Police Commissioner Raymond Siu on Friday paid tribute to officers who have died in the line of duty. At a Force Remembrance Day ceremony, Siu said officers face a number of dangers in the course of their duties, but always put the people of Hong Kong first to ensure the safety and stability of the SAR. He paid special tribute to senior inspector Lam Yuen-yee, a marine officer who died at sea last month. "We were deeply saddened by her passing, yet her memory will live on in every member of the force and the public, for her unwavering commitment to her duties and her exploit of giving her life for our city’s law and order. As with all other fallen officers, Ms Lam has gone onto glory," Siu said. Speaking in general on officers killed while on duty, Siu said: "the light they have shone on us has continued to lead us in keeping our original aspiration of protecting Hong Kong with the motto of serving Hong Kong with honour duty and loyalty, curbing resolutely any acts endangering national security and preventing the emergence of domestic terrorism."

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Police chief pays tribute to fallen officers

Hong Kong's new Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Louise Ho, says she is making safeguarding national security her top priority, including tackling the threat posed by the smuggling of Australian lobsters to the mainland. Ho, the wife of constitutional and mainland affairs minister Erick Tsang, was appointed to the position by the State Council on Thursday morning after being nominated by Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Speaking to reporters, the commissioner vowed to safeguard national security and prevent terrorism. Ho said the number of guns and helmets seized at the border has dropped, but her officers will be on the alert for people resorting to "soft resistance" to spread messages endangering national security, through books, magazines or everyday items. "We proactively collect intelligence on possible contraband. At this moment, we cannot say any definite product. But we should be alert to the situation, not only firearms, ammunition, or weapons and also strategic commodities, we should also pay special attention to those products which may impose threats on national security," she said. The new commissioner also said she expects officers to take the initiative to prevent, curb and punish acts that may endanger national security, citing the recent seizure of Australian lobster as an example. "On the face of it, it's just a normal smuggling case, smuggling lobsters. But actually these smuggling activities would undermine the country's trade restrictions on Australia. Therefore, tackling lobster smuggling activities is an important task in safeguarding national security," Ho said. Customs has also set up a new internal platform to help officers learn more about safeguarding national security, Ho said.

National security top priority for new customs chief

Members of the public have been urged to avoid touching raw fish while shopping at wet markets, as health authorities on Thursday confirmed an outbreak of a bacterial infection that has led to dozens of people falling sick. The Centre for Health Protection said an analysis showed that among the 79 patients who tested positive for the pathogen, invasive Group B Streptococcus, 32 had the same source of infection. They are aged between 31 and 87. Half of them – including two restaurant cooks and a part-time fish seller – said they had handled freshwater fish. Environmental and fish samples collected from the markets some of the patients visited also tested positive for the pathogen with the same genetic sequence. The vice-president of the Hong Kong Society for Infectious Disease, Wilson Lam, told an RTHK programme the outbreak is concerning. He said people should wear gloves when handling fish. "People should be cautious. If they develop symptoms such as inflammation and fever after handling freshwater fish, they should see a doctor quickly," he said. Speaking on the same programme, the chairman of Hong Kong Chamber of Seafood Merchants, Lee Choi-wah, said it's unnecessary for people to touch the fish when shopping at markets, as they can judge whether a fish is fresh from its appearance.

Outbreak of bacterial infections linked to fish: CHP

A representative of the pork trade says even though wholesale prices of pigs have dropped significantly in recent months, this may not immediately be reflected in the market because retailers have to cover increasing costs. Wholesale prices of pigs went down by more than 40 percent on the mainland in September, leading to a drop in price in the SAR as well. But speaking on an RTHK programme on Thursday, Hui Wai-kin, head of the Pork Traders General Association, said the wholesale price stands at around HK$20 per catty, but since shops have to pay for increasing slaughter and transport costs, the cost adds up to around HK$50 per catty. He said the average retail price is HK$70, so the difference isn’t really that great. Hui added that it takes time to adjust the retail price. “The trade always believes pork is a necessity for the people. We have to take care of their daily need of food. So, we try to maintain a stable price,” he said. “In 2019 when the African swine flu hit, supply from the mainland dropped and the price surged. Did we follow immediately? No. We followed slowly as the market got used to it. This time when the price drops, we can’t cut the price by 30 percent at once, we do it gradually,” he explained.

It takes time for pork prices to come down: trader

Security Secretary Chris Tang on Wednesday said eight officers from the disciplined services face criminal investigations for allegedly mocking the death of a marine police senior inspector. The eight were suspended from duty after apparently gloating over the death of Lam Yuen-yee, who was killed in an anti-smuggling operation at sea last month. At a Legco meeting, legislator Tony Tse asked whether the government could look into introducing new legislation to ban people from such behaviour. Tang said he had noted that after the death of the officer, some people made satirical remarks on the internet and posted songs suspected of expressing hatred towards the police. "The government is deeply regretful and angry about these cold-blooded acts, which the whole of society should strongly condemn," he said. Tang said eight officers from the disciplined services had been suspended from duty over comments made online regarding the marine inspector. "We would assess whether any criminal offences were involved. If there is enough evidence, we could make arrests and lay prosecution. If no criminal offences were involved, we might proceed to disciplinary investigations into these officers," he said. The security chief added that while there is no legislation in Hong Kong to outlaw hate speech, there are other laws in place that can deal with "inappropriate information" and sedition.

