Daily Information Bulletin
Issued by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Information Services
Garden Road, 5th-8th Floors, Murray Building, Hong Kong. Tel: 2842 8777

Monday, January 5, 1998 CONTENTS ======== 1. Transcript of CS's media session at airport 2. Screening of travellers not necessary 3. Update on avian flu 4. Welfare services to needy chicken farmers continue 5. EPD welcomes investigation report 6. DSD's response to Ombudsman's Report 7. Citybus backs voter registration 8. Appointment of new Director of NAPCO 9. Government thanks Metrication Committee for its efforts 10. Sewage treatment works to upgrade for Sheung Shui development 11. 36 building plans approved in October 12. Tender for the 18th issue of 3-Year Exchange Fund notes 13. Water storage figure 14. Rates and government rent for first quarter of 1998 due 1. Transcript of CS's media session at airport ******************************************* Following is a transcript (English part) of the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mrs Anson Chan's media session at the airport before visiting Beijing today (Monday): Reporter: Mrs Chan, what will you be doing in Beijing? Mrs Chan: My visit this time is mainly at the invitation of Mr Liao Hui, the Head of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office. And I'm delighted to have this opportunity to meet Mr Liao Hui and his colleagues to discuss the matter of mutual interest. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office has also very kindly arranged for me to pay a courtesy call on the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the head of the security department and also the NPC Secretary, Mr Cao Zhi. In addition, of course, I'm delighted that the Vice Premier, Mr Qian Qichen, is able to spare some time to see me. And I'll also have an opportunity to dine with him and his wife on Tuesday evening. I expect to be back in Hong Kong at noon time on Wednesday. Reporter: Will you be discussing the recent financial crisis at Hong Kong...? Mrs Chan: Of course the Vice Premier is very interested in every thing that goes on in Hong Kong. He had only a very short stay here on his way back from his South African visit. So I'm sure this will be a good opportunity for me to bring the Vice Premier up-to-date on what's happening in Hong Kong not only on the financial upfront but also on other issues. I'm sure he will be very interested, for example in hearing the latest about the avian flu. Reporter: Mrs Chan, there have been some criticism about the flu case. There were protest yesterday because... cause financial losses...how would you respond? Mrs Chan: We've already made it quite clear that we very much appreciate and sympathise with the financial difficulties that various people are facing, not only the owners of farms but also retailers and wholesalers. We are getting active thought to an applicable and reasonable compensation package. In addition, as I indicated on Saturday, this has been a very massive operation against a background of very little experience since this is an entirely new virus and also against resource constraint. There will be a need for us to take a fairer look at the way we've conducted this whole procedure to see what lessons can be learnt from this current operation and what improvement can be introduced in future. In particular, I think we need to look at the internal co-ordination of various health issues, the question of resources both in the Health Department and in the Agriculture and Fisheries Department. But we have to take things a step at a time. Our current priority is clearly to discuss with Mainland authority the establishment of a system of checking and verification that will ensure that as and when we start importing poultry again from Mainland that we will have in place the system that will ensure that imported poultry does not carry this virus. Thank you very much. End 2. Screening of travellers not necessary ************************************* The HK Government Health Authority would be providing information to its counterparts in the Philippines and Thailand on the latest situation of influenza A H5N1 in Hong Kong explaining that the screening of travellers was not necessary . A spokesman for the Department of Health today (Monday) said: "According to World Health Organisation (WHO), the present cluster of cases is not at the scale of an epidemic. WHO has also not recommended any travel restrictions or quarantine measures. "We appreciate other countries' concern over the issue. However, the main mode of transmission of this virus is considered at this stage to be from bird-to-man. The transmission from man-to-man, if occurring, is considered inefficient at this stage." "Screening of travellers coming in or going out of Hong Kong is therefore