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Saturday, March 28, 1998 CONTENTS ======== 1. "Letter from Hong Kong" by Secretary for Home Affairs 2. Majority thumbs-up for Police Force 3. Rehabilitation programmes for young offenders 4. Transport Department to launch electronic parking devices 5. Government committed to improving rural environment 6. New registration system for specialist contractors 7. Employees are entitled to statutory leave 8. Fresh water cut in Sheung Wan 9. Water cut in Yuen Long 1. "Letter from Hong Kong" by Secretary for Home Affairs ***************************************************** Following is the "Letter from Hong Kong" delivered by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr David Lan, on Radio Television Hong Kong this (Saturday) morning: Dear Kenneth, This letter may come as a bit of a surprise to you as you are so used to my habit of simply picking up the phone whenever I have anything to say to you. The difference this time is that since my appointment as Secretary for Home Affairs last September, so much momentous events have happened which may impact on your generation that I decided I should put pen to paper some of the thoughts I would like to share with you. But a word of warning first in case you're thinking about following your dad's footsteps in your career choice - Hong Kong's notorious fast pace of life certainly carries over to the civil service! The stream of hot and controversial issues that I found myself embroiled in certainly allowed me to appreciate firsthand what it really meant to be in the hot seat! But don't worry, I'm up to the challenge and enjoying every bit of it, though I can hear your mom grumbling occasionally about not having any time for ourselves since we returned from Japan. While I wished there are 48 hours in a day, I cannot help feeling that it is an honour and privilege to be given an opportunity to help ensure Hong Kong's continued success and serve the Motherland in the process. On the recent Asian financial turmoil, when you consider how some of our neighbouring countries were struggling just to stay afloat while our Financial Secretary, Mr Donald Tsang, was able to announce last month the most generous budget in Hong Kong's history, I believe this Administration deserves a pat on the back! The budget certainly lives up to what our Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, has repeatedly promised - that his will be a caring Government, but that we will also live within our means. Our very comfortable fiscal reserve does not give us licence to become profligate. More importantly, all signs since the reversion of Hong Kong's sovereignty to China seem to indicate that we are successfully realising the concept of "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong" and a high degree of autonomy which the Central Government promised us. Under Mr Tung's leadership, we are now putting more stock in cultivating, especially among the young, a sense of belonging to Hong Kong and feelings for our Motherland. Our official slogan: "Hong Kong - Our Home" has gotten plenty of exposure and we take every opportunity to encourage our citizenry to acquaint themselves with the Basic Law and how its provisions relate to their daily lives. We also try to facilitate more official as well as unofficial cross-border exchanges with our fellow countrymen up north for practical as well as emotional reasons. We are re-establishing our roots while strictly maintaining the policy of "one country two systems" and "Hong Kong people ruling Hong Kong". While not wanting to sound smug and patronizing, but as someone who understands the Western perspective - remember I was in Harvard Business School in 1988? - the fact that we have been doing as well as we did does say volumes about the efficacy of our present system. Effective it may be, but it certainly still has not enjoyed the unequivocal approval of some quarters in the local and international community. We are the sum total of our experiences. And my views on democracy, human rights, freedom of expression and nationalism are perhaps shaped to a certain degree by my last and most extended tour of duty in Japan, a country which despite its feudal history, has practised democracy for many years, albeit totally retaining their Japanese originality. You would recall the time when I marvelled at you out loud while we were still in Tokyo at the politeness, self- discipline, civic-mindedness, cohesiveness and patriotism of the Japanese people. I am convinced that this was the main reason why Japan was able to pull itself up by its own bootstraps from the ruins of the last war to become an economic superpower in scarcely four decades while its society remained a paragon of orderliness. Granted that there are significant differences in the political make-up of Japan and Hong Kong, I strongly feel that there is still much we can learn from our Japanese friends, especially in how they would customarily subsume their individuality and personal rights in the macro interest of the community as a whole yet striking an appropriate balance. It is no doubt popular to go on the hustings to talk about individual freedoms and protection of human rights, and to bash the government for any real