Radio Lantau News

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1. Fairview Park petitions over being in leaky law bind

   More than 40 homeowners from Fairview Park in Yuen Long petitioned the Home Affairs Department on Thursday, saying their estate had been left in a legal vacuum as the result of a loophole in the Building Management Ordinance. The owners, part of a representative group from the estate, said the department's officials, in response to a query as to why the estate was not covered by the Building Management Ordinance, replied with a technical explanation for the exclusion, denying them the statutory right to form an owners' corporation. Chim, one of the representatives from an association formed to lobby for the right to do so, said the rights of the owners have been harmed as a result of the estate falling outside the ordinance's ambit. "If we were covered by the Building Management Ordinance and we were not satisfied with the estate's management, we could still vote to change the composition of the incorporated owners' committee. But now, we don't even have the right to form an owners' corporation," Chim said. The owners' representatives group said the government failed to amend the law despite the Legislative Council's bills committee recognising there was a legal loophole as early as 2005 and promising to "continue to deal with" the issue. Chim said owners had approached the Chief Executive's Office and the water supplies and home affairs departments but that no department had taken up their case "directly". The group hopes the government can amend the law as soon as possible, saying the issue has been neglected for more than 20 years. Adding to the urgency for owners has been a move taken this month by the estate's property management company to terminate a HK$500 million water pipe replacement plan in spite of ongoing leaks.

2. Flipped dump truck disrupts Tai Kok Tsui traffic

   A dump truck on Thursday overturned in Tai Kok Tsui, disrupting traffic nearby. Police received a report at about 1pm that the truck flipped on its side on Hoi Wang Road. Officers said the driver suffered minor injuries and received treatment by paramedics at the scene. The Transport Department said due to a traffic accident, the only lane of the slip road leading from Hoi Wang Road bound for Sham Shui Po to Yau Ma Tei Interchange near Yau Ma Tei Police Station is closed to all traffic.

3. Officials, new lawmakers get up to speed in exchange

   The government on Thursday held an exchange session with lawmakers-elect that focused on the executive-legislative relationship and SAR's economic development ahead of the start of the new Legislative Council term. Of the 70 legislators-elect who were present at the event held at the Central Government Offices in Admiralty, 30 of them were new faces, including Olympic gold medallist Vivian Kong from the tourism constituency and longtime Sai Kung district councillor Christine Fong. Chief Secretary Eric Chan said in his opening speech that the session would help the administration and Legco work closely together. "We hope that by carrying out early exchanges with lawmakers-elect, we can build a consensus when a policy is at the stage of formulation so that the government's policy implementation can better align with the public's opinion," he said. Chan went on to say the administration is looking forward to seeing the lawmakers-elect scrutinise bills in a "high quality and high effective" manner and taking forward bills that help boost the city's competitiveness. It is also crucial to strengthen the executive-legislative relationship, he said, as building a consensus holds the key to transforming the 15th Five-Year Plan into tangible achievements and allowing Hong Kong to capitalise on the nation's strategic opportunities. The administration will work closely with the new Legco in carrying out reforms following the Tai Po fire and supporting the affected residents, Chan added. One of the legislators-elect, Kenneth Fok, said after the meeting that he hopes engagements between the government and Legco could start earlier in future. "The government's decision-making process, no matter if it's in legislation or even funding requests or approvals, they could engage us at an earlier time. Because I believe that our interaction within the Legco building may be short, but our working relationship begins much earlier," he said. "I hope the general public can understand that the interaction between the government and Legco starts in the early period and it's actually a very deep discussion." Chris Ip from the DAB said he hopes officials could start collecting legislators' views even when a policy is only at the formulation stage as he believes that would allow the government to better gather public opinions to implement policies more smoothly. Judy Chan of the New People's Party said the administration has to reach out to residents more often. "All the government officials, they should be like one of us, one of the legislative [councillors] from the general elections, to really get into the community and touch base with all the residents and talk to the residents... and really hear what they say [and] what they feel," she said. The Federation of Trade Unions said it hopes more job opportunities could be created by boosting the city's development and suggested the administration offer more training for workers to tackle the changes brought on by artificial intelligence. Top government officials, including Financial Secretary Paul Chan and Secretary for Justice Paul Lam, along with a number of bureau chiefs and undersecretaries, were among those joining the exchange.

