3% in volume.
Compared with a year ago, sales of motor vehicles increased substantially by 34% in value and 32% in volume. Sales of other consumer durable goods also went up by 10% in value and 9% in volume.
Concurrently, sales of some other commodities also recorded various magnitudes of increases in both value and volume terms. These included miscellaneous consumer goods (10% in value and 5% in volume); and jewellery, watches and clocks and valuable gifts (5% in value and 4% in volume). Sales in supermarkets also rose by 7% in value and 1% in volume.
Besides, sales of food, alcoholic drinks and tobacco went up by 5% in value, albeit virtually no change in volume.
On the other hand, sales of clothing and footwear and sales in department stores increased by 5% and 2% in value but decreased by 1% and 3% in volume respectively. Sales of fuels continued to show a decline, by 9% in value and 16% in volume.
This is attributable to a growing trend towards direct purchase of fuels from the major suppliers rather than from the retailers, as new housing developments are now generally provided with build-in pipelines for direct supply of fuels.
Compared with June 1996 (but bearing in mind that this comparison is affected by seasonal factors), total retail sales in July 1996 increased by 8% in value and 9% in volume.
Comparing the period from January to July 1996 with the same period in 1995, total retail sales rose by 6% in value and 1% in volume.
The volume of retail sales is derived from the value of retail sales after adjusting for price changes. The relevant components of the consumer price index are used as deflators.
Table 1 presents the revised total retail sales figure for June 1996 and the provisional figure for July 1996.
Table 2 shows the value and volume indices of retail sales in July 1995, June 1996 and July 1996 for all retail outlets and by type of retail outlets, with average retail sales from October 1994 to September 1995 taken as 100.
Comparisons of the July 1996 results with those for June 1996 and those for July 1995, as well as comparison of retail sales in the period from January to July of 1996 with the same period in 1995 are also given.
The report containing the analysis of the July 1996 results is now on sale at $4 per copy at the Government Publications Centre, Queensway Government Offices, ground floor, Low Block, 66 Queensway; and the Publications Unit of the Census and Statistics Department, 19th floor, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai.
Enquiries about the survey results may be directed to the Wholesale and Retail Trade Statistics Section of the Census and Statistics Department on 2802 1258.
14
I
j TABLE 1 : TOTAL RETAIL SALES
Total Retail Sales for July 1996 (Provisional Figure) = HK$12,839.5 million
for June 1996 (Revised Figure) = HK$17,492.5 million
TABLE 2 ; VALUE AND VOLUME INDICES OF RETAIL SALES FOR JULY 1995, JUNE ANO JULY 1996
(Monthly o/erage of October 1994 - September 1995 = 100)
Type of Outlets Type of Index Index Number % Change
July 1995 (Revised figures) June 1996 (Revised figures) July 1996 (Provisional figures) Jul 1996 compared with Jun 1996 Jul 1996 compared wi th Jul 1995 Jan - Jul 1996 compared with Jan - Jul 1995
(A) FOR ALL RETAIL OUTLETS (Point) (Point) (Point) (X) (X) (X)
Value 101.7 100.7 108.8 ♦8.0 ♦6.9 ♦5.6
Volume 100.4 94.4 103.0 ♦9.1 ♦2.6 ♦0.7
(B) BY TYPE OF RETAIL OUTLETS • *1 ■ ■ *7 ’
Food, alcoholic drinks Value 99.6 102.2 104.7 ♦2.4 ♦5.0 ♦7.6
and tobacco (other than supermarkets) Volume 99.1 96.8 99.4 ♦2.7 ♦0.3 ♦2.5
Supermarkets 0 Value 106.0 116.3 113.4 -2.5 ♦7.0 ♦8.5
Volume 103.6 107.8 104.3 -3.2 ♦0.7 ♦1.7
Fuels Value 114.1 106.3 103.8 -2.3 -9.0 ♦0.4
Volume 112.3 96.6 94.5 -2.2 -15.8 -6.7
Clothing, footwear and Value 108.2 100.6 113.8 ♦13.1 ♦5.2 ♦11.5
allied products Volume 106.0 89.2 104.6 ♦17.3 -1.3 ♦3.8
Consumer durable goods . Value 81.5 92.0 96.9 ♦5.2 ♦18.8
Volume 81.2 90.9 95.6 ♦5.1 ♦17.6 -0.7
- Motor vehicles Value 76.7 81.3 102.9 ♦26.6 ♦34.2 -10.5
and parts Volume 76.6 80.8 101.6 +25.7 ♦32.5 •10.6
- Consumer durable Value 84.5 98.5 93.2 -5.4 ♦10.4 ♦6.0
goods other than motor vehicles Volume 84.0 97.0 92.0 -5.2 ♦9.4 ♦4.8
and parts
Department stores Value 102.8 101.5 104.5 ♦2.9 ♦1.7 ♦3.5
Volume 101.4 92.8 98.5 ♦6.1 -2.9 -1.7
Jewellery, watches Value 94.5 96.6 98.8 ♦2.3 ♦4.6 ♦1.0
and clocks, and valuable gifts Volume 92.4 93.1 95.8 ♦2.8 ♦3.7 -3.2
Other consumer goods Value 116.9 101.6 128.7 ♦26.6 ♦ 10.1 ♦9.7
not elsewhere classified Volume 116.6 96.0 122.1 ♦27.2 ♦4.7 ♦4.8
NOTE : 0 Not including supermarkets operating in department stores. # denotes a figure within ±0.05.
The underlined figures were rounded up to 5.
End
15
Feature articles in statistical report *****
Two feature articles entitled "An analysis of the characteristics of immigrant children newly admitted to schools in Hong Kong" and "Preliminary estimates of Gross National Product (GNP) for 1994" are published in the September issue of the Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics.
The article on immigrant children analyses the findings of a survey conducted from October 1985 to September 1995 by the Statistics Section, Education Department.
The survey, conducted annually since 1979, aims at collecting data on the characteristics of immigrant children from China who have enrolled for the first time in ordinary secondary and primary day schools (including government, aided and private schools) in Hong Kong and their academic attainment.
The article "Preliminary estimates of Gross National Product (GNP) for 1994" describes the salient features of the preliminary GNP estimate for 1994 and also introduces the basic concepts and compilation method on Real Gross National Income (RGNI), which is a measure of aggregate real income.
The preliminary estimate of Hong Kong's Gross National Product (GNP), in respect of reference year 1994, has been released. Its compilation is based on the latest revised estimate of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (August 1996 revision) and data obtained from the 1994 Survey of External Factor Income Flows.
The September 1996 issue of the Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics is now on sale at $50 a copy. Apart from the two feature articles, it contains the most up-to-date information on Hong Kong's development regarding economic growth, labour market, inflation and many other social and economic issues.
Purchase of this publication can be made at the Government Publications Centre, ground floor. Low Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong.
The publication is also available for sale at the Publications Unit of the Census and Statistics Department, 19th floor, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Regular subscription can also be arranged with the Publications (Sales) Office of the Information Services Department on 2598 8194.
End
16
Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results *****
Tender date 24 Sept 1996 24 Sept 1996
Paper on offer EF bills EF bills
Issue number Q639 H674
Issue date 25 Sept 1996 25 Sept 1996
Maturity date 27 Dec 1996 26 Mar 1997
Coupon - -
Amount applied HK$4,410MN HK$2,610MN
Amount allotted HK$ 1,500 MN HKS800 MN
Average yield accepted 5.20 PCT 5.35 PCT
Highest yield accepted 5.22 PCT 5.37 PCT
Pro rata ratio About 13 PCT About 27 PCT
Average tender yield 5.22 PCT 5.37 PCT
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
Tenders to be held in the week beginning 30 Sept 1996
Tender date 1 Oct 1996 1 Oct 1996
Paper on offer EF bills EF bills
Issue number Q640 Y694
Issue date 2 Oct 1996 2 Oct 1996
Maturity date 2 Jan 1997 3 Oct 1997
Tenor 92 days 366 days
Amount on offer HK$1,5OO+3OOMN HKS500+150MN
End
17
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations
*****
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 2,101 0930 +55
Closing balance in the account 2,313 1000 +55
Change attributable to: 1100 +55
Money market activity +55 1200 +55
LAF today +157 1500 +55
1600 +55
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.4 *-0.1 ♦ 24.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.08 2 years 2808 6.00 99.64 6.30
1 month 5.09 3 years 3907 6.80 100.56 6.68
3 months 5.19 5 years 5109 7.32 100.50 7.33
6 months 5.34 7 years 7308 7.24 98.53 7.66
12 months 5.69 5 years M5O3 7.35 99.44 7.63
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $7,414 million
Closed September 24, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL.: 2842 8777
Wednesday, September 25,1996
Contents Page No,
Transcript of the Governor's media session after rehab centre visit.... 1
Transcript of the Governor's media session on ACAN report.................. 4
Twelfth meeting of the JLG expert group on transitional Budget............. 8
Taxation agreements on airline income with New Zealand and Canada ...... 9
FS on tour to strengthen ties with USA & Europe............................ 9
Govt committed to press freedom: CS.................................... 11
Australia urged to continue to support Hong Kong.......................... 13
Governor tours rehabilitation facilities provided by NGOs................. 14
Report on anti-drugs proposals submitted.................................. 15
Consultancy study on textile and clothing published....................... 17
Transfer of VMs from Tai A Chau to Whitehead completed................. 18
/Monitors' report...
Contents
Page No.
Monitors’ report submitted to CS....................................... 19
New manpower-saving mail sorters introduced............................ 19
New Guidelines on school outdoor activities............................ 20
Respect our Teacher Activity Design Competition....................... 21
Long service insignia awarded to immigration officers.................. 22
Mid-autumn Festival holiday reminder................................. 23
Military rickshaw finds new home....................................... 24
Government land to let................................,................ 24
Residential Mortgage Survey results for August released................ 25
Reference rate for setting LAF rates................................... 31
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations................... 32
1
Transcript of the Governor’s media session after rehab centre visit *****
Following is the transcript of the media session given by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, after visiting two rehabilitation centres in Eastern District this (Wednesday) afternoon:
Governor: I have seen two extremely interesting projects this afternoon. I was very pleased to begin by seeing the Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation's work at the Community Rehabilitation Network. They have got three centres now which are providing excellent support for people who are either recovering from illness or an operation or are still ill. They give them a great deal of work in the educational training and self advocacy areas and I think that we want to make sure that their future is assured for the long term in Hong Kong because they do a really first class job.
Secondly I am pleased to have seen the work done here by the Richmond Fellowship in providing a sheltered workshop for the formerly mentally ill and for those who have a moderate mental handicap. I have been particularly interested to see not just their training and the work they are doing - they’re making a profit here -but also the way they're preparing those who work here for full jobs in, as it were, the outside world. They have provided a marvellous bridge for those who have suffered from mental illness or mental handicap and I am delighted that we are able to support their work.
Question: Mr Patten, concerning the Judicial Tribunal, the Judiciary has already conducted a study over the Judge Caird case and says there is nothing wrong, but yesterday you decided to set up the Judicial Tribunal. The public is quite confused as to why there is a need to set up a Judicial Tribunal.
Governor: I gave a full reply to that yesterday and I suggest you look at what I said yesterday.
Question: (on Chief Secretary's remarks on Diaoyu Islands).
Governor: I think the way people refer to them is less important than what people say about them, and what we all believe about them is that they constitute a dispute which we want to see settled amicably and as early as possible. That is the point, I think, that the Chief Secretary made repeatedly in Australia. It is a point she has made before and it is a point which I have made on occasion. You look at a map and sometimes they are called one thing and sometimes they are called another.
2
Question: What do you think that implies, that the Chief Secretary is using a Japanese term...?
Governor: I don't think it implies anything. Mrs Chan speaks Shanghainese, Mandarin and Cantonese better than most people. She also speaks English at least as well as me - some people think she speaks better English than me. She is a Chinese public servant of the highest quality with a family distinguished in Chinese history and Chinese culture. I don't think she needs any lectures from me about what to call places.
But her policy and the policy of the Government, and my policy on this dispute, is exactly the same: we recognise the very strong feelings in the community on this, we recognise why people march and demonstrate and we hope they will do so peacefully and within the law. We think there have been one or two incidents which the media and the public have disapproved of. We don't think that people's strong feelings should be directed at individuals - for example at tourists or school children. But we do think that the dispute should be ended as rapidly and amicably as possible.
Since Hong Kong does not have any role in foreign affairs we are discreet about the way we express those views but we express them very forcefully. And, I repeat, Mrs Chan can and does express them in several languages and dialects very eloquently.
Question: Mr Patten, four military vessels are now approaching the Diaoyu Tai boat and ... so it is believed that the people on the boat will become more dangerous. So what is your comment on this and do you think the Hong Kong Government can do something about it?
Governor: Well, I very much hope that the people who are on the vessels will behave sensibly and I hope that those who are in the patrol craft will behave sensibly as well. And if that happens there won't be any problem for anybody to deal with. But of course if those on the vessels get into any difficulty, we would have to provide assistance in the way we would provide it for anybody else. But I think everybody in Hong Kong, while recognising the strength of feelings, hopes that we can proceed without anybody being hurt or without any undue problems arising.
Question: Do you think both the PRC Government and the Taiwan Government should provide any military help to the vessel that is ... ?
- 3 -
Governor: I am sure that their response would be as sensible as mine has just been. I am sure that they will want people to avoid putting themselves in a dangerous position, I am sure they will want others to avoid putting those who are on these boats in a dangerous position. And if everybody continues to behave sensibly, we should be able to avoid any tragedy or any accidents which nobody should want to see.
Question: Mr Patten, what evidence makes you believe that Judge Caird’s allegation is false?
Governor: You would denounce me if I was to pre-empt the decisions taken by a tribunal. In view of the public concern and in view of the supreme importance, particularly at a time like this, of confidence in the integrity of the Judiciary, I have taken the extremely unusual, almost unique step, of establishing a tribunal in response to the request by the Chief Justice. I am certainly not going to put myself in a position in which I appear to pre-empt that tribunal’s work.
The tribunal has been set up in order to try to establish precisely what happened, in order to establish whether it is necessary to apply to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council for the removal of a judge. In the course of its work I am sure that it will be able to underline all the reasons why the public should have confidence in our Judiciary. One or two things were said and written yesterday which I don't think make very much sense because we still haven’t established the terms of reference of the tribunal. When we set out the terms of reference they will make perfectly clear that the tribunal is not limited in what it can look at and will come to fair decisions and judicious decisions on the basis of all the facts.
Question: Mr Patten, some political party said that there will be a great surprise when you are delivering your final Policy Speech, so what is the surprise?
Governor: I don’t think that there will be any great surprises. I hope people will be pleased if I can set out very clearly what has been achieved in the last few years. I hope they will also be pleased if I set out why Hong Kong is successful and how Hong Kong can continue to be successful. I think people know me well enough now to know that I say in public what I do in private, and I say in public what the government in the future will do in public. So I am not the sort of person who on the whole surprises anybody. That is what perhaps surprises people most. Thank you very much indeed.
Question: What are you expecting from the Foreign Ministers' meeting .tomorrow?
4
Governor: I very much hope that they will have a very clear exchange of views. I hope that Mr Rifkind will be able to put across our views on some extremely important issues which concern people in Hong Kong - like the future of our legislature and the future of our Bill of Rights. If they can make progress on some outstanding issues as well it will obviously be welcome. I think that they have established clearly in the past a very workmanlike relationship. It doesn't mean that they have agreed on everything but it does mean that they have been able to exchange views very openly and frankly without any rise in the temperature.
I think we have established that we can stand up for Hong Kong and argue the case for Hong Kong without doing damage to the relationship between China and Britain. That has been the case in the past and I hope it will continue to be the case. So everybody in Hong Kong will wish the meeting well, while being realistic about what can actually be achieved at it.
Question: There has been talk of a breakthrough on the handover ceremony, is that what you expected?
Governor: I am always reluctant to use words like breakthrough. We have been discussing the handover ceremony with Chinese officials. In my view there should not be any problem provided it is absolutely clear that everything that happens in the handover is within the terms of the Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. Provided that can be achieved then we should not have any trouble with a ceremony that is solemn and dignified and suitable to the occasion. That is what people would like to see. They don't want to see triumphalism on either side and I don't think they want to see a breakdown over the issue. They would like to see us getting on with things in a sensible and grown up way.
End
Transcript of the Governor's media session on ACAN report ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Following is the transcript of the media session given by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, after receiving the ACAN report today (Wednesday):
As you will remember, we had a second summit on drugs on our Campaign to Beat Drugs last May which was as successful, I think, as the first. We announced at it a $30 million action plan for continuing our fight against drugs. And at the summit as well, the participants, in the vigorous discussions that took place, made about 60 new suggestions about additional ways in which we could attack drugs more comprehensively.
’I' 11.
As happened after the first summit, I asked the Chairman of ACAN, Professor Chen, and I asked Raymond Wong, the Commissioner for Narcotics, to set up a working group which would examine the 60 proposals and put forward suggestions as to how we could implement them - which ones should have priority, which ones were slightly less important.
I am very pleased that the committee has managed to put forward its recommendations so rapidly and we will be responding to them. We will, for example, be stepping up our preventive education to deter people from the use of so-called soft drugs; we will be speeding up the outreaching Social Services work with young people who may be abusing drugs; and we will be trying to strengthen the liaison between the Police and the Housing Department to deal with the problem of drug-abuse on public housing estates.
At the summit we discussed, of course, the decision that we had made to set up a $350 million Beat Drugs Fund. I am delighted that we are now in a position to announce the first successful applications for funds from that fund. The decisions have been made by ACAN and the working group set up for the Beat Drugs Fund Association. In all, I think they had to consider about 44 applications. Twenty-four have been successful at this stage and they have successfully applied for about $8.7 million of support. $5.3 million of that will be going to projects in the rehabilitation and treatment area and about $3.2 million will be going to preventive education projects.
I am sure the successful applicants will be pleased by that and will be able to join the whole community - the Fight Crime Committees, the Non-Govemment Organisations, every aspect of the Public Service, our schools and community leaders - the whole community, in carrying forward this campaign.
We have seen some success in the figures. Looking, for example, at the second quarter figures for this year, they showed again a fall in the number of young people involved in drug-abuse and that is of course in sharp contrast to what is happening in other countries, in other communities. But there are no grounds for complacency, we have got to go on driving the figures down and that is why I want to underline once again the Government's commitment to give a strong lead to the whole community's campaign to beat drugs. I am sure that working together we can beat drugs and we are determined to do everything that is necessary in order to try to accomplish that objective.
Question: Governor, I understand that only the (inaudible)
6
Governor: It is worth remembering that the Beat Drugs Fund is only one of the ways in which we finance work to accomplish that objective - law enforcement, preventive education, rehabilitation and treatment and research. And of course it is also the case, as in other areas, that sometimes applications do not make it because we don't actually think that the projects are terribly valuable, we don't necessarily think they are worth supporting. Sometimes a project will fall by the wayside because there just is not enough money to go round but sometimes it is because the project is not up to it.
I am determined to ensure that we put behind the Beat Drugs Campaign all the resources that are necessary and I am sure that if there are any good applications which have not made it this time, they will have a good chance of making it in the future. But what we want to ensure with this Beat Drugs Fund is, we have got a steady source of income coming through every year and I think it should be enough - given the other things we are doing like the $30 million Action Fund that I announced in May -1 think it should be enough to fund most of the worthwhile NGO projects which come forward.
Question: Governor, (inaudible) so do you think that (inaudible)?
Governor: I think that it is a difficult problem in some areas. As you know, as well as my publicised district visits I fairly regularly go to some of the problem areas in Hong Kong, that aren't being announced, and one of the things that I am urged by District Officers to do fairly regularly is to visit estates which have, unfortunately, become a centre for drug-dealing and for drug-abuse. It is exceptionally difficult for the local tenants when that happens. It is of course a particular worry for parents concerned that their children will not only see drug-abuse but perhaps have temptation put in their way.
1 don't want to suggest that it is wholly a problem on public housing estates, that is not true, and those who are involved in the management of public housing estates work very hard to keep them clean, but there is a problem in some areas. It is a problem which our District Officers and District Commanders and the Police are aware of, and we want to try to work very closely with the Police and the Housing Department to deal with it.