not necessary and not practical." The spokesman pointed out that the chicken slaughter exercise last week was a precautionary move to minimize the risk of avian flu to people in direct contact with live chickens. Thorough cleansing of poultry market stalls in Hong Kong was being conducted to ensure the hygiene conditions of these places. With precautionary measures, such as good personal hygiene, being taken, the chance of tourist getting the avian flu is extremely small. The spokesman said this information had been incorporated in an updated information sheet for tourists to be disseminated through Hong Kong Government Overseas Offices and the Hong Kong Tourist Association. He also noted that there was no export of live poultry from Hong Kong in recent years. End 3. Update on avian flu ******************* The Department of Health (DH) announced today (Monday) that there were no new cases of influenza A (H5N1) today. Moreover, Case 5 of yesterday's suspected case list, involving a 72-year-old male, has been deleted from the list. This brings down the total number of cases to 16 confirmed cases and four suspected cases. Following is a list of the cases and their latest conditions: Confirmed cases *************** Case 1 Sex / Age: Male / 3 yr Condition: Died Case 2 Sex / Age: Male / 2 yr Condition: Recovered and discharged Case 3 Sex / Age: Female / 13 yr Condition: Died Case 4 Sex / Age: Male / 54 yr Condition: Died Case 5 Sex / Age: Female / 5 yr Condition: Recovered and discharged Case 6 Sex / Age: Male / 37 yr Condition: Recovered and discharged Case 7 Sex / Age: Female / 24 yr Condition: Under treatment, condition critical Case 8 Sex / Age: Male / 2 yr Condition: Recovered and discharged Case 9 Sex / Age: Male / 4 yr Condition: Recovered and discharged Case 10 Sex / Age: Male / 1 yr Condition: Recovered and discharged Case 11 Sex / Age: Female / 3 yr Condition: Recovered and discharged Case 12 Sex / Age: Female / 60 yr Condition: Died Case 13 Sex / Age: Female / 25 yr Condition: Under treatment, condition critical Case 14 Sex / Age: Female / 14 yr Condition: Under treatment, condition satisfactory Case 15 Sex / Age: Male / 3 yr Condition: Under observation, condition satisfactory Case 16 Sex / Age: Female / 19 yr Condition: Under treatment, condition critical Suspected cases *************** Case 1 Sex / Age: Female / 3 yr Condition: Recovered and discharged Case 2 Sex / Age: Male / 6 yr Condition: Recovered and discharged Case 3 Sex / Age: Male / 3 yr Condition: Recovered and discharged Case 4 Sex / Age: Male / 7 yr Condition: Recovered and discharged End 4. Welfare services to needy chicken farmers continue ************************************************** Medical social workers from the Social Welfare Department continue to station at the 14 special health centres tonight (Monday) until January 10 to help visiting chicken farmers and workers who may need welfare services in view of the current avian flu situation. The centres are open from 6 pm to 10 pm daily during the above period. End 5. EPD welcomes investigation report ********************************* In response to media enquiries, an Environmental Protection Department(EPD) spokesman said the department welcomed the Ombudsman's investigation report on the beach pollution incidents last year and would study the findings in detail. "The two beach pollution incidents in July last year were unprecedented and were of serious concern to EPD," he said. "After the incidents, we took immediate steps to strengthen the coordination with Drainage Services Department and other departments concerned in handling similar incidents." He added that a number of measures recommended in the report have already been implemented by the department, and it would follow up on the report findings to see what further improvements should be made. End 6. DSD's response to Ombudsman's Report ************************************ In response to the Ombudsman's "Investigation Report on the Co-ordination between the Drainage Services Department (DSD) and Environmental Protection Department (EPD) over the Protection of Public Beaches from Being Polluted by Sewage Discharges" today (Monday), a DSD's spokesman said the following: "The department welcomes the comments and recommendations in the Report, and, in fact, has carried out improvement measures to address the issues and enhance our services to the public. To deal with commonly encountered incidents which may have an adverse impact on the environment, a departmental Task Force was set up in November to map out a comprehensive contingency plan for staff of sewage treatment facilities at operational and managerial levels. In addition, we are critically reviewing our technical circular on 'Reporting of Incidents to Headquarters' with a view to stepping up co-ordination within