CS: Further enhancing collaboration between departments of Hong Kong and Mainland port authorities
The number of passenger trips between Hong Kong and Shenzhenhas recorded new highs over and over again in the past weekends, and the total cross-boundary passenger traffic on August 10 (Sunday) reached 1.34 million, surpassing all previous records. The Liantang Port/Heung Yuen Wai boundary control point (BCP) in particular is a popular choice among Mainland tour groups. During peak hours, some Mainland tour groups had to wait for a longer time on the Shenzhen side before crossing the boundary into Hong Kong. With the implementation of multipronged measures, the waiting time for both outbound and inbound travellers at the Hong Kong BCP is less than 15 minutes.
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, visited Shenzhen this morning (August 18) to meet with the Mayor of the Shenzhen Municipal Government, Mr Qin Weizhong, to exchange views on further enhancing communication and co-ordination between departments of Hong Kong and the Mainland at BCPs, with a view to better addressing the increasing demand for cross-boundary travel. Also attending the meeting were the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Director of Immigration, Mr Benson Kwok; and the Commissioner of Customs and Excise, Mr Chan Tsz-tat.
Mr Chan Kwok-ki shared that the HKSAR Government has been proactively preparing for peak weekend passenger traffic, including operating additional counters and e-Channels, as well as setting up temporary counters at BCPs. Through flexible manpower deployment, all clearance counters and kiosks at busy BCPs are operated to ease passenger and vehicular flows, ensuring smooth and orderly immigration clearance.
At the meeting, both sides agreed that government departments of the two places at BCPs will strengthen communication and co-operation further, and plan ahead in response to the latest trends. Both sides will also reinforce the existing joint notification mechanism to improve communication, information sharing and dissemination, with the aim of enhancing the clearance capacity of BCPs. Given the popularity of the Liantang Port/Heung Yuen Wai BCP among Mainland tour groups, and the concentrated arrival of these groups at weekends, both sides will actively explore ways to strengthen strategic communication and collaboration and further share operational experience with a view to enhancing the experience of Mainland tour groups crossing the boundary into Hong Kong.
Noting that the number of cross-boundary passenger trips between Hong Kong andShenzhencontinues to hit record highs, Mr Chan Kwok-ki said that not only does this fully reflect the mutual engagement between the people of Hong Kong andShenzhen, but it also continuously injects momentum into the economic development of both places. He expressed his gratitude to the Shenzhen Municipal Government for its ongoing and strong support for BCP operations. He also thanked relevant departments of the two places at BCPs for their long-term and close co-operation in managing every peak travel period together.
Mr Chan Kwok-ki and the delegation returned to Hong Kong in the afternoon.
CS: Further enhancing collaboration between departments of Hong Kong and Mainland port authorities Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CS: Further enhancing collaboration between departments of Hong Kong and Mainland port authorities Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Government announces updates on follow-up work on Tai Po fire
The three task forces set up by the Government for the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po - the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation, the Task Force on Emergency Support and Fund-Raising, and the Task Force on Emergency Accommodation Arrangements - are making full efforts to follow up on the support, relief, and investigation work related to the incident. Details are as follows:
Financial and welfare support
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For the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, established by the Government, donations received are about $3.4 billion as of noon today (December 13). With the start-up capital of $300 million from the Government, the fund's total has now reached around $3.7 billion. The fund will be used to assist residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support.
Accommodation support
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As of this morning, a total of 1 392 residents have been accommodated, through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, in youth hostels, camps, or hotel rooms. Another 3 163 residents are currently living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau or units from the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS).
In consideration of the extremely urgent situation of the residents affected by the fire incident, a special arrangement of a full rent exemption has been made earlier by the Housing Bureau to provide accommodation support to those affected residents moving into transitional housing or HKHS projects. In other words, if needed, the affected residents can stay for a longer period of time. The Government will continue to support the affected residents in terms of accommodation, and the residents in need do not have to worry about the relevant rental expenses or the duration of stay.
In addition, staff from the operating organisations of transitional housing and HKHS, as well as volunteers have been working around the clock to furnish the units with essential supplies. Taking Eminence Tower in Hung Shui Kiu as an example, each unit is equipped, upon move-in, with furniture and appliances such as bed frames, mattresses, pillows, cooking stoves and water heaters. Daily necessities including toilet paper, slippers and basic cleaning supplies, etc. are also provided. Such efforts are intended to help the affected residents settle in as quickly as possible.
At the same time, a number of organisations have proactively stationed their staff in some projects to provide residents in need with various forms of support, including free medical and legal consultation services. The Government has also set up service stations in 18 projects where more residents have moved in, providing consultation and support services for residents in need, standing together with them.
Relief supplies and donations
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The supplies donation online platform, established by the Government and the information technology sector, continues to operate, facilitating the registration of supplies donations from organisations and the public. The Government has so far received over 1 800 registrations, of which approximately 30 per cent were submitted by organisations, whereas the others were contributed by the public. The various registered donation items include food and beverages, clothing, daily necessities, bedding, and electrical appliances. The Government is actively assessing residents' actual needs through the relevant policy bureau, government departments, and service organisations for the matching of donated supplies in order to distribute appropriate items in phases to places in need. So far, about 19 600 donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places. The matching and distribution of supplies will continue.
Regulation and inspection work
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The Housing Department today continued to remove the burnt scaffolding on the external walls of Wang Cheong House, Wang Tai House and Wang Sun House. As the environment at scene is narrow and the scaffolding and the protective nets of individual buildings may be subject to more serious damage, for the sake of safety, the Housing Department will conduct assessments with the Police on the timetable of removing the scaffolding of the remaining four affected buildings. In addition, the Independent Checking Unit of the Housing Bureau has also completed the extraction of concrete core samples from the seven affected buildings at Wang Fuk Court today.
The Development Bureau (DEVB) announced on December 11 a new mechanism for sampling and testing scaffold nets for external walls in Hong Kong. The Buildings Department is preparing for the issuance of a new practice note to registered contractors and will meet with the industry next week. The DEVB is moving ahead in full steam the supporting arrangements to ensure that there are sufficient designated laboratories and a suitable site for off-site sampling work.
Source: AI-found images