Question: But will the Government (inaudible) want to improve the laws with the Housing Department to (inaudible)
7
Governor: I don’t think it is a question of needing to change the law. We have, as you know, toughened up penalties and strengthened enforcement. I think it is a question of better co-ordination. We know the sort of thing that happens: on a particular housing estate one old block, or even in some cases a block of toilets, starts being used regularly by those who are selling drugs and by those who are using drugs.
I have seen, myself, on stairways in some housing blocks, where money is slipped in order to acquire the drugs and where the drugs are subsequently put by the dealers. Now we have got to stamp out that sort of thing and it is going to require even more co-operation between Housing Management and the Police in order to do so.
One last question and then you can ask Raymond and Profession Chen a few questions.
Question: (inaudible) perhaps you could have given a larger slice (inaudible)
Governor: Yes, but don’t forget, what we have set up the fund for is to generate a steady flow of revenue. I don’t think that people in the future would thank us if we spend all the money now. I want to ensure that there are good projects being supported. I will be delighted if there are more good projects coming forward but I think at the moment, if you take not only what we are doing through the Beat Drugs Fund but what we are doing in other ways, we are actually supporting a huge range of activities in this field.
One point I should add is, there is very often interest and concern expressed about the position of some of the Christian groups. I think I am right in saying that they have put forward that seven out of the nine of those groups applied for funds at this time; ten out of eleven of those applications are being partially or wholly funded, so they have been successful, and I think that about 79% of what was proposed by the Christian organisations is - sorry, about 79% of our $5.3 million going to rehabilitation and treatment is going to projects put forward by those Christian organisations.
So in addition to what they are getting in the form of rate relief and other support, I think they are doing reasonably well. But we are very serious still about evaluating their role and seeing if they can do more.
Perhaps I can now leave you with the Commissioner and with Professor Chen.
Question: Last one. In the ACAN Report it says that it will take about a year for across-the-board (inaudible) Christian (inaudible)
8
Governor: Yes, the ones I have been talking about.
Question: And they question about the government authorities helping them, they said that the Government is now already useless -
Governor: We have heard those criticisms before. 1 am only sorry that they didn't all come to the summit and talk to us last May, but we are very sincere in wanting to do a proper evaluation of their contribution. It is not a question of trying to delay providing support, it is a question of trying to ensure that your money, that the taxpayers' money, is spent as effectively and efficiently as possible.
I have no doubt at all that they have a contribution to make, that they have an important role to play in the area of rehabilitation and treatment, but the precise scale of that role has obviously got to depend to some extent on how effective an objective evaluation deems it to be.
End
Twelfth meeting of the JLG expert group on transitional Budget *****
The Sino-British Joint Liaison Group will hold their twelfth round of Expert Talks on September 26 and 27 in Hong Kong to discuss the preparation of Hong Kong's transitional Budget and related matters.
The British team will be led by Mr K C Kwong, Secretary for the Treasury of the Hong Kong Government. The Chinese team will be led by Mr Chen Zuo'er, Chinese Representative on the Sino-British Joint Liaison Group. They will be assisted by experts.
End
9
Taxation agreements on airline income with New Zealand and Canada ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Hong Kong has reached agreements separately with New Zealand and Canada on the arrangements to provide double taxation relief for airline income.
"Amendments have been made to the respective Air Services Agreements of Hong Kong with New Zealand and Canada to incorporate the relief arrangements. The first such arrangementss Hong Kong made were with the Republic of Korea earlier this year,” a Government spokesman said.
Under the arrangements, Hong Kong will tax the income generated from international traffic of Hong Kong airlines derived from New Zealand and Canada and which has been granted full tax relief by the two countries respectively. In return, Hong Kong will forgo the right to tax the income of New Zealand and Canadian airlines derived from Hong Kong if such income is subject to tax in their respective countries.
"The Governor in Council has made orders under the Inland Revenue Ordinance to declare that the respective double taxation relief arrangements for airline income with New Zealand and Canada should take effect. The orders will be gazetted on September 27 and tabled in the Legislative Council on October 2," the spokesman added
"It is our policy to include provisions on double taxation relief for airline income into Air Services Agreements negotiated between Hong Kong and our bilateral aviation partners on a case by case basis," the spokesman explained.
End
FS on tour to strengthen ties with USA & Europe *****
The Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang will leave Hong Kong tomorrow (Thursday) to attend the 1996 Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB) Group in Washington.
During his stay in the United States, he will participate in a conference on Hong Kong organised by the University of California in Los Angeles, visit his Alma Mater, the John F Kennedy School of Government of the Harvard University, where he will speak at a dinner hosted by the Dean, and call on a few leading bankers in New York.
10
Leaving the United States, the Financial Secretary will travel to Europe to sign three Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements and one Air Services Agreement with four countries before returning to Hong Kong.
During the first leg of his visit to the United States, Mr Tsang will stop at Los Angeles where he will meet the State Treasurer of California, Mr Matt Fong and deliver a speech at the Global Partners Forum at the University of California - Los Angeles on September 27.
He will also meet the Hong Kong Association of Southern California and the Hong Kong Schools Alumni Federation in Los Angeles.
Upon his arrival in Washington on September 29, Mr Tsang will meet the Deputy Secretary of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Mr Marcus Fedder, and China’s Minister of Finance, Mr Liu Zhongli.
On the following day, Mr Tsang will attend an international banking seminar organised by the Board of Governor of Federal Reserve System before meeting the Governor of the People's Bank of China, Mr Dai Xianglong.
Mr Tsang will be hosting a luncheon for senior staff of the IMF and World Bank and leading figures in the international financial community as part of the programme to promote the Annual Meetings of the Boards of Governors of the World Bank Group and the IMF to be held in Hong Kong in September 1997. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority will also be staging an exhibition on the 1997 Annual Meetings to provide delegates with information they will require to prepare for their trip to the territory next year.
On October 1, Mr Tsang will attend the opening ceremony of the 1996 IMF/WB Annual Meetings. He will then meet with Dr Stanley Fischer, First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF and attend a dinner hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Washington with local think-tankers.
Mr Tsang will then travel to Boston where he will visit the Harvard University John F Kennedy School of Government on October 2. He will attend a dinner hosted by the Dean of the School and speak to the staff of the school and the other guests from the Boston business and finance community.
He will arrive in New York on October 3 to officiate at the opening of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority's newly established representative office there. He will make use of the opportunity to call on a few leading bankers while in New York.
11
After concluding his visit to the United States, Mr Tsang will continue his journey to Europe. He will meet senior government officials and bankers during his stay in Brussels, Luxembourg, Rome and Vienna.
In Brussels, he will sign an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement with Belgium and another with Luxembourg at Palais d'Egmont on October 7.
He will call on the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Belgium, Mr Philippe Maystadt and attend a dinner hosted by Minister of Budget of Luxembourg, Mr Marc Fischbach.
Mr Tsang will also meet the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Mr Jean-Claude Juncker and have lunch with Board of Luxembourg Bankers Association before his departure for Rome on October 8.
In Rome, Mr Tsang will sign the Hong Kong/Italy Air Services Agreement at a ceremony at the Italian Ministry of Transport on October 9.
Later on that day, he will call on the Finance Minister, Professor Vincenzo Visco and the Governor of Bank of Italy, Mr Antonio Fazio.
On October 11, Mr Tsang will arrive in Vienna where he will sign an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement with the State Secretary of Austria, Mrs Benita Ferrero-Waldner. He will also meet the Austrian Minister of Finance and Governor of Bank of Austria, Mr Viktor Klima, r
Mr Tsang will return to Hong Kong on October 15.
End
Govt committed to press freedom: CS ♦ * ♦ ♦ *
The Government is committed to maintaining an environment in which a free and robust press can operate under the minimum of regulation which does not fetter freedom of expression or editorial independence.
Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the National Press Club in Canberra today (Wednesday), the Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, said if Hong Kong had to enjoy its pre-eminent position as an international, financial and trading centre in the Asian region, freedom of the media must continue.
12
"The free flow of information and ideas is fundamental to the function of a free market.
"That must continue if we are to enjoy our pre-eminence as an international, financial, trading and telecommunications hub in the region.
"The very presence of the world's media and its requirements to operate in an unfettered way is one important way of underwriting those guarantees," she stressed.
Hong Kong has a free and prolific press, one of the freest in Asia, with 59 daily newspapers and all of the great international news organisations having a presence in the territory.
On legislation, Mrs Chan noted that the Bill of Rights Ordinance protects the freedom of opinion and expression in Hong Kong.
Since its implementation of the ordinance in June 1991, the Government had comprehensively reviewed all existing laws and had repealed or amended those that inhibited press freedom or freedom of expression, Mrs Chan told the audience.
"Our objective is to ensure all our laws are fully compatible with the Bill of Rights Ordinance and the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights which will continue to apply to Hong Kong after 1997," she added.
However, Mrs Chan was quick to point out that a proper balance had to be struck between guaranteeing press and personal freedom on the one hand and protecting privacy, national security, public order, public health and morals on the other.
"We remain committed to tackling the remaining issues through legislative reform.
"But bringing the law up to date and ridding it of bogeymen, as important as that is, cannot on it own solve the problem."
The Chief Secretary called upon all Hong Kong people, especially proprietors, publishers, editors and journalists, to have the courage and belief in themselves to stand up for the freedoms which had been promised to them.
In her speech. Mrs Chan also highlighted the crucial and close links between Hong Kong and Australia and the importance of Hong Kong's successful transition to Australia.
13
Last year alone, two-way trade between Hong Kong and Australia was worth A$5.6 billion, Mrs Chan said.
"There are more than 350 Australian companies established in Hong Kong, taking advantage of our unrivalled location as the gateway to China and as the springboard to the rest of Asia, not to mention our sophisticated financial and services sector, our level playing field for local and international businessmen and our tried and trusted legal and arbitration system."
Mrs Chan said Hong Kong and Australia were partners in the international forums such as the World Trade Organisation and APEC, working closely with similar aims and objectives on strategic global and regional economic and trade issues.
The Chief Secretary concluded her speech by re-affirming Hong Kong’s vital role in the development of China and the region.
"Hong Kong has a life and identity of its own - albeit as a special and proud part of China - for 50 years after 1997.
"That’s spelled out in the 1984 international treaty on Hong Kong's future in which the whole world - not just Britain and China - has a vested interest, because a successful Hong Kong is good for everyone who shares in our success," she said.
End
Australia urged to continue to support Hong Kong ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, today (Wednesday) urged Australia to continue to show goodwill and support by continuing to treat Hong Kong as a separate entity and as an important Australian interest in its own right.
At a luncheon hosted by the National Press Club, Mrs Chan briefed leading journalists in Canberra on the transitional arrangements and recent developments in Hong Kong. Specifically, she spoke about the future of Hong Kong’s legislature; the protection of human rights after 1997; and freedom of the media.
She arrived at the capital this morning for the second stop of her three-city visit in Australia.
14
She reached Capital Hill in the afternoon and began her round of political calls with a meeting with the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade chaired by its Deputy Chairman, Mr Laurie Brereton.
She then called on the acting Speakers of the I louse of Representatives, Mr Garry Nehl; and acting President of the Senate, Mr Mal Colston before attending a reception hosted by the Parliament in her honour.
Tomorrow (Thursday). Mrs Chan will leave Canberra for Melbourne where she will deliver two keynote speeches, first at a business luncheon organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and later at a dinner hosted by the Asialink Centre, Melbourne University.
She will call on senior government officials including Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Treasurer, Mr Gareth Evans; Governor of Victoria, Mr Richard Elgin McGarrie; and Premier of Victoria. Mr Jeff Kennett. She will also have an editorial board meeting with the Melbourne Age.
End
Governor tours rehabilitation facilities provided by NGOs ♦ * ♦ * *
The Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, visited two rehabilitation centres today (Wednesday) to familiarise himself with services provided by non-governmental organisations.
He first visited the Hong Kong Regional Office of the Community Rehabilitation Network in North Point where he met a group of asthmatic children and their family members who were taking part in an educational and psycho-social programme designed to promote the understanding of the disease and the self management plan. He also observed members of two self-help groups formed by cardiac and stroke patients practising blood pressure measurement, body and weight measurement and cholesterol testing, as well as discussing the importance of healthy diet.
From there, the Governor went to the New Jade Manufacturing Centre of the Richmond Fellowship of Hong Kong in Chai Wan where he was briefed on the job training and sheltered employment programmes provided for disabled persons.
15
He later toured the sheltered workshop where more than 100 workers were engaged in book-packing, file-folding and paper-box folding; and the activity area where supported employment trainees were given social skill and computer data entry skill trainings.
The Governor was accompanied on the tour by the Commissioner for Rehabilitation, Mr Augustine Choi and the Regional Social Welfare Officer (Hong Kong), Mrs Cecilia Tong.
End
Report on anti-drugs proposals submitted ♦ ♦ ♦ * ♦
The Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, today (Wednesday) received a report with recommendations on the proposals put forward at the Summit on Drugs held on May 23.
The report was prepared by a special action group led by the Chairman of Action Committee Against Narcotics (ACAN), Professor Chen Char-nie, and the Commissioner for Narcotics, Mr Raymond Wong.
The special action group has spent the last three months studying a total of 60 proposals by participants present at the summit meeting.
The proposals comprise 12 on law enforcement, 25 on preventive education, 16 on treatment and rehabilitation, and seven on research.
These proposals are made in addition to the $30 million action plan announced by the Governor at the end of the meeting to combat the problem of drug abuse by young people.
"Members of the Special Action Group would like to express our appreciation for the valuable opinions and proposals put forward by the participants at the Summit meeting," Professor Chen Char-nie said in the report.
"Their views have enabled us to deepen our understanding of the problems of drug abusers and the concerns of the community."
16
After receiving the report in person from Professor Chen and Mr Wong, the Governor commented: "I am very grateful to ACAN for their very sensible and thorough report.
"The Government will be taking the proposals forward vigorously."
Examples given by the Governor of action to be taken by the Government were:
* Strengthening outreaching social work service to help young people experimenting with drugs.
* Stepping up preventive education and publicity against the abuse of "soft drugs".
* Strengthening liaison between the Police and Housing Department in tackling the drug abuse problem in public housing estates.
Mr Patten also announced the results of the first tranche of application to the $350 million Beat Drugs Fund, which was established in March this year to finance worthwhile anti-drugs projects.
A total of 24 anti-drug projects costing some $8.7 million have been selected for funding support by the Fund. More than $5.3 million will go to 14 drug treatment and rehabilitation projects while $3.2 million will be allocated to eight projects on preventive education and publicity.
These projects include:
* Setting up of a pilot project for high-risk youth in Tseung Kwan O;
* Funding support for non-subvented voluntary residential drug treatment and rehabilitation agencies to strengthen their counselling service;
* Improvement works for treatment facilities run by a number of Christian therapeutic agencies.
The Governor said: "I am very pleased with the results of the second Summit. We will now concentrate our efforts in following up vigorously the action plans and recommendations arising from the Summit."
"Together, we can beat drugs."
End
17
Consultancy study on textile and clothing published *****
The report of a techno-economic and market research study on Hong Kong’s textile and clothing industries is published today (Wednesday).
The study was commissioned by the Industry Department and undertaken by Kurt Salmon Associates (KSA), a US-based management consultancy firm. It is the third of its kind, the first one being conducted in 1986.
The present study covers textile manufacturing, clothing manufacturing, footwear manufacturing, trading and retailing, which are collectively known as softgoods industry.
Altogether, these sectors accounted for 38 per cent of domestic exports, 21.9 per cent of re-exports and 36.4 per cent of manufacturing employment in Hong Kong in 1995.
In its report, KSA analysed the major strengths and weaknesses of the industry and provided up-to-date information on market trends and global competitions.
The Chairman of the Textiles and Clothing Committee (TCC) of the Industry and Technology Department Council (ITDC), Dr Harry Lee, announced the publication of the report at a press conference today (Wednesday). A Steering Committee formed under the TCC was responsible for monitoring the progress of the study.
Introducing the report, the Chairman of the Steering Committee, Mr Willie Fung said: "The consultants propose that Hong Kong companies must improve their internal capabilities, establish strong links with countries which are their major markets or sources of manufacturing and raw materials, and move towards achieving global benchmarks in every aspects of the production and operation cycle."
"To this end. KSA made a number of recommendations on improving the operating environment in Hong Kong and accelerating the development of skills and competitiveness of the industry," Mr Fung added.
Dr Lee said the TCC would carefully study the KSA report in the next few months. The TCC would formulate its own views and recommendations for the ITDC and the Government to consider.
18
The report comprises two volumes. Volume I, "Strategy for Continued Leadership", contains the key findings and recommendations of the study. Volume II, "Hong Kong's Softgoods Industry in the Global Supply Chain", provides additional data and justifications to support the conclusion and recommendations.
Copies of the techno-economic and market research study report are now available from the Government Publications Centre, Queensway Government Offices, Low Block, Ground Floor, 66 Queensway at $84 for Volumes I and II.
End
Transfer of VMs from Tai A Chau to Whitehead completed *****
The exercise to transfer all the Vietnamese migrants (VMs) on Tai A Chau to the Whitehead Detention Centre had been completed, the Government announced today (Wednesday).
A party of workers and their families, totalling 405 VMs, were transferred on September 12 in an advance exercise. This was followed by a 10-day transfer operation from September 16 to 25 during which 5,465 VMs were transferred.
This operation was observed each day by independent monitors.
"We are very pleased that the transfer has been a smooth and uneventful one," a government spokesman said.
"This is to the credit of all parties concerned, including the Hong Kong Housing Services for Refugees, the Police, the Correctional Services Department and other supporting departments such as the Department of Health, the Auxiliary Medical Services, Civil Aid Services, Fire Services Department, the Government Flying Service and the Royal Navy."
During the 10-day period, about 500 to 550 VMs were transferred each day by three ferries to HMS Tamar at Stonecutters, from where they were trucked to Whitehead.
The Police provided escort throughout the trip, and the monitors observed the whole process. More than 12,200 pieces of luggage were moved together with the VMs.
End
19
Monitors’ report submitted to CS ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The monitors appointed to observe the Tai A Chau Detention Centre decantation operation this (Wednesday) morning have submitted their report to the Chief Secretary today.
The three monitors comprised one non-official Justice of the Peace, Mr Peter Wong Man-kong; and representatives from two non-governmental organisations, Mr Thierry Taveaux of Medicins Sans Frontieres and Mr Tai Kie-ying of Christian Action.
End
New manpower-saving mail sorters introduced * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman, officiated a commissioning ceremony today (Wednesday) at the General Post Office on the introduction of the culler-facer-cancellers in the Post Office.
”In the face of ever growing postal traffic and high accommodation and labour costs in Hong Kong, the Post Office has always looked for productivity improvements through introduction of new technology, computerisation and mechanisation.
"The introduction of culler-facer-cancellers is one of our recent efforts in this direction,” he said at the ceremony.
Since 1976, the Post Office has been using facer canceller tables to process mail items posted at posting boxes. These machines require some 13 to 15 staff to manually sort, face and segregate letters into local and foreign mail.
"With the introduction of culler-facer-cancellers, the whole process is done automatically. Only five to six staff are required to man a machine which achieves a similar throughput as a facer canceller table.
"The use of culler-facer-canceller machines will result in significant savings in manpower which can be redeployed to cope with postal developments in other areas," Mr Footman said.
20
The two culler-facer-canceller machines which the Post Office recently procured were to replace two old facer canceller tables - one at the General Post Office and the other at the International Mail Centre. The two new machines have successfully passed a two-month confidence trial.
The culler-facer-cancellers segregate letters into local and foreign mail by detecting the phosphor-tagged stamps affixed on them. Stamps tagged with two phosphor bars are used on local letters and those with one bar on air letters to overseas countries. The machines can also automatically segregate Business Reply mail items which bear two vertical black ink bars.
The Post Office is developing plans to replace the remaining facer canceller tables in phases.
The commissioning ceremony held at the General Post Office was attended by members of the Post Office Customer Liaison Group, members of the Central and Western District Board and members of the Post Office Bulk Mailer Group.
End
New Guidelines on school outdoor activities
*****
School heads and teachers are advised to follow new Education Department Guidelines on school outdoor activities, which are being issued to all schools in Hong Kong.
