Issued by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Information Services
Garden Road, 5th-8th Floors, Murray Building, Hong Kong. Tel: 2842 8777
Tuesday, August 19, 1997 CONTENTS ======== 1. National Day Celebrations 2. High APIs for the New Development Areas 3. Signing of Tseung Kwan O Landfills Restoration Contract 4. Transport Secretary visits MTRC 5. Tender for the Eighth Issue of 7-Year Exchange Fund Notes 6. Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results 7. Airmail services to Cambodia resumed 8. Fresh water cut in Tsim Sha Tsui 9. Water storage figure 1. National Day Celebrations ************************* Hong Kong will, on October 1 (Wednesday), celebrate the first National Day since it became a Special Administration Region of the People's Republic of China. The Home Affairs Bureau has been tasked with co- ordinating a programme of celebration activities on that day. At 8 am, the National Flag will be raised at a simple and solemn ceremony to be held at the seafront promenade of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, near the statue of the Gold Bauhinia which was a gift from the Central People's Government to mark Hong Kong's reunification with China. The Chief Executive, Mr Tung Chee Hwa, will host a reception at the Grand Hall of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre Extension in the late afternoon. It is expected that the reception will be attended by about 5,000 invited guests from all sectors of the community. The two provisional municipal councils will organise recreation and sports activities in Victoria Park, Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan in the afternoon to celebrate the occasion. Meanwhile, a full programme of celebration activities will be sponsored by the 18 Provisional District Boards at district level. The Home Affairs Department is applying for funds to enable Provisional District Boards to meet some of the costs of the district activities. A cultural performance organised by the Association of Compatriots in Hong Kong for Celebration of the National Day of the People's Republic of China will take place at the Hong Kong Coliseum from 7 pm to 9 pm. To round off the evening, the Association of Hong Kong Guangdong Community Organisations for Celebration of Return of Hong Kong to China is planning to stage a 30- minute fireworks display at Victoria Harbour at around 9.30 pm. A spokesman for the Home Affairs Bureau said that details of the official and unofficial events were still being worked out. The public will be informed of detailed arrangements once they are available. End 2. High APIs for the New Development Areas *************************************** The Environmental Protection Department today (Tuesday) recorded the "unhealthy" air pollution index (API) value of 109 for the new development areas, including Islands, Southern, Sai Kung, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Sha Tin, Tai Po and North districts. "When the index exceeds 100, air quality is generally unhealthy. People suffering from asthma, lung or heart illnesses may be adversely affected, and are advised to minimise physical exercises, especially energetic or laborious outdoor activities, until the air quality situation improves," Acting Assistant Director of Environmental Protection(Air), Mr Arthur Chu said. He said: "The poor air quality we are now experiencing is due to ozone, which is not directly emitted from pollution sources, but formed by the reaction of air pollutants in the atmosphere when under sunlight. "Nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, which are mostly emitted by motor vehicles, are the main pollutants involved in the formation of ozone. The calm and sunny weather over the last few days has provided sufficient time and the necessary conditions for the polluting chemicals in the atmosphere to form ozone," Mr Chu added. The indices for urban areas(including Central/Western, Wan Chai, Eastern, Kowloon City, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin and Yau Tsim Mong districts), and industrial areas (including Kwun Tong, Kwai Tsing and Tsuen Wan districts), have also reached 87 and 97, respectively. The API forecast for the territory tomorrow (Wednesday) is 85 for the urban area, 85 for the industrial area and 85 for the new development area. Members of the public can check the API readings on 2827 8541. End 3. Signing of Tseung Kwan O Landfills Restoration Contract ******************************************************* The Environmental Protection Department(EPD) today (Tuesday) signed a contract to restore two old landfills in Tseung Kwan O covering a total area of 110 hectares. Under the contract, the contractor is required to design, construct and manage the restoration facilities at the sites for up to 30 years until the land has been de-contaminated and is ready for normal development. The land can be put into temporary recreational uses such as for football field and golf driving range after restoration facilities are in place. The contract is awarded to Swire BFI Waste Services Limited (SBFI), which is a company jointly owned by Swire Pacific Limited and Browning-Ferris Industries, Inc. The capital cost is $382.3 million and an average of about $12.1 million will be paid to the contractor each year for operating and maintaining the restoration facilities. Under the landfill restoration programme, this is the third contract after the Shuen Wan and Urban Landfills. Tender for the fourth contract for old landfills in Northwest New Territories and Gin Drinker Bay will also be called in the near future. Speaking after the contract signing ceremony, the Assistant Director of Environmental Protection (Waste Facilities), Mr Benny Wong said the Tseung Kwan O landfills needed to be cleaned up as soon as possible so that they would not cause any pollution problems to the existing and future industrial and residential development in the vicinity. "The restoration works include the construction of impermeable capping, landfill gas extraction and flaring systems to burn off the extracted landfill gas at a high temperature, wastewater extraction and treatment system to treat the extracted wastewater to the required standard before discharging into public sewer." Given the right