CommunityEducation
Government plans to overhaul the Social Workers Registration Board reflect a distrustful attitude to social workers, a union has said, claiming that authorities’ undervalue the sector. The Hong Kong Social Workers’ General Union, established in 1980, said on Facebook on Sunday that – while it expected the licensing body would be revamped – it was surprised by the speed of the government’s move, which left little space for discussion or consultation. The city’s welfare chief Chris Sun wrote on May 10 on Facebook that the licensing body was failing to bar those convicted of national security off...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s subdivided units should be a minimum of 100 square feet – or 9.3 square metres – a surveyors’ group has recommended to a government taskforce studying the city’s long-standing housing issue. In a press conference on Friday, the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors (HKIS) raised a number of suggestions for improving conditions in subdivided units, ranging from living space to fire safety requirements. The net area of subdivided flats should be no smaller than 100 square feet including the kitchen and bathroom, the group said. Around 20,000 to 30,000 currently live in subdivided dwelling...
Hong Kong Free Press
Pro-establishment lawmaker Rebecca Chan has urged the government to postpone the waste charging scheme for a second time, citing a survey conducted by the legislator which showed a large percentage of interviewees supported a delay. The online survey, conducted from April 30 to May 6, collected 959 effective responses. Chan said at a press conference on Thursday that, while 58 per cent of people supported recycling and waste reduction, 78.1 per cent said they “agreed” or “highly agreed” to postpone the official roll-out of the waste tax. The waste tax, a policy to encourage recycling by asking...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s iconic bun festival attracted tens of thousands of visitors to Cheung Chau on Wednesday, a public holiday marking Buddha’s Birthday. The Jiao Festival and bun scramble returned to the island last year, after a three-year halt owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. Other celebrations included a kung fu show, and the Piu Sik Parade, which translates as “Floating Colours” – in which children in fancy dress are held up on towering poles and paraded through the winding streets of the outlying island. Traditionally, they dress up in satirical costumes mimicking top officials, such as the chief ...
Hong Kong Free Press
Personal details of more than 8,000 students at a private Hong Kong college have been stolen and reportedly posted on the dark web, the latest in a spate of cyberattacks in the city which have sparked calls for tighter safeguards. The Hong Kong College of Technology – which offers a government-subsidised Higher Diploma in Cybersecurity – said on Thursday it suffered a ransomware attack by hackers in late February, in which many internal documents were stolen and encrypted. “This attack was not a typical one but rather a highly targeted and unusual cyber attack. HKCT strongly condemns any form ...
Hong Kong Free Press
A green group has called for a phased rollout of a controversial waste charging scheme, whereby it could cover most government premises but exclude public housing estates when it takes effect this August. In an open letter, environmental group The Green Earth urged the government to roll out the waste tax in phases, requiring government premises – including their offices, public schools, government staff quarters, and government-operated malls and factory estates – to take part. Public rental housing estates, however, should be exempt from the tax in the proposed first phase of the charging sc...
Hong Kong Free Press
The Hong Kong government should improve accountability and ensure computer security measures are put in place to protect citizens’ privacy, a lawmaker has said after two more departments reported data breach incidents last week. It was “not ideal” that government departments and statutory bodies often “procrastinated” and reported data breach incidents to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (PCPD) after “a certain period of time,” legislator Elizabeth Quat of the pro-Beijing DAB party said on Monday. Citizens’ data at riskThe remarks from Quat, who chairs the Panel on Info...
Hong Kong Free Press
Plans to introduce a problem-plagued waste charging scheme in Hong Kong will be reviewed by the end of May after a two-month pilot scheme and a report will be submitted to legislators, the government has announced. In response to a query from Ming Pao, the Environmental Protection Department said on Thursday the pilot scheme which started on April 1 would continue for two months, and authorities would submit a report to the Legislative Council on May 27. Authorities in January postponed full implementation of the waste charging scheme from April 1 to August 1, citing “public concerns”. Instead...
Hong Kong Free Press
Carers living in subdivided flats spend an average of 11 hours on weekdays taking care of their children, partners or parents, a survey has revealed, highlighting the issue of unpaid labour in the city’s disadvantaged community. Among the 317 caregivers interviewed, most of them were full-time carers while some had jobs. A total of 92 per cent of them mainly look after children, with 30 per cent taking care of children with special education needs (SEN) such as autism. Nearly 90 per cent of the caretakers were female. The care provided included arranging daily activities, looking after their m...
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong saw 9,437 cloud-to-ground lightening strikes across a 14-hour period beginning at 9pm on Tuesday, as severe storms lashed the territory, according to the Observatory. The Observatory said that heavy showers and squally thunderstorms will continue during Wednesday’s May Day holiday: “Showers will be heavy at times. Moderate east to northeasterly winds, gusty at times.” The thunderstorm warning was first hoisted at 7.17pm on Tuesday and remained in force on Wednesday morning alongside an amber rainstorm warning. Delays continued at Hong Kong’s international airport, with several planes...
Hong Kong Free Press
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