The 57-page Guidelines, which are an expanded version of previous Guidelines, cover a wide range of outdoor activities including excursions, camping, swimming, canoeing, sailing and fieldwork, with the insertion of new topics including expedition, orienteering, rowing, windsurfing and cycling.
An Education Department spokesman said that the comprehensive Guidelines, which are issued in English and Chinese versions, focus on safety precautions and how to respond to accidents.
The Guidelines are the work of a special task force, the Working Group on Guidelines on Outdoor Activities, which was set up in April 1996 under the chairmanship of an Assistant Director of Education to compile updated guidelines on safety aspects for school outdoor activities.
21
The working group comprised members with various expertise, including personnel in the sports professions, schools councils and government departments.
"The Guidelines have taken into account the suggestions made in the Coroner's report arising from the Pat Sin Leng Hill Fire in February 1996," the spokesman said.
"Suggested measures on how to respond to accidents, getting lost, hill fires and heavy rain have been incorporated into the new Guidelines."
The spokesman noted, nevertheless, that the new Guidelines are by no means exhaustive.
"In view of the circumstances which may vary from one school to another, schools will also need to exercise their judgement. A list of relevant professional associations is given at the end of the Guidelines so schools can approach them direct for further information on more specialised outdoor activities."
The spokesman added that another set of Guidelines, Guidelines on Extracurricular Activities in Schools, will be issued in October 1996, giving a broad outlook on issues related to the planning and implementation of extra-curricular activities in schools.
A series of seminars connected with the two sets of Guidelines will be held in November 1996 for teachers to raise their awareness in the planning and implementation of extra-curricular activities as a whole.
Enquiries on the Guidelines should be directed to the Education Department's School Activities Section on 2892 6693.
End
Respect our Teacher Activity Design Competition ♦ * * * *
Secondary and primary students are encouraged to take part in the respect our teacher activity design competition.
Organised jointly by the Committee on Respect Our Teachers Campaign and the Education Department, the competition aims at providing students with opportunities to develop their creative potential in activity design.
22
Participants can also express their gratitude to teachers by carrying out specially-designed activities in schools.
Secondary students may enter group A of the contest while primary four to six pupils participate in group B.
Proposals including budget should be submitted to the organising bodies through their schools before November 8.
Each school can only send in one entry.
Selection will be based on creativity, feasibility, presentation, appropriateness, students' participation and allocation of resources.
Ten selected entries from each group will be given subvention to carry out activities in their schools.
Written reports on implementation of proposals by students should be submitted in early January and adjudicators may also visit the schools if necessary.
Winners of the contest will be invited to attend a prize-giving ceremony in late January.
End
Long service insignia awarded to immigration officers
*****
In a presentation ceremony held at the Immigration Headquarters today (Wednesday), 54 members of the Immigration Service were awarded the long and meritorious service insignia.
Two chief immigration officers were awarded the second clasps to their medals for their 30 years of dedicated service.
First clasp, signifying 25 years of service, was presented to Principal Immigration Officer. Mr Choi Ping-lun and 19 others. Another 32 officers received the Hong Kong disciplined services medals which marked their 18 years of service.
23
The ceremony was officiated by the acting Director of Immigration, Mr Christopher Lee Ka-keung, who said the award of the Hong Kong Disciplined Services Medal was to honour those who had rendered long and meritorious service as members of the Immigration Service.
He also congratulated all recipients and thanked them for their many years of loyalty and dedication to the Immigration Service.
End
Mid-autumn Festival holiday reminder ♦ ♦ ♦ * ♦
The Labour Department today (Wednesday) reminded employers that Saturday (September 28), the day following Mid-autumn Festival, is one of the 11 statutory holidays for employees.
Under the Employment Ordinance, all employees, irrespectively of their wage levels, are entitled to statutory holidays and must be paid for the day off if they have worked continuously for the same employer for three months or longer before the statutory holiday.
Holiday pay should be equivalent to an employee's earnings on a lull working day and should include basic wages as well as allowances that can be expressed in money terms such as meals and cost of living allowances.
Where the earnings vary from day to day, holiday pay should be the average daily earnings during every complete wage period, which could be between 28 and 31 days, preceding the holiday.
If an employee is required to work on a statutory holiday, he must be given an alternative day off within 60 days before or after the holiday.
Enquiries about statutory holidays can be made at the Labour Department's general enquiry telephone service on 2717 1771.
End
i
24
Military rickshaw finds new home * * * ♦ *
A rickshaw which has graced the front patio of the Officers' Mess of the Hong Kong Military Service Corps (HKMSC) for the past 12 years is to be given a new home this week.
Originally donated by the Furama Hotel in 1984 when the Mess first opened on Stonecutters Island, the red rickshaw will be returned to its rightful owners tomorrow (Thursday).
There to receive it from Inspector HKMSC, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Southward, will be the hotel's General Manager, Mr Bruno Dedual, and its Public Relations Manager. Ms Elizabeth Irons.
Also on hand to mark the occasion will be HKMSC's lion dancers and drum
team.
The rickshaw is one of many items, including paintings and furniture which has been donated to the Mess by local business and organisations over the years.
With the Mess due to close in a few months time when HKMSC disbands, some items had already been reclaimed by their original owners while many others had offered their gifts for auction, raising $195,000 last month for the Hong Kong Locally Enlisted Personnel Trust.
Although old and somewhat fragile, the rickshaw has been used by HKMSC on several ceremonial occasions. Alter returning to the Furama Hotel, it will be used for display purposes by the hotel's food and beverages department.
End
Government land to let
*****
The Lands Department is inviting tenders for the short-term tenancy of a piece of government land at West Kowloon Reclamation Area.
The lot, with an area of about 4,570 square metres, is earmarked for use as a fee-paying public carpark. The tenancy is for three years, renewable quarterly.
25
The closing date for submission of tenders is noon on October 11, 1996 (Friday).
Tender form, tender notice and conditions can be obtained from the Lands Department, 14th floor, Murray Building, Garden Road and the District Lands Office, Kowloon West, 10th floor, Yau Ma Tei Car Park Building, 250 Shanghai Street, Kowloon.
Tender plans can also be inspected at these offices.
End
Residential Mortgage Survey results for August released ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The growth of residential mortgage loans for the purchase of properties in Hong Kong slowed in August, according to the results of the latest monthly survey conducted by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).
The latest figures show that the total amount of outstanding mortgage lending by the 33 institutions in the survey increased by 0.6% in August (1.5% in July) to $304.8 billion. The growth rate is substantially below the monthly average of 1.4% over the last twelve months.
“Loan growth eased in August, reflecting the reduced activity in the primary property market in the preceding month," said Deputy Chief Executive of HKMA, Mr David Carse.
The annualised rate of growth in lending over the last three months decreased to 14.3% from 17.7% in the three-month period to July. The 12-month average of outstanding loans showed an annualised growth rate of 16.2%, compared with 16.6% in July.
The amount of new loans approved but not yet drawn further reduced by $2.6 billion (24.3%) to $8.1 billion in August.
"The decrease in new loans approved partly reflects a reduction in mortgage refinancing during the month.
26
"However, given signs of increased activity in both the primary and secondary market in August, the growth of outstanding loans may pick up again in September," said Mr Carse.
The amount of residential mortgage loans associated with co-financing schemes accounted for 3.1% of total mortgage lending of the 33 surveyed institutions at end-August. Of the $11.9 billion new loans approved during August, about 84% were accounted for by properties aged 15 years or below.
Lending for the purchase of properties in China increased by 1.1% to $5.8 billion in August. Gross loans made in August increased in number (to 346 from 344) but decreased in amount (to $165 million from $235 million). New loans approved in August decreased in number (to 338 from 370) and in amount (to $238 million from $269 million).
27
Residential Mortgage Loans in Hong Kong Results of Survey for August 1996
33 authorised institutions Aug 1996 HK$ Mn Jul 1996 HK$ Mn
1. Outstanding lending
a. Amount b. Monthly change c. Twelve-month change d. Average change (annualized) Latest three months Latest twelve months Associated with co-financing schemes 304,784 0.6% 16.2% 14.3% 16.2% 302,996 1.5% ** 16.5% “ 17.7% ** 16.6% **
- amount - number 9,552 5108 9,182 4930
2. Gross loans made during month
a. Amount b. Number 13,397 9039 17,659 11873
3. New loans approved during month
a. Amount b. Number By property age . Property age - 15 years or below -amount - number Property age - above 15 years - amount - number Associated with co-financing schemes 11,894 8464 10,037 6853 1,857 1611 17,065 11207 14,186 9006 2,879 2201
- amount - number 581 353 903 434
4. New loans approved during month but not yet drawn
a. Amount b. Number 8,102 5683 10,696 6887
Note : ** Adjusted for the effect of reclassification of residential mortgage loans by an institution amounting to HK$0.9 billion.
28
Chart A
RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE LOANS IN HONG KONG
(33 institutions)
Outstanding balance at end of month
Remarks : The significant fall of outstanding balance in December 1994 was due to the effect of reclassification, securitization and sale of loans by some institutions.
A1
Monthly growth rate
3-month and 12-month moving average growth rate on annualised basis
° 3-month + 12-month
29
Chart B
RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE LOANS IN HONG KONG (33 institutions)
GROSS LOANS MADE DURING THE MONTH
Thousand Billion
Amount
Number of accounts
B2
30
Chart C
RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE LOANS IN HONG KONG (33 institutions)
NEW LOANS APPROVED BUT NOT YET DRAWN
Amount
Thousand Bi||jon
Number of accounts
9.0-i
8.0-i
7.0“
6.0,
5.0;
I
4.0-
3.0;
2.0 r
10 12/921 6 । 12 । 6 । 12 । 6 । 12 । TT 3/93 9 3/94 9 3/95 9 3/96 8
End
31
Reference rate for setting LAF rates ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
With a view to aligning the bid and offer rates under the liquidity adjustment facility (LAF) more closely in line with the US dollar market interest rates, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has decided, following consultation with the Exchange Fund Advisory Committee, to change the reference rate for setting the LAF rates from the US discount rate to the US Fed funds target rate.
As the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided not to alter the Fed funds target rate at its meeting held yesterday (Tuesday), there is no need for any adjustment to the current LAF rates.
Since the inception of LAF in June 1992, HKMA has been using the US discount rate as the reference rate for LAF rates. A recent review conducted by HKMA has concluded that the Fed funds target rate will be a more suitable reference rate for the LAF rates for the following reasons:
(i) there is an increased tendency for the adjustments in US discount rate to lag behind the movements in US dollar market interest rates. The Fed funds target rate, on the other hand, tracks the market interest rates more closely;
(ii) the Fed funds target rate is now as transparent as the US discount rate because FOMC has made timely announcement of adjustments in the target rate since February 1994; and
(iii) it is a more timely indicator of US monetary policy compared with the US discount rate.
The adoption of the Fed funds target rate as the reference rate is subject to the US Federal Reserve continuing with the present practice of making timely announcement of changes in the Fed funds target rate.
End
32
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 2,313 0930 -153
Closing balance in the account 2,253 1000 -153
Change attributable to: 1100 -153
Money market activity - 160 1200 -153
LAF today +100 1500 -151
1600 -160
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.3 *-0.1 ♦ 25.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.07 2 years 2808 6.00 99.78 6.21
1 month 5.06 3 years 3907 6.80 100.77 6.60
3 months 5.18 5 years 5109 7.32 100.75 7.26
6 months 5.29 7 years 7308 7.24 98.81 7.60
12 months 5.59 5 years M5O3 7.35 99.77 7.54
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $22,555 million
Closed September 25, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL.: 2842 8777
Thursday, September 26,1996
Conants £a&e No.
Governor's statement on death of David Chan............................ 1
CS's statement......................................................... 1
Acting CS's statement on incident at sea............................... 2
Transcript of the acting CS's media session............................ 3
FS's transcript........................................................ 4
More cause for optimism than pessimism over HK's future................ 5
The success of'one country two systems' concept........................ 7
Governor to meet public on Policy Address.............................. 8
UN committee members to visit Hong Kong................................ 9
Small and Medium Enterprises Committee holds second meeting........ 10
Siu Sai Wan sports ground to complete soon......................... 11
Government to mount publicity campaign for elderly.................... 12
Contents
Page No,
Tsuen Wan residents to be given double treat..............;.............. 13
Student Discipline Section has been set up................«.............. 14
Mid-autumn Festival fire safety advice......................’........ 15
Advanced welfare payment................................................. 15
Out-patient clinic service close on holiday.............................. 16
Grading of beach water quality........................................... 16
Provisional statistics of restaurant receipts and purchases ............. 20
General household survey quarterly report published...................... 23
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations..................... 24
1
Governor’s statement on death of David Chan *****
The following is issued by the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, today (Thursday):
'jrl
"I was saddened to hear of the death of David Chan Yuk-cheung. I would like to extend my condolences to his family and friends.
”Our though are with Mr Fong Yu-yuen, who was also injured in the incident. I am in close contact with the acting Chief Secretary. As he has made clear, we have committed all the resources available to the Government to render every possible assistance that we can in this matter."
' -1, • '••• * ••
End
' 'Tli, • ' •
CS's statement
*****
The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, said today (Thursday) she was distressed to learn of the death of Mr David Chan Yuk-cheung.
Speaking from Melbourne, Australia, where she is on an official visit, Mrs Chan extended her deepest sympathy to Mr Chan’s family and friends and wished Mr Fong Yu-yuen a speedy recovery.
"Michael Suen has detailed the action taken so far by the Government. We will continue to provide every possible assistance to the bereaved family and others involved.
. -□ Gi.'
"I would appeal to Hong Kong people to remain calm and to continue to show restraint in dealing with this matter," she said.
End
2
Acting CS's statement on incident at sea *****
The following is a statement issued by the acting Chief Secretary, Mr Michael Suen, today (Thursday):
"We were extremely concerned by the news of the incident at sea today in which two Hong Kong citizens were seriously injured. We have activated all the resources available to the Government to mobilised all the assistance we can to those involved.
"The Hong Kong Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre received a call for rescue from the 'Kien Hwa II' at 0957 this morning. The captain of the ship reported that five people jumped overboard and two are now in critical condition.
"We understand that one person has been taken by Japanese helicopter to the nearest medical facilities. The other person is too seriously injured to move by air.
"The 'Kien Hwa' is therefore sailing to a port in Okinawa to deliver him for treatment. (It was later confirmed that the vessel was still at sea off Diaoyu Islands). We understand he is receiving medical attention from Japanese medical personnel on board the ship.
"Immediately upon hearing the news, we contacted the Maritime Rescue authorities in Japan, Taiwan and China. We also immediately established contact with the British Embassy and with the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Tokyo and with the Japanese authorities in Hong Kong.
"The British Embassy and the Hong Kong Office in Tokyo will provide every possible assistance. The Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre is in constant direct touch with the 'Kien Hwa II' and with the Japanese Rescue Authorities to obtain the latest information and render any assistance it can.
"We are making urgent contact with the families of the injured. We will do all we can to provide assistance to them at this difficult time. We will be making contact with the other Hong Kong citizens on the ship to establish how they wish to return to Hong Kong.
"I want to assure everybody in Hong Kong that the Government is doing and will continue to do everything possible to provide assistance in this situation.
3
"Our first priority must be to do what we can to help the two men who have been injured, In the meantime, I urge the community to react to this development in the same orderly and responsible manner which has been displayed on this issue in recent times.
•
’’Family members can contact the Immigration Department hotline on 2829 3076 if they require information or assistance.”
End
Transcript of the acting CS's media session *****
Following is the transcript (English) of the media session given by the acting Chief Secretary, Mr Michael Suen, at the Central Government Offices today (Thursday):
Acting CS: We were extremely concerned by the news of the incident at sea earlier today in which two Hong Kong citizens were injured. We have activated all the resources to enable the Government to provide assistance to those who need assistance. We received a call from the ship at around 0957 this morning and that came to our Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre. Immediately upon the receipt of this request, we have got in contact with the relevant authorities including the Chinese, the Taiwanese and the Japanese to see whether they can provide assistance because Hong Kong is a bit far away from the sea and our aircraft can’t reach there. And within half an hour of our request, we understand that a Japanese helicopter landed on the ship and carrying with them two paramedics. We understand that five men from the ship jumped overboard and they were rescued and two were injured. And the two paramedics who were on board having examined the two injured have decided that one was suitable for airlifting to the nearest hospital and so he was transferred onto a helicopter and airlifted. The other one who we understand to be Mr David Chan, his condition we understand is not suitable for airlifting at the moment and those on board have concluded that it is better to await the arrival of a doctor before they decide what to do with Mr Chan and we understand that a doctor is on the way to be on board to examine Mr Chan and will decide how best to provide assistance to him. Immediately following that we have been in touch with other authorities. In Hong Kong we’ve got in touch with the Hong Kong Japanese Consulate in order to try to get more understanding of the situation. We've also contacted the British Embassy in Tokyo. And above all we have been in touch with our own representative in Tokyo Mr David Lan. And we understand that the ship is now making its way to an island in Okinawa and we have asked Mr Lan to make arrangements to go to Okinawa to receive the ship upon its arrival to see whatever assistance we can provide to those still on board. 1 think this has distressed us and I think I would want to take this opportunity to appeal for calm from all. It is not something that we'd like see happen. To those who have relatives still on board we have set up a hotline in the Immigration Department to provide information and the number of the hotline is 28293076.
4
Question: Mr Suen, would you appeal to end the demonstrations at sea? They seem to be very dangerous.
Acting CS: I think those on board would be best to judge the situation at sea. And certainly from our point of view we have constantly urged people not to put their own life at risk. I think we all understand why they have chosen to demonstrate their feelings in this way, but we've got to appeal to all that above all personal safety is very important. They shouldn't do anything that would put their life at risk.
Question: Are you saying that it is the Hong Kong Government ... sparked off the rescue operation?
Acting CS: That’s right. We received the first call from the captain at around 9.57 and we responded straightaway by contacting the Maritime Rescue Co-ordinating Centres in Taiwan, in China and also in Japan. As I said within half an hour help was available in the form of a helicopter from Japan.
Question: Some people were saying that the outcome is almost predictable given the ...?
Acting CS: As I've said people at the scene would be best placed to judge whether their own personal safety is at risk. It is difficult for us a few hundred miles away to speculate what might be safe or what might not be safe for them. But certainly I think we would appeal to all that they should keep calm and in Hong Kong you know that there are many ways to demonstrate their feelings. There are peaceful ways in Hong Kong and we are all accustomed to the peaceful way of doing things.
End
FS’s transcript ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ *
Following is a transcript of remarks (English) made by the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, at the airport before his department today (Thursday):
Question: Mr Tsang...can you say something on Mr David Chan?
Financial Secretary: Well, 1 just have got a report and the Chief Secretary will be making a full briefing to the media on what has been done by the Hong Kong Government in this respect. We all know this is a matter of foreign affairs and as a Hong Kong Chinese, of course, we attach great importance to what is happening in Diaoyu Islands. But it is important to realise that it is not a matter which we should get over passionate, it is a matter which we should get over passionate, it is a matter we should express our own feeling in our own, in Hong Kong typical, civilised manner. Thank you.
End
5
More cause for optimism than pessimism over HK's future ♦ * * ♦ ♦
One of the greatest challenge for Hong Kong post 1997 is to manager its relationship with its new sovereign, to convince China that the territory can be trusted to exercise its autonomy responsibly in ways that will keep faith with the "one country, two systems” concept.
Speaking at a business luncheon in Melbourne - the last leg of her week-long visit in Australia - the Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, said today (Thursday) that with only some 280 days to go before the handover, much still remained to be done to resolve a number of transitional issues.
However, on the future of the territory, she said there was more cause for optimism than pessimism.
She noted that since 1984 a lot had been done to give effect to the promises in the Joint Declaration in institutionalising Hong Kong’s autonomy in place of what was before a more informal arrangement whereby Britain simply left Hong Kong to run its own affairs.
’’Last year we had very important agreements between Britain and China over the establishment of a Court of Final Appeal in Hong Kong in 1997 and financing of the new airport.
"Major issues agreed this year include the setting up of new personal communications services and further expansion of our container port," she said.
On a recent development, the Chief Secretary also welcomed the offer from the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mr Qian Qichen, to open a dialogue with those people in Hong Kong who had different views about the pace of democratisation in the territory.
