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

Thursday, July 10, 1997 CONTENTS ======== 1. Public Service (Administration) Order 1997 2. HKSAR helps traders against anti-dumping actions 3. New Members appointed to the Law Reform Commission 4. Five consent applications approved last month 5. Tender results for government quarters 6. New government cards issued 7. 77,600 pupils allocated secondary one places 8. Avid readers awarded 9. Appointment discs for measles campaign available next week 10. Illicit diesel oil smugglers arrested 1. Public Service (Administration) Order 1997 ****************************************** The Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, made an Executive Order entitled 'Public Service (Administration) Order 1997' [the Order] under Article 48(4) of the Basic Law on July 9, 1997. The Order replaces and localises provisions in the Letters Patent and Colonial Regulations, which lapsed on July 1, 1997, relating to the administration of the Civil Service. He also made the 'Public Service (Disciplinary) Regulation' [the Regulation] in exercise of his power under the Order. The Regulation replaces and localises sets of disciplinary regulations and directions made under the Colonial Regulations. Both the Order and Regulation are deemed to have come into operation on July 1, 1997 to provide for continuity. Commenting on the Order, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr W K Lam said: "Provisions in the Order and Regulation are largely straightforward adaptation of corresponding provisions in the Letters Patent and Colonial Regulations. They relate to the authority of the Chief Executive to appoint, dismiss and discipline public servants; to act on representations made by public servants; and to make related disciplinary regulations." "Modifications are made only in a few areas to ensure that the final authority for the overall administration of the Civil Service rests locally in Hong Kong and in the Chief Executive. "For instance, references to the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom have been replaced, where appropriate, by references to the advice of the Executive Council," Mr Lam explained. The appeal channel for civil servants will also end in Hong Kong. "As suggested by staff, the Order provides the Chief Executive with the power to appoint a Review Board to consider certain cases of representations made to him. "The making of this Order is a clear indication that the Civil Service is an institution which straddles the transition with continuity," Mr Lam said. The Order and Regulation will be gazetted tomorrow (Friday). End 2. HKSAR helps traders against anti-dumping actions ************************************************ The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government will continue to do all it can to help the trade against any anti-dumping proceedings affecting Hong Kong traders, and traders should take an active role in defending against dumping allegations. The Acting Assistant Director-General of Trade, Mr David Wong, said in a seminar today (Thursday) that the HKSAR Government was prepared to provide the traders with necessary support who were in the best position to defend their own interests. Mr Wong's topic is on the European Union's anti- dumping measures against products of Hong Kong and China. "If there is an anti-dumping action against the products of Hong Kong, the HKSAR Government will take a robust approach to defend our legitimate trade interests through both bilateral and multilateral means," Mr Wong said. "The HKSAR Government will monitor closely the development and examine if the action is fair and measures up to the multilateral rules. Where appropriate, we will lobby the investigating authorities, seek consultations and make representations." "If the disputes on anti-dumping actions cannot be resolved bilaterally, we will resort to the dispute settlement procedures under the WTO where the circumstances so warrant," Mr Wong added. Mr Wong also urged the traders themselves to take an active role in an anti-dumping case. "In face of an unfortunate anti-dumping case, traders should stand up to respond as they are best placed to defend their own interests. Their cooperation with the importing countries is of utmost importance in anti-dumping proceedings. "We will advise traders to make themselves known to and request questionnaire from the investigation authority within the time limit set if they are not named in a complaint; make timely response to the questionnaire and request hearing to supplement the questionnaire if necessary," he said. "Traders should also liaise closely with the importers including asking them to complete the questionnaire and lobby the relevant authorities; keep close touch and cooperate with the Trade Department; and seek expert advice from legal consultant and/or accountant if appropriate. "On the part of the Government, we will provide all support possible. We will collect and disseminate information and intelligence; answer enquiries; encourage traders to respond to the investigation; and monitor progress of proceedings." Mr Wong also noted that anti-dumping actions against Chinese products going through Hong Kong are regarded as bilateral trade disputes between China and the importing country. "There is no clear locus for the HKSAR Government to intervene formally but we will still do our best to provide support to Hong Kong traders to help them defend their interests," he said. Mr Wong also appealed to traders to take precautionary action against possible anti-dumping proceedings. "Traders should understand what is dumping, anti- dumping and the possible impacts. They should keep abreast of the situation of the export market and keep close contact with the importers." "Traders could subscribe to Trade Department's Commercial Information Circulars, visit the Trade Department's homepage (http://www.info.gov.hk/trade), look for information in Trade