or imagined threat over such commendable aspirations. But I do at times wonder whether in Hong Kong the pendulum of such debates should be swung at least slightly closer to the centre and let voices also be heard on the duties of the individual to the society. My point can perhaps be best expressed by plagiarising and modifying President John F Kennedy's inauguration speech: "Ask not constantly what your rights are; but what are your obligations to your fellow-men." Before the handover, the media were awash with warnings and predictions of curtailment on the human rights front and that the days for Hong Kong's way of life are numbered. But events since then have given the lie to such pessimism and it's not likely that we would ever need to put a single pro-democracy or human rights in jail for their beliefs. In fact, Mr Tung had pointedly declared that those hankering for martyrdom will be disappointed. I personally feel that whatever doubts the human rights activists might still harbour should reasonably be dispelled to a large extent by a milestone development last November when China declared that it would allow Hong Kong to submit its own reports to the United Nations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. And only a fortnight ago, public views on the state of implementation of these two covenants were invited before the HKSAR submits its first reports in August. The timing for the submission of the reports took into account China's readiness to provide the international community with a clear and complete picture of the human rights situation here in the first year after reunification. Surely one cannot expect more unequivocal commitments to maintain our freedom of expression, religious freedom, equal opportunities and other individual rights. In any case, I have never for a moment believed that the human rights issue should be the sole criterion on how Hong Kong lives up to the promised principle of "Hong Kong People Ruling Hong Kong" and realizing a high degree of autonomy. To me, a more meaningful litmus test as to how we measured up is the first Legislative Council elections of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on May 24. Again, I have been in the thick of things to ensure its success. As you are aware, Hong Kong has been bedevilled by a number of highly destructive fires in recent years. Most of them were preventable if only the tenants would abide by some of the basic building regulations designed to ensure building safety and fire safety. A common denominator among the latter cases was either that there was no properly constituted building management bodies or these bodies were rendered ineffectual by the lack of co- operation among building owners and/or residents. Against this backdrop, the Government recently introduced two important initiatives in less than a fortnight. On March 11, the Central Steering Committee on Fire Safety was set up, under my chairmanship, to decide on overall strategies and priorities to tackle the hose of problems associated with sub-standard building management. Among other things, we recommended a series of clearance operations to remove fire hazards that may obstruct the escape routes in private buildings. This serves the dual purpose of generating considerable positive publicity and upgrading the fire safety standards of the buildings concerned. The other initiative was launched on February 27 with the establishment of the first three District Fire Safety Committees in Yau Tsim Mong, Eastern and Tsuen Wan Districts. As you know, Kenneth, Hong Kong is a "can do" society. While not underestimating the difficulties ahead, I have no doubt that before too long, we should be able to bring about a significant improvement in the standard of our building management, demonstrate to the world at large our undoubted ability to run our own affairs independently and efficiently, and win over more critics who still harbour any forebodings regarding our individual rights and freedoms. And I expect that you will be able to see some dramatic headways we should be making on all these disparate fronts when you visit me later in the year. Take care. Father March 28, 1998 End 2. Majority thumbs-up for Police Force *********************************** The Public Opinion Survey of the Hong Kong Police Force 1997 has found that the majority of residents have strong faith in the Police Force and consider Hong Kong a safe city. Findings of the survey, which was conducted in November last year by an independent market research company commissioned by the Police as part of their continuous efforts to strive for quality of service, were presented to the Fight Crime Committee (FCC) at its meeting this (Saturday) morning. Meeting the media after the meeting together with the Secretary for Security, Mr Peter Lai, a non-official member of the FCC, Miss Rosanna Wong, said the committee was pleased to note that 73 per cent of respondents to the survey rated the overall performance of the Force as good, while 79 per cent had a "strong" sense of safety living in Hong Kong. "In the prevention and detection of crime, 53 per cent of the respondents considered the Police good and only five per cent rated it poor. "Half to three-quarters of the respondents considered