"Both sovereign powers are working hard to resolve the outstanding issues," she said.
"Agreements between China and Britain are important guarantees for our future. But the really vital factor is the resolve of Hong Kong people themselves."
Mrs Chan said the overwhelming majority of Hong Kong people were determined to make the "one country, two systems" concept work.
6
"We realise that our future lies with China. We are proud to be Chinese and we want to contribute to China’s modernisation.
"But above all we are proud of Hong Kong and of our unique blend of the best of traditional Chinese and Western values," she said.
She explained to the audience that under the Joint Declaration, Hong Kong would not become a part of China just like any other province, but instead as evidenced across the border in Guangdong Province, the Hong Kong influence was spreading northwards.
She said Hong Kong would become a Special Administrative Region with a high degree of autonomy.
Hong Kong, Mrs Chan stressed, would continue with its capitalist way of life, without interference from China, which would be responsible for foreign affairs and defence only.
"It would have its own government, composed of Hong Kong people.
"No Chinese officials would be posted to Hong Kong to work in the government. Hong Kong would have an elected legislature and pass its own law.
"Hong Kong people would keep their existing rights and freedoms - rights of property, assembly, free speech, worship, etc. The international human rights covenants would continue to apply," said Mrs Chan.
The Chief Secretary said Hong Kong had given its people freedom, opportunity and choice.
She said: "They’re the hallmark of a great country and, in Hong Kong’s case, the bedrock on which we will strive to reach new heights.
"We are determined to continue the Hong Kong success story - Hong Kong people running Hong Kong.
"That’s how it has been under Britain and it will continue after 1997 under the Chinese umbrella. There will be bumps along the road but we will overcome them as we have overcome past adversities," Mrs Chan concluded.
End
7
The success of'one country two systems' concept ♦ ♦ * * *
The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, said she believed in the commitment of Hong Kong people and the enormous self interest of the incoming sovereign power in making a resounding success of the 'one country two systems' concept.
Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Asialink Centre, Melbourne University today (Thursday), Mrs Chan said she believed 'one country two systems' was an idea whose time had come, an idea fit to crown Hong Kong's long era of uncertainty, of borrowed time, with a new age of even greater dynamism.
Elaborating on the principles embodied in the Joint Declaration to an audience of more than 250 Australian academics, diplomats and businessmen, Mrs Chan said what was important was the spirit of Hong Kong's people which animated these principles.
"The spirit of the people of Hong Kong, and of the way of life which they have created, has made Hong Kong one of the most remarkable, dynamic and free cities in the world," she said.
Mrs Anson Chan arrived in Melbourne from Canberra today for the third and final leg of her week-long promotional tour in Australia.
At a luncheon organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Mrs Chan once again brought home the theme of the promotion - Hong Kong/Australia - A New Pacific Partnership.
Earlier in the day, Mrs Chan called on Governor of Victoria, Mr Richard Elgin McGarvie and Premier of Victoria, Mr Jeff Kennett. Between appointments with political leaders, she had an editorial board meeting with The Melbourne Age.
Mrs Chan will conclude her visit with yet another hectic day in Melbourne tomorrow (Friday). She will call on the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard and Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Councillor Ivan Deveson.
End
8
Governor to meet public on Policy Address *****
Members of the public are being invited to put questions to the Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, on his 1996 Legislative Council Policy Address at a meeting, a government spokesman announced today (Thursday).
The meeting will be open to everyone. Free admission tickets will be distributed through the URBTIX system from (Friday). Because seats are limited, each person can only obtain two tickets at the maximum.
This public meeting will be held from 6 pm to 7.15 pm on October 4 (Friday) at the Theatre I of Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai, Hong Kong. Simultaneous interpretation facilities will be available.
URBTIX outlets where admission tickets can be obtained are:
* Hong Kong Cultural Centre
* Hong Kong Coliseum
* Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre
♦ Queen Elizabeth Stadium
♦ City Hall
* Sheung Wan Civic Centre
* Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre
* Ko Shan Theatre
♦ Sha Tin Town Hall
* Tsuen Wan Town Hall
* Tuen Mun Town Hall
♦ Tai Po Civic Centre
* Lut Sau Hall
♦ North District Town Hall
* Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts * Hong Kong Arts Centre
* Tom Lee Music Company Ltd Cameron Lane Branch Komhill Plaza Branch Causeway Bay Branch City Centre Branch Sha Tin Branch Tsuen Wan Branch Sheung Shui Branch Ma On Shan Branch
End
9
UN committee members to visit Hong Kong ♦ * * * ♦
Members of two United Nations (UN) committees are to visit Hong Kong next week at the invitation of the United Kingdom and Hong Kong governments.
The visitors are the Rapporteur of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Professor Virginia Bonoan-Dandan and a member of the Committee, Professor Bruno Simma; as well as the Chairman of the UN Human Rights Committee, Mr Francisco J Aguilar-Urbina and a member of the Committee, Mr Justice Bhagwati.
’’The visitors will be here to familiarise themselves with the circumstances of Hong Kong before Britain’s latest reports on Hong Kong under the two international covenants are examined at UN this autumn,” a government spokesman said today (Thursday).
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights will examine the third report on Hong Kong under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights on November 26 and 27.
The UN Human Rights Committee will examine the supplementary report on Hong Kong under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on October 23.
This is a follow-up to the fourth report examined by the Committee in October 1995. Mr Aguilar-Urbina also visited Hong Kong last year prior to the examination of the fourth report.
During their stay in Hong Kong, the visitors will meet with Government officials, politicians and non-govemment organisations.
"We hope that the visitors will be able to obtain a full and complete picture of Hong Kong," the spokesman said.
End
10
Small and Medium Enterprises Committee holds second meeting
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The areas of support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Hong Kong were discussed at the second meeting held by the Small and Medium Enterprises Committee today (Thursday).
The Committee, one of a package of measures proposed by the Financial Secretary in his 1996-97 Budget to promote the services sector, was established in July to identify issues and trends affecting the development of SMEs in Hong Kong and suggest measures to support and facilitate their development.
"The meeting today has had useful exchange of views and discussions on a wide range of subjects, including two priority areas of support for SMEs, namely financing and human resources development," the Chairman of the Committee, Mr Denis Lee said.
On Human Resources Development (HRD) for SMEs, the Committee considered the manpower needs of SMEs and the ways to improve HRD support to SMEs, and exchanged views with government representatives on education and training policies.
The Committee also considered the Strategic and Organisational Review on the Vocational Training Council. A number of suggestions made by the Committee will be further considered by the Government.
On financing SMEs, it is decided that a task group should be formed to follow up on suggestions prioritised by the committee.
"We will continue to discuss other priority areas of support for SMEs in the coming meetings," Mr Li said.
"The SMEs Committee serves as a useful forum for Government to gather views and suggestions from the small and medium enterprises in Hong Kong.
"We will carefully consider views expressed by members of the Committee and consider how best to provide support for the further development of the SMEs," the Director-General of Industry, Mr Francis Ho, who is the Vice-chairman of the Committee, said.
The Committee also decided to establish a task group to further study issues relating to HRD.
End
11
Siu Sai Wan sports ground to complete soon ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Works on the Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground are progressing smoothly and will be completed by the end of next month.
Designed by the Architectural Services Department (Arch SD), it will provide a pool of qualified world standard sport facilities.
It is the first sports ground designed and built by Arch SD with a horse-shoe shape covered spectator stand which can accommodate 12,000 audience, Chiei Architect, Mr Tse Shun-kai, said today (Thursday).
"The horse-shoe shape design of the spectator stand, as compared with the linear type, will benefit spectators sitting at the far end of the pitch to have a better view of the centre of the sports ground,” he said.
"The spectator stand also serves as a wind-breaker which will minimise the effects of strong breeze on track and field activities.”
Mr Tse added that ample exits would be provided throughout the fence wall to enable spectators to enter and leave the sports ground within a short period of time.
On completion, the Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground will have a grass infield soccer pitch measuring 105 metres long and 68 metres wide; a 400-metre, eight-lane all weather synthetic running track; a horse-shoe shape spectator stand; a weather-proof electronic scoreboard and standard field event facilities.
Other ancillary facilities will include changing rooms, commentator booths, fast food kiosks, a VIP room and function rooms.
The Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground occupies a total site area of about 47,000 square metres at the seafront of the Siu Sai Wan reclamation area.
On completion, the 12,000 seat complex will provide a venue for international soccer matches, athletic meetings and community functions.
The construction cost of the project is about $200 million.
End
12
Government to mount publicity campaign for elderly ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
A massive publicity campaign to educate the public, in particular the elderly on pedestrian safety, will be launched by the Government.
A commercial advertising agency has been commissioned to produce the publicity package for the Road Safety Council.
At yesterday’s (Wednesday) meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Wong Tsan-kwong, the Council endorsed the package planned and executed.
Targeted mainly at the elderly, the package comprises Television Announcements in Public Interest (TV API), Radio APIs, leaflet, posters, tram body advertising and bus body advertising. The TV and radio APIs will be launched in October and the rest, later this year.
The TV API features an elderly crossing a busy road, heedless of traffic while the road safety messages are being conveyed by the lyrics of a jingle sang by children. Filmed in black and white, the TV API creates a realistic and documentary mood which enhance the tragic consequence of a road accident.
The radio APIs give out road safety messages through dialogues in a dramatic and light-hearted manner. Set against the background of Chinese opera, taichi and Chinese temple, the three radio APIs capture the interests of the elderly by employing languages and scenarios which they can identify with.
’’The elderly have proved to be vulnerable victims in traffic accidents. They take little heed of their own weakening physical conditions and reflexes when the road environment in Hong Kong has become increasingly dangerous and complicated.
’’Among mounting concern on the recent cases of road accidents involving the elderly, the publicity campaign is essential and timely,” said a Council spokesman.
End
13
Tsuen Wan residents to be given double treat ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
More than 5,500 residents in Tsuen Wan will be given a double treat at Sha Tsui Road Playground where a rich programme of cultural and recreational events will be staged for them tomorrow (Friday).
With the duel purpose of marking the 15th anniversary of the Tsuen Wan District Board and celebrating the Chinese Mid-autumn Festival, the organisers also hoped that participation in the various activities would help cultivate a sense of pride and belonging among residents in the district.
As one of the earliest district boards to be established on April 1, 1981, the Tsuen Wan District Board has played an influential advisory role on district matters over the years.
It has initiated, organised and sponsored numerous community involvement projects and activities to promote a stronger community spirit, social cohesion and the general well-being of the people in the district.
Highlights of the programme include performances by pop singers Hacken Lee, Amanda Li, Joyce Lee, and Leo Ku, the Yao Ling-sun College philharmonic orchestra, traditional dragon and lion dances and dramas.
Other anniversary celebration activities will be held in the coming months, including environmental improvement projects exhibition, commerce and industry exhibitions, road safety campaigns and conducted with a Chinese opera dramatising the contributions of the elderly to the community.
The 15th Tsuen Wan District Board Anniversary cum Mid-autumn Festival celebration was jointly organised by the Tsuen Wan District Board 15th Anniversary Organising Committee and the Radio Television Hong Kong, with the assistance of the Tsuen Wan District Office.
It will cost $400,000, of which $280,000 was funded by the district board and the rest covered by local donations.
The acting Director of Home Affairs, Mr Lee Lap-sun; the Tsuen Wan^District Officer, Mr Gavin Ure; the Tsuen Wan District Board Chairman, Mr Chan Lhu-fong, and the Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr Chan Wai-ming, will officiate at the opening ceremony.
End
14
Student Discipline Section has been set up ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
A student discipline section to provide professional support, guidance and training to schools on matters relating to student discipline has been set up by the Education Department this month.
Established in accordance with a pledge in the Governor's 1995 Policy Address, the section comprises 10 professionals including educational psychologists, discipline masters and guidance teachers, and four administrative and supporting staff
There are two function units in this section: the administrative support unit and the operation support unit with three affiliated squads providing general off-site professional support and school-based intensive support services.
A department spokesman said in the first year, support services will be delivered to about 100 secondary schools in a general or intensive mode.
The specific duties of the student discipline section are:
♦ to co-ordinate and monitor student discipline work in schools;
* to formulate strategies and programmes to meet the needs of individual
schools;
♦ to provide professional support and enable exchange of ideas among schools on a regional basis;
♦ to organise seminars and workshops on student discipline.
The section is inviting schools to participate in one of the two identical seminars - Positive Student Discipline in Schools - on October 15 and 17 at the City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, during which participants will share concepts and experience in student disciple.
The two seminars will accommodate 600 school heads and discipline masters/mistresses. A circular letter on the seminars has been sent to schools.
End
15
Mid-autumn Festival fire safety advice ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Members of the public are reminded to take extra care in handling fire when visiting the countryside during the Mid-autumn Festival period.
The Agriculture and Fisheries Department’s Country Parks Protection Officer, Mr Edmond Lam, said today (Thursday) that visitors should refrain from releasing any Hung Ming Lantern and be extremely careful with barbecue fire and hand-held candlelit lanterns.
According to Mr Lam, the annual Mid-autumn Festival is one of the high fire risk periods in the year and he called on members of the public to be alert to such risk when visiting country parks during this period.
It is an offence under the Forests and Countryside Ordinance and the Country Parks Ordinance to light fire illegally or to release a Hung Ming lantern in a country park or area of open countryside.
Any person found guilty of illegal lighting fire inside country parks could face a maximum fine of $5,000 and one year’s imprisonment.
End
Advanced welfare payment ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Recipients of Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) under the bank payment system will receive their payments tomorrow (Friday) if their pay-day fall on the following day (Saturday), which is a public holiday.
"Special payment arrangements will also be made for recipients of Social Security Allowance whose pay-day fall on that day," a Social Welfare Department spokesman said today (Thursday).
"Those who have bank accounts in Hongkong Bank or Hang Seng Bank will receive their payments tomorrow (September 27) whereas those with accounts in other banks will get their payments next Monday (September 30)," he added.
In case of doubt, recipients are advised to contact their respective social security field units.
End
16
Out-patient clinic service close on holiday *****
There would be no evening out-patient clinic service tomorrow (Friday), which is Mid-autumn Festival, the Department of Health announced today (Thursday). All holiday out-patient clinics will also be closed on Saturday (September 28).
However, eight will serve the public from 9 am to 1 pm on Sunday (September
29).
They are the Violet Peel Health Centre and Shau Kei Wan Jockey Club Clinic on Hong Kong Island; the Kwun Tong Jockey Club Health Centre, Robert Black Health Centre and Yau Ma Tei Jockey Club Clinic in Kowloon; the Lady Trench Polyclinic, Shek Wu Hui Jockey Club Clinic and Yuen Long Jockey Club Health Centre in the New Territories.
Information on which private clinics and out-patient departments of private hospitals are open on the holiday can be obtain by calling the Hong Kong Medical Association hotline 90000-22-2322.
End
Grading of beach water quality
*****
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (Thursday) announced the latest gradings of Hong Kong’s beaches, based on the bacteriological water quality, for the 1996 swimming season.
The purpose of the grading system is to inform swimmersand the general public about the state of bacteriologicalpollution at various beaches.
The grading will be announced biweekly during the bathing season to coincide with the frequency at which beach waters are usually sampled.
The grading is based on the most recent E coli data obtained by EPD in its routine monitoring programme.
As with last year, the grading also includes an estimate of the risk of suffering some minior skin or gastrointestinal complaints as a result of swimming at a beach which has some degree of pollution.
17
The estimate is based on a large body of statistical information gathered in Hong Kong in recent bathing seasons.
The grading of some beaches may vary during the summer. This represents a natural fluctuation in the bacteriological quality of bathing waters in most cases, as rain and tides bring more or less pollution to the beaches.
However, the grades give a good general picture of the water quality at bathing beaches at the time of reporting and form the best available forecast for the immediate future.
Beaches with highly developed hinterlands are likely tobe more polluted than the grades suggested during and after heavy rain.
’’Bathers should avoid such beaches for two or three days after a storm, longer if the weather remians overcast or less if there is strong sunshine,’’ Principal Environmental Protection Officer, Mr Patrick Lei, said.
The system for grading beach water quality is as follows:
Grade ”1” indicates that the water quality is good. The E coli count is no more than 24 per 100 millilitres at each beach so graded, and the expected risk of minor illness to swimmers is undetectable.
Grade ”2" indicates that the water quality is fair. The E coli count is no more than 180
per 100 millilitres at each beach so graded, and the expected health risk is no more than 10 cases of minor illness per 1,000 swimmers.
Grade ”3” indicates that the water quality is poor. The E coli count is no more than 610 per 100 millilitres at each beach so graded, and the expected health risk is no more than 15 cases of minor illness per 1,000 swimmers.
Grade ”4” indicates that the water quality is very poor. The E coli count is more than 610 per 100 millilitres at each beach so graded, and the expected health risk is more than 15 cases of minor illness per 1,000 swimmers.
The decision whether or not to close a beach to swimmers is based on a judgement of what degree of pollution is acceptable.
18
Normally, the closure of a beach would only be considered by the Urban or Regional Council if a grade ”4’' occurred repeatedly, so that the average health risk over the bathing season exceeded 15 cases per 1,000 swimmers.
At present five gazetted beaches, namely Anglers’, Approach, Castle Peak, Rocky Bay and Ting Kau, are closed to swimmers, while Old Cafeteria is re-opened.
The decision to open or close the beaches has been made by the Regional and Urban Councils on the basis of beach water quality monitoring data for 1995. The public are advised not to swim at the closed beaches.
The grades of the bacteriological water quality of various beaches in Hong
Kong today are listed below :
Beach Previous Grading (as at 12.9.96) Present Grading (as at 26.9.96)
I long Kong South
Big Wave Bay (S) 2 2
Chung Hom Kok (S) 1 1
Deep Water Bay (S) 2 2
Hairpin (S) 2 2
Middle Bay (S) 2 2
Repulse Bay (S) 2 2
Shek O (S) 2 3
South Bay (S) 1 1
St Stephen's (S) 2 1
Turtle Cove (S) 2 2
Stanley Main (S) 2 2
Tuen Mun District
Golden Beach 3 3
Old Cafeteria 3 3
New Cafeteria 3 4
Kadoorie (S) 3 3
Butterfly (S) 3 3
19
Sai Kung District
Clear Water Bay 1st Beach (S) 2
Clear Water Bay 2nd Beach (S) 2
Hap Mun Bay (S) 1
Kiu Tsui (S) 1
Silverstrand (S) 2
Trio (Hebe Haven) (S) 1
2 2
1 1
2 2
Islands District
Cheung Sha Upper 1
Cheung Sha Lower 3
Discovery Bay* 1
Hung Shing Yeh 1
Kwun Yam Wan 2
Tong Fuk 2
Lo So Shing 1
PuiO 2
Silvermine Bay 3
Tung Wan, Cheung Chau (S) 2
1 2
1 1
2 2
1 I
4 2
Tsuen Wan District
Casam (S) 3
Gemini 3
Hoi Mei Wan 3
Lido (S) 4
Tung Wan, Ma Wan 2
4
3
3
4
2
Note: * Non-gazetted beaches.
(S) The beach has a shark-prevention net installed.
The following beaches have changed grading on this occasion:
St Stephen's and Pui O from "2" to "1"; Cheung Sha Lower from "3" to "2"; Trio (Hebe Haven) from "1" to "2"; Shek O from "2" to "3"; Silvermine, Casam and New Cafeteria from ”3" to "4".
The changes are within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of these beaches.
End
20
Provisional statistics of restaurant receipts and purchases *****
The value of total receipts for the restaurants sector in the second quarter of 1996, estimated at $13 billion, increased by 3% compared with the same quarter in 1995, according to the provisional statistics released today (Thursday) by the Census and Statistics Department.
The value of total purchases of restaurants, estimated at $4.7 billion, increased by 4%.
After discounting the effect of price changes over the period, total restaurant receipts went down slightly by 1% in volume terms. The relevant components of the Consumer Price Index are used for this deflating purpose.
Similar to the Consumer Price Index, both series of value and volume indices of restaurant receipts are rebased with October 1994 to September 1995 as the new base period. As from the reference period of the second quarter of 1996, the value and volume indices of restaurant receipts and their year-on-year rates of change will be published based on the new series.
Compared with a year ago, the total receipts of non-Chinese restaurants and fast food shops rose by 12% and 10% in value respectively. In volume terms, they increased by 7% and 3% respectively.