Development Council's publications (such as Business Alert) and be sensitive to business news in the mass media." Mr Wong noted that there has been a world-wide proliferation of the use of anti-dumping action. "We are concerned about possible misuses of such actions for protectionist ends," he said. "We are a staunch supporter of free trade and consider that anti-dumping as a trade instrument is somewhat out-of-date in the modern commercial world. "We are pushing for reform of archaic anti-dumping rules in the multilateral trading system. Meanwhile, we have to live with the present imperfect system." Mr Wong denounced anti-dumping measures against Hong Kong products. "Given our open economy and competitive environment, we consider that Hong Kong should not be subject to anti- dumping actions." Since 1981 a total of 41 cases have been initiated by importing countries against Hong Kong products. In many cases the proceedings ended with no anti-dumping duties imposed. End 3. New Members appointed to the Law Reform Commission ************************************************** The Chairman of the Law Reform Commission, the Secretary for Justice, Miss Elsie Leung, today (Thursday) announced the appointment of two new members to the Commission. Professor Felice Lieh Mak and Mr Roderick Woo have each been appointed for a term of three years. Professor Lieh Mak is the head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Hong Kong and the Chairman of the Medical Council of Hong Kong. Mr Woo, a solicitor in private practice, is a former President of the Law Society and currently a member of the High Court Rules Committee. Miss Leung welcomed the new appointments and said that she looked forward to working with them on the Commission. Miss Leung also announced the re-appointment of Mr Eric Cheung and Professor Wesley-Smith for a second term as members of the Commission. Miss Leung said that she was pleased that the Commission would continue to benefit from the experience and advice of Mr Cheung and Professor Wesley-Smith. Professor Lieh Mak and Mr Woo replace Professor H C Kuan and Mr Robert Ribeiro, QC, who are retiring after serving on the Commission as members for six years. Miss Leung said that Professor Derek Roebuck would also shortly be retiring as a member on his return to the United Kingdom. Miss Leung paid tribute to the significant contribution which all three retiring members had made to the work of the Commission. With these latest membership changes, the Law Reform Commission now consists of 13 members. They are: Mr Justice Chan, Mr Eric Cheung, Professor Yash Ghai, Dr Lawrence Lai, Mr Andrew Liao, QC, Professor Felice Lieh Mak, Mr Gage McAfee, Mr Alasdair Morrison, Professor Peter Wesley-Smith, Mr Justein Wong and Mr Roderick Woo. The Secretary for Justice and the Law Draftsman are ex officio members. End 4. Five consent applications approved last month ********************************************* The Lands Department issued four pre-sale consents and a consent to assign in respect of residential units in uncompleted developments in June 1997. Three consents were for the pre-sale of 1,800 residential units in Ma On Shan and Tai Po. The remaining one was a kindergarten in Ma On Shan. The completion dates range from November 1997 to June 1998. The consent to assign concerned a residential development in Tsuen Wan with 1,120 units. At the end of June, a total of 14 applications for pre-sale consents involving 15,591 residential units and five applications in respect of commercial developments were pending approval. These developments are located at various parts of the territory. Their estimated completion dates are between mid-1997 and September 1999. Meanwhile, an application for consent to assign involving 40 residential units was being processed. End 5. Tender results for government quarters ************************************** The Government Property Agency announced today (Thursday) the outcome of the recent public tender exercise to sell government quarters to end-users. Of the 18 units released for sale, the Agency received 99 tenders for the 17 units in Elm Tree Towers, Wilshire Tower and Unicorn Gardens. There was keen competition involving 18 bids for one unit in Elm Tree Towers (12/F, Flat A1). One unit in Unicorn Gardens received no bids. The successful bids received fell within the following range: Elm Tree Towers $15.80 million to $22.00 million Wilshire Tower $13.20 million to $16.30 million Unicorn Gardens $14.05 million to $14.87 million The Government Property Administrator, Mr Albert Lai, was satisfied with the results. He said that the exercise had clearly met the objectives of increasing the supply of this type of flats for the benefit of end-users and putting to economic use accommodation surplus to government's own requirements. He added that another 40 units would be offered for sale to the public in September. End 6. New government cards issued *************************** A total of 32,000 new Departmental Warrant Cards (DWCs) and 110,000 Government Identity Cards (GICs) with the new HKSAR emblem will be issued by the end of March 1998. But about 20,000 DWCs and 30,000 GICs have been issued to most essential users and front line officers by July 1 this year, a government spokesman said today (Thursday). Both cards are produced by the Security Division of the Government Printing Department with an estimated total cost of $2.5 million. All government officers who require an official means of identification in connection with their work will be issued with the new GICs. These cards, which are printed in blue and black, are not issued unless there is a need. Apart from showing the official identity, the DWCs, printed in red and black, also provide information of the legal authority. At the back of the DWC is the extract of the law under which the officer is authorised to exercise certain power. DWCs are issued by most departments to empower their designated officers