the Police's performance good in the following areas: maintaining order during demonstrations and public events; traffic control; illegal immigration; violent crime and crime involving firearms, narcotics and triads; handling of emergencies and adequacy of Police equipment and reporting facilities and overall quality of Police officers," Miss Wong said. Compared with a similar survey conducted in 1995, there is no significant difference in the ratings of "overall performance of the Police Force" and "overall performance in prevention and detection of crimes", according to Miss Wong. "Significant improvements to public perception were noted in the following areas: integrity and discipline within the Force; overall adequacy of manpower; and adequacy of manpower for street patrols," she said. "In such areas as vice activities, maintaining order at public events, perception of Police reporting facilities and adequacy and appropriateness of Police equipment, lower ratings for public perception were noted but the overall ratings remain considerably high. "On the other hand, there were some areas where, although the majority opinion was favourable, a sizeable minority thought that there was room for improvement in Police performance. "These include: juvenile and youth crimes involving drug abuse, triads, theft, burglary and fighting; vice activities; sex offences; burglary and theft including theft of vehicles, cross- border crime; marksmanship with firearms; and liaison with the public, particularly liaison with youth and schools," Miss Wong went on. When asked which areas of Police responsibilities were most important to the public and which should be accorded the highest priority, among the most mentioned by respondents were juvenile and youth crimes. "The FCC would follow up with the Police on areas of public concern," Miss Wong said. The first Force Public Opinion Survey was conducted in 1995 and the idea is to repeat it every two years. Speaking at the same session, Mr Lai elaborated on the crime statistics for the first two months of the year, which were also discussed at the FCC meeting. A 7.3 per cent decrease was recorded in the overall crime rate between January and February this year as compared with the same period in 1997. He added that the FCC examined a Government action plan on the implementation of the recommendations of the "Research on the Effectiveness of Rehabilitation Programmes for Young Offenders". The research, commissioned by the Standing Committee on Young Offenders under the FCC, was completed last August. End 3. Rehabilitation programmes for young offenders ********************************************* Rehabilitation programmes and services run by the Correctional Services Department (CSD) and the Social Welfare Department (SWD) to help young inmates reintegrate into the community as law-abiding citizens are given an impetus under an action plan to implement a package of recommendations proposed by a consultancy study, the Deputy Secretary for Security, Ms Chang King-yiu, said today (Saturday). The research project, which made 30 sets of recommendations altogether, was commissioned by the Standing Committee on Young Offenders (SCOYO) under the Fight Crime Committee (FCC)and conducted by the City University of Hong Kong. It was completed last August. The recommendations cover a wide range of services by CSD and SWD including educational and vocational training, service for families of young offenders, community reintegration, through-care, probation service, Community Service Order (CSO), half-way house, Community Support Service Scheme (CSSS) and a proposed short-term residential treatment programme. Ms Chang noted that action had been completed on 11 recommendations. These include: - Creation of a new Rehabilitation Division headed by an Assistant Commissioner (Rehabilitation) in CSD in January this year; - Expansion of the spectrum of practical subjects taught to inmates, including computer and language studies, by CSD and SWD; - Development of a checklist for assessment of offender's suitability for CSO and the issue of a reference kit on streamlining the compilation of CSO suitability report to the courts by SWD; and - Stepped-up group counselling sessions by aftercare staff of CSD in half-way house from five to eight per week. "Some of the remaining 19 recommendations will be implemented later this year," Ms Chang added. These include the provision of new computer and office training facilities in CSD's Lai Sun Correctional Institution and a Parent-Inmate Centre at Tai Tam Gap Correctional Institution. In addition, the pilot CSSS teams run by SWD and non- government organisations will be operated on a permanent basis while the CSO will be extended to district courts, the Court of First Instance and the Court of Appeal by May this year. "Those recommendations which will require additional resources will be considered as a package submission in the 1998 Resource Allocation Exercise. For example, funds will be required for improving workshop facilities to introduce new practical subjects and additional staff will be needed for running new courses. "As regards the setting up of a new short-term residential treatment programme, the recommendation is being considered by an