Meanwhile, the total receipts of miscellaneous eating and drinking places also recorded an increase of 5% in value, but showed virtually no change in volume.
On the other hand, the total receipts of Chinese restaurants recorded a decrease of 2% in value and 5% in volume. Those of bars also went down by 4% in value and 10% in volume.
Comparing with the preceding quarter, and bearing in mind that the comparison is affected by seasonal factors, total receipts for the restaurants sector in the second quarter of 1996 decreased by 5% in value and 6% in volume.
Comparing the first half of 1996 with the same period of 1995, total restaurant receipts rose by 3% in value, but decreased by 1% in volume.
Table 1 presents the revised figures for the total receipts and total purchases of the restaurants sector for the first quarter of 1996 and the provisional figures for the second quarter of 1996.
21
Table 2 shows the value and volume indices of total receipts by type of restaurants for the second quarter of 1995, the first quarter of 1996 and the second quarter of 1996, with the quarterly average from October 1994 to September 1995 taken as 100. Also tabulated are comparisons of the results of the second quarter of 1996 with those of the first quarter of 1996 and the second quarter of 1995; comparisons of total receipts for the first half of 1996 with the same period of 1995 are also given.
The Report on the Quarterly Survey of Restaurant Receipts and Purchases for the second quarter of 1996 is now on sale at $4 per copy at the Government Publications Centre, Queensway Government Offices, Low Block, ground floor, 66 Queensway; and the Publications Unit of the Census and Statistics Department, 19th floor., Wanchai Tower. Wan Chai.
Enquiries about the survey results may be directed to the Wholesale and Retail Trade Statistics Section of the Census and Statistics Department on 2802 1258.
22
TABLE 1 :TOTAL RESTAURANT RECEIPTS AND PURCHASES
1st Qtr 1996 (Revised figures) 2nd Otr 1996 (Provisional figures)
Total restaurant receipts (HK$ million) 13,639.2 12,968.0
Total purchases by restaurants (HKS million) 4,899.6 4,747.0
TABLE 2 : VALUE AND VOLUME INDICES OF RESTAURANT RECEIPTS FOR 2ND QUARTER 1995, 1ST QUARTER AND 2ND QUARTER 1996
(Quarterly average of October 1994 - September 1995 = 100)
Index Number % Change
Type of Restaurants Type of Index 2nd Quarter 1995 (Revised figures) 1st Quarter 1996 (Revised figures) 2nd Quarter 1996 (Provisional figures) 2nd Qtr 1996 compared with 1st Qtr 1996 2nd Qtr 1996 compared with 2nd Qtr 1995 1st-2nd Qtr 1996 compared with 1st-2nd Qtr 1995
(Point) (Point) (Point) (X) (X) (X)
(A) FOR ALL RESTAURANTS TYPES Value 97.5 105.5 100.3 -4.9 ♦2.9 ♦3.1
Volume 96.4 101.5 95.4 -6.0 -1.1 -1.1
(B) BY TYPE OF RESTAURANTS
Chinese restaurants Value 98.1 104.1 96.5 -7.2 -1.6 •1.7
Volume 97.3 100.7 92.8 •7.9 -4.6 •5.0
Non-Chinese restaurants Value 93.5 110.2 104.5 -5.2 ♦11.7 ♦ 12.1
Volume 92.1 105.7 98.7 •6.7 ♦7.2 ♦7.4
Fast food shops Value 99.5 104.8 109.3 ♦4.3 ♦9.8 ♦10.8
Volume 97.9 99.1 101.1 ♦2.0 ♦3.3 ♦4.2
Bars Value 104.9 104.9 100.9 -3.7 -3.8 -1.4
Volume 104.8 99.9 94.6 •5.3 -9.7 -6.8
Other eating and drinking places Value 95.7 101.3 100.3 •0.9 ♦4.9 ♦5.0
Volume 95.0 97.7 95.4 •2.3 ♦0.4 ♦0.7
End
23
General household survey quarterly report published *****
The report on the General Household Survey for April to June 1996, containing statistics on employment, unemployment and underemployment for the second quarter of 1996 in bilingual form is now available for sale.
It also carries detailed analyses of the characteristics of members of the labour force, including their age, sex, educational attainment, activity status, occupation, industry, hours worked per week and monthly employment earnings. Data on reasons for unemployment and duration of unemployment for the unemployed are presented as well.
Copies of the report at $53 each can be obtained from the Government Publications Centre, Queensway Government Offices, Low Block, ground floor, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, the Census and Statistics Department will continue to conduct the General Household Survey during the quarter from October to December 1996.
The Survey, conducted on a continuous basis, aims to collect information on the labour force, unemployment and underemployment. In addition, special enquiries on various selected social topics are also included in its supplementary part.
An official letter will be sent to the sampled households prior to each survey month to explain the purpose of the Survey and to seek their voluntary co-operation.
Officers of the department will visit the households concerned to collect the required information. They will carry with a Government Identity Card and a certificate for conducting the Survey and will make such documents available for inspection.
To make it more convenient for both the households and the department, the sampled households could telephone the department to make prior appointment for visit by the interviewers.
End
- 24 -
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (^million)
Opening balance in the account 2,253 0930 -94
Closing balance in the account 2,359 1000 -94
Change attributable to: 1100 -94
Money market activity -94 1200 -94
LAF today +200 1500 -94
1600 -94
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.5 *+0.2* 26.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.09 2 years 2808 6.00 99.88 6.16
1 month 5.07 3 years 3907 6.80 100.91 6.54
3 months 5.17 5 years 5109 7.32 101.02 7.19
6 months 5.29 7 years 7308 7.24 98.18 7.53
12 months 5.57 5 years M503 7.35 100.13 7.45
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $10,947 million
Closed September 26, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Friday, September 27, 1996
Contents Page No,
Handover ceremony for Hong Kong.......................................... 1
AG welcomes conclusion of Tan’s case..................................... 2
Statement by the Judiciary on practice of Coroner........................ 3
Australia and Hong Kong: Strategic Partner in Asia....................... 3
Fees to be charged for waste import/export permits....................... 5
Institute of Education to be put under UGC............................... 6
External trade figures for August........................................ 7
Framework agreement for EMS trading fund signed......................... 10
HK's economic bedrock to sustain vibrant growth: FS.................. 11
Second round of informal get-together................................ 13
Large-scale building survey to commence soon............................ 13
/Personal Data....
Contents
Page No.
Personal Data (Privacy) Advisory Committee appointed................... 15
New members appointed to Hospital Authority................................ 16
Joint maritime exercise to test search and rescue strength............. 18
Royal Navy warship to visit Hong Kong.................................. 18
Hong Kong welcomes APEC business executives................................ 20
Draft drainage plan for Tin Shui Wai....................................... 20
Tenders invited for construction of public piers........................... 22
Road works for Tsang Tai Uk Village proposed............................... 22
Tenders for Lung Poon Street footbridge invited............................ 23
Prequalification for management of parking meters.......................... 24
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations....................... 25
1
Handover ceremony for Hong Kong ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Joint Liaison Group ambassadors Hugh Davies and Zhao Jihua today (Friday) signed an agreement on a handover ceremony for Hong Kong, to take place around midnight on June 30, 1997.
The reaching of the accord was announced yesterday by British Foreign Secretary, Malcolm Rifkind, following his meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Qian Qichen in New York. The Foreign Secretary also announced that Britain would stage a ceremony in Hong Kong at sunset on June 30 to mark the end of British administration.
The JLG accord says that there will a solemn and dignified ceremony between the British and Chinese governments marking both the handover and the establishment of the new Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
The ceremony will be held in the Grand Foyer of the extension to the Convention and Exhibition Centre, now under construction on the waterfront of Hong Kong Island, and will be witnessed by guests from Britain, China, Hong Kong and overseas, including high level representatives from foreign countries and international organisations.
The agreement says that the ceremony will include the lowering of the Union and Hong Kong flags and the raising of the Chinese National Flag and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Flag. It makes clear that normal internationally accepted media handling arrangements will apply, and that the Hong Kong Police will be responsible for security.
There is to be further discussion of the details in the JLG.
A Hong Kong Government spokesman said: "We welcome this agreement. The handover is a historical event which will focus huge international interest on Hong Kong. The ceremony will provide an excellent opportunity to present Hong Kong and the concept of'one country, two systems' to the world."
He added: "We will make the best possible arrangements to welcome guests coming to Hong Kong for the ceremony and to facilitate media coverage of the handover."
2
On the British farewell ceremony, the spokesman said: "We welcome the British Government's decision to support the financing and staging of a farewell ceremony in Hong Kong on June 30 to mark the end of British administration.
"Hong Kong and Britain are part of each other's history. It is right that the ending of British administration should be marked in a proper way. The British Government will make a financial contribution to cover the production costs of the ceremony."
End
AG welcomes conclusion of Tan's case *****
In response to media enquiries on George Tan’s case, a spokesman for the Attorney General's Chambers said today (Friday) that the conclusion of the case was proof of the importance of the rule of law in Hong Kong.
Welcoming the conclusion, the Attorney General, Mr Jeremy Mathews said: "The ending of the trial represents the closing chapter of the longest and most complex commercial fraud case in the history of Hong Kong and very possibly, that of the world."
He said the prosecution of a massive commercial fraud case of this nature would necessarily take a long time and be very expensive.
"We cannot put a price tag on justice," he said.
The prosecution of this case had taken a long time because it was necessary to gather a vast amount of evidence in Malaysia and other jurisdictions.
"However, it serves as an assurance to the community of Hong Kong and the rest of the world that Hong Kong will not shrink from the task of relentlessly pursuing those who prey upon that community and bring its financial system into disrepute.
"Commercial fraud will not be tolerated in Hong Kong. We are determined that offenders will be brought to justice," said Mr Mathews, reiterating that the rule of law in the territory will continue to be strenuously maintained for the protection of the whole community, without fear or favour.
End
3
Statement by the Judiciary on practice of Coroner
*****
In accordance with Section 6 of the Coroners Ordinance, the death of Mr David Chan Yuk-cheung has been reported to the Coroner upon the body being brought into the territory of Hong Kong.
It is the usual practice of the Coroner that whenever a Hong Kong resident dies suddenly or unexpectedly at sea, outside Hong Kong territorial waters, to require an autopsy and a death report from the Royal Hong Kong Police. Upon receipt of the report, the Coroner will determine whether to conduct an inquest.
The jurisdiction of the Coroner to investigate the circumstances of the death and to conduct an inquest arise from the presence of the body in Hong Kong.
The Coroner has been supplied with a Death Certificate from the authorities in Taiwan. That certificate states a cause of death, but does not state that an autopsy has been undertaken.
In accordance with the usual practice the Coroner has directed that an autopsy be conducted to ascertain the actual cause of death.
End
Australia and Hong Kong: Strategic Partner in Asia ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, called on Australian Prime Minister, Mr John Howard, today (Friday) before concluding her week-long visit to three major cities in Australia - Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.
"I had met with the Prime Minister and had a useful discussion, exchanging views on matters of mutual concern," Mrs Chan said.
"Given our increasingly strong ties, it is in both our interests that travel between Australia and Hong Kong should be made flexible and easy.
4
"The Prime Minister assured me that his government will do everything possible to facilitate travel of Hong Kong people in and out of Australia and 1 believe that the government has under consideration certain arrangements that will make the visa application and obtaining the necessary visa even easier.
"So we look forward very much to discussion on those arrangements coming to fruition, so that these arrangements could be announced."
During her visit in Australia, she had met with the premiers of Victoria and New South Wales, with other senior officials, politicians, business people, academics and the media.
"One of the main purposes of this visit is to open our Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Sydney, which will be Hong Kong permanent presence in Australia after 1997," she said.
"As you know, in accordance with the Basic Law, we will have a high degree of autonomy in conducting our own economic and commercial affairs and we hope that with the existence of this office will help to strengthen and promote ties between Australia and Hong Kong. These ties are already very strong, not only in terms of trade, but also in terms of the human ties," Mrs Chan said.
Her programme in Melbourne today was a mixture of political calls, meetings with businessmen, media appearance and a tour to a food festival.
Earlier in the day, she paid a courtesy call on Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Councillor Ivan Deveson at the Melbourne Town Hall.
She also had a meeting with the Business Council of Australia and Committee for Economic Development of Australia which gave her an excellent opportunity to exchange views with members on a wide range of issues of mutual interest.
Later at a luncheon meeting, Mrs Chan and the Hong Kong delegates enjoyed a good discussion with members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.
There was also a lighter side of Hong Kong that Mrs Chan brought with her to Hong Kong's friends in Australia. The Hong Kong Food Festival organised by the Hong Kong Tourist Association was a good example.
The food festival, held between today and October 4, will bring food lovers in Melbourne an opportunity to sample some of the delicious award winning dishes in previous food festivals in Hong Kong.
5
On the media side, Mrs Chan gave a live interview at the studio of 3 AW Radio in the morning and she wrapped up her visit in Melbourne with a press interview following her call on the Prime Minister.
Mrs Chan will leave Melbourne on Sunday for Hong Kong.
End
Fees to be charged for waste import/export permits * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Fees will be payable with effect from November 8 for the application of a permit for the import and export of hazardous or contaminated waste.
The new fees, aimed at recovering the cost for processing permit applications, are set out in the Waste Disposal (Forms and Fees for Licences) (Amendment) Regulation 1996 gazetted today (Friday).
This follows the introduction of the permit scheme on September 1 to regulate and control the import and export of waste in accordance with the Waste Disposal (Amendment) Ordinance 1995 and the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal.
The new fees are as follows:
♦ Import/export permits for a single shipment of waste $ 10,750;
Import/export permits for multiple shipments of waste $17,460 (valid for up to 12 months).
A government spokesman said the Director of Environmental Protection must be satisfied that the waste shipment would be managed in an environmentally sound manner before he would issue a permit.
’’Moreover, consent to the waste shipment must be obtained from the environmental authorities of the country of export, transit and import, as appropriate.
"In the case of waste to be imported into Hong Kong, the environmental authorities of the exporting country must agree to allow the return of the waste if the intended shipment cannot be completed," said the spokesman.
6
Most of Hong Kong’s existing waste trade consist of non-hazardous and uncontaminated waste such as waste paper and scrap metals, which are not covered by the permit system.
Any person who imports and/or exports waste subject to control without a permit will be liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and six months’ imprisonment upon first conviction.
End
Institute of Education to be put under UGC *****
The Government is proposing to amend the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd) Ordinance so as to put the Institute formally under the aegis of the University Grants Committee (UGC).
The amendments, which seek to bring the ordinance in line with those of the seven tertiary institutions funded by UGC, are contained in the Hong Kong Institute of Education (Amendment) Bill 1996 gazetted today (Friday).
Explaining the Bill, a spokesman for the Education and Manpower Branch said it had been the Government’s intention to put HKIEd under the aegis of UGC since the Institute was established in September 1994.
On July 1, the Governor gave his approval to designate HKIEd as an institution under the terms of reference of UGC.
’’The UGC has a well-established monitoring and financial assessment mechanism for tertiary institutions. It now funds seven tertiary institutions, and advises the Government on their development as well as their funding requirements, in the light of their own academic plans.
"The HKIEd could benefit from the UGC’s expertise," the spokesman said.
"Besides, the Committee could advise the Government on the future direction of teacher education in the tertiary sector as a whole,” he said.
The spokesman pointed out that the proposed amendments to HKIEd Ordinance are basically technical in nature.
7
The main provisions of the Bill include amending the definition of ’’financial year”; deleting the requirement for HKIEd to obtain the approval of the Financial Secretary for borrowing or fund raising activities and empowers HKIEd to invest its funds; specifying the term of appointment for a member of the Council of HKIEd; and removing the requirement for HKIEd to submit to the Governor for his approval a programme of HKIEd's proposed activities and estimates of its income and expenditure for the next financial year.
The Bill will be introduced to the Legislative Council on October 9.
End
External trade figures for August *****
The external trade figures for August 1996 released today (Friday) by the Census and Statistics Department showed that both re-exports and imports increased over a year earlier, while domestic exports fell.
The value of total exports (comprising re-exports and domestic exports) increased by 3.1% over a year earlier to $124.9 billion in August 1996. The value of re-exports increased by 6% to $106.7 billion, while the value of domestic exports decreased by 11% to $18.2 billion.
Meanwhile, the value of imports increased by 0.7% over a year earlier to $132.1 billion in August 1996.
As the value of total exports in August 1996 was smaller than that of total imports, a visible trade deficit of $7.2 billion, equivalent to 5.5% of the value of imports, was recorded. This was nevertheless considerably smaller than the corresponding deficit of $10.1 billion, equivalent to 7.7% of the value of imports, in August 1995.
For the first eight months of 1996 as a whole, the value of total exports grew by 4.6% over the same period last year. The value of re-exports rose by 7.4%, while that of domestic exports decreased by 8.3%. The value of imports showed an increase of 2.9%.
8
In the first eight months of 1996, a visible trade deficit of $97.6 billion, equivalent to 9.7% of the value of imports, was recorded. This was smaller than the deficit of $109.8 billion, equivalent to 11% of the value of imports, recorded in the same period in 1995.
Commenting on the latest trade figures, a government spokesman said export growth moderated somewhat in August 1996, after a marked pick-up in the previous month. On the other hand, as imports grew only marginally, the visible trade deficit showed a substantial decrease when compared with the same period in 1995.
Meanwhile, retained imports in August 1996 continued to fall, by 8.9% over a year earlier.
The table annexed presents the external trade figures in August 1996.
A more detailed analysis of Hong Kong's external trade for August 1996, by commodity and country, will be released in mid-October.
9
Census X Statistics Department. Hong Kong fr
External Trade Figures for August 1996
(HKS Million)
MERCHANDISE TRADE VALUES for August 1996 - A.A.**^fl K *S(1
Domestic Exports 41Aio 18.182
Re-exports 4o 106,682
Total Exports ttttio 124,865
Imports ilO 132.074
Trade balance •7210 ■
COMPARATIVE FIGURES
Change R4o
• August 1996 August 1995 Value %
Same month last year -A,A,**Afl -A. A, A* a fl 5T<1
Domestic Exports 18.182 20.543 -2,361 -11.5
(% of Total Exports) (14.6%) (17.0%)
Re-exports 106.682 100,605 +6.078 +60
Total Exports Jfttxo 124,865 121.148 ♦3.717 ♦3.1
Imports ilo 132,074 131207 ♦867 ♦0.7
Trade balance -7,210 -10,059 +2.850
August 1996 July 1996
Last month ±fl - A.A.**-t fl
Domestic Exports 18.182 20,798 -2.615 -12.6
(% of Total Exports) (astlioiffrjt) (14.6%) (15 8%)
Re-exports Mo 106.682 111,149 -4.466 -4.0
Total Exports 124,865 131.946 -7.082 -5.4
Imports 132.074 138,568 -6,494 -4.7
Trade balance Vbin •7210 -6,622 -588
Jun 96 to Aug 96 Jun 95 to Aug 95
Latest 3 months Ait^Sfl A.***flJLAfl A.X4*AXAfl
Domestic Exports 4.4*io 55,883 63273 -7,390 -11.7
(% of Total Exports) (ttJfttioifjyit) (15.3%) (17.7%)
Re-exports Mo 309.710 294,636 ♦15.074 +5.1
Total Exports ±o 365.593 357,908 +7,684 ♦2.1
Imports •4.0 394.439 393,973 +466 +0.1
Trade balance thin -28,846 -36,064 ♦7,218
Jan-Aug 1996 Jan-Aug 1995
Calendar year to-date A.**- 81AM A.E4-fl£Afl
Domestic Exports 138J4I 150.761 •12.520 -8.3
(% of Total Exports) (15.2%) (17.4%)
Re-exports 4o 768,629 715.876 ♦52.753 ♦7.4
Total Exports ftttio 906,871 866.637 +40233 ♦4 6
Imports 4o 1.004.460 976390 ♦28.070 +2.9
Trade balance W tin -97.590 •109.753 ♦ 12.163
Sep 95 to Aug 96 Sep 94 to Aug 95
Last 12 months ia±+-afl A. X 4 A fl A.« #• A. fl
KAMA JLA.£*Afl
Domestic Exports ♦iXio 219.137 232.571 -13.434 -5.8
(% of Total Exports) (mi°m) (15.8%) (17.9%)
Re-exports 4o 1.165223 1,064.121 +■101.103 ♦9.5
Total Exports fittio I.384J60 1.296.691 +87.669 +68
Imports 1.519,191 1.434.742 ♦84.449 +5.9
Trade balance •ttin -134.831 -138,050 ♦3220
Note ; Value of domestic exports and value of re-exports may not ix : tbtt-ilttHO • *A*io5ra4»±4o»tt •
add up to the value of total exports due to rounding. TfttR5fttio5ra4<i A. •
This sheet can be obtained free of charge from :
Trade Statistics Dissemination Section
Census and Statistics Department
Address : 19/F . Wanchai Tower. 12 Harbour Road.
