Issued by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Information Services
Garden Road, 5th-8th Floors, Murray Building, Hong Kong. Tel: 2842 8777
Tuesday, August 5, 1997 CONTENTS ======== 1. Sponsors for Industrial Awards praised 2. Response by Correctional Services Department 3. Advice and guidance for Secondary Five leavers 4. 1997 Intensive English Language Programme 5. Commemorative covers for Year of Heritage on sale 6. Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results 1. Sponsors for Industrial Awards praised ************************************** The Director-General of Industry, Mr Francis Ho, today (Tuesday) paid tribute to 24 sponsors who had donated $4.4 million this year for the Hong Kong Awards for Industry. Speaking at a cheque presentation ceremony, Mr Ho said: "The Awards Scheme would not be such a success this year without the support and generous donations of our sponsors." Mr Ho said the record donation is a reflection of the recognition from the community of the contribution of Hong Kong industry to the economy and people's livelihood. The Awards, organised for the ninth consecutive year in 1997, was initiated by the Government in 1989 to give recognition to outstanding achievements in industrial performance. The Awards Scheme this year has the largest number of categories of award. A new technological achievement category has been added to the six categories of consumer product design, machinery and equipment design, productivity, quality, environmental performance and export marketing. "The new category reflects the trend of Hong Kong's industrial development," Mr Ho said. Commenting on the 209 entries for the contest in 1997, Mr Ho said: "We have the largest number of entries for this year's competition, a 40 per cent increase over the last year. "This is not just an achievement of the scheme itself but a clear reflection of the importance our industrialists attach to productivity, quality, marketing, engineering and technological excellence, and environmental protection. "The good response also provides very good indications that we do have a competitive industrial sector based in Hong Kong," he said. The assessment of the entries is now under way. The final adjudication will take place in early September under the chairmanship of Mr Antony Leung, Executive Council member. "The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, has agreed to present the Awards on November 7," Mr Ho said. Twenty out of the 24 sponsors each presented cheques for $200,000 at the presentation ceremony. They are: Bank of China Group; Chekiang First Bank Ltd; Chen Hsong Holdings Ltd; Chiaphua-Shinko Copper Alloy Co, Ltd; Elec & Eltek International Holdings Ltd; Epson Precision (HK) Ltd; Fang Brothers Knitting Ltd; Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Ltd; Group Sense Ltd; Hang Seng Bank Ltd; the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd; the Hong Kong Industrial Estates Corporation; Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation; the Kowloon Motor Bus Co (1933) Ltd; Motorola Semiconductors Hong Kong Ltd; New World Telephone; QPL International Holdings Ltd; Shanghai Commercial Bank Ltd; Standard Chartered Bank; and VTech Group of Companies. The remaining four each presenting cheques for $100,000 are: ACL Group; Regatex Manufacturers Ltd; Sino Land Co Ltd; and Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd. The cheques are received by representatives of the seven organising bodies of the Awards, namely, the Industry Department, the Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Productivity Council, the Private Sector Committee on the Environment, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and the Hong Kong Industrial Technology Centre Corporation. Mr Ho presented a small Zhu-bi trophy to 11 of the organisations which had sponsored the Awards Scheme for five or more years. End 2. Response by Correctional Services Department ******************************************** In response to a number of press enquiries following the press conference given by the Ombudsman, a spokesman for the Correctional Services Department today (Tuesday), made the following statement: "The Correctional Services Department reiterates its determination to continue to co-operate with the Office of the Ombudsman. The Department is also committed to strive for efficiency, competence, quality of service and most important of all, fairness in the treatment of inmates. With the measures taken to enhance inmates' awareness of the function and accessibility of the Ombudsman since September last year, the number of complaint referrals from the Ombudsman's Office has increased three-fold. However, compared with the publicised figure of 262 complaints received by the Ombudsman during the period from July 1, 1996 to June 30, 1997, the referrals represent only about 55 per cent of the total complaints made to the Ombudsman by inmates. Of the 143 complaint referrals from September 1, 1996 to July 31, 1997, a total of 107 cases were concluded by the Ombudsman and so far, only one complaint was partially substantiated. All other cases clearly showed that there was no mal-administration in the management of penal institutions. The Correctional Services Department pledges to continue its efforts in enhancing inmates' access to the Office of the Ombudsman and will jointly examine with the Ombudsman ways for further improvements which are consistent with security requirements and are within the legal provisions and jurisdiction of the Ombudsman." End 3. Advice and guidance for Secondary Five leavers ********************************************** Extended service on career advice for Secondary 5 school leavers will be available at the Further Studies Resources Centre of the Education Department at Room 206, Mongkok Government Offices, 30 Luen Wan Street, Mong Kok. Upon release of the result of the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination on Thursday (August 7), the centre will extend its opening hours to between 8.45 am and 5.30 pm without lunch break on August 7 (Thursday), August 8 (Friday) and August 11 (Monday) and between 8.45 am and 1 pm on August 9 (Saturday). An educational counsellor will be available at the centre from August 7 to August 11 to provide assistance to students with emotional problems. Students can also seek assistance from educational counsellor on 2712 7958. They can get access to material on opportunities for further studies and training, and information on various profession. Officers will also be available at the centre to give career guidance. Normal opening hours of the centre are from 8.45 am to 12.45 pm and 2.15 pm to 4.45 pm from Mondays to Fridays, and 9.15 am to 11.45 am on Saturdays. For enquiries on the Further Studies Resources Centre, please telephone 2399 2184. End 4. 