the department in dealing with emergencies. Meanwhile, we will work closely with the EPD and other relevant government departments under a new Beach Pollution Response Plan. The Plan sets out clearly the responsibilities and line of communication in incidents requiring a prompt response. The DSD has also joined hands with EPD in employing a consultant to carry out an 'Investigation into Bathing Beaches Water Quality' study. Its aim was to identify problems that may be faced by bathing beaches which are near sewage treatment works and come up with suitable solutions." End 7. Citybus backs voter registration ******************************** The acting Director of Home Affairs, Mr Augustine Cheng, today (Monday) appealed to Citybus staff to register as voters for the Legislative Council elections in May this year. During his visit to the Ap Lei Chau Citybus Depot in Aberdeen, Mr Cheng urged Citybus staff to take the opportunity to exercise their civic rights by registering as electors before the deadline for registration on January 16. "As of today, about 430,000 people have registered as electors or reported change of address," said Mr Cheng. "In a bid to maximize the number of electors, district offices are organising visits to major corporations to promote and facilitate registration among their staff in addition to household visits," he added. "Similar visits have been or will be paid to other corporations such as major charitable organisations, the Airport Authority, the Hospital Authority, Kowloon Motor Bus and others to rally support from their staff for the coming LegCo elections." "In addition, visits to places like homes for the elderly, youth centres, convalescent hospitals, tertiary institutions and schools are still underway to register eligible voters who may not be residing at home," he said. Voter registration counters are also set up at the district offices' public enquiry service centres, Kowloon Canton Railway stations, bus termini, venues of district functions, shopping arcades and other convenient locations. Mr Cheng urged eligible voters to make use of these facilities to register as electors or to report their change of address to update their personal particulars on the electoral roll. Mr Cheng was assisted by the acting Southern District Officer, Mr Anthony Li and Voter Registration Ambassadors. They were welcomed by the senior management of Citybus who helped arrange the facility by allowing the employees to be registered on the spot. End 8. Appointment of new Director of NAPCO ************************************ The Government announced today (Monday) that Mr Kwok Ka-keung will succeed Mr Billy Lam Chung-lun as Director, New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office with effect from January 19, 1998. Mr Lam has assumed the post of Deputy Chief Executive Officer on secondment to the Airport Authority with effect from today. Commenting on the new appointment, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Lam Woon-kwong, expressed full confidence in Mr Kwok, saying that "with his long experience in the management of the Public Works Programme, he is well placed to lead the New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office at this important stage in the implementation of the Airport Core Programme." Biographical notes of Mr Kwok Ka-keung: -------------------------------------- Aged 46. Mr Kwok Ka-keung joined the civil service as an Administrative Officer in 1974 and rose to his present rank of Administrative Officer Staff Grade B1 in January 1996. He has held appointments in a variety of departments and branches/bureaux, including the former City and New Territories Administration, Transport Branch, the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service, the former Registrar General's Department, Security Branch and Works Bureau. He has been serving as Deputy Secretary (Programme and Resources) in the Works Bureau since September 1994 before taking up his new appointment as Director, NAPCO. End 9. Government thanks Metrication Committee for its efforts ******************************************************* The Government today (Monday) thanked all current and past members of the Metrication Committee for their most valuable service rendered towards promoting the use of the International System of Units (or metric units) in Hong Kong. A government spokesman said that having completed its mission of giving policy advice to the Government on metrication matters, the Metrication Committee would lapse after the current term expires in January 1998. "The Trade and Industry Bureau will continue to retain policy responsibility for the promotion of metrication, answer public enquiries and arrange with the Information Services Department for launching suitable publicity programmes on metrication," he