kakase/hk_gov_press_release huggingface dataset:
CE welcomes passage of Decision on establishing and improving legal system and enforcement mechanisms for HKSAR to safeguard national security by NPC
28.5.2020

In response to the passage of the Decision on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) to safeguard national security by the National People's Congress (NPC) today (May 28), the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, issued the following statement: I welcome the passage of the Decision by the NPC. The HKSAR is an inalienable part of the People's Republic of China. Safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests is the constitutional duty of the HKSAR and concerns every Hong Kong citizen. Given the difficulty of the executive and legislative authorities of the HKSAR to complete on their own legislation to safeguard national security in the foreseeable future, there is the need and the urgency for the passage of the Decision by the NPC to establish and improve the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for Hong Kong to safeguard national security at the state level. It also shows the care of the country towards the HKSAR. Nevertheless, we understand that the HKSAR still has the legal responsibility to enact legislation in accordance with Article 23 of the Basic Law and should complete the legislation to safeguard national security as soon as possible. The HKSAR Government will fully co-operate with the Standing Committee of the NPC to complete the relevant work on legislation as soon as possible and proactively reflect the detailed situation in Hong Kong during the process. We will also proactively explain the objective and the importance of the legislation to various sectors. As required by the Decision, the HKSAR Government will enhance enforcement and public education in relation to safeguarding national security, and report regularly to the Central People's Government. The legislation to be enacted for the HKSAR to safeguard national security aims to prevent, curb and sanction an extremely small minority of criminals who threaten national security, safeguarding the prosperity and stability of Hong Kong and maintaining "One Country, Two Systems". It will not affect the legitimate rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kong residents. "One Country, Two Systems" has been Hong Kong's top advantage, and a stable and safe society will provide a favourable business and investment environment. This will help better Hong Kong's development down the road. I strongly believe that various sectors of society will lend their full support for the legislation. Ends/Thursday, May 28, 2020 Issued at HKT 16:34 NNNN
CE expresses sorrow over passing of Dr Stanley Ho
26.5.2020

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (May 26) expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Dr Stanley Ho. "Dr Ho was a successful entrepreneur. The enterprise founded by him involves multiple business activities, and he played a pivotal role in Hong Kong and Macao. Dr Ho loved the country and started to invest in the Mainland as early as the 1970s to support its reform and opening-up, and participate in its development. He also served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, contributing further to the advancement of the country. "Dr Ho was a member of the Hong Kong Basic Law Consultative Committee, witnessing the city's return to the Motherland. He took an active part in the development of Hong Kong's community service, lending staunch support for the fund-raising activities of the Community Chest and donating generously to various local charitable organisations as well as tertiary education institutions. He also donated to support the establishment of leisure and cultural facilities as well as anti-drug education and promotional programmes, making significant contributions to the community. He was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2010. "I am saddened by the passing of Dr Ho. On behalf of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family," Mrs Lam said. Ends/Tuesday, May 26, 2020 Issued at HKT 18:26 NNNN
CE expresses sorrow over passing of Mr Allen Lee
19.5.2020

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (May 19) expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Mr Allen Lee. "Mr Lee had served the community for many years and was influential in the political arena. He was appointed as a member of the Legislative Council (LegCo) early in 1978 and later became the Senior LegCo Member, and served the Council for 20 years. In the meantime, he was also appointed as a member of the Executive Council to tender advice to the Government. He was a member of the Preparatory Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) and a Hong Kong Affairs Adviser, contributing to Hong Kong's return to the motherland. Caring about the country, he served as a deputy to the National People's Congress to take part in national affairs. "Mr Lee still cared very much about society after he retired from the councils and often offered his unique and insightful comments on social issues. He also hosted various current affairs programmes in different media and interviewed members of the political and business sectors. After assuming the office of the Chief Executive in 2017, the first television interview that I gave was hosted by Mr Lee, and the memory is still fresh in my mind. "I am saddened by the passing of Mr Lee. On behalf of the HKSAR Government, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his family," Mrs Lam said. Ends/Tuesday, May 19, 2020 Issued at HKT 17:08 NNNN
CE to attend NPC session opening ceremony
19.5.2020

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, will depart for Beijing via Shenzhen on May 21 to attend the opening ceremony of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress the next day. Mrs Lam will return to Hong Kong via Shenzhen in the afternoon on May 22. During her absence, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, will be the Acting Chief Executive. Ends/Tuesday, May 19, 2020 Issued at HKT 14:15 NNNN
Chief Executive approves chairmanship of HKEX
19.5.2020