Wan Chai. Hong Kong <4 : 2582 4915 2802 1101
Tel 2582 4915 Fax 2SO2 1101 9/96
End
10
Framework agreement for EMS trading fund signed
*****
The framework agreement for the Electrical and Mechanical Services Trading Fund was signed today (Friday) between the Secretary for Works, Mr Kwong Hon-sang, and the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services (DEMS), Mr Hugh Phillipson.
A spokesman for the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) said the agreement governed the relationship between the Secretary and the Director in respect of the operation of the trading fund.
’’The trading fund was established by a resolution of the Legislative Council under the Trading Funds Ordinance in June and came into operation on August 1 this year,” he said.
Services provided under the trading fund include operating, continuously monitoring and maintaining the electrical, mechanical, electronic and building services systems and equipment in use at major installations such as office buildings, hospitals, airports and civic venues.
The department will also provide design, procurement, project management and other technical consultancy services in relation to electrical, mechanical and electronic systems and vehicle fleets.
It will also operate and maintain refuse incineration plant to agreed operational parameters.
“These services will continue to be provided to government departments, municipal councils and other government subvented or financially assisted agencies.
"The trading fund will also bid for and win business in other markets as opportunities arise," the spokesman said.
Under trading fund arrangements, operational assets employed in the provision of EMSD services and valued at around one billion dollars have been appropriated to the trading fund. This represents the Government’s investment.
11
The cost of providing services including depreciation of assets will be charged to the trading fund and will be covered by revenue from charges to clients for services.
DEMS, as the general manager of the trading fund, will prepare each year a corporate and business plan based on these financial arrangements and submit it to the Secretary for Works for approval.
End
HK's economic bedrock to sustain vibrant growth: FS *****
The economic bedrock of Hong Kong would continue to sustain a vibrant economic growth in the next millennium and would not be jeopardised in 1997 or after, the Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, said today (Friday).
Speaking at the Global Partners Forum at University of California, Los Angeles, Mr Tsang said in turn it would bring benefits to the international community with whom Hong Kong vigorously traded.
”As Financial Secretary of Hong Kong, I see my role as re-affirming the economic system that we have developed and refined over the past decades,” he said.
"I shall make sure that this system will carry us through the transition, forming a solid foundation and inspiring more enviable economic advancement for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.”
Mr Tsang pointed out that it was the solidity of this economic bedrock that bolstered the confidence of Hong Kong people in their economy.
"They firmly believe that our society will not only survive the transition but thrive on the challenge and prosper,” he said.
’’The strength and resilience of our economic fundamentals will ensure that in Hong Kong's longer term march towards greater prosperity in 1 July 1997 is just another date, and I can see Hong Kong and overseas adopting the same view, and investing now with an eye on returns well after 1997.”
Mr Tsang said free enterprise spirit and level playing field was one of the pillars of Hong Kong’s economic system.
12
"Anyone can start any legitimate business in Hong Kong. Without hidden constraints, import duty or non-tariff barriers; without prejudice to the nationality of the owners of the business; be they Hong Kong residents, Chinese, Japanese or Americans; and without favouritism or partiality on behalf of Government," he said.
"Our currency is fully convertible and there is complete freedom in the movement of funds and people across our borders.
"We in the Hong Kong Government take this very, very seriously and we are determined to keep this level playing field."
However, Mr Tsang said to stretch the analogy, the Government did not run the game, it just provided the pitch.
"It provides the infrastructure and support to business, but it never directs the private sector," he said.
"We remain impartial, not doing industry targeting or imposing investment priorities, because it is our firm belief that such initiatives are self defeating in the long run, leading to the inefficient deployment of resources and the economically destructive spectre of state subsidies."
Mr Tsang said Hong Kong's economic system would be maintained after next year as the Basic Law set out in detail the requirements placed on the SAR Government to maintain prudent monetary, fiscal and taxation systems and to ensure that Hong Kong remained an international trade and financial centre.
"And that is good news for you and me; for investors in Hong Kong and those doing business in Hong Kong; for the Hong Kong economy, the Chinese economy and for the US economy," he added.
Mr Tsang pointed out that up to the end of 1994 the cumulative value of foreign direct investment in Hong Kong was US$94 billion.
The value of US direct investment alone was over US$11 billion.
"These figures demonstrate the importance of Hong Kong and the importance of maintaining the Hong Kong system. So that business will thrive, profits will be made, and people will continue to prosper," he said.
Mr Tsang was on a duty visit to the United States. Earlier today he met the State Treasurer of California , Mr Matt Fong.
13
He will meet the Hong Kong Association of Southern California and the Hong Kong Schools Alumni Federation in Los Angeles.
Mr Tsang will visit Washington on September 29 and meet banking executives including the Deputy Secretary of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Mr Marcus Fedder; China's Minister of Finance, Mr Liu Zhongli; and the Governor of the People's Bank of China. Mr Dai Xianglong.
End
Second round of informal get-together *****
The second round of informal get-togethers between senior Hong Kong civil servants and officials of the Chinese side will take place between October and December, the announcement was made following consultation with the Xinhua News Agency (Hong Kong Branch).
Senior civil servants at Deputy Secretary and Deputy Director level or above and heads of agencies will participate.
The first get-together will be held from 3.30 pm on October 10 at the Voting Members' Box. Happy Valley Racecourse.
End
Large-scale building survey to commence soon
*****
The Buildings Department has awarded a large-scale consultancy study on the structural conditions of all private buildings constructed between 1959 and 1980 in the territory.
Speaking at the consultancy agreement signing ceremony today (Friday), the Director of Buildings. Dr Choi Yu-leuk. said that the survey would examine the structural integrity and stability of the buildings and recommend a strategy for their future inspection, investigation and necessary repair.
14
“It will also gather data on the durability performance and deterioration trends of cantilevered structures in these buildings and to ascertain their structural adequacies under the deteriorated conditions. About 1,000 cantilevered slab canopies will be investigated," he said.
The consultancy was awarded to a joint venture formed by three consultants at a cost of $38 million. They are Taywood Engineering Limited, Ove Arup and Partners Hong Kong Limited, and Vigers Hong Kong Limited.
The survey will cover a total of 13,000 buildings and will be carried out in three parts in two years' time:
* Visual inspection of the roof, external wall, and common areas of the 13,000 buildings to assess the nature and extent of their deterioration and causes for potential safety concerns;
* Detailed investigation to be carried out on some 1,000 buildings, which would be statistically representative samples in different age sub-groups identified from part one above;
* Structural investigation of 974 cantilevered slab canopies.
Some of these investigations will need to be done inside individual premises. To prove their identity, every member of the survey teams will carry an identity card and an authorisation letter issued by Buildings Department.
Advance notices will also be sent to the owners or occupants notifying them of the visit. Enquiries on the survey can be made to the Buildings Department on 2626 1309.
Dr Choi pointed out that the project was a major study and survey on the conditions of buildings.
"Based on the consultants' recommendations, the Buildings Department will be able to formulate a strategy for improving building safety in Hong Kong.
"I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to all the building owners, owners' corporations, and occupants involved in the survey to co-operate fully with the survey teams to make this project a success," Dr Choi said.
End
15
Personal Data (Privacy) Advisory Committee appointed ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
A Government spokesman today (Friday) announces the appointment of eight members to the Personal Data (Privacy) Advisory Committee.
The list is as follows:
* Mr Chan Wai-kwan - Assistant Director of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce;
* Ms Sara Ho Suk-ching - Senior Lecturer in Marketing of the Chinese University of Hong Kong; member of the Rice Advisory Committee: former member of the Consumer Council;
* Ms Mary Kao May-loy - Executive Director of Legal and Secretarial Services of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited;
* Mr Kevin Lau Chun-to - former Vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association;
Mr Roger Luk Koon-hoo - Managing Director and Deputy Chief Executive of the Hang Seng Bank Limited; former Legislative Council member;
Professor Raymond Wacks - Professor of Law of the University of Hong Kong; member of Privacy Sub-committee of the Law Reform Commission;
* Mr Yeung Kwok-keung - Deputy Managing Director of the Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited; former President of the Hong Kong Computer Society;
* Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs or representative.
’’The appointment is for a term of two years with effect from October 1 this year," the spokesman said.
’’The Advisory Committee is to be chaired by the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Mr Stephen Lau Ka-men. It is established under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance.
16
"Based on their knowledge and experience in their respective fields, the members will advise the Privacy Commissioner upon any matter relevant to the privacy of individuals in relation to personal data or other matters relevant to the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance," the spokesman added.
The appointment notice is gazetted today.
End
New members appointed to Hospital Authority *****
The appointment of four additional members to the Hospital Authority for two years with effect from October 1 was published in the Government Gazette today (Friday).
They are Professor Joseph Lee Chuen-kwun, Mr Joseph Chow Ming-kuen, Dr Chow Chun-bong and Mrs Alice Mak Chan Siu-hing.
Professor Lee has succeeded Professor Arthur Li Kwok-cheung as the new Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
His appointment would continue to ensure a close interface between the Hospital Authority and the university teaching hospital. He is appointed for a period of two years or until the end of his deanship, whichever the earlier.
Mr Chow is an expert in engineering and has extensive experience in capital works management. He was the former Deputy Chairman of the Council of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Dr Chow, a senior clinician in the Princess Margaret Hospital, is actively serving in different professional bodies. He is currently a member of the Hong Kong Medical Association and the Hospital Governing Committee of Our Lady of Maryknoll Hospital.
Mrs Mak is the General Manager in charge of administrative services in Prince of Wales Hospital. She has rich administrative experience and has participated actively in the implementation of various management reforms at different public hospitals.
17
The Secretary for Health and Welfare, Mrs Katherine Fok, welcomed the appointments and looked forward to the new members' active participation in ensuring the provision of quality patient care in the territory.
She also thanked all the incumbents for their unfailing support and invaluable advice throughout the years.
The following is a full list of the Hospital Authority Board:
Chairman
Mr Peter Woo Kwong-ching
Members
Dr Sally Aw Sian
Miss Eliza Chan Ching-har
Mr John Chan Cho-chak
Mr Peter Chan Fuk-sing
Miss Iris Chan Sui-ching
Mrs Pamela Chan Wong Shui
Dr Chow Chun-bong
Mr Joseph Chow Ming-kuen
Professor Chow Shew-ping
Mr Michael Ho Man-ka
Dr Conrad Lam Kui-shing
Professor Joseph Lee Chuen-kwan
Dr Leong Chi-hung
Mrs Sophie Leung Lau Yau-fun
Professor Felice Lieh Mak
Mrs Eleanor Ling Li Ching-man
Mrs Alice Mak Chan Siu-hing
Mr Simon C Penney
Sir David Todd
Mr Peter Wong Hong-yuen
Professor Rosie Young Tse-tse
Secretary for Health and Welfare or her representative
Secretary for the Treasury or his representative
Director of Health
Chief Executive Officer. Hospital Authority
End
18
Joint maritime exercise to test search and rescue strength ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
An annual maritime search and rescue exercise will be held in the Pearl River estuary on October 3 (Thursday) to test the search and rescue resources of Guangdong, Macau and Hong Kong for dealing with an accident at sea.
This year's exercise, codenamed "Maritime SAREX96", is jointly organised by the Guangdong Provincial Marine Emergency Search and Rescue Centre, Macau Marine Department and Hong Kong Marine Department.
"With more people travelling between Hong Kong and the Pearl River by sea, it is necessary to conduct regular exercises in this busy waters to check the alerting, communications and responses of the search and rescue resources in Zhuhai, Macau and Hong Kong," said a spokesman for the Hong Kong Marine Department today (Friday).
Against the background that search and rescue exercises at a regional level can enhance better co-operation between neighbouring authorities, the search and rescue resources in the three places will be deployed in Maritime SAREX96 to deal with a scenario in which a high-speed ferry sailing from Hong Kong to Macau collides with another vessel, leaving many passengers injured.
Rescue craft, helicopter and launches from Zhuhai, Macau and Hong Kong are to be tasked for the search and rescue exercise.
End
Royal Navy worship to visit Hong Kong ♦ ♦ * ♦ ♦
For the first time in over a year, a major warship of the Royal Navy is to visit Hong Kong. HMS Exeter, a Type-42 Guided Missile Destroyer, will enter Hong Kong for a routine visit tomorrow (Saturday).
She will depart next Thursday (October 3) for a goodwill visit to the Chinese port of Qing Dao. The last Royal Navy w arship to visit China w as HMS York - to Shanghai in 1985.
- OK -- 19 -
.• -ji.. )T1A ^omoolow gno/l gnol I
HMS Exeter left her home town of Portsmouth on June 20 for a six-month deployment to the Middle East and Asia. After patrolling the Gulf during July, she headed east in mid-August, stopping fpr rpaintenanc-e ip Sipgappce. • .,f. .. :■»
^?oni?.ud loirrjz ' ..'•>••// ll’ lonniL
Early this month the ship participated in,a. threcrweek sepe$ o.f exerc^es^undpr the auspices of the Five Power Defence Agr^rppnJ/wit^.pni^ Australian, tyew Zealand, Malaysian and Singapore Forces. Following her four-day visit to Qing Dao, the ship will head west, to resume duties in the.Gul,f. ;Ijj loiir.voD .rD
.. /Kil'jd bltlrf J.A -"
HMS Exeter entered service in 1980. She has an overall iQflgth ^^l^fe^Ljapd a crew of 280 men. She has two 4,800 SHP Rolls-Royce Tyne gas turbines for cruising, and two 25,000 SHP Rolls-Royce Olympus gas turbines fqrjjull power, which gives a maximum speed of over 28 knots. I ll(. r,
•jr‘l
The Type-42 Destroyer’s primary role is anti-air warfare, and HMS Exeter is armed with the Sea Dart missile system which is designed to provide area air defence to a group of ships at sea.
She is also armed with an automatic 4.5-inch gun, capable of engaging air, surface and shore targets. Four 20mm guns provide close range air and surface defence, and two radar-controlled Gatljng guns provide close-in defence against missile attack. She is also fitted with an extremely effective Sonar system, for the detection of submarine targets.
The ship also carries the high-speed multi-purpose Lynx helicopter, armed with anti-submarine weapons and the Sea Skua anti-ship missile. The Lynx helicopter can achieve a speed of over 150 knots, and also has a very useful search and rescue capability.
HMS Exeter will moor in Victoria Harbour, opposite the Prince of Wales Barracks. i;f| . (JJ1, ,bf|.
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4 ..no!1 End
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20
Hong Kong welcomes APEC business executives ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The acting Financial Secretary, Mr Rafael Hui, this (Friday) evening hosted a dinner to welcome senior business executives from the 18 member economies of the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) who are in Hong Kong to attend the third meeting of APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).
The Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, joined ABAC members at the cocktail reception held before the dinner to give his support and had free and cordial exchanges with them.
In his speech at the dinner, Mr Hui stressed that the Hong Kong Government would continue to accord priority to APEC and the co-operation with the business sector in the process of trade liberalisation and facilitation.
ABAC is a business advisory body established by APEC Economic Leaders at their meeting in Osaka last November. Comprising prominent businessmen from the 18 APEC member economies, the ABAC is tasked to provide insight to APEC activities and to advise Economic Leaders on key policy issues.
The Financial Secretary has appointed Mr Gordon Wu, Dr Victor Fung, and Mr Victor Lo as Hong Kong's representatives in ABAC.
End
Draft drainage plan for Tin Shui Wai *****
The Drainage Services Department has prepared a draft Drainage Authority Area Plan for Tin Shui Wai Drainage Basin, one of the flood prone drainage basins in Hong Kong.
A spokesman for the department said today (Friday) that the basin included Tin Shui Wai new town. Ha Tsuen, Ping Shan and Lau Fu Shan covering 22 square kilometres in area.
"About 16 kilometres of watercourses within the area are designated as main watercourses," the spokesman said.
21
Upon first publication of the draft plan in the Gazette today, the Drainage Authority is given various powers under the Land Drainage Ordinance to execute drainage works, to enter upon private land for executing drainage works, and to exercise control on erection of structures within the main watercourses.
"These measures are aimed at reducing the threat of flooding in the area," he said.
Any person aggrieved by the draft plan may deliver a written statement of objection to the Director of Drainage Services on or before November 26.
The objector should clearly set out in his written statement the nature of and reasons for the objection and any proposed alteration that would remove the objection.
The notice, both in English and Chinese, together with its related plan can be seen at the following offices:
* Drainage Services Department Headquarters, 43rd floor, Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong;
* Land Drainage Division, Drainage Services Department, 11th floor, Kowloon Government Offices, 405 Nathan Road, Kowloon;
* Yuen Long District Office, Yuen Long District Office Building, 269 Castle Peak Road, Yuen Long, New Territories;
♦ Land Registry, 28th floor, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong; and
* Yuen Long New Territories Land Registry, seventh floor, Yuen Long Government Offices, 2 Kiu Lok Square, Yuen Long, New Territories.
End
22
Tenders invited for construction of public piers
*****
The Civil Engineering Department (CED) is inviting tenders for the construction of three public piers in Sai Kung.
The works comprise the construction of three new piers, together with demolition of the existing jetties and landings at Tung Lung Chau, Tai Tau Chau and Sha Kiu Tau.
The piers will be used by kaitos, fishing boats and motorised sampans of the local villagers and other members of the public.
Construction will commence in December this year for completion in 18 months.
The works have been designed and will be supervised by the Port Works Division of the CED.
Forms of tender and further particulars may be obtained from the Chief Engineer, Port Works Division, Civil Engineering Office, CED at the fifth floor, Civil Engineering Building, 101 Princess Margaret Road, Kowloon.
The closing date for tender is noon on October 18.
End
Road works for Tsang Tai Uk Village proposed *****
The Government is proposing to provide a new road, a car park, and a 80-metre emergency vehicular access and footpath in the Tsang Tai Uk Village Expansion Area in Sha Tin.
The proposed road works will include:
* re-construction of a 30-metre cycle track;
* re-construction of part of a footpath at the junction of Sha Kok Street; and
* associated ancillary landscaping and drainage works.
23
As part of the programme for the Village Improvements and Development Schemes in the New Territories, the works will commence in mid 1997 and take 15 months to complete.
Details of the proposed works were published in the Government Gazette today (Friday).
The plan and scheme showing the proposed works can be seen at:
♦ Central Enquiry Service Centre, Central and Western District Office, Ground Floor, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong;
* Sha Tin District Lands Office, 2 Tung Lo Wan Hill Road , Sha Tin; and
* Sha Tin District Office, 6th Floor, Citylink Plaza, Sha Tin KCR Station,
Sha Tin.
Any person who wishes to object to the works or the use or both, is required to send his objection in writing to the Secretary for Transport on second floor, East Wing, Central Government Offices, Lower Albert Road, Hong Kong by November 26, 1996.
End
Tenders for Lung Poon Street footbridge invited ♦ * ♦ ♦ ♦
The Highways Department is inviting tenders for the construction of a footbridge across Lung Poon Street in Wong Tai Sin and its associated landscaping and ground level works.
Designed and supervised by the Kowloon Regional Office, Highways Department, the works will commence in December for completion in October 1997.
Details of the tender was published in the Government Gazette today (Friday).
Tender forms and particulars may be obtained from the Regional Highway Engineer/Kowloon, Highways Department, Room 1321, Nan Fung Commercial Centre, 19 Lam Lok Street, Kowloon Bay, Kowloon.
24
Completed and sealed tenders must be clearly marked outside the envelope and addressed to the Chairman of the Public Works Tender Board . They should be placed in the Public Works Tender Box on 34th Floor, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway, Hong Kong by noon October 18.
