National Security Education Day - Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development open day (13.4.2024)
13.4.2024

To support the National Security Education Day, the Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development (ISITD) held an open day today (April 13), drawing the participations of over 4 000 citizens. The Immigration Department (ImmD) aimed to raise the national security and law-abiding awareness of members of the public through the open day's activities, including introduction and demonstrations of the ImmD's daily work, exhibitions and guided tours, interactive try-out sessions as well as booth games, etc. The ImmD also highlighted its values and mission by showing dedication to preventing and defending against national security risks as well as tightly guarding the country's southern gateway. The ISITD set up various exhibition and game booths to interact with the public, introducing the technologies used in detecting suspicious documents, work of counter-terrorism and tactical equipment, etc. Members of the public were allowed to try out training facilities, including a mock immigration clearance hall and a simulated flight cabin, to facilitate their understanding of the multifaceted work and performance of the ImmD. A series of activities have successfully revealed the unflagging efforts made by the ImmD in safeguarding national security and securing the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong, which have also motivated members of the public to jointly assume the obligations to safeguard national sovereignty, unification and territorial integrity. The Immigration Department Youth Leaders Corps (IDYL) also set up a booth to promote cultural security to the public. Understanding that it is essential to safeguard cultural security through embracing the Chinese culture, the IDYL members not only demonstrated Chinese tea artistry at the scene and promoted Hong Kong's local specialty snacks, but also showcased the basic skills of Cantonese Opera and introduced Chinese dances by producing short videos, in the hope of promoting the diversified Chinese culture and stressing the importance of safeguarding cultural security to the public on all fronts. Their determination to take on the inheritance of Chinese culture was clearly displayed. The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, accompanied by directorate officers of the ImmD, attended the open day to visit exhibition booths and watch performances with members of the public. The Immigration Band took the lead to play multiple pieces of uplifting music and performed a spectacular band drill. As this year marked the 10th anniversary of President Xi Jinping's proposal of the Holistic Approach to National Security, the Departmental Contingent held flags printed with the Five Essential Elements of the Holistic Approach to National Security to perform Chinese-style foot drill, as well as lined up to form a pentagon symbolising the Five Co-ordination Tasks of the Holistic Approach to National Security. Besides, the Emergency Response Team of the Castle Peak Bay Immigration Centre demonstrated how to handle emergencies professionally and promptly with the use of various firearms and anti-riot equipment, which showcased the ImmD's response capabilities to deal with incidents that endangered public security. On the same day, the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, also visited exhibition booths, interacted with members of the public and cheered for the members of the Immigration Service. Ends/Saturday, April 13, 2024 Issued at HKT 22:30 NNNN