The Chief Executive has approved the re-appointment of Mrs Laura Cha May-lung as Chairman of the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) with immediate effect. The approval was made under the Securities and Futures Ordinance (SFO) (Cap. 571). Mrs Cha's chairmanship will coincide with her term of appointment as a member of the Board of Directors of HKEX, which will conclude at the end of the 2022 Annual General Meeting of the HKEX. Mrs Cha was elected as Chairman of the HKEX by the directors at the board meeting on May 7, 2020. Section 69(1) of the SFO provides that "no person shall be the chairman of a company which is a recognized exchange controller unless he has the approval in writing of the Chief Executive". By virtue of Schedule 10 to the SFO, the HKEX is deemed to have been recognised as an exchange controller under section 59(2) of the SFO. The Government is confident that with Mrs Cha's leadership, the HKEX will strive to further enhance Hong Kong's market quality and competitiveness, and strengthen the city's position as the premier fund raising and risk management platform in the region. Mrs Cha was re-appointed by the Financial Secretary as a member of the Board of Directors of the HKEX in February 2020 under the SFO for a term of around two years until the conclusion of the Annual General Meeting of HKEX in 2022. Ends/Tuesday, May 19, 2020 Issued at HKT 17:00 NNNN
CE&apos;s response to thematic study report by Independent Police Complaints Council
15.5.2020

The Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) submitted to the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, its "Thematic Study Report on the Public Order Events arising from the Fugitive Offenders Bill since June 2019 and the Police Actions in Response" today (May 15). The report is also available for viewing by members of the public. "When the IPCC decided to undertake a proactive study in July last year, I welcomed its decision at that time and pledged that the Government would fully co-operate with the IPCC. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the IPCC Chairman, Mr Anthony Neoh, SC, all council members and the secretariat for their hard work in preparing the report over the past few months," Mrs Lam said. "The IPCC has examined a large volume of information and has made detailed and objective representation of facts in the report. The report is comprehensive, objective, fact-based and weighty. "Overall speaking, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government accepts the 52 recommendations proposed by the IPCC. I have requested the Secretary for Security to set up a task force and to supervise it personally to study and follow up on every recommendation, as well as to consult the IPCC when necessary and report to me on a regular basis." Mrs Lam also considered that the Police can accord priority to dealing with several areas of the recommendations, including media arrangements in large-scale public order events, co-ordination among the Police themselves and with other departments, dissemination of information to the public, temporary detention facilities and police identification. "The rule of law is the cornerstone of Hong Kong's success, and one of the indispensable elements of the rule of law is that members of the public have to abide by the law. I, the HKSAR Government and the Police will resolutely say no to any violation of the law to prevent the deterioration of the law and order in Hong Kong, ensuring that members of the public will continue to enjoy their freedoms and rights within the legal boundaries," Mrs Lam stressed. The opening remarks (Chinese only) of the Chief Executive at the press conference on the thematic study report today are available at the following link: www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202005/15/P2020051500787.htm . Ends/Friday, May 15, 2020 Issued at HKT 19:54 NNNN
Transcript of remarks by CE at media session before ExCo meeting
12.5.2020

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting today (May 12): Reporter: What do you think is the problem with the Liberal Studies curriculum right now and are you planning to substantially revamp or scrap it completely? And also, there’s a media report saying that the Government is planning to resume the Second Reading of the National Anthem Bill on May 27, could you confirm that? And does that mean the Government has already liaised with the Chairwoman of this House Committee Starry Lee to ensure the Committee will pass the Bill to the main Council by that day? Chief Executive: I really have nothing more to add on the future arrangement for the subject of Liberal Studies. This is only one of the areas that the Government has identified that warrant a review at the beginning of our term. We started off by creating eight task forces to look at various aspects of Hong Kong’s education system, and one of it is to look at the curriculum. And within this area, I suppose the most talked-about subject is Liberal Studies because this subject, unlike English, Chinese or Mathematics, was introduced 10 years ago and there have been a lot of discussions on whether it should have a curriculum, whether there should be textbooks and how it should be taught in schools and so on. I am awaiting the task force to submit a report to the Government and then we’ll decide the way forward. In deciding the way forward, we will have to look at whether the Liberal Studies subject is meeting the original objectives of creating this subject about 10 years ago. As far as the Second Reading of the bills that have completed scrutiny by the Legislative Council, I can confirm here – in fact you will know it very soon – that the Chief Secretary for Administration and the relevant Principal Officials have already written to the House Committee Chairwoman, the Honourable Starry Lee, to consult her - this is required under the Rules of Procedure - on the resumption of Second Reading of these bills in the Legislative Council. There are a total of 10 bills, I think. Two of the bills have been delayed for a very long time and they are the National Anthem Bill and the Patents (Amendment) Bill (should be Trade Marks (Amendment) Bill). We do expect these two bills to be given priority in the resumption of Second Reading by the Legislative Council. The remaining eight bills could also take their turn to go back to the Legislative Council for resumption of Second Reading debate and hopefully passage by the Legislative Council. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, May 12, 2020 Issued at HKT 15:53 NNNN
CE visits CuMask+™ production workshop
6.5.2020