Late tenders will not be accepted.
End
Prequalification for management of parking meters ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ *
The Transport Department is inviting tenders for the prequalification of a contract to manage and maintain all parking meters in Hong Kong.
The invitation was gazetted today (Friday).
Successful applicants in the prequalification exercise will be invited to tender for the contract. The contract will be for four years with an option to extend for a further period of up to six months.
Applicants are required to provide evidence of experience and competence in the management, operation and maintenance of vehicle parking systems, electronic parking devices, mechanical parking meters, smart card operated systems, clocks and watches or other related facilities; or alternatively evidence of ability to engage expertise and resources in these respects from acceptable sources.
They are also required to provide evidence of financial capability in undertaking the contract, submit sufficient and relevant information to enable assessments to be made on their eligibility to tender for the contract.
In their submission, applicants should also give sufficient details and submit proposals to demonstrate their good understanding of the tasks involved.
Interested parties, including joint ventures, may obtain the prequalification document by producing a company letter indicating their interest to bid for the contract during office hours from the Transport Department reception counter on 41st floor, Immigration Tower, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
Applications should be addressed to the Chairman, Central Tender Board and placed in the Government Secretariat tender box situated in the lift lobby on the lower ground floor of the Central Government Offices (East Wing), Lower Albert Road, Hong Kong, no later than noon on November 8.
End
25
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (Smillion)
Opening balance in the account 2,359 0930 -200
Closing balance in the account 2,375 1000 -200
Change attributable to: 1100 -200
Money market activity -219 1200 -200
LAF today +235 1500 -200
1600 -219
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.6 *+0.1* 27.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.11 2 years 2808 6.00 99.93 6.13
1 month 5.12 3 years 3907 6.80 100.96 6.52
3 months 5.18 5 years 5109 7.32 101.06 7.18
6 months 5.30 7 years 7308 7.24 99.27 7.51
12 months 5.59 5 years M5O3 7.35 100.07 7.46
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $14,423 million
Closed September 27, 1996
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Saturday, September 28,1996
Contents Page_No_.
Government policy progress report ready on Monday................... 1
Children win prizes in slope safety colouring competition........... 1
Employment Ordinance exhibition starts on Monday.................... 2
Twelve organisations to raise funds in October...................... 3
Sunday, September 29,1996
Contents Page No.
Transcript of CS's media session......................................... 4
Pilot control scheme for display of publicity materials............. 5
Tai O Creek Pedestrian Bridge open to public........................ 7
Second overseas domestic helpers service centre opens............... 8
Last cycle for teacher qualification assessment..................... 9
HK ’97 definitive stamp sheetlet to be issued....................... 10
1
Government policy progress report ready on Monday ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The Government will publish a progress report on Monday (September 30) detailing achievements of the undertakings made in the Governor’s 1992-1995 policy addresses.
Copies of the report in English and Chinese will be distributed to members of the public from 4 pm to 7 pm on Monday at seven Mass Transit Railway stations at Central, Causeway Bay, Tai Koo, Tsim Sha Tsui, Prince Edward, Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan, as well as Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation’s Kowloon Terminus, Kowloon Tong and Sha Tin stations.
They will also be available from noon the same day from the Government Publications Centre, ground floor, Low Block, Queensway Government Offices, 66 Queensway and the Marketing Office of Information Services Department on the 17th floor, Siu On Centre, 188 Lockhart Road, Wan Chai, and at all District Offices from 4 pm.
End
Children win prizes in slope safety colouring competition
*****
Two girls and a boy were awarded prizes for their outstanding artistic skills in a colouring competition organised by the Civil Engineering Department (CED).
The competition was held last month to mark the opening ceremony of the department’s roving exhibition on slope maintenance at China Hong Kong City, Tsim Sha Tsui.
Head of the Geotechnical Engineering Office of CED, Dr Andrew Malone, when presenting the prizes said most of the entries were nicely drawn with rich colours and great creativity.
”We are pleased to have the great support to the competition from the children and their parents. Through participating, they have learnt more about the importance of regular slope maintenance in Hong Kong and will help to spread this message
across.
2
"This is in line with our mission to foster partnership with the community to meet Hong Kong’s need for the highest standard of slope safety,” he said.
The three winners are Chi Ka-wing (age 10), Yeung Chi-kuen (age 11) and Chan Ka-wai (age 11).
End
Employment Ordinance exhibition starts on Monday
*****
The Labour Department will stage a five-day exhibition on the Employment Ordinance in Lok Fu Estate at Wang Tau Hom from Monday (September 30) with an aim to let employers and employees have a better understanding of the legal provisions so as to enhance harmonious labour relations.
There will be display panels introducing the main provisions of the ordinance, such as annual leave, maternity leave, long service payment, severance payment and termination of employment. Leaflets on these provisions can be obtained at the exhibition area.
Members of the public are welcomed to visit the exhibition at Lok Fu Shopping Centre I - Venue A during the following opening hours.
♦ Monday (September 30): 1 pm - 10 pm
* Tuesday to Thursday (October 1 to 3): 8 am - 10 pm
♦ Friday (October 4): 8 am - 1 pm
Admission is free.
Similar exhibition held in Central, Tsuen Wan and Wan Chai earlier this year attracted about 8,000 visitors.
End
3
Twelve organisations to raise funds in October ♦ * * ♦ *
Twelve organisations have been granted permission to raise funds next month, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said today (Saturday).
They will either sell flags, tokens or similar items, or place donation boxes in designated public places.
Members of the public can call the department's hotline 2343 2255 in case of doubt.
Any organisation planning to hold activities involving collection of money or sale or exchange for donation of badges, tokens or similar articles in a public place for charitable purposes should apply for a public subscription permit from SWD.
The spokesman appealed to organisers to take precautions against any possible fraud.
"Sellers should display the permit or carry copies of the permit for inspection upon request if the fund-raising is mobile." he said.
The spokesman also advised them to prepare guidelines for sellers, setting out the places and the times for selling and the collection points for bags.
"Organisers should inform the Police in case of loss of property, and seek their help when fraudulent acts, such as tampering of collection bags or making unauthorised selling, are found." he added.
Permits arc given to the following organisations for raising funds next month:
Flag Day
Event Date Organisation
October 5 I he Boys’ and Girls' Association of Hong Kong
October 12 New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association
October 19 Po Leung Kuk
October 26 The Chinese Rhensih Church 1 long Kong Synod
4
Subscription
Event Day Organisation
October 3-5, 18- 19 & 26-27 Watchdog Ltd
October 3-5 Keswick Foundation Ltd
October 5, 12, 18 Shepherd Community Church
& 26
October 5 & 26 Land of Virtue Centre Ltd
October 6 Hong Kong Church of Christ
October 12 Sowers Action
October 13 Hong Kong AIDS Foundation Ltd
October 14-27 Oxfam Hong Kong
End
Transcript of CS's media session *****
Following is the transcript of the remarks (English) made to the media by the Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, after returning from Australia this (Sunday) evening:
CS: Hello everyone. I've just completed a one-week tour of Australia. This has been on the whole a very successful tour during which I met with the Prime Minister. I also opened our Sydney office - our new Economic and Trade Of fice - which will provide a permanent presence of Hong Kong in Australia after 1997. 1 met with the State Premiers of New South Wales and Victoria, also with other leading government officials, leading business people and also with academics and the media.
5
There's considerable interest in Hong Kong's transition and a good deal of goodwill and support for a successful transition. In my meeting with the Prime Minister, we discussed a range of issues of concern to both sides. In particular I raised with the Prime Minister the question of granting visa-free access for Hong Kong passport holders - SAR passport holders - after 1997. The Prime Minister assured me that he fully appreciated the need for ease of travel for Hong Kong people going in and out of Australia, given the very strong and increasingly strong links that we have with Australia, and he would do everything possible to facilitate the application and processing of visas. I understand that the Australian government is considering certain arrangements that will indeed speed up application and issue of visas. So we very much look forward to the Australian government reaching a conclusion on these new arrangements and of course we look forward to an early announcement.
In addition to opening the Hong Kong Sydney Economic and Trade Office, I also signed with the Attorney General a very important legal agreement that would provide for a range of mutual assistance in the investigation and prosecution of criminals.
Both sides noted with satisfaction the very strong links between Australia and Hong Kong, not only on the trade side, but also in terms of Hong Kong people settling in Australia and also Hong Kong students studying in Australia, particularly in tertiary institutions.
End
Pilot control scheme for display of publicity materials *****
The Lands Department today (Sunday) reminded the public that applications for display of publicity materials at the 100 designated locations in Wan Chai should be made on or before noon on Tuesday (October 1).
Applications should be made on the standard application forms and returned to the District Lands Office, Hong Kong West. 19th floor, Southom Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai.
A spokesman for the department explained that this was part of a trial scheme to be launched in Wan Chai in November to control the display of publicity materials in public places in the district.
6
’’From November 1, the display of publicity materials in Wan Chai will only be permitted at the 100 designated locations.
"The trial scheme will last for six months with an aim to addressing the problem of proliferation of unauthorised publicity materials," he said.
In preparation for the scheme, all existing placards and banners in Wan Chai are scheduled to be removed by Urban Services Department from October 21.
An open ballot with applicants or their representatives’ presence will be held on October 14 at the Wan Chai District Board Conference Room on the 21st floor, Southom Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, to select successful applicants.
After the ballot, the spokesman said, a list of successful applicants would be displayed at the District Lands Office and the Public Enquiry Service Centre of Wan Chai District Office. Unsuccessful applicants will not be notified separately.
"Vacant spots after balloting will be allocated to post-deadline applications on a first-come-first-served basis.
"The approved period for display will be one month from the first day of the month less the last two days.
"Upon expiry, the publicity materials must be removed within two days. Otherwise, the unattended banners will be cleared and disposed of by the Government which reserves the right to claim removal costs and prosecute offenders," he said.
The spots have been chosen to ensure that traffic and pedestrian safety will not be compromised.
"The pilot scheme is not applicable to properties managed by the Housing Authority and the Urban Council which already have their own control system," he added.
A review will be conducted at the end of the trial period.
End
7
Tai O Creek Pedestrian Bridge open to public ♦ ♦ ♦ * ♦
The opening of the $15 million Tai O Creek pedestrian bridge represents a major step forward in the overall development programme for Tai O, the Director of Territory Development, Mr Lee Shing-see, said today (Sunday).
"With the rapid growth in tourist and commercial activities, the traditional rope ferry service has already become inadequate to cope with the traffic demand,” he said.
Mr Lee was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Tai O Creek Pedestrian Bridge. Also officiating at the ceremony were the Chairman of the Regional Council, Mr Daniel Lam Wai-keung; the Islands District Officer, Mr Christopher Wong Kwok-bun; the Chairman of Tai O Rural Committee, Mr Lee Chi-fung and the Project Manager of Hong Kong Island and Islands Development Office, Mr Pang Ho-che.
"The completion of the bridge today will not only improve the local traffic, but will bring about another rural characteristic to Tai O," said the Director.
Construction of the pedestrian bridge started in April last year. The 56-metre long bridge is built with a central span which can be lifted to allow large fishing junks to pass.
Mr Lee said in the mid-seventies, the department had completed strategic studies for the development of Tai O and had subsequently embarked step-by-step on a series of development projects.
"The Tai O sewage treatment plant, flood protection drainage systems and pumping facilities for Tai O town, site formation for Lung Tin Estate and laying of several sewage pipes have been completed.
"We will continue to maintain a close liaison with other government departments and community organisations in the development of infrastructure facilities for Tai O," he said.
End
8
Second overseas domestic helpers service centre opens *****
The second full-time service centre for overseas domestic helpers (ODH) is opened in Mong Kok today (Sunday) to provide a wide range of social and recreational facilities.
With a maximum capacity for 1,500 users, the centre will open from 10 am to 6 pm, Tuesday through Sunday. Facilities to be provided in phases include classrooms, remittance service, computer room, cinema, beauty salon and cafe.
It will also organise vocational training courses, seminars, beauty contests and cultural programmes for the 15,900 ODHs working in Hong Kong.
Located at 78 Hak Po Street, Mong Kok, the premises was leased by the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals for a token $1 per annum to the Bayanihan Trust, which would be responsible for the centre’s management. The site was formerly the Yiu Dak Chi Memorial School.
The Trust is a non-profit making organisation founded in 1993 by a group of Filipino businessmen in Hong Kong with the objective of providing sheltered facilities for organising social, cultural and vocational activities for ODHs.
The Government started a scheme in September 1994 to set up centres for ODHs to relieve the impact of their gatherings on rest days in some more popular locations such as the Central district.
The Home Affairs Department is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the entire scheme. A Steering Committee comprising District Board members and representatives from the Urban Services Department, the Police and the Transport Department has closely monitored the operation of these centres.
At present, five Sunday-only activity centres have been set up at Kowloon Technical School in Sham Shui Po, Clementi Secondary School in North Point, Ho Tung Technical School for Girls in Causeway Bay, Jockey Club Government Secondary Technical School in Kowloon Tong and Po Leung Kuk Yu Lee Mo Fan Memorial School in North Point.
A full-time service centre has also been operating in Kennedy Town. All centres are managed by the Bayanihan Trust.
Officiating guest of the Mong Kok Service Centre’s opening is the Honourable senator Sergio Osmena Jr from the Philippines.
End
9
Last cycle for teacher qualification assessment *****
The Education Department has decided that the Non-graduate Teacher Qualifications Assessment (NGTQA) Scheme, under which holders of qualifications obtained outside Hong Kong are assessed for the purpose of entering the teaching profession, should be discontinued after the 1997 cycle.
However, the department will honour its commitments made to NGTQA candidates in previous cycles regarding resitting arrangements for the examinations concerned, the conduct of the English Oral Proficiency Test and supervised teaching practice, completion of which should take two to four years.
Applications for the last cycle of the NGTQA Scheme will be invited in midNovember 1996. Details will be announced separately.
The NGTQA Scheme was introduced in 1993 in accordance with recommendations in Education Commission Report No 5 to identify a wider pool of potential teachers who obtained their qualifications and training outside Hong Kong.
The Scheme enables suitable applicants to become qualified teachers once their academic and professional competence is demonstrated.
Candidates who pass Parts I and II or all three parts of the NGTQA examinations are eligible for appointment as Certificated Masters/Mistresses in government primary schools or as permitted teachers in aided primary schools.
The vast majority of candidates have obtained their qualifications in China or Taiwan.
A working group comprising representatives from the Education and Manpower Branch, the Education Department. Hong Kong Institute of Education and the primary school sector considered after a review that continuation of the scheme in the longer term would not be justified.
However, in order to provide potential candidates with a last chance, the scheme should be run for one last cycle in 1997.
The group's recommendation has been endorsed by the Advisory Committee on Teacher Education and Qualifications (ACTEQ).
10
The working group noted that while the cost to provide each successful NGTQA candidate in 1995 was $99,159, the number of registered candidates and the reported success rate of successful NGTQA candidates obtaining teaching appointments have been on the decline.
There were 191 registered candidates in the NGTQA scheme in 1993, and 135 in 1996. The reported success rate of successful NGTQA candidates obtaining teaching appointments has dropped from 79 per cent in the 1993 cycle to 52 per cent in the 1995 cycle.
The working group also noted that according to statistics projected for the coming 10 years, there will not be a significant shortfall of trained non-graduate teachers in primary schools.
The working group therefore did not see that there is a strong need to maintain the scheme as a means to relieve the problem of teacher shortage in primary schools.
According to the working group, the rather low preference school heads have given to successful NGTQA candidates may be due to a number of factors, including the candidates’ lack of knowledge about the local school system.
The working group agreed with the view of ACTEQ that to improve the quality of education in schools, there should be in place an all-trained profession familiar with local curriculum development and with the needs of local students.
It considers that holders of overseas qualifications intending to enter the teaching profession should receive local teacher training.
Meanwhile, it is noted that there are various teacher education courses or degree courses at local tertiary institutes which are available to potential NGTQA candidates, completion of which should qualify them for a teaching appointment.
End
HK ’97 definitive stamp sheetlet to be issued ♦ ♦ * ♦ ♦
The Hong Kong ‘97 definitive stamp sheetlet series No 3 will be issued on October 16. the Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman, announced today (Sunday).
This series is one of the products issued in relation to the Hong Kong '97 Stamp Exhibition to be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from February 12 to 16 next year.
11
It comprises three sheetlets which are designed in se-tenant form showing the changes in the Hong Kong skyline at various stages in history, starting from the 1850s. Sheetlet No 1 and 2 had already been released on February 23 and May 18 respectively.
Sheetlet No 3 shows the current skyline of the northern shore of the Hong Kong Island, from Wan Chai to Central. The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, at the left, has been modified through computer effect to incorporate the new extension which is due for completion by mid-1997.
The postmarks reproduced on the sheetlet are some of those used by the Hong Kong Post Office from 1945 to 1994. The sheetlet is designed by Mr Arde Lam and printed by Joh Enschede of the Netherlands.
The $10 definitive stamp depicted on the sheetlet is magenta in colour which is different from the brown colour of the current $10 definitive stamp.
Official souvenir cover at $1 each will be placed on sale at all post offices as from Wednesday (October 2). No advance order service will be provided.
On October 16. a hand back service will be provided at all post offices to official and privately-made covers bearing an indication of the event and a special postmark will be introduced.
A sales restriction for each customer queuing will be imposed on the same day.
End
DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN
ISSUED BY GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES GARDEN ROAD, 5th-8th FLOORS, MURRAY BUILDING, HONG KONG. TEL: 2842 8777
Monday, September 30,1996
Contents Page No*
Transcript of CS’s media session........................................... 1
CS launches 1996 Progress Report........................................... 1
Monetary statistics for August............................................. 2
PCS licences awarded to six bidders........................................ 5
Microchips for dogs and fees for dog licences.............................. 6
Schools urged to observe safety precautions................................ 7
New era in marine conservation begins...................................... 8
EMSD’s forty years of proven track record................................. 10
Royal Marines rent out services for charities.......................... 11
Firing practice in October................................................ 12
Water storage figure...................................................... 12
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations...................... 13
1
Transcript of CS's media session * ♦ * * *
Following is the transcript (English) of the question-and-answer session given by the Chief Secretary, Mrs Anson Chan, after presenting the 1996 Progress Report today (Monday):
Question: Mrs Chan, where are the delays and why are the delays?
CS: I said earlier on that the delays are many and varied; it's very difficult to give one answer. Sometimes for example the delay involves delay in actual construction works because of delay on the part of contractors. Sometimes frequently it is a question of a longer process being required to resume the land and to remove the structures on the land. Then in the case for example of services for the elderly part of the difficulty has been trying to find suitable accommodation in private premises to accommodate for example multi-service centres for the elderly. But in the case of multi-service centres for the elderly there are very strict safety requirements to ensure the interest of the consumers and therefore we have to make sure that the properties that we buy can meet these very exacting safety standards. But we are also pleased that since we embarked on this programme of purchasing private property for welfare services in 1995 we've actually made very very good progress and we've now met over 70 per cent of our targets so we will continue to make good progress in this area.
Question: (inaudible)
CS: We are making good progress in discussing the remaining transitional issues with the Chinese side. I think it is both sides' wish that these issues should be resolved before 1 July 1997. So I am reasonably confident that we will make good progress. I think I can assure you that both sides will spare no effort to achieve this progress.
End
CS launches 1996 Progress Report
♦ * * ♦ ♦
The Government has completed on target 646 out of 692 policy commitments made between 1992 and 1995, representing a success rate of 93 per cent.
Announcing this during the launch of the 1996 Progress Report today (Monday), the Chief Secretary said: "I think 93 per cent success rate indicates that the civil service has been performing extremely well during this difficult transitional period.
2
"We will keep up our spirits and pledge to continue to provide an effective administration well beyond 1997."
Forty-six commitment, or seven per cent of the total, are behind schedule.
i
"The precise reasons for each individual slippage are given in the Progress Report. We are making every effort to complete these undertakings as soon as possible," Mrs Chan said.
She pointed out that Hong Kong was one of the very few governments in the world which adopted a system of annually publishing detailed policy commitments and a progress report to cover every aspect of the administration's activities.
Launching of the Progress Report is the first part of the annual exercise to make sure that the Government is genuinely accountable to the people of Hong Kong.