Officers probed over police death comments

Police on Wednesday said they had seized seven modified speedboats and eight engines suspected to be linked to smuggling activities. Officers said the vessels, which were in a car park in Tung Chung, were worth around HK$5 million. Chief inspector Yu Pok-hon said two of the boats could travel as fast as 80 kilometres per hour, which would pose a danger to marine safety. A 17-year-old male was arrested on suspicion of constructing vessels for the purpose of smuggling.

Police seize modified speedboats

A construction workers’ union has urged the government to carry out more short-term projects to create jobs as it announced a wage freeze for members for another year. At a press briefing on Wednesday, the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union said the decision was made following talks with members, contractor associations and other stakeholders. This means the wages of 15 major occupations in the industry will remain unchanged for the third year in a row. Chairman of the union, Wong Ping, said a survey it carried out in July and August showed the sector is still recovering from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as filibustering in Legco and protests in recent years. He said it interviewed around 1,700 workers, and found that the unemployment rate was around 9.3 percent, and the underemployment rate was around 14 percent. Ng Wai-leung, also from the union, urged the government to undertake more short-term contracts for building works, saying mega projects like Lantau Tomorrow or the Northern Metropolis can't help them make ends meet in the near term. “We hope the government can do more short term works, such as renovating public toilets or pedestrian pathways, fixing the homes of elderly who live alone, or replacing old pipes in public housing estates,” Ng said. “This could create jobs and improve people’s quality of life,” he added. ______________________________ Last updated: 2021-10-21 HKT 09:51

Construction workers face another year of wage freeze

The mother of murder victim Poon Hiu-wing has lashed out at people involved in suspect Chan Tong-kai's case, alleging they are "unrighteous people" who did not have the courage to meet her. She had invited Chan and his parents, pastor Peter Koon, security minister Chris Tang, police chief Raymond Siu, as well as DAB lawmakers Starry Lee and Holden Chow to meet her outside the government headquarters on Wednesday morning. None of them turned up. The Security Bureau and Chow said earlier the power to resolve the case rested with Taiwan authorities. Poon Hiu-wing died in Taiwan in early 2018. The case triggered the extradition bill controversy, sparking months of protests from June the following year. Poon's mother said Chan wasn't tried for murder and has only served time in jail for money laundering after taking her daughter's possessions. She said officials can set a precedent by putting Chan on trial in the SAR. The mother got emotional when she met the press. "They always keep dragging their feet. It's so hard for us. It's so difficult bringing up my daughter. The SAR government did nothing and they don't care at all. They just got Reverend Peter Koon to be Chan Tong-kai's spokesperson. He keeps protecting Chan," she said. "I want to ask him: Did he really help my daughter?" In response to media enquiries, Koon said there's nothing he could do if Poon's mother chose to misunderstand him. Koon also said a lawyer appointed to represent Chan in Taiwan has made it clear his client wanted to surrender last year, but they were told that he needed to wait for negotiations between the authorities in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Tang, for his part, expressed sympathy for Poon's mother. He accused the authorities in Taiwan of playing politics, and said they should let Chan turn himself in. "I think the whole issue is Taiwan, China, does not allow Mr Chan to go to Taiwan to face his responsibility," Tang said. "Here, I would like to reiterate, no matter what Taiwan, China does, they won't change the fact that Taiwan is part of China."

No one has courage to see me: Poon Hiu-wing's mother

The Home Affairs Department (HAD) has proposed stripping district councils of their role in implementing community and minor work projects. At a Legco panel meeting on Wednesday, officials said district councils should no longer review funding requests for community involvement projects and minor works programmes, and the HAD and Leisure and Cultural Services Department could take up this role between them instead. Home Affairs Secretary Caspar Tsui pointed to the recent resignation and disqualification of hundreds of district councillors as he explained why such a change is necessary. “It will not affect the function of the district councils. But there are district councils with too few members. It undermines their ability to represent the constituents, and there are projects and works which are put on hold because of this,” he said. The DAB's Leung Che-cheung, who chaired the meeting, cast doubt on the government's plan. He noted that some councils, such as Islands District Council, still have plenty of members left and it has been possible to approve funding for some projects. In response, Tsui said approved projects would not be scrapped if the changes to the role of district councils are made. The government's proposal will be submitted to Legco's finance committee for consideration.

Govt hopes to strip district councils of funding role

The chairman of the Equal Opportunities Commission, Ricky Chu, says now is the time to make it illegal to discriminate against mainlanders, noting that the body has received a lot of complaints regarding such discrimination in recent years. Chu told an RTHK programme on Wednesday that the commission has made a number of proposals to the government. He said the proposals focus on three main aspects: people of the same ethnicity discriminating against each other, people being discriminated against on the basis of their residential status, and discrimination relating to where a person comes from, even if it's within the same country. “In the past three years, we’ve received a lot of reports about mainlanders being discriminated against in Hong Kong. An NGO has also recently said new migrants, including children and adults, are facing a lot of discrimination at workplaces or schools,” Chu said. “That’s why I think now is definitely the time to legislate, and we should do it as quickly as possible,” he added. The commissioner also said he hopes the EOC would be given the power to investigate, collect evidence and initiate legal proceedings after receiving complaints. He said, at present, the body cannot start any litigation if there are no victims to give evidence.