4. Man arrested over armed robbery involving 1bn yen

   Police on Thursday arrested a man on suspicion of robbery after a billion yen – equivalent to about HK$50 million – was allegedly taken from a money exchange in Sheung Wan. Officers said they received a report from a staff member around 9am, alleging four men had targetted the shop on Queen's Road Central. Sources say two of them were armed with a knife and that they escaped in a vehicle in the direction of Bonham Strand East.

5. 'FT' plates lead as Guangdong cars enter HK

   The Transport Department on Thursday said it had received about 700 applications under the Southbound Travel Scheme, which allows Guangdong cars to enter Hong Kong's urban areas from next Tuesday. A government spokesman said vehicle and road safety are top priorities, adding that all cars entering Hong Kong must first pass inspections on the mainland, activate the HKeToll system, and fit Hong Kong licence plates starting with "FT". Under the scheme, up to 100 vehicles will be permitted to enter via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge each day and stay for up to three days. The department said it has produced short videos for Guangdong drivers explaining Hong Kong’s traffic rules and road signs. It has also launched a new function on its app to help them locate car parks with charging facilities. Businessman Mr Lo from Guangzhou is among the successful applicants. He is planning a day trip, driving from Guangzhou to Tsim Sha Tsui on Tuesday. "I plan to visit a few tourist spots and take some photos, then head over to Harbour City to do some shopping and check out a few famous boutiques. I plan to spend around HK$10,000," he said. "I’m also considering going to some places a bit farther away, places that were hard to get to before, but now I can drive there – like Barker Road area on Victoria Peak." The department said nearly 2,400 drivers in Guangdong registered for a draw run by mainland authorities. The draw took place at the end of last month, and about 1,700 drivers were selected as eligible applicants for the scheme. Chief Executive John Lee earlier stated the scheme would boost the flow of people and goods in the Greater Bay Area and create new opportunities for tourism and retail in Hong Kong. The government said travellers under the scheme are expected to be high-spending individuals and families.

6. World's largest bamboo altar dazzles crowds in Kam Tin

   Standing five storeys tall, Kam Tin's giant bamboo theatre is one of the top attractions at the Jiao Festival. Guinness World Records recently called the colossal structure the world's largest temporary bamboo altar, which serves as the centrepiece of the festival held every 10 years in Yuen Long. The centuries-old thanksgiving festival drew crowds of people, dazzled by the culture and the bamboo structure. "It reflects the versatility and the flexibility of the culture. It's not a material I would say that's used in any other part of the world as much," said 16-year-old Aine from Australia. American visitor Keith said there is nothing back home like what he saw in Kam Tin. "For me personally, it's synonymous with China and Asia in general, because I see it a lot in films. And when I come here and visit, I see it here. But we don't have that stuff back home," he said. Local resident Matthew, 25, said the technique of bamboo scaffolding should be passed down to future generations. "To build such a huge structure using bamboo and zip ties, without requiring any nails, it is really a mastery," he said. "Following the fire in Tai Po, it is quite unfortunate to have to give up on bamboo scaffolds." For Kam Tin villager and visual artist Tang Kwok-hin, bamboo has always had a special place in his heart. "I just love that when you walk in the bamboo structure, you can feel the temperature," he said. "This record recognises it as very important and significant for Hong Kong, and as a very special technique." Joining the festival for the fifth time, the 42-year-old villager helped organise photos from previous festivals to be showcased. "The festival is not only about the bamboo [structure], it's also about Taoism, rituals, paper-mache-like sculptures, and all the villagers," Tang said. "Our past is built up by these materials, and these materials represent the spiritual element." The tradition dates back to 1685, commemorating officials who allowed displaced villagers to return to their homeland. Organised by the Tang clan, the once-in-a-decade festival features Taoist ceremonies, deity processions, lion and dragon dances, Cantonese opera, puppet shows and communal feasts. This year's event ends on Thursday.

7. HKU confirms fake AI citations in research paper

   An investigation by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) has affirmed that a paper by a PhD student contained non-existent references generated by artificial intelligence. The findings, announced by the university on Wednesday, also prompted the corresponding author of the publication, Professor Paul Yip, to step down as associate dean of the faculty of social sciences. The paper is titled "Forty years of fertility transition in Hong Kong" and published in the "China Population and Development Studies" journal in October. According to the journal, the article was retracted on Monday. "The university's investigation substantiated that certain citations of the paper included non-existent publications generated by AI, which had not been disclosed by a PhD student involved in the research," HKU said in a statement. "The university has administered disciplinary actions and appropriate measures, including that the corresponding author has stepped down from his associate deanship at the faculty and also membership from research committees of the faculty and the university. "The corresponding author has also requested for retracting the paper from the relevant journal. "The PhD student involved is also subject to the university's disciplinary procedures." Following the incident, HKU vowed to strengthen mandatory training and assessment for all researchers in areas such as the use of artificial intelligence in academic research "for ensuring academic integrity is observed". All researchers are required to make sure their work meets international recognised benchmarks for quality and ethical conduct, the university added.