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, this morning (May 6) inspected one of the production sites of CuMask+™️ in Tsuen Wan and expressed her gratitude to the staff and workers for their dedication in producing the high-quality reusable masks in the past months for all Hong Kong citizens to fight against the epidemic. Accompanied by the Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Mr Alfred Sit, Mrs Lam visited one of the production sites of CuMask+™ in Hong Kong where she was briefed on the production process and related facilities by the Chief Executive Officer of the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA), Mr Edwin Keh. Mrs Lam also chatted with the workers, noting that many of them are retired workers of the textile industry who have re-joined the production workforce to fight against the epidemic. Mrs Lam praised them for their commitment to serve and expressed her heartfelt thanks for their hard work. Since the masks produced in the workshop will be delivered to a clean workspace for sterilising with ozone and packing before distribution, there is no need for members of the public to wash the mask before it is used for the first time. In the face of the tight supply of masks amid the epidemic, the Government set aside funds to subsidise projects on technology applications of reusable masks under the first round of the Anti-epidemic Fund approved by the Legislative Council, enabling the birth of CuMask+™ announced yesterday (May 5). The patented design adopted by CuMask+™ was developed by HKRITA with the support of the Innovation and Technology Fund, and was awarded a Gold Medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva 2018. The mask reaches the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) F2100 Level 1 standard and can be washed 60 times. It can even be used for a long period after replacing the filter. "I am pleased to note that CuMask+™ is well received by the public and the registration process has been very smooth. As of 6pm today, over 1.57 million people had registered on the website. Relevant departments will arrange delivery of the masks to the public as soon as possible. I also appeal to members of the public to make use of the registration quota of up to six persons as much as possible to minimise delivery resources and enhance efficiency," Mrs Lam said. "CuMask+™ is a home-grown scientific research achievement with local application. The whole process has involved co-operation between the Government, industry, academia and the research sector and is an outstanding example of the use technology to improve people's lives. It will also help solve the problem of the supply of face masks during an epidemic in the long run. I highly commend all the people who have participated in the relevant work and I am fully confident in the development of innovation and technology in Hong Kong," Mrs Lam said. Ends/Wednesday, May 6, 2020 Issued at HKT 21:00 NNNN
Transcript of remarks by CE at media session before ExCo meeting
28.4.2020

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, at a media session before the Executive Council meeting today (April 28): Reporter: So, you have mentioned the border lockdown is likely to be lifted, however your delay to shut the borders’ facilities with China in January incurred having, including but not limited to 7 000 people from Wuhan travelled to Hong Kong and factually they used Hong Kong as a transit port and travelled especially to the West. It is public opinion in international community that it was the catalyst to result in the outbreak of coronavirus worldwide. So do you agree that your delayed border lockdown measure was responsible for the global outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic? Thank you. Chief Executive: First of all, I have to fiercely disagree and refute your very serious allegation. Your allegation is not substantiated by any evidence whatsoever. The Hong Kong SAR Government’s strategy in containing the spread of COVID-19 is to adopt measures based on science, evidence and also the advice of my experts on the expert advisory panel. We have taken very progressive steps to consolidate the border control points in order to reduce population mobility, which is one of the two-pronged strategies recommended by my experts. The second prong is to introduce very stringent social distancing measures in order to contain the spread of the disease. As early as January 27 - we have the first case in Hong Kong confirmed on January 23 - Hong Kong has already imposed a complete ban on arrivals from Hubei. And on top of that, Hubei residents not from Hubei, they could be in other places, in Shenzhen, were also disallowed to come into Hong Kong. That is one of the earliest places that we have imposed that sort of control on arrivals, from one of the major places where this infection has taken place. So for you to suggest that sort of allegation, that Hong Kong has become a transit centre for the spread of the disease worldwide, is most unfair and unsubstantiated. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) Ends/Tuesday, April 28, 2020 Issued at HKT 14:28 NNNN
CE welcomes passage of funding application for second round Anti-epidemic Fund by LegCo
18.4.2020