inter-departmental working party," she said. "It is hoped that the implementation of the recommendations would enhance our rehabilitation programmes and services and help young offenders reintegrate into society as law-abiding citizens," Ms Chang said. The action plan jointly proposed by the two departments was supported by members of the FCC in today's meeting and SCOYO will review the progress of implementation on a half-yearly basis. End 4. Transport Department to launch electronic parking devices ********************************************************* The Transport Department today (Saturday) announced the launch of a programme to convert all the existing 14,000 mechanical meters to electronic parking devices (EPDs) by the end of this year. The programme will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will involve 3,500 mechanical meters. Starting in Wan Chai, 500 mechanical meters will be converted to EPDs on April 26. EPDs will then be introduced to Happy Valley, Causeway Bay, Yau Ma Tei, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and Tsuen Wan, with 3,000 additional EPDs installed by the end of May. The second phase will see the conversion of the mechanical meters in the remaining districts by the end of 1998. There will be two types of EPDs: electronic parking meters (EPMs) and pay-and-display machines (PDMs). Both EPMs and PDMs will be operated with a common smart card, the e-Park Card, issued by the Transport Department in denominations of $100, $200 and $300. Both EPMs and PDMs incorporate a graphic dot-matrix display to give interactive bilingual messages for an easy and user-friendly operation. The e-Park Card is a third generation smart card with advanced security features. It will be available from April 15 through a network of 236 retail outlets, including 61 Shell petrol stations, 115 7-Eleven convenience stores, 36 Wilson Parking car parks, 10 Kwik car parks and 14 Transport Department multi-storey car parks. By the end of this year, the number of retail outlets will grow to 485 with the implementation of the second phase of the conversion programme. The e-Park Cards may also be used for payment of parking fees at the 14 Transport Department multi-storey car parks starting May 1. The conversion programme together with the management, operation and maintenance of the parking system will be undertaken by Hong Kong Parking Limited, a joint venture between Wilson Parking (Holdings) Ltd and Serco Guardian (F.M.) Ltd. Commenting on the conversion programme, a spokesman for the Transport Department said the new EPDs offered many advantages over the existing mechanical meters. "One of the advantages is that motorists can forget about not having the right coins for the meters. "Furthermore, the new system is more user-friendly and has better reliability and accuracy," the spokesman said. To ensure the smooth operation of the new parking system, a telephone complaints unit will be operated to enable complaints to be promptly entertained. The customer hotline: 2318 0616 is displayed on the back of every parking meter and printed on e-Park Cards. To commemorate the launch of e-Park Cards and the 30th Anniversary of the Transport Department, 250,000 specially designed cards each with a $50 face value will be issued by the department to raise fund for the Community Chest in collaboration with Shell Hong Kong Limited. These charity e-Park Cards are available for sale at all 61 Shell petrol stations from April 12 (Sunday). End 5. Government committed to improving rural environment *************************************************** The Home Affairs Department (HAD) is committed to expediting the implementation of the rest of the Rural Planning and Improvement Strategy (RPIS) Minor programme to improve infrastructure and living environment in rural areas, the Director of Home Affairs, Mrs Shelley Lau, said today (Saturday). Speaking at a ceremony marking the completion of the HAD's latest RPIS Minor Works project, the Tsing Chuen Wai Drainage Improvement Project in Tuen Mun, Mrs Lau said the key to the successful implementation of RPIS Minor Works Programme was local consultation and co-operation. Turning to the $13 million Tsing Chuen Wai Drainage Project, Mrs Lau said more than 4,000 local residents and nearby villagers would no longer face flooding hazards with the completion of the construction of a 600-meter drainage channel. Works commenced in April in 1996 and were completed in March this year. Mrs Lau said: "It is very encouraging that the Tuen Mun District Office has completed a number of RPIS minor works projects costing an estimated $37 million in 1997/98. The majority of the projects involve environmental improvement works, construction of access roads and improvement to drainage systems. "At present, more than 30 projects worth about $84 million are either in progress or will commence," she added. In 1989, the Executive Council endorsed the 10-year RPIS Minor Works Programme. To speed up the implementation of the programme, HAD took over the management of the programme from the Territory Development Department in 1994. Other officiating guests at the ceremony were the Director of Drainage Services, Mr John Collier; Chairman of Hueng Yee Kuk, Mr Lau Wong-fat, and Tuen Mun