8. New Year fireworks show cancelled

   The government on Wednesday announced the cancellation of the fireworks display as part of the New Year's Eve countdown. It also said countdown celebrations will be moved to the pedestrian area on Chater Road in Central. Traditionally, the fireworks show ushering in the New Year takes place over Victoria Harbour. The government did not give a reason for the change. "The New Year's Eve countdown event this year will forgo the fireworks display and take place in an alternative format to welcome the New Year together with the public and visitors," the government said in a statement following a meeting of an interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements chaired by Chief Secretary Eric Chan. The Tourism Board will announce detailed arrangements for the countdown event later. Officials also said they have discussed with their Shenzhen counterparts on extending the service hours of boundary control points on New Year's Eve, with mainland officials seeking approval from national port authorities on the matter. Border checkpoints at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Lok Ma Chau will operate round the clock as usual on December 31. Chan said a "notable increase" in visitors during the New Year holiday is expected, and promised to prepare well to welcome travellers. Transport authorities would strengthen local public transport and cross-boundary coach services for countdown celebrations and other large-scale events, and formulate a contingency plan to set up a dedicated route for visitors to reach border checkpoints when necessary. Police, for their part, would arrange sufficient manpower to implement crowd management measures and special traffic arrangements.

9. Judicial independence in HK alive and strong: Bar

   Chairman of the Hong Kong Bar Association, Jose Antonio Maurellet, said on Wednesday that judicial independence and the rule of law in Hong Kong are “alive and strong”. Responding to the guilty verdict in former media tycoon Jimmy Lai's national security trial, Maurellet said the case was decided without interference or pressure, and the trial was held in open court. Speaking in Beijing where representatives from the Bar Association are meeting mainland officials, Maurellet noted that in many places, controversial judgements are common because societies are increasingly divided. "Very often what people will look at is not the reasoning, and of course I don't even claim to have read every page of the judgement. I've mainly read the pages involving with the law. I doubt that many people who have said what they have stated have had the time to fully digest the entirety of the judgement," he said. "But certainly, we believe that it's inevitable in this time and age that whenever (there are) judgements about certain people or certain topics, that will arise a lot of passion. And we as lawyers, what we can do is simply invite people, in particular the people in Hong Kong, to go back to look at what the law says, look at how it was applied, and to have trust and confidence as we have in the judicial process." The Bar chief said the delegation met Shen Chunyao, head of the Basic Law Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. Maurellet quoted the mainland official as saying Hong Kong’s legal sector has unique advantages, such as its common law system. The Bar chairman added that Shen expressed concern over the deadly Tai Po fire. Maurellet also said the association will offer pro bono help to those affected and support law reform to improve building safety.

10. HK people save more than HK$10,000 a month: survey

    Hongkongers are saving a record HK$10,100 per month on average, the highest since the Deposit Protection Board’s annual survey began seven years ago. The board, collaborating with Chinese University's Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, polled over 1,000 people in September and October. Sixty-seven percent said they have a habit of saving, a proportion similar to last year’s result. At a press briefing on Wednesday, board chairman Connie Lau said the rise in monthly savings reflects a stronger drive for financial security. “We believe people are setting systematic saving plans to enhance their sense of security. If they feel the need for greater financial assurance, building up reserves for the future is one of the key factors to drive higher savings," she said. The survey also found that nearly 90 percent of respondents aged 18 to 29 have a saving habit, and 32 percent of them set specific savings goals. “These two figures are the highest among all age groups, showing that young people have a strong desire to save,” Lau said. “This also reflects that most young people have developed a clear awareness and understanding of the importance of saving.” Respondents also said they believe they need about HK$1 million in savings or liquid funds to feel financially secure, which was about the same as last year’s estimate, Lau added. Parents, meanwhile, said they feel safe if they have set aside HK$2.26 million for each of their children.