Government to hand out thank-you card, roll out activities and offer free admission to facilities on polling day to encourage voters to cast votes
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced today (November 26) that, to express gratitude for the public's support in the Legislative Council General Election and for casting their valuable votes on polling day, a thoughtfully designed thank-you card will be produced and presented to voters after they have cast their votes on polling day.
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Government to hand out thank-you card, roll out activities and offer free admission to facilities on polling day to encourage voters to cast votes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
The theme of the thank-you card is "Together We Create a Better Future", symbolising the collective effort of various sectors of society and the general public to jointly forge a better future for Hong Kong. The cover of the card features a futuristic design, with the election mascots, the Ballot Box Family (namely "Blue Ballot", "Red Ballot" and "Grandpa Ballot"), expressing their thanks to citizens. The card was designed by a team at the Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Center (HKGAI) and produced by the Information Services Department and the Government Logistics Department.
A Government spokesman said, "The Government has in recent years bolstered its efforts to promote artificial intelligence (AI) as a core industry for Hong Kong's development, implementing a series of measures to foster a thriving AI ecosystem. HKGAI, funded by InnoHK, a major innovation and technology initiative of the Government, specialises in the research and development of generative AI technology, with the goal of building Hong Kong's self-developed AI foundation models and ecosystem. The use of generative AI by HKGAI for this design resonates perfectly with the election's theme of 'creating the future together.'"
On December 6, the day before the election, the Government will host an Election Fun Day with a series of activities across Hong Kong to welcome the election. These include:
The "Let's Vote, Together We Create the Future Gala" will be held at Wonderland of the West Kowloon Cultural District that evening, featuring performances by artists, magicianand dancers;
The Government will organise carnivals in various locations, such as a civic education carnival at Tai Po Waterfront Park, as well as land and water experience activities along the Wan Chai and North Point waterfronts, etc;
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will hold "Fun in Sports & LegCo Election" carnival activities at six venues, i.e. Southorn Playground in Wan Chai, Kowloon Park, Kowloon Walled City Park, Hong Kong Velodrome Park, Fanling Playground, and Pak Tai Temple Playground in Cheung Chau;
Various policy bureaux and departments will organise exhibitions and interactive experience activities. The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau will hold a roving interactive exhibition at Plaza Hollywood in Diamond Hill; while the Environment and Ecology Bureau, in collaboration with Kowloon Motor Bus, will display vintage buses and electric buses at the Yue Lun Street Depot in Lai Chi Kok; and
Eight disciplinary forces under the Security Bureau will host activities or open their facilities to the public. The Police Force will hold an event at the Urban Council Centenary Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui;while open days will be held at the Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O; the Customs Headquarters Building in North Point; the Hong Kong Correctional Services Museum in Stanley; the Civil Aid Service Headquarters in Yau Ma Tei; the Auxiliary Medical Service Headquarters in Ho Man Tin; the Tsing Yi Fire Station; and the Government Flying Service helipads in Sai Kung, Tai Mei Tuk and Tai Mo Shan.
To further enhance the ambience of the election to be held on December 7 and public awareness of the election, as well as to remind voters to fulfil their civic responsibility and strengthen their civic consciousness, various government departments have arranged for various facilities to be open to all citizens for free on December 6 and 7 or to provide souvenirs or special offers, including:
Free admission to the Hong Kong Wetland Park under the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, as well as public swimming pools, and the fee-charging exhibitions of the Science Museum, Hong Kong Space Museum and Hong Kong Museum of Art under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department on these two days;
The Environmental Protection Department will offer double GREEN$ Points to the public who recycle at its community recycling network GREEN@COMMUNITY;
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will hold activities to promote the election and hand out souvenirs to citizens at certain public markets;
At designated shopping centres, markets and Domain in Yau Tong under the Hong Kong Housing Authority, members of the public will enjoy extra free parking offers upon consumption of acertain amount; and
The 14 projects under the Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme will provide different offers, including free guided tours and consumption discount. Additionally, citizens can enrol for the free guided tours, organised by the declared monumentKingYinLei on Saturdays and Sundays, starting from December 6 onwards.
Members of the public can learn about various activities of the Election Fun Day by clicking here, and know more details regarding free admission to government facilities and special offers arranged by government departments by accessing the link here. The Government is also pleased to note that quite a number of private enterprises, merchants and restaurants are taking the initiative to provide various offers on polling day. Members of the public are advised to watch out for information concerned.
Government to hand out thank-you card, roll out activities and offer free admission to facilities on polling day to encourage voters to cast votes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Re-launch of Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works in New Territories Exempted Houses
Following the direction of earlier proposals, the Buildings Department (BD) announced today (April 1) the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works (UBWs) in New Territories Exempted Houses (NTEHs). The reporting period will last for one year from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
"In view of the history and unique circumstances of the NTEHs (commonly known as village houses), the Government launched a one-off administrative reporting scheme in 2012 as a special arrangement. Under the scheme, owners could report to the BD about UBWs that were erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law. The reporting period ended in December 2012. The Development Bureau (DEVB) put forward proposals to amend the Buildings Ordinance in December 2024, which included rationalising the policy for handling UBWs. The DEVB also pointed out that in response to the views of villagers and Legislative Council members that the reporting period was too short, the Government prepared to re-launch the Reporting Scheme to allow owners who at that time did not report their UBWs to do so," a spokesman for the BD said.
Relevant stakeholders and Legislative Council members generally considered the above proposals practical and feasible, and they welcomed the proposals. The DEVB and the BD have also consulted Heung Yee Kuk on the relevant implementation arrangements.
The re-launched Reporting Scheme will maintain the original criteria, including:
(1) The types of UBWs that can be reported and their erection dates are the same as the original Reporting Scheme, meaning that only UBWs erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law and were not the First Round Targets (Note) are eligible. Examples include signboards projecting from the external walls of village houses; enclosed rooftop structures with a coverage of not more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area of the main building.
(2) Same as the original Reporting Scheme, owners are required to conduct safety inspections on the reported UBWs every five years.
"The BD will not require the immediate removal of the reported UBWs unless their structures become obviously dangerous. Regarding UBWs in village houses, the BD is prioritising the handling of First Round Targets. If any relevant UBWs remain not reported after the application deadline of March 31, 2027, the BD will, after dealing with the First Round Targets, take priority enforcement action against the non-reported UBWs. The BD will formulate enforcement strategy for the reported UBWs at a later stage in accordance with the risks and the actual situation," the spokesman added.
To enhance the efficiency of processing applications, reports must be submitted via the electronic platform on the BD's website by technically competent persons or registered professional engineers appointed by owners. In accordance with the user-pays principle, an administrative fee of $600 is payable for each application. Upon successful reports, owners must also pay the relevant administrative fee when conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years.
Details of the re-launched Reporting Scheme are available on the BD's website at https://www.bd.gov.hk/en/safety-inspection/ubw/UBW-in-new-territories-exempted-houses/index_relaunch_reporting_scheme.html; Villagers who wish to report can call 2626 1616 for enquiry. The BD will also use different channels such as distributing leaflets and posters to Rural Committees to enable villagers to know more about the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme.
Owners who had successfully participated in the Reporting Scheme in 2012 are not required to submit reports again. However, they must continue to comply with the requirements of the original Reporting Scheme, including conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years, submitting safety certificates and paying administrative fees to the BD.
Note: The First Round Targets refer to UBWs with higher potential risks and more serious nature, such as village houses of four storeys or more, and enclosed rooftop structures covering more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area.
Source: AI-found images