conditions, he said, landfill gas might be utilized either in the form of an alternative fuel or energy for generating electricity. "As a start, the restoration contractor is required to utilize the extracted landfill gas as a fuel to generate sufficient electricity to power the on-site facilities." Mr Wong pointed out that the old landfills had served Hong Kong over the past 30 years, but all landfills, old and new ones alike, were finite resources and had to be conserved and used sensibly. "At present, large quantities of waste are generated every day and disposed of at the three strategic landfills. If the quantities of waste are not reduced, all the landfills in Hong Kong will be filled up by 2012," he said. To address the problem of increasing waste generation, he said a draft Waste Reduction Plan was formulated and had been issued for public consultation. " We have already received a lot of valuable comments on the draft plan and hope to receive more in the remaining consultation period which will end on August 30 (Saturday), 1997," Mr Wong said. Comments should be sent to the Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau, ninth floor, Murray Building, Garden Road, Hong Kong, or via the E-mail address: [waste.reduction@pelb.wpelb.gov.hk]. End 4. Transport Secretary visits MTRC ******************************* The Secretary for Transport, Mr Nicholas Ng, this (Tuesday) afternoon started his familiarisation visits to the territory's major transport operators by calling at the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC). At the Company's Kowloon Bay headquarters, Mr Ng met the Directors of various departments and was briefed on all aspects of its operation, including marketing, fare schemes, finance, airport railway and the new travel pass Octopus to be launched next month. Mr Ng also took the opportunity to see for himself the railway's Central Control Room and workshop area. Mr Ng then proceeded to board a train for the Central station, where he observed the traffic flow of an average of 37,000 commuters during peak hours. Mr Ng has earlier visited the Transport Department and Highways Department. He will next call at the Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation and other major transport operators. End 5. Tender for the Eighth Issue of 7-Year Exchange Fund Notes ********************************************************* The Hong Kong Monetary Authority announces that the tender for the eighth issue of 7-year Exchange Fund Notes will be held on Monday, 25 August 1997 for settlement on Tuesday, 26 August 1997. An amount of HK$500 million 7-year Notes will be offered. 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 26 August 2004 and will carry interest at the rate of 7.00% per annum payable semi-annually in arrears. Terms and conditions of the issue are described fully in the Information Memorandum. 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 30/F, 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 eighth issue of 7-Year Exchange Fund Notes :- Issue Number : 7408 Tender Date and Time : Monday 25 August 1997, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Issue and Settlement Date : Tuesday 26 August 1997 Amount on Offer : HK$500 million plus an additional HK$100 million as reserve stock for the Monetary Authority Maturity : Seven years Maturity Date : 26 August 2004 Interest Rate : 7.00% per annum payable semi annually in arrears Interest Payment Dates : 26 Feb 1998, 26 Aug 1998, 26 Feb 1999, 26 Aug 1999, 28 Feb 2000, 28 Aug 2000, 26 Feb 2001, 27 Aug 2001, 26 Feb 2002, 26 Aug 2002, 26 Feb 2003, 26 Aug 2003, 26 Feb 2004, 26 Aug 2004 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 6. Hong Kong Monetary Authority tender results ******************************************* Tender date : 19 August 1997 Paper on offer : EF Bills Issue number : Q090 Issue date : 20 August 1997 Maturity date : 18 September 1997 Amount applied : HK$9,390 MN Amount allotted : HK$5,000 MN Average yield accepted : 9.23 PCT Highest yield accepted : 9.80 PCT Pro rata ratio : About 95 PCT Average tender yield : 9.86 PCT * * * * * * * Tender date : 19 August 1997 Paper on offer : EF Bills Issue number : Q734 Issue date : 20 August 1997 Maturity date : 19 November 1997 Amount applied : HK$5,911 MN Amount allotted : HK$2,000 MN Average yield accepted : 7.90 PCT Highest yield accepted : 8.10 PCT Pro rata ratio : About 100 PCT Average tender yield : 8.78 PCT ------------------------------------------------------- Hong Kong Monetary Authority **************************** Tender to be held in the week beginning - 25 Aug 97 : Tender date : 25 August 1997 Paper on offer : EF Notes Issue number : 7408 Issue date : 26 August 1997 Maturity date : 26 August 2004 Tenor : 7 Years Amount on offer : HK$500 +100 MN Coupon : 7.00% * * * * * * * Tender date : 26 August 1997 Paper on offer : EF Bills Issue number : Q735 Issue date : 27 August 1997 Maturity date : 26 November 1997 Tenor : 91 Days Amount on offer : HK$2,000 + 500 MN * * * * * * * Tender date : 26 August 1997 Paper on offer : EF Bills Issue number : H772 Issue date : 27 August 1997 Maturity date : 25 February 1998 Tenor : 182 Days Amount on offer : HK$1,000 + 300 MN End 7. Airmail services to Cambodia resumed ************************************ The Acting Postmaster General, Mr P C Luk, announced today (Tuesday) that all airmail services to Cambodia, including Speedpost, which have been suspended since July 11, 1997, are now resumed. End 8. Fresh water cut in Tsim Sha Tsui ******************************** Fresh water supply to some premises in Tsim Sha Tsui will be suspended from 11 pm on Friday (August 22) to 6 am the following day for waste detection work on watermains. The suspension will affect all premises along 25-31 Carnarvon Road, New World Centre, New World Hotel and Regent Hotel, and those in the areas bounded by Mody Road, Cornwall Avenue and Bristol Avenue, as well as Mody Road, Minden Row, Minden Avenue and Chatham Road South. End 9. Water storage figure ******************** Storage in Hong Kong's reservoirs at 9 am today (Tuesday) stood at 96.5 per cent of capacity or 565.341 million cubic metres. This time last year the reservoirs contained 568.949 million cubic metres of water, representing 97.1 per cent of capacity. End
