Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to exercise prudence and seriousness when defining national security offences under newly proposed legislation, dismissing concerns about a centralisation of power and stressing that the process often involves “state players” and highly sensitive information. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also said on Tuesday that the subsidiary legislation, which introduces a…
A nearly 180-year-old temple nestled in the heart of Wan Chai and Hong Kong’s only mosque inside a prison are poised to receive the city’s highest level of heritage protection under a government proposal. In a paper submitted ahead of a board meeting on Thursday, the Antiquities and Monuments Office recommended that Hung Shing Temple…
A mainland Chinese woman injured while travelling in Hong Kong has become the first patient transferred from the city to the mainland under the Hospital Authority’s cross-border ambulance pilot scheme. The patient, who requested to continue her treatment on the mainland, was transferred from Tuen Mun Hospital to Zhuhai People’s Hospital on Wednesday afternoon, according…
Hong Kong authorities have allocated HK$5 billion (US$638 million) in funding for efforts to safeguard national security, bringing the total amount earmarked for this purpose to HK$18 billion over the past five years, an official document has revealed. The South China Morning Post’s check on the government’s general revenue expenditure accounts for the financial year…
Tung vows to make library a world-class cultural centre By Shirley Lau This article was first published on May 17, 2001 After years of controversy and months of delay, the $690 million Central Library opened yesterday (May 16, 2001) with a commitment from Tung Chee-hwa to make it a world-class cultural centre. The 12-storey building…
The Hong Kong government has appointed veteran politician Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung to chair the board of directors of the Hung Shui Kiu Industry Park Company – the first entity established to accelerate the development of the Northern Metropolis project. The Development Bureau said on Friday that the board of directors comprises five bureau chiefs and…
Kudos to the Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan for introducing a two-tier civil service accountability system. This will include giving an independent statutory body, the Public Service Commission, powers to investigate “widespread, repetitive and systemic” management problems, while department heads can investigate problems involving rank-and-file officers. To many, the revamp of…
Hong Kong’s top-ranking civil servants will be held accountable if they fail to provide adequate support in policy formulation, the city’s leader has said, despite a new investigation mechanism that primarily targets department heads. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that the proposed “Heads of Department Accountability System” was intended to promote self-improvement…
Macau’s finance minister has resigned over “personal reasons,” prompting the city’s chief executive to temporarily assume his duties until a new candidate is appointed. The cabinet change took effect on Thursday after China’s State Council approved the removal of Tai Kin-ip from the post of secretary for economy and finance, in accordance with Macau’s Basic…
Hong Kong’s legislature will retain the power to scrutinise boundary changes for the Northern Metropolis megaproject proposed by the executive branch, the city’s development chief has said, addressing concerns over proposed laws to fast-track the scheme. Under proposed legislation comprising six main subsidiary laws designed to remove bottlenecks in the massive scheme near the border…