said. The spokesman said the Metrication Committee was first established in 1969 to implement the Government's policy of encouraging the use of metric units in Hong Kong. "During the last three decades or so, the Metrication Committee has launched many large scale publicity programmes and has successfully encouraged the adoption of the metric system in the education, public utility, building construction, civil engineering, and manufacturing sectors," he added. The committee has also overseen the adoption of the Metrication Ordinance which requires submissions to the Government involving weights and measures to be expressed in metric units. "Through the Metrication Committee's relentless efforts, the message of going metric is now widely accepted by the general public," the spokesman said. End 10. Sewage treatment works to upgrade for Sheung Shui development ********************************************************* The facilities of Shek Wu Hui Sewage Treatment Works (STW) will be upgraded to meet the planned development in Sheung Shui and Fanling areas up to 2011, the Assistant Director (Projects and Development) of the Drainage Services Department (DSD), Mr Keith Murrells, said today (Monday). The project is part of the North District Sewerage Master Plan which aims to provide comprehensive sewerage facilities for the area. Signing a contract for the project works, Mr Murrells said that denitrification and disinfection facilities would be installed to increase the capacity of the STW by about 33 per cent, from 60,000 cubic metres to 80,000 cubic metres per day. Upon completion of the upgrading works in late 2001, the sewage generated from the new towns in Sheung Shui and Fanling, surrounding villages and the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse will be treated according to the latest standard for discharge into River Indus. "The effluent quality will be improved as nutrient removal and disinfection facilities are added. This will improve much the water quality in River Indus," Mr Murrells said. The contract, which covers civil works only, was awarded to China Fujian Corporation for International Techno-Economic Co-operation at a cost of $166.4 million. The upgrading works comprise two contracts - civil works and electrical and mechanical works. The other contract will be awarded soon. End 11. 36 building plans approved in October ************************************* The Buildings Department approved a total of 36 building plans in October last year -- 13 on Hong Kong Island, 10 in Kowloon and 13 in the New Territories. This compared with 33 building plans approved in September and 62 in August. The approved plans covered 19 for apartment and apartment/commercial developments, four for commercial developments, two for factory and industrial developments, and 11 for community services developments. Consent was given in the month for works to start on 34 building projects, which will provide 88,829 square metres of usable domestic floor area and 129,146 square metres of usable non-domestic floor area on completion. The department also issued 20 Occupation Permits -- four on Hong Kong Island, two in Kowloon and 14 in the New Territories. Of the buildings certified for occupation in October, the usable floor areas for domestic and non-domestic uses were 24,517 square metres and 160,051 square metres respectively. The declared cost of new buildings completed in the month totalled about $2.375 billion. In addition, 19 demolition consents involving 35 buildings and structures were issued. The department's Control and Enforcement Division received 988 complaints against unauthorised building works in October, and issued 260 Removal Orders on unauthorised works. End 12. Tender for the 18th issue of 3-Year Exchange Fund notes ******************************************************* The Hong Kong Monetary Authority announces that the tender for the 18th issue of 3-year Exchange Fund notes will be held on Monday (January 12) for settlement on Tuesday (January 13). Similar to the previous issue, an amount of HK$500 million 3-year notes will be on offer. In addition to that, another HK$100 million will be held as reserve by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority for supply to Market Makers in the secondary market. The Notes will mature on January 12, 2001 and will carry interest at the rate of 9.28% per annum payable semi-annually in arrears. Members of the public who wish to tender for the Notes may do so through any of the Market Makers or Recognized Dealers on the published list which can be obtained from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority at 30th floor, 3 Garden Road, Hong Kong (or telephone 2878 8150). Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof. HONG KONG MONETARY AUTHORITY EXCHANGE FUND NOTE PROGRAMME TENDER INFORMATION Tender information for the 18th issue of 3-Year Exchange Fund notes: Issue Number :3101 Tender Date and Time :Monday 12 January 1998 9.30 am to 10.30 am Issue and Settlement Date :Tuesday 13 January 1998 Amount on Offer :HK$500 million plus an additional HK$100 million as reserve stock for the Monetary Authority Maturity :Three years Maturity Date :12 January 2001 Interest Rate :9.28% per annum payable semi-annually in arrears Interest Payment Dates :13 Jul 1998, 13 Jan 1999, 13 Jul 1999, 13 Jan 2000, 13 Jul 2000, 12 Jan 2001 Tender Amount :Each tender must be for an amount of HK$50,000 or integral multiples thereof. Members of the public who wish to tender for the Notes may approach Market Makers or Recognized Dealers on the published list Other details :Please see Information Memorandum published or approach Market Makers or Recognized Dealers End 13. Water storage figure ******************** Storage in Hong Kong's reservoirs at 9 am today (Monday) stood at 82.7 per cent of capacity or 484.442 million cubic metres. This time last year the reservoirs contained 467.095 million cubic metres of water, representing 79.7 per cent of capacity. End 14. Rates and government rent for first quarter of 1998 due ******************************************************* The Rating and Valuation Department announced today (Monday) that in accordance with the Rating Ordinance and the Government Rent (Assessment And Collection) Ordinance, rates and/or government rent for the first quarter 1998 are due and payable on or before January 31 this year. Payment may be made using autopay under payers' bank accounts, or the Payment by Phone Service (PPS), or by post addressed to the Director of Accounting Services, P O Box 8000, GPO, Hong Kong, or in person at any of the following offices: (a) The Treasury Headquarters Collection and Payment Office, Immigration Tower, first floor, 7 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong; (b) The Central Sub-Treasury, Central Government Offices (West Wing), 11 Ice House Street, Hong Kong; (c) The North Point Sub-Treasury, Max Share Centre, first floor, 373 King's Road, Hong Kong; (d) The Sai Wan Ho Sub-Treasury, Eastern Law Courts Building, ground floor, 29 Tai On Street, Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong; (e) The Yau Ma Tei Sub-Treasury, Kowloon Government Offices, fourth Floor, 405 Nathan Road, Kowloon; (f) The Kowloon City Sub-Treasury, Man Sang Commercial Building, first floor, 348-352 Prince Edward Road West, Kowloon; (g) The District Office at Sai Kung, Sha Tin, Tai Po, North, Yuen Long, Tuen Mun, Tsuen Wan or Kwai Tsing. Demand notes for rates and/or government rent for the 1st Quarter 1998 have been issued. If these demand notes have not been received, payers may bring along relevant demand notes for any previous quarter to any of the Treasury collection offices listed at (a) to (f) above, where replacement demand notes may be obtained and payment can be conveniently made. If there are no relevant demand notes for any previous quarter, payers may make inquiry by telephone (2881 1033) or by fax (2577 6066). They may also inquire in person at the Accounting and Billing Division of the Rating and Valuation Department, Hennessy Centre, 23rd floor, 500 Hennessy Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Non-receipt of the demand note does not alter the requirement that the rates and/or government rent must be paid on or before January 31 this year and unless so paid, the amount payable may be subject to a surcharge of five per cent under the provisions of the above-mentioned ordinances. A further surcharge of 10 per cent may be levied on the outstanding amount (including the five per cent surcharge) which remains unpaid six months after the due date. Payers who recently submitted a valid direct debit authorization should note that payment should still be made by other means as stipulated in the demand note unless the wording "PAYMENT TO BE MADE BY AUTOPAY" is shown on the demand note in which case their payment of rates and/or government rent will be made by direct debit to their bank accounts on January 31. In this connection, payers should ensure that there are sufficient funds in their bank accounts to meet the payments on the due date. To avoid the possible inconvenience of queuing, payers are urged to settle payment using autopay under which payers' bank accounts will only be debited on the due dates or using the Payment by Phone Service (PPS). Application forms for autopay are obtainable from Treasury collection offices, district offices of the Home Affairs Department and all major banks in Hong Kong or by telephoning 2881 1033. For additional information regarding PPS, please call 9000 0222 329. End


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