District Officer, Mr Christopher Wong. End 6. New registration system for specialist contractors ************************************************** A new system for the registration of specialist contractors will be introduced on Wednesday (April 1) to improve the standards and quality of the building industry. In the first phase of the new system, demolition, ventilation, foundation and site formation works will be designated as specialised works under the Buildings Ordinance. "Only those on the respective specialist contractors' register will be permitted to carry out the corresponding specialised works after a transitional period of two years from April 1 this year," the Assistant Director of Buildings (Legal and Management), Mr Cheung Hau-wai, said today (Saturday). Mr Cheung said that higher and more stringent requirements were imposed on the applicant for registration as a specialist contractor, including his director and persons appointed to act for the applicant with emphasis on both general and specific knowledge in the specialised field. "The more stringent admission criteria on qualifications experience and competence under the new registration system will ensure that practitioners in the building industry will attain the minimum standard required to perform the specialised works," Mr Cheung said. "The admission criteria will be reviewed periodically and revised if necessary, to ensure that the standard are kept in pace with advancement in building technology," he added. Mr Cheung said that all applications for registration would be considered by a Contractor Registration Committee comprising representatives from the Building Authority, Hong Kong Institute of Architects, Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, Hong Kong Construction Association and Hong Kong Electrical & Mechanical Contractors' Association. To introduce the changes in a smooth manner, ventilation contractors who are already registered on April 1 under existing criteria will be taken as registered under the ventilating system category in the specialist contractors' register for a two-year transitional period. Registered general building contractors will also be permitted to carry out specialised works in respect of site formation, demolition and foundation within the two- year transitional period. "When a registered specialist contractor applies for renewal upon expiry of the transitional period, he should satisfy the Building Authority that he meets the registration criteria at the time of application," Mr Cheung said. Registration procedures and criteria are contained in the relevant Practice Note for Authorised Persons and Registered Structural Engineers as well as the Practice Note for Registered Contractors on the subject to be issued this month. Guidance notes for applicants are also available at the Buildings Department, 12th floor, Pioneer Centre, 750 Nathan Road, Mong Kok, Kowloon. End 7. Employees are entitled to statutory leave ***************************************** The Labour Department reminded employers to grant their employees 11 statutory holidays as required by the Employment Ordinance. Senior Labour Officer (Prosecutions), Mrs Tonia Leung, gave this warning today (Saturday) following a recent court case in which Shuning Shing Limited trading as Winton Restaurant was fined a total of $27,000 for 18 summonses at the Kwun Tong Magistracy for failing to grant statutory holidays to nine employees. Mrs Leung said that under the Employment Ordinance, all employees, irrespective of their wage levels and length of service, are entitled to statutory holidays. "If an employee is required to work on a statutory holiday, he must be given 48 hours' prior notice. His employer must also arrange an alternative holiday within 60 days before or after the statutory holiday. If the employer and employee agree, any day within 30 days of the statutory or alternative holiday may be taken by the employee as a substituted holiday," she said. Any employer who fails to comply with the provisions on statutory holidays is liable to a maximum fine of $50,000. End 8. Fresh water cut in Sheung Wan ***************************** Fresh water supply to some premises in Sheung Wan will be suspended from 11 pm on March 31 (Tuesday) to 6 am the following day for waste detection work on watermains to be carried out. The suspension will affect the following: * 135 Bonham Strand; * 3-87 Connaught Road West; * 322-323 Des Voeux Road Central; * 25-27 (odd nos) and 28-32 (even nos) Queen Street; * 163-247 (odd nos) and 114-216 (even nos) Wing Lok Street; * 1-71 (odd nos) and 2-16 (even nos) Des Voeux Road West; * 1-85 (odd nos), 32-42 (even nos) Bonham Strand West, and all premises at * Chung Kong Road, Western Fire Services Street, On Tai Street, Tung Loi Lane, Tung Hing Lane and New Market Street. End 9. Water cut in Yuen Long ********************** Fresh and flushing water supply to some premises in Yuen Long will be suspended from 11 pm on March 31 (Tuesday) to 6 am the following day for waste detection work on watermains. The suspension will affect all premises in the area bounded by Hop Yick Road, Tai Tong Road, Fau Tsoi Street and Yau Sun street, including 4-40 and 1-33 Hop Yick Road; 70 Fung Cheung Road and Kin Tak Street. End