'Act now on discrimination against mainlanders'

Authorities said on Tuesday that they had seized thousands of tonnes of meat worth about HK$2 billion from an unlicensed cold store near Lok Ma Chau. Officers from the police and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department swooped on a container yard on Mai Po Lung Road. They said they discovered about 200 refrigerated containers, packed with meat including pork, beef and lamb. Detective chief inspector Lin Kin-tak said the meat weighed more than 5,600 tonnes. He said they were investigating where the meat came from and whether it was destined to be smuggled elsewhere. A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of operating an unlicensed cold store.

Authorities seize chilled meat worth HK$2bn

The Wine and Dine Festival will return with a “City Wine Walk” offer and last throughout next month, the Tourism Board announced on Tuesday. The festival was moved online last year due to the pandemic and was cancelled altogether in 2019 because of the social unrest. This year, participants can buy a tasting pass which will allow them to try wines and special menus at more than 50 restaurants and bars in Kennedy Town, Central, Wan Chai and Tsim Sha Tsui. "Instead of having it in a physical venue where everyone's there, we're now bringing everyone into the neighbourhood and into the community," said Dane Cheng, the Tourism Board's executive director. "The format of having it in a big open space venue with hundreds of thousands of people over a four-day period, tasting different wine, good food in different booths and with music, I think that certainly is the most desirable format," Cheng said. "But it's different, it's almost impossible to do it under the current control monitoring environment." Hundreds of restaurants will also be offering special menus and discounts during the period. The Tourism Board said it has invested HK$15 million in the event, including spending on promoting the festival overseas and on the mainland. Cheng said they are aiming to bring the festival back to an open venue next year, while looking into incorporating other elements as well. "I think it'll be a combination of everything, a bit of a hybrid in terms of online, in terms of bringing it to the neighbourhood, in terms of having restaurants, outlets and bars participating," he said. "We're actually taking the opportunity, trying different means and forms and to curate Hong Kong, taking us to another level of this culinary capital of Asia."

Wine and Dine Festival to last whole of November

Chief Executive Carrie Lam was discharged from hospital on Tuesday morning after she stayed overnight following a fall at Government House. She was admitted the previous night after fracturing her right elbow. The fracture was described as minor. Lam left Queen Mary Hospital at around 9am on Tuesday, her arm wrapped in a cast. She boarded a black seven-seater without speaking to reporters. Tuesday's scheduled Executive Council meeting and the preceding media session have both been cancelled.

Carrie Lam discharged from hospital

Colin Powell, the first black US secretary of state and top military officer, died on Monday at the age of 84 due to complications from Covid-19. He was fully vaccinated, his family said in a statement on Facebook. "We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American," his family said, offering thanks to the staff of the hospital near Washington, DC who treated Powell but providing few details about his illness. Powell was one of America's most prominent black figures for decades. He served three Republican presidents in senior posts and reached the top of the US military as it was regaining its vigour after the trauma of the Vietnam War. In a brief statement, the Powell family said he had died on Monday morning from Covid-19, had been fully vaccinated against the disease, and it thanked the medical staff at Walter Reed National Medical Center near Washington. It did not address such matters as what vaccine he received or whether he had gotten a booster shot, when he fell ill, when he may have been admitted to hospital and whether he may have had underlying health conditions that contributed to his illness. Condolences poured in, including from former US president George W Bush. "Many presidents relied on General Powell's counsel and experience," Bush wrote in a statement. "He was such a favorite of presidents that he earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom – twice." Powell served as US national security adviser under President Ronald Reagan from 1987 to 1989. As a four-star Army general, he was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George HW Bush during the 1991 Gulf War in which US-led forces expelled Iraqi troops from neighboring Kuwait. (Reuters)

Tributes to Powell, first black US secretary of state

The Institute of Human Resource Management has projected a 3 percent pay increase for workers next year. The institute based the projection on its poll of 115 companies in 16 sectors from January to September this year. Of the 105 firms that responded, 37 percent said they will offer a wage increase to staff and 6 percent said they will freeze pay. The rest said they have not made a decision yet. As for this year, the institute said workers received an average salary increase of 1 percent. Adjusted for inflation, the net pay rise was minus 0.4 percent. Both figures are at their lowest for a decade. "Covid-19 is not going away, and there's no schedule or target date for businesses and travel to resume normal. Under such circumstances, people or enterprises tend to be more conservative," said Lawrence Hung, the institute's vice-president. But he's more optimistic about the business outlook next year, and believes firms are likely to spend more on wages and bonuses. "To remain competitive in the labour market, and also to reward good performances (of the employees), I think they need a more reasonable and sizeable budget," he said.

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