to carry out some statutory authorities such as entry to premises, search or arrest. Both cards are printed on security paper which is sensitive to alteration. They have watermarks of the HKSAR emblem and are coated with planchette, a special material that prevents alteration, and UV-light-visible- only dots. The plastic lamination also has an UV-light- visible-only HKSAR emblem at the low right corner on both the front and back of the cards. Due to operational and administrative needs, however, five major law enforcement agencies have produced and issued their own new DWCs on July 1. They are Hong Kong Police Force, Customs and Excise Department, Fire Services Department, Immigration Department and Independent Commission Against Corruption. These DWCs, with individual designs, carried additional security features and are specified as follows: * Hong Kong Police Force ---------------------- (for all disciplined members, including Auxiliary Force) - Holographic image of the English and Chinese names of the Department across the front of the card. - Bar code and magnetic strip on the reverse of the card for improved access control to premises and computer systems in due course. * Customs and Excise Department ----------------------------- (for members of the Customs and Excise Service and Trade Controls Branch) - Watermarks of five rows of the English and Chinese names of the Department on the obverse side of the cards. - Watermarks appear to be red when viewed perpendicularly and green when viewed at an inclined angle. * Fire Services Department ------------------------ (for Station Officers and above, non-commissioned officers in Fire Protection Bureau (FPB) and Fire Protection Regional Offices and FPB technical staff) - By special photographic technique, the holder's photograph and data sheet, and the new departmental logo are printed onto the warrant card making photo-substitution extremely difficult. - Pre-printed new Fire Services logo in black on the validation plate so that the logo overlapped the photo and the DWC. * Immigration Department ---------------------- (for all serving disciplined staff) - Photograph of the holder, data sheet and the new departmental crest are printed onto the warrant card through special photographic technique making photo- substitution very difficult. * Independent Commission Against Corruption ----------------------------------------- (for Investigators and Guarding Officers of Operations Department) - Signature of Commissioner Against Corruption and a unique serial number are printed on the reverse side of all cards. - All data on the cards are stored into a stand alone computer as a security measure and easy checking. - A Chief Investigator of the Operations Department is responsible for the safe keeping, production and the issuance of all cards. End 7. 77,600 pupils allocated secondary one places ******************************************** More than 77,600 pupils have been allocated secondary one places in this year's Secondary School Places Allocation (SSPA), the results of which will be released tomorrow (Friday). "All 77,624 pupils participating in the SSPA have been allocated a place in government, aided or private bought-place secondary schools," Senior Education Officer, Mrs Lai Cheung Mei-ling, said. "It includes 4,204 pupils, or 5.4 per cent, who have successfully obtained the discretionary places they applied for earlier this year. "A total of 38,745 pupils, or 49.9 per cent, have been allocated places according to their first choice and 55,635 pupils, or 71.7 per cent, according to their first three choices. "In addition to the 77,624 pupils, a total of four pupils participating in the exercise have been admitted to secondary schools in the Direct Subsidy Scheme," Mrs Lai said. Allocation results will be available from pupils' primary schools on Friday (July 11). Pupils should collect the "Allocation Slip/Admission Slip" in accordance with the arrangements of their schools. The registration period is July 15 and July 16. All pupils must report to the secondary schools which they have been allocated during the registration period. Failure to do so will mean that they have chosen not to take up the places allocated. In case both the pupil and the parent/guardian are away from Hong Kong during the registration period, they should authorise representatives in writing to complete the registration procedure on their behalf. Copies of authorisation letter can be obtained from their primary school heads. In case of genuine difficulties, parents or pupils concerned should inform the School Places Allocation Section (SPAS) of the Education Department before the end of the registration period so that alternative arrangement can be made. When reporting to the secondary schools for registration, pupils are expected to put on school uniform. They must bring the following document: * the Allocation Slip/Admission Slip; * Birth Certificate, Hong Kong Juvenile Identity Card or other documentary evidence of date of birth and the status as permanent resident of Hong Kong; (Note : pupils should also bring along their valid travelling documents if the symbol "C" (for conditional stay) is found at line 7 of the Hong Kong Identity Card); * latest school reports, if any; and * two recent passport-sized photographs. Parents seeking transfer for their children should apply directly to the schools they prefer. Acceptance is at the discretion of the schools concerned. Successful applicants have to retrieve the Admission Slips from the secondary schools they have registered and submit them to the schools they wish to transfer to. Parents and pupils are reminded that retrieval of their Admission Slips from the schools will be taken as giving up the place allocated. "In case of tropical cyclones, persistent heavy rain or thunderstorms during the registration period, heads of schools and parents should pay attention to announcements in the media for any special