Government adjusts Outbound Travel Alert for Middle East countries
In view of the continued deterioration of the situation in the Middle East regions, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (March 23) raised the Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) for Iran and Israel to black, and issued amber OTA for the following Middle East countries, include Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (the UAE).
A Government spokesman said, "The black OTA signifies severe threat. Due to the highly unpredictable security situation in Iran and Israel, the HKSAR Government advises Hong Kong residents to avoid all travel to Iran and Israel. Those already there should attend to personal safety and leave or relocate to relatively safe regions immediately. In addition, Hong Kong residents who intend to visit Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE or are already there should exercise caution, attend to personal safety, pay attention to local announcements on the latest situation and notices on consular services from the local Chinese Embassies / Consulates-General."
Moreover, while Kuwait is currently not covered by the OTA System, the Security Bureau has updated the OTA webpage regarding supplementary information for Kuwait with a view to reminding residents to exercise caution and attend to personal safety.
The Security Bureau, Photo by Bastille Post
The Security Bureau will continue to closely monitor the situation of the relevant Middle East countries. Any updates will be issued through the media, the Bureau's mobile app and the OTA webpage (www.sb.gov.hk/eng/ota).
Tthe Immigration Department (ImmD), Photo source: reference image
Hong Kong residents outside Hong Kong who need assistance may call the 24-hour hotline of the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit of the Immigration Department (ImmD) at (852) 1868, call the 1868 hotline using network data or use the 1868 Chatbot via the ImmD mobile application, send message to the 1868 WhatsApp assistance hotline, send message to the 1868 WeChat assistance hotline or submit the Online Assistance Request Form, or contact the local Chinese Embassies.
Hong Kong residents are encouraged to use the online Registration of Outbound Travel Information service (www.gov.hk/roti) of the ImmD to register their contact details and itinerary when outside Hong Kong. The information provided allows the ImmD to disseminate practical information to them through appropriate means, including SMS on mobile phones, in a timely manner when necessary.
The continued deterioration of the situation in the Middle East regions, Photo source: AP image
Remarks by SLW and Director of Hong Kong Talent Engage at media session
Following are the remarks by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Chris Sun, and the Director of Hong Kong Talent Engage (HKTE), Mr Felix Chan, at a media session at Cyberport, after meeting with a delegation of global I&T (innovation and technology) talent this morning (September 11):
Reporter: The delegation is spending a week visiting across the GBA (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area) and also Hong Kong. Can you let us know more about what are the key highlights? And what you hope for them to take away from this trip?
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: This is not just a tour in Hong Kong, but the tour covers the GBA as well. They went to Qianhai and Nansha, so they can see for themselves the latest environment and the opportunities for them to develop here in the GBA.
I just had a brief chat with some of the members. They are very impressed by what they saw, not just here in Hong Kong, but also in Nanshai and Qianhai. I am sure with this short tour, a lot of them will surely have the GBA in mind when they are planning for the future.
Reporter: How does this delegation visit mean to Hong Kong's ambition to strengthen its aim to strengthen the position as an international talent hub? In your view, how can Hong Kong organisations attract more global talents and retain them to develop long-term careers here in Hong Kong? What can Hong Kong organsations learn from those European start-ups in terms of talent practices?
Secretary of Labour and Welfare: Thank you. Surely, Hong Kong is a talent hub right now, and we are drawing a lot of people with different backgrounds into Hong Kong. For this tour, it is a very special one because we are targeting the young people, they are very young entrepreneurs from Europe. We are doing it through a competition. The purpose is to create a close collaboration between Hong Kong and Europe, especially among the younger generations. This is the second edition of our attempt. It is much bigger than the last one we did last year. We are seeing a lot of very positive feedback, and we are seeing results out of it. Young people, of course, share a lot in common, but given their backgrounds and different education exposures, if we bring the young people here in Hong Kong and the GBA, with their counterparts from Europe, we are sure there will be a lot of cross-fertilisation of ideas. Each of them can learn from the other side of it. We believe the end result will be something very exciting and we look forward to it. Of course, looking ahead, given the success we had this year and last time, we are going to do it more in the future. Maybe Felix can supplement a bit more about the tour and the competition.
Director of Hong Kong Talent Engage: For the competition this time, we have 20 participants from EuroTech Federation and from across Europe. And they are basically focusing on four priority sectors covering AI and robotics, health tech, fintech, and also on the different kinds of smart city arrangement. These four key sectors are also the priority sectors for Hong Kong to develop itself as an international innovation and technology hub. That is the reason why we actually have arranged this tour.
Before, in Munich, based on the opportunities in Hong Kong and the GBA, they have already proposed different business cases, so this is the time for them to turn their vision into reality. For the HKTE office, we are working very closely with the three innovation parks in Hong Kong and also with different departments across the Government, and also with our industry partners together. So, in the future, whether we are talking about attracting talent, recruiting talent or also talking about promoting Hong Kong with the GBA, the entire technical system will work very closely together and follow up with these delegates in the future.
Reporter: Will the government cap the number of migrants coming in through the various talent schemes? Also, besides newspaper reports, there is also a call from the DAB (Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong) about shifting the Top Talent Pass Scheme toward an industry-driven model, like prioritising sectors like I&T. How does the Government plan to adjust these talent policies? Will we see more targeted quotas specified or designated for sector-specific industries?
Secretary for Labour and Welfare: Thank you. Over the years, we have made quite a success through the various talent schemes we have put in place. Broadly, talent schemes here in Hong Kong can be divided into two categories. One is work-related. First of all, you have to have a job, and your application is processed by your employer. For this group of talent, you can rest assured they are needed by us because there are jobs waiting for them to be filled. The second one is talent-specific. It is based on talented individuals - either that they are earning a lot of money or that they are graduating from the top universities all over the world. Again, they are coming here to Hong Kong for their own career development, and also for Hong Kong's economic development. It is through the visa renewal that we ensure that they have either a job or they have set up a company on their own. The more talent we have, the more they contribute to our economy, and the better it is for our community. Thank you very much.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)
Source: AI-found images