1997 Intensive English Language Programme ***************************************** Secondary five students who have taken at least half of the subjects in the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) in Chinese may apply for the Pre-S6 course of the Intensive English Language Programme (IELP) this August. Senior Education Officer, Mrs Fok Lee Yu-hing, today (Tuesday) said students who would be admitted to Secondary six this September were invited to apply for the Pre-S6 course. "The purpose of the course is to help students who have studied through the medium of Chinese to attain the standard of English required by local tertiary institutions," she said. The IELP, run by the British Council, will be conducted in three stages. The first stage is a two-week whole-day Pre-S6 course to be held from August 19 to 29. The second stage is a four-week Post-S6 course to be held next summer, and the last stage, a two-week S7 course, will be held during the Chinese New Year vacation in 1999 before they enter local tertiary institutions. The two-week S7 course is to replace the existing four-week Post-S7 course which will be held for the last time in the summer of 1998. Mrs Fok said current S5 students who were eligible for the Pre-S6 course might obtain application forms from their schools. Private candidates may get the forms from District Education Offices. To be eligible for the Pre-S6 course, students must: * have been admitted to S6 in the 1997/98 school year; * have satisfied the requirements for taking the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination in 1999; and * have taken at least 50 per cent of the subjects in the HKCEE in Chinese apart from Chinese subjects, English subjects, Mathematics, Additional Mathematics, Computer Studies, Religious Studies, Buddhist Studies, Shorthand, Typewriting and Principles of Accounts. Applicants obtaining S6 places should return the application forms to the Schools Division of the Education Department on the 14th floor, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong through the schools offering them S6 places before 5 pm on August 11 (Monday). Students obtaining S6 places through the Central Allocation should return the application forms to the Education Department through principals of the schools admitting them before 3 pm on August 16 (Saturday). Those obtaining S6 places in non-bought-place private schools where admission is not governed by the Secondary Six Admission Procedure should return the application forms through principals of the schools admitting them not later than 3 pm on August 16. Applicants taking the HKCEE as private candidates are required to forward the completed application forms through the schools offering them S6 places, together with a copy of their HKCEE Admission Slips and a copy of the HKCEE Results Notice. The list of the first batch of successful applicants will be posted at the following places on August 16 at 10 am: * The British Council Head Office at 3 Supreme Court Road, Admiralty, Hong Kong; and * Education Department Kowloon Sub-Office at Kowloon Government Offices, 405 Nathan Road, Kowloon. Eligible applicants who are late in obtaining S6 places through the Central Allocation or from non-bought- place private schools will be advised of the results as soon as possible. They are reminded that their application forms must be returned to the Education Department through principals of the schools admitting them not later than 3 pm on August 16. End 5. Commemorative covers for Year of Heritage on sale ************************************************* Two commemorative covers on the Year of Heritage are now on sale from the Heritage Resource Centre of the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO). The two covers, one on the Heritage Day in Lung Yeuk Tau and the other on the Exhibition on Hong Kong's Heritage, are the second and the third in a series of postal items to commemorate the various activities of the Year of Heritage. Priced at HK$25 each, the second cover bears a HK$1.3 definitive stamp and the date chop of the Post Office while the third cover bears the HK$1.3 stamp of British Royal Cypher which was cancelled by the special postmark of June 30, 1997. The opening hours of the sale counter at the Heritage Resource Centre at 136 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui are from 9.30 am - 2.30 pm, Monday to Friday. For enquiries, please call the AMO at 2721 2326. The Year of Heritage is organised by the Antiquities Advisory Board, the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust and the AMO of the Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Bureau to enhance public awareness of heritage conservation in Hong Kong. End 6. Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results ******************************************* Tender date : 5 August 1997 Paper on offer : EF Bills Issue number : Q088 Issue date : 6 August 1997 Maturity date : 3 September 1997 Amount applied : HK$12,830 MN Amount allotted : HK$5,000 MN Average yield accepted : 6.35 PCT Highest yield accepted : 6.40 PCT Pro rata ratio : About 71 PCT Average tender yield : 6.42 PCT - - - - - Tender date : 5 August 1997 Paper on offer : EF Bills Issue number : Q732 Issue date : 6 August 1997 Maturity date : 5 November 1997 Amount applied : HK$6,910 MN Amount allotted : HK$2,000 MN Average yield accepted : 6.31 PCT Highest yield accepted : 6.34 PCT Pro rata ratio : About 25 PCT Average tender yield : 6.36 PCT - - - - - Tender date : 5 August 1997 Paper on offer : EF Bills Issue number : Y792 Issue date : 6 August 1997 Maturity date : 5 August 1998 Amount applied : HK$3,580 MN Amount allotted : HK$500 MN Average yield accepted : 6.33 PCT Highest yield accepted : 6.33 PCT Pro rata ratio : About 36 PCT Average tender yield : 6.37 PCT ------------------------------------------------------- Hong Kong Monetary Authority ---------------------------- Tender to be held in the week beginning 11 August 1997: Tender date : 11 August 1997 Paper on offer : EF Notes Issue number : 2908 Issue date : 12 August 1997 Maturity date : 12 August 1999 Tenor : 2 Years Amount on offer : HK$500 + 100 MN Coupon : 6.30% - - - - - Tender date : 12 August 1997 Paper on offer : EF Bills Issue number : Q089 Issue date : 13 August 1997 Maturity date : 10 September 1997 Tenor : 28 Days Amount on offer : HK$5,000 MN - - - - - Tender date : 12 August 1997 Paper on offer : EF Bills Issue number : Q733 Issue date : 13 August 1997 Maturity date : 12 November 1997 Tenor : 91 Days Amount on offer : HK$2,000 + 500 MN - - - - - Tender date : 12 August 1997 Paper on offer : EF Bills Issue number : H771 Issue date : 13 August 1997 Maturity date : 11 February 1998 Tenor : 182 Days Amount on offer : HK$1,000 + 300 MN End