arrangements," Mrs Lai said. Enquiries concerning the allocation results should be directed to the SPAS on 2832 7740 or 2832 7700 during office hours. End 8. Avid readers awarded ******************** A total of 45 students from 257 primary and secondary schools will tomorrow (Friday) receive prizes at the EPSON Foundation Reading Awards Presentation Ceremony of the English Extensive Reading Scheme (EERS) in recognition of their outstanding achievements in the Inter-school Book Report Competition of the scheme. Among the participants, 34 best readers have each read more than a hundred books in the 1996-97 school year. "The EERS is an Education Department initiative aimed at promoting reading habits among students and improving their English proficiency through reading," the Deputy Director of Education, Mr Kwan Ting-fai, said. He highlighted both the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the scheme. "Numbers aside, our English Extensive Reading Scheme also emphasises the integration of reading with other language skills. "Students are often engaged in a wide variety of activities before, during and after reading," he added. The reading scheme provides a good chance for students to develop a good reading habit. The English standard of students joining the scheme is expected to be improved tremendously through the scheme as they have a much wider exposure to the English language through the reading of English literature or story books. Mr Kwan pointed out that, in line with the recommendations of Education Commission Report No. 6, extensive reading would be extended to all levels of primary and secondary schooling by phases from September 1997 onwards. The EERS was introduced to secondary schools in September 1991 and was extended to primary schools in the 1995-96 school year. In the 1996-97 school year, around 106,000 students from 173 secondary schools and 84 primary schools took part in the scheme. In the 1997-98 school year, the final phase of the secondary scheme, another 26 schools will be enrolled, bringing the total number of participating schools to 199. As regards the primary scheme, another 40 schools will join the scheme this September. End 9. Appointment discs for measles campaign available next week ****************************************************** *** Appointment discs for Phase I of the Special Measles Vaccination Campaign conducted by the Department of Health (DH) will be available for collection from next week (Monday, July 14), although the vaccination programme will begin on July 28. A spokesman for DH said the appointment system would facilitate more orderly delivery of service. "Appointment discs will be available for collection during office hours from the Department's 62 General Out- patient Clinics (GOPC) and 49 Maternal and Child Health Centres (MCHC)," he said. The first phase of the vaccination programme for people aged 12 to 19 will take place from July 28 and September 6 at the Department's GOPCs and MCHCs. He appealed to anyone within this age group who have never received measles vaccine before or who have only received one dose of measles vaccine to come forward for vaccination during this period. Secondary school students who have appointments with DH's Student Health Service (SHS) between July 28 and November 15 will be offered vaccination at the SHS centres. Phase two of the campaign will be targeted at children aged six to 11 or those studying in primary schools. Vaccination will be given at their schools by inoculation teams from DH between September and November this year. Phase three is mainly for young children aged one to five and those in kindergartens. Vaccination will be provided at the GOPCs and MCHCs between September 8 and November 15, 1997. As in phase one, appointment discs for this group will be available for collection two weeks before i.e. from August 25, 1997. "Although the campaign is targeted at measles, MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine will be given free to vaccinees during the campaign," the spokesman said. "This will provide additional protection for those who have not been immunised against mumps and rubella." "Alternatively, members of the public may also obtain vaccination from their private medical practitioners at their own expense." A special hotline on measles Tel No:2833 0111 is now in operation to provide the public with information on measles and arrangements for the Special Measles Vaccination Campaign. Leaflets on the campaign together with consent forms and information on addresses of inoculation centres are now available for collection at various district offices. To facilitate efficient service, vaccinees are asked to bring along their immunisation record cards and consent forms when obtaining vaccinations. End 10. Illicit diesel oil smugglers arrested ************************************* Customs officers today (Thursday) smashed a syndicate suspected of smuggling illicit diesel oil into the territory following the arrest of five men and seizure of 30,000 litres of illicit diesel oil. Acting on information, officers from the Diesel Oil Enforcement Division, with the assistance of two patrol vessels from the Marine and Land Enforcement Command, laid an ambush near the waterfront in Tai Lam Chung near Castle Peak early this morning. At about 1.30 am, the officers swung into action after seeing the five suspects pumping diesel oil onto a lorry from a sand barge. The five men, including three mainlanders, were arrested red-handed. The seizure, comprising the sand barge, the lorry and the illicit diesel oil, was worth about $920,000. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Customs and Excise Department stressed that the Department was determined to take all effort to repress all kinds of illicit diesel oil activities. "Anyone having information on illicit diesel oil could call the Customs hotline 2545 6182," he added. End



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