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, today (April 18) welcomed the passage of the funding application for the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund and other relief measures by the Legislative Council (LegCo) Finance Committee. "The epidemic has caused an unprecedented impact on Hong Kong's economy in the past three months. Various sectors have been hard hit with many businesses facing pressure to close down and massive staff layoffs being anticipated. The Government needs to take resolute and exceptional measures to prevent the situation from deteriorating and relieve the imminent need of the businesses and the employees. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the LegCo Finance Committee for passing the funding application for the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund and relevant items following some 20 hours of discussion so that the Government can implement various relief measures worth $137.5 billion as soon as possible," said Mrs Lam. "This round of relief measures includes an $81 billion Employment Support Scheme, subsidies to hard-hit sectors, financing guarantee scheme to help ease the cash flow of businesses, relaxed eligibility requirements for the Comprehensive Social Security Assistance to support the unemployed and the implementation of an MTR fare concession, benefiting directly and indirectly millions of members of the public. "Together with the first round of relief measures under the Anti-epidemic Fund worth $30 billion and the relief measures in the 2020-21 Budget costing $120 billion, the Government has committed a total of $287.5 billion, accounting for 10 per cent of Hong Kong's Gross Domestic Product. Given the epidemic's unprecedented impact on Hong Kong's economy, the Government has to dig deep into its fiscal reserves accumulated over the years to help our businesses and people. "I would like to express my gratitude to the organisations and individuals for submitting proposals to the Government after I announced the preparation for the launch of the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund, and to colleagues of various relevant policy bureaux and departments for their hard work. I have no doubt that various departments share the views that these relief measures are timely for many businesses and people, and will implement them at full steam to achieve the effect of safeguarding jobs and supporting enterprises." Ends/Saturday, April 18, 2020 Issued at HKT 16:42 NNNN
CE visits Social Security Field Unit in Tseung Kwan O
17.4.2020

The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, visited the Social Welfare Department's (SWD) Social Security Field Unit in Tseung Kwan O this afternoon (April 17) to encourage the department's personnel who have handled a large number of applications and enquiries in relation to social security programmes amid the epidemic in recent months. Mrs Lam was briefed by staff members of the unit on its work in recent months, in particular the rising number of applications since early March. She also spoke with colleagues and listened to their views. She pointed out that the severe situation of novel coronavirus infection in the past few months has caused serious impacts on various sectors in Hong Kong, presenting many families and individuals with financial difficulties, and that it is a good time for various social security programmes including Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) and the Old Age Living Allowance to demonstrate their function as a social safety net. In addition, the Government announced the second round of the Anti-epidemic Fund and other relevant measures worth $137.5 billion last week to ease the plight of members of the public. One of the measures is the temporary relaxation of the asset limits for able-bodied applicants of CSSA by 100 per cent for six months to support the unemployed. Mrs Lam expressed her gratitude to the SWD's staff members for their tireless joint efforts to deal with the heavy workload so that people facing financial difficulties can be provided with cash subsidies as soon as possible to meet their basic needs. She said she believed that the department would adopt corresponding measures to support colleagues including internal manpower redeployment and hiring of additional staff, consolidating workflow and streamlining work procedures to address any possible further increase in workload and enable the department to speed up processing of applications so that assistance can be rendered to people in need as soon as possible. "During the SARS period, I was the Director of Social Welfare and SWD colleagues' spirit of relieving people's burdens during difficult times made me proud. I encourage colleagues to assist people in need to apply for social security with empathy to help them overcome adversity," Mrs Lam said. Ends/Friday, April 17, 2020 Issued at HKT 22:51 NNNN
Submission of petitions before ExCo meetings continues to be suspended
11.4.2020

The Executive Council will be on recess next Tuesday (April 14) and will resume on April 21. Given that the situation of novel coronavirus infection remains severe, the arrangement for the Chief Executive to receive petitions outside the Chief Executive's Office before she convenes the Executive Council's meeting will continue to be suspended after the resumption of meetings to minimise group gatherings until further notice. Meanwhile, members of the public can email their petitions to [email protected] or send them to the Chief Executive's Office of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Tamar, Hong Kong. Ends/Saturday, April 11, 2020 Issued at HKT 14:48 NNNN