"It is a valuable tool in our commitment to serving the community," said Mrs Chan.
"It is very much to the credit of the civil service that it has accepted the need for this annual exercise in accountability."
The Governor, the Rt Hon Christopher Patten, will present his fifth Policy Address on Wednesday (October 2). The 1996 Policy Commitments outlining the principal proposals from each Policy Branch will also be published.
End
Monetary statistics for August
*****
The total deposits rose while the total loans and advances declined slightly in August 1996, according to statistics published today (Monday) by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA).
Table 1 summarises figures for August and comparisons with earlier months.
Deposits
Hong Kong dollar deposits grew by 1.2% in August while foreign currency deposits dropped by 0.8%. As a result, total deposits increased by 0.3%, following a rise of 0.8% in July.
3
Within HK dollar deposits, savings and time deposits both rose, outweighing the decline in demand deposits. During the month, HK dollar savings deposits rebounded by 2.6%, having contracted by 0.8% in July, while time deposits rose further by 1.4%, after an increase of 1.5% in the preceding month.
On the other hand, HK dollar demand deposits fell sharply by 4.6%, having risen by a cumulative 6.8% during June and July.
The decline in foreign currency deposits was due entirely to a 2.2% fall in nonUS dollar foreign currency deposits, while US dollar deposits were up by 0.6%.
Loans and advances
Total loans and advances edged lower by 0.3% in August, following an increase of 2.2% in July. The fall reflects a decline in offshore lending and a more moderate growth in domestic credit.
During the month, loans for use outside Hong Kong dropped by 0.8%, as the outstanding value of yen loans was eroded by the depreciation of the yen.
Loans for trade financing fell further by 1.9%, after a 0.5% decline in the preceding month, consistent with the slow growth in external trade. Other domestic loans increased by only 0.6%, partly attributable to the slow-down in the growth of mortgage loans in August, which was in line with the relatively quiet property market during the month.
Analysed by currency, HK dollar loans increased by 0.3% during the month while foreign currency loans fell by 0.6%. As HK dollar loans declined while HK dollar deposits rose, the HK dollar loan-to-deposit ratio fell to 107.6% at end-August, from 108.6% at end-July.
Money supply
HK$M1 dropped by 2.5%, as the decline in HK dollar demand deposits outweighed the rise of 0.6% in currency held by the public. On the other hand, HK$M2 and HK$M3 both increased by 1.2% during the month, after rising by 1% and 0.9% respectively in July.
The growth in HK$M3 of 12.7% during the year to August continued to be broadly in line with recent domestic credit expansion and nominal GDP growth.
4
TABLE 1 : MONETARY STATISTICS - AUG 1996
Aug 19?6 (HKSmn) Earlier months (% change to Aug 1996)
Money-Supply Ml -HKS 176,382 Jul-1996 180,880 ( -2.5 ) May 1996 173,538 ( L<5) Aug 1995 188,500 ( -6.4 )
Foreign currency 19,673 20,416 ( -3.6) 18,460 ( 6.6 ) 18,836 ( 4.4)
Total 196,054 201,295 ( -2.6) 191,998 ( 2-1 ) 207,336 ( -5.4)
M2-HKS© 1,380,633 1,363,775 ( 12) 1,317,528 ( 4.8) 1,221,612 ( 13.0 )
Foreign currency* 1,003,409 1,011,863 ( -O.S ) 1,009,682 ( -0.6 ) 978,121 ( 2.6)
Total 2,384,042 2,375,638 ( 0.4) 2,327,210 ( 2.4) 2,199,732 ( 8.4) t
M3 -HKS® 1,396,382 1,379,445 ( 12) 1,333,917 ( 4.7) 1,238,854 ( 12.7 )
Foreign currency* 1,069,550 1,076,551 ( ■0.7) 1,073,335 ( -0.4 ) 1,040,088 ( 2.8 )
Total 2,465,932 2,455,995 ( 0.4 ) 2,407,252 ( 2-4) Z278.942 ( 8.2)
Notes and coins in circulation 83,174 82,051 ( 1.4 ) 82,304 ( 11 ) 78,355 ( 6.2)
of which held by public 73,796 73,373 ( 0.6 ) 72,860 ( 13) 69,360 ( 6.4)
Total Deposits Total Demand deposits 122,259 127,922 ( -4.4) 119,138 ( 2.6) 137,976 ( -11.4 )
Total Savings deposits 473,487 466,681 ( 15) 455,088 ( 4.0) 411,559 ( 15.0 )
Total Time deposits 1,723,086 1,717,528 ( 0.3 ) 1,690,070 ( 2.0) 1,596,638 ( 7.9)
With licensed banks 1,662,220 1,657,560 ( 0.3) 1,630,462 ( 19) 1,539,344 ( 8.0 )
With restricted licence banks 44,889 43,982 ( 2.1 ) 43,481 ( 3.2 ) 38,468 ( 16.7 )
With deposit-taking companies 15,978 15,986 ( •0.1 ) 16,127 ( -0.9 ) 18,825 ( -15.1 )
HKS deposits® 1,280,034 1,264,445 ( 1.2) 1,220,336 ( 4.9) 1,136,266 ( 12.7 )
Demand deposits 102,586 107,507 ( -4.6) 100,678 ( 19) 119,139 ( -13.9 )
Savings deposits 332,951 324,509 ( 2.6) 318,498 ( 4.5) 28Z669 ( 17.8 )
Time deposits.® 844,497 832,429 ( 1.4) 801,160 ( 5.4) 734,457 ( 15.0 )
USS deposits* 515,070 512,087 ( 0.6 ) 512,213 ( 0.6 ) 511,735 ( 0.7)
Other foreign currency deposits* 523,728 . 535,599 ( -2.2) 531,747 ( -15) 498,173 ( 5.1 )
Foreign currency deposits* 1,038,798 1,047,686 ( -0.8 ) 1,043,960 ( -0.5) 1,009,908 ( 2.9)
All deposits 2,318,832 2,312,131 ( 0.3) 2,264,297 ( 2.4) Z146.173 ( 8.0 )
Foreign currency swap deposits 40,048 41,283 ( -3.0) 43,183 ( -73) 57,716 ( -30.6 )
Total Loans apd advance?
Loans for use in HJG 1,738,369 1,733,409 ( 0.3 ) 1,687,185 ( 3.0) 1,540,514 ( 1Z8 )
To finance HJG'a visible trade 165,056 168,465 ( -2.0) 166,836 ( •1.1) 157,147 ( 5.0)
To finance merchandising trade not touching HJG 20,566 20,790 ( -1.1 ) 20,281 ( 14) 18,889 ( 8.9 )
Other loans for use in HJG 1,552,747 1.544,154 ( 0.6 ) 1,500,069 ( 3.5) 1,364,477 ( 13.8 )
Loans for use outside HJG# 2,117,759 2,133,820 ( -0.8 ) 2,077,370 ( 19) Z 163,219 ( •2-1 )
Other loans for use outside H.K 2,077,307 2,093,009 ( -0.8 ) 2,037,195 ( Z0) Z124.128 ( -Z2)
Other loans where the place of use is not known 40,451 40,811 ( -0.9 ) 40,176 ( 0.7 ) 39,090 ( 3.5 )
Loans in HKS 1,377,570 1,373,165 ( 0.3 ) 1,337,965 ( 3.0 ) 1,212,037 ( 13.7)
Loans in foreign currencies 2,478,558 2,494,063 ( ■0.6 ) 2,426,591 ( 2.1 ) 2,491,695 ( -0.5 )
Total Ioans and advances 3,856,128 3,867,228 ( -0.3 ) 3,764,556 ( 2.4) 3,703,732 ( 4.1 )
• Adjusted to exclude foreign currency swap deposits. @ Adjusted to include foreign currency swap deposits.
* Including those where place of usage is unknown.
Note : Data may not add up to total doe to rounding.
End
PRESS XIS
5
PCS licences awarded to six bidders ♦ * * * ♦
The Telecommunications Authority (TA), Mr Alexander Arena, today (Monday) announced the award of PCS licences to the six successful bidders.
’’The award of the PCS licences is a milestone development for mobile communications in Hong Kong,” he said.
”It will enhance the development of an even more competitive mobile industry which will certainly bring greater benefits to consumers.”
In response to TA’s offer of licence on August 30, the six successful applicants - Hutchison Telephone Company Limited, Mandarin Communications Limited, New World PCS limited, P Plus Communications Limited, Pacific Link Communications Limited, and Peoples Telephone Company Limited - have all confirmed their acceptance of the offer before the deadline of September 27.
The six licensees have committed themselves to providing high-quality services to their customers. With the award of the licences, they are committed to provide service in accordance with the licence conditions.
"I look forward to seeing their early launch of service,” said Mr Arena.
Copies of the six PCS licenses, including the special licence conditions and the relevant details in the performance bonds lodged for compliance with the commitments in the licences, will be made available for public inspection in the library' of the Office of the Telecommunications Authority (OFTA) from Tuesday (October 1).
They will also be placed in OFTA’s Internet homepage http://www.ofta.gov.hk and Bulletin Board Service, Tel 2834 0119 on the same date.
Ead
6
Microchips for dogs and fees for dog licences ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Dogs will have to be implanted with a microchip and fees will be charged for dog licences if proposals gazetted by the Government last Friday (September 27) are enacted.
The Rabies (Amendment) Regulation 1996 proposes that all dogs over the age of five months should be implanted with a microchip identifying the dog with a unique number, when it is first licensed or its licence next becomes due for renewal.
A spokesman for the Economic Services Branch said: "It is important for rabies control and public safety to reduce the number of abandoned and stray dogs. The microchip licensing system will allow dog keepers to be easily identified and made responsible for their animals.”
A spokesman for the Agriculture and Fisheries Department said microchip implantation was a good licensing system because it was accurate, permanent, tamperproof. It is quick to administer and causes only mild discomfort at the time of implantation.
"The microchip will be implanted beneath the loose skin on the back of the dog’s neck. It is encoded with a number which can be read by a special scanner and fed into a computer to retrieve information stored at the time of vaccination and licensing, details of the dog’s rabies vaccination history and the keeper’s name and address," the spokesman said.
The proposed regulation requires the keeper of a dog that has been vaccinated against rabies to ensure that the dog is microchipped. Failure to do so will constitute an offence and render the keeper liable to a fine of $10,000.
The proposed regulation also introduces fees for dog licences, which are currently issued free of charge.
"Licences have been issued free in the past as an incentive to the public to comply with rabies control requirements. Rabies vaccine has also been issued free of charge to persons authorised to vaccinate dogs against rabies," the spokesman said.
"The rabies vaccination rate for dogs in Hong Kong is now about 78 per cent, exceeding the World Health Organisation’s recommended minimum of 70 per cent. There is no longer any need for taxpayers to continue subsidising dog owners in respect of vaccination and licensing."
7
The proposed fees will initially recover half of the costs of providing the licensing services, rabies vaccination and supplying and implanting the microchip. Full costs will be recovered through the fees in three years’ time.
The licence fee will be $70 for a dog vaccinated against rabies by an authorised government officer and $40 for a dog vaccinated against rabies by any other authorised person such as a veterinary practitioner. The latter fee is lower as the costs to be recovered by the Government are lower and the authorised person will charge an additional professional fee.
The proposed regulation also requires the keeper of a licensed dog to report any change of ownership or in his address to the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries in writing within five days. Failure to report these changes within five days will constitute an offence and render the keeper liable to a fine of $5,000.
It is necessary to ensure that the licensing information system is kept up-to-date. Standard forms will be available from the Agriculture and Fisheries Department for reporting this information.
End
Schools urged to observe safety precautions ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Schools are urged to observe safety precautions when organising excursions, picnics and field works for their pupils.
"The Education Department and the Royal Hong Kong Police Force have designed a simple reporting procedure which should be helpful to ensure the safety of the pupils," Principal Education Officer, Mr Tam Chun-kit, said today (Monday).
"School heads are urged in their own interests to follow the procedure whenever outdoor students activties are organised."
They should send a fax to the Divisional Commander with details of outing at least 10 days notice and notify him if any changes are made later, he said.
On the day of outing, they should inform the appropriate Divisional Commander whether the outing will proceed as planned, postponed or cancelled as early as possible.
They should report back upon completion of the activities.
8
In case of mass outing, schools should seek the advise of the Agriculture and Fisheries Department whether the destination is suitable for mass gathering on that particular day.
Participants are advised to carry their identity cards, junior identity cards or some form of identity.
"While knowledge of such trips by the Police is an important safety precaution, the primary responsibility for the safety of pupils should be rest on the schools themselves," Mr Tam said.
They must provide competent leaders, brief the pupils involved properly and take all safety precautions in organising outings, he said.
Pupils should be divided into groups and each group must be under the care of a supervising teacher who ensures, by periodic head counts, that all are present.
In the event of any emergency arising, the leader or any participants should call 999 direct to request rescue service immediately.
Teachers leading an outing are also advised to carry with them life-saving tools such as whistles, electric torches, first-aid kits, mobile phone and pager, said Mr Tam, reminding teachers to follow the guidelines on outdoor activities issued by the department.
End
New era in marine conservation begins ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
The designation of the first batch of marine parks and marine reserve will bring Hong Kong into a new era of marine conservation, said the Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands, Mr Bowen Leung, this (Monday) morning.
Speaking at the official opening ceremony at Cape D'Aguilar Marine Reserve, Mr Leung said the formal establishment of two marine parks and one marine reserve marked the beginning of Hong Kong's achievements in the conservation of the marine environment.
He said the process in achieving the target had not been easy or smooth when marine parks and reserves were still a very new concept to Hong Kong in early 1990s.
9
"To achieve our target, we had to balance various conflicting interests, cultivate support from different sectors of the community, undertake considerable surveys and studies, seek legislative approval, and obtain necessary financial and human resources," he said.
Mr Leung cited various examples at the designated marine parks at Hoi Ha Wan and Yan Chau Tong and the marine reserve at Cape D'Aguilar to show their research and educational potential.
"About a dozen animal species new to science have been discovered in these marine parks and marine reserve in the past decades," he said.
Cape D'Aguilar Marine Reserve is a place full of special marine creature. There is a coral rock pool where 12 species ofcorals can be found in a tiny area and one of them is indigenous to the area.
Meanwhile, the rarer species of marine eel grass can still claim their stand at Yan Chau Tong Marine Park.
"Further research to obtain more valuable baseline information of Hong Kong’s coastal ecological systems will be carried out to provide us with a better understanding of our coastal environment," said Mr Leung.
He stressed that the establishment of this first batch of marine parks and marine reserve was only an initial step in conserving our marine environment and enhancing our resources.
"We shall continue with efforts to designate the Sha Chau and Lung Kwu Chau Marine Park in the near future, and conduct detailed studies of other, further, potential sites," he said.
Also speaking at the ceremony, Director of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr Lawrence Lee, said the concept to setting up marine parks and marine reserves in Hong Kong was dated back to the late '80s.
He said: "In 1991, Cape D'Aguilar, together with Hoi Ha Wan and Yan Chau Tong have been identified by the Marine Parks and Reserves Working Group as suitable sites for designation."
He noted that the Marine Parks Ordinance enacted in 1995 offered the government the mechanism to designated these areas.
10
"The designation of the first batch of marine parks and marine reserve is our pledge of dedication in conserving the marine environment," he said.
Also present at this morning's ceremony were the Vice Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Professor Y C Cheng; Director of HKU's Swire Institute of Marine Science, Professor Brian Morton; and Chairman of the Country and Marine Parks Board, Professor Jim Chi-yung.
End
EMSD's forty years of proven track record *****
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), with over 40 years of proven track record, is the only local quality service provider equipped with the necessary expertise and capability to handle all kinds of engineering facilities at a modern international airport.
This was stated by the Director of EMSD, Mr Hugh Phillipson, when he briefed media representatives on the department’s services at the Kai Tak Airport today (Monday).
"We will do whatever it takes to enable our clients to deliver the highest possible level of quality service to air travellers at all times and we look forward to doing the same for our new airport at Chek Lap Kok," he said.
Mr Phillipson said the department had already planned to relocate services over to Chek Lap Kok.
"We have already secured a lot of business from our existing clients to service their facilities in the new airport.
"A maintenance depot with over 50 multi-disciplined staff members will be established on Lantau Island for the operation and maintenance of all government facilities in Chek Lap Kok, including air traffic control centre, air mail centre, Government Flying Service headquarters, police airport station and other navigation stations off Chek Lap Kok.
"We have established a team for the Tsing Ma Control Area taking care of the sophisticated traffic control equipment for the various bridges," he said.
11
Mr Phillipson said EMSD was providing engineering services for the Hong Kong International Airport on a 24-hour basis.
"We service all kinds of engineering facilities which include airfield lighting which ensures safe landing of aeroplanes, baggage handling system which transports all kinds of passenger luggage and the aerobridges which ensure a safe, comfortable and efficient access for passengers boarding and leaving the aeroplanes”’ he said.
The department is also responsible for ensuring a "no-break" power supply to the airport, said Mr Phillipson, adding that the power supply system there is ’doubleinsured'.
"Firstly, the power distribution system can draw electricity supply from two separate sub-stations. Thus, failure in any one of them will not affect the airport operation.
"Secondly, the airport is equipped with no-break power supply system which guarantees uninterrupted power supply for essential facilities such as air traffic control equipment and lighting system at all time.
"Our energy efficiency management programme also helps to save about $15 million public funds per annum," Mr Phillipson said.
End
Royal Marines rent out services for charities ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Cooking, cleaning and ironing... no domestic task was too small for the Royal Marines, from HMS Tamar, when they recently rented out their services to members of the public and raised over $15,000 for two local charities.
In tackling a variety of household jobs during their "rent-a-royal" charitable drive, the 10-man detachment were also tasked with moving a piano up three flights of stairs to a flat in Yuen Long while one lucky Marine flirted briefly with the world of fashion when he became a photo model for the day.
12
After four months in Hong Kong the Royal Marines are due to leave the territory tomorrow (Tuesday) evening. Before departing for their base with 45 Commando, in Arbroath, Scotland, they will be handing over the money to the Hong Kong Save the Children Fund and the Baby Joshua Appeal.
Attending the presentation at the Prince of Wales Barracks will be Chief of Staff and Senior Royal Naval Officer, Commodore Peter Melson, along with Irene Lo, from the Save the Children Fund, and two-and-a-half-year old Joshua Wong, who will be accompanied by his mother Sandy.
End
Firing practice in October * ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
Firing practice will take place at the Ha Tsuen/Castle Peak Range on seven days next month. The public is advised not to enter the area when red flags are hoisted.
Following are the dates and times for the firing practice:
Date
Time
October 7 (Monday)
October 8 (Tuesday)
October 10 (Thursday)
October 15 (Tuesday)
October 17 (Thursday)
October 23 (Wednesday)
October 24 (Thursday)
8.30 am - 5 pm
8.30 am - 5 pm
8.30 am - 5 pm
8.30 am - 5 pm
8.30 am - 5 pm
8.30 am - 5 pm
8.30 am - 5 pm
End
Water storage figure *****
Storage in Hong Kong’s reservoirs at 9 am today (Monday) stood at 97.7 per cent of capacity or 572.637 million cubic metres.
This time last year the reservoirs contained 559.267 million cubic metres of water, representing 95.4 per cent of capacity.
End
13
Hong Kong Monetary Authority money market operations ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
$ million Time (hours) Cumulative change (Smillioa)
Opening balance in the account 2,375 0930 -218
Closing balance in the account 2,852 1000 -218
Change attributable to: 1100 -218
Money market activity -208 1200 -218
LAF today +685 1500 -208
1600 -208
LAF rate 4.00% bid/6.00% offer TWI 124.7 *+0.1* 30.9.96
Hong Kong Monetary Authority
EF bills EF notes/MTRC
Terms Yield Term Issue Coupon Price Yield
1 week 5.07 2 years 2808 6.00 99.91 6.14
1 month 5.11 3 years 3907 6.80 100.92 6.54
3 months 5.19 5 years 5109 7.32 101.06 7.18
6 months 5.31 7 years 7308 7.24 99.24 7.52
12 months 5.60 5 years M5O3 7.35 100.06 7.47
Total turnover of EF bills and notes - $8,308 million
Closed September 30, 1996
End