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Home and Away football tournament raises funds, awareness of plight of Hong Kong’s refugees, asylum seekers
- 2021-10-15
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Malick GaiEdited by: LI Chak Ho Samuel
- 2021-10-15
Sixteen local football teams made of refugees, asylum seekers, NGO volunteers and corporate workers kicked off a charity tournament yesterday in King’s Park to raise awareness and funds for local charity Branches of Hope. The Home and Away tournament winners, My Medicare & Turtles, were composed of players from the general public. Players for The Vine All Stars, Arise United and United FC are mainly refugees and asylum seekers. The team Stop Trafficking of People are volunteers from Branches of Hope. Another four teams are mostly made up of investment bankers and law-firm workers. “We could all be refugees at some point, we should accept everyone as human,” said Assan , who doesn't want to reveal his full name, captain of the The Vine All Stars. The tournament, organised by Branches of Hope, which works with the vulnerable and marginalised in Hong Kong, is the fifth since 2014 and the first in four years because of the pandemic and difficulties in finding a venue. The tournament has so far raised HK$150,000, which will mostly go to refugees and asylum seekers to subsidize their education and rent allowance. Teams from the public were required to raise a minimum of HK$6,000 to participate. “The support by the government is insufficient. We need to live properly too, with good accommodation and shelter,” said Ousman, who doesn't want to reveal his full name ,player for The Vine All Stars. “Lack of opportunities, lack of rights: they’re being denied the rights to flourish and that motivates me to remove all these barriers for them to grow,” said Aman Yee, Executive Director of Branches of Hope. Hong Kong is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and has no legal framework governing the granting of asylum. The Hong Kong …
Cleaners asked to clear debris of fallen plants under Typhoon Kompasu
- 2021-10-13
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Tracy LeungEdited by: LI Chak Ho Samuel
- 2021-10-13
Safety concerns arose as cleaners were asked to clear plant debris while Typhoon Kompasu was striking Hong Kong. “I am afraid to work because there are so many trees in this estate, but my manager told me to avoid them and continue working,” said Hong Xiujuan, a cleaner from Chun Wui Kee Company Limited. Typhoon Kompasu skirted around 400 kilometres away from Hong Kong in the early hours today. The Hong Kong Observatory hoisted the Gale or Storm Signal No. 8 until 4.40 pm and recorded sustained wind speeds of up to 120 kilometres per hour. Hong said her cleaning company told her to clean up the leaves and branches of fallen trees. The company cannot be reached for comment. At 9.15 am, a 5-meter tree collapsed and fell on three vehicles at the open parking lot at Tung Tau Estate in Wong Tai Sin, local media reported. As at 4 pm, the 1823 Government Call Centre received 72 reports of fallen trees, according to a government press release. The Labour Department states in its Code of Practice in Times of Typhoons and rainstorms that employers should give “prime consideration to the safety” of staff on duty and provide equipment such as “safety helmets with chin straps, raincoats and waterproof safety boots.” “The cleaners should not be working actually. The fallen trees in the estate will be handled by the engineering and gardening group of the Housing Authority after the typhoon,” said Lam Wai, a district councillor of Kwun Tong. “I think the government could monitor how the commissioners arrange jobs for their workers but they could not intervene actually, '' Lam said. Hong Kong was lashed by two typhoons this week. LionRock, which struck the city last week from 500 kilometres away, left at least 14 injured. The …
Panic-buying Emerges Before Typhoon Kompasu Hits the City
- 2021-10-12
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Jayde CheungEdited by: TUNG Yi Wun
- 2021-10-12
Hong Kong people scrambled for food after the Strong Wind Signal No.3 was in force, in order to have enough food before No.8 Gale or Storm Signal was issued today. Fresh meat and seafood in the Wellcome Superstore in Sha Kok Shopping Centre were sold out at noon, as Hong Kong people were panic-buying to get prepared for the approaching typhoon Kompasu. Chan Fung, a customer at Sha Kok Market, said she returned home empty-handed yesterday because of the stockout. She visited the wet market again this afternoon and bought more than usual, including two bags of vegetables, five oranges and a fish, which cost around HK$200. Prices were up for approximately 10%, Chan added. Still, she was not able to purchase any meat, as they were all sold out earlier. “I didn’t buy much, the food is just enough for tomorrow, because I guess the typhoon will only stay for one day,” Chan said. The second typhoon in the city this month is approaching after Lionrock’s visit on Saturday. Typhoon Kompasu will be nearest to Hong Kong in Wednesday's early morning, so the No.8 Gale or Storm Signal issued at 5:20pm will be in force at least before sunrise on Wednesday, according to the central briefing by the Hong Kong Observatory. “Strong to gale force north to north easterly winds, occasionally storm force offshore and on high ground,” said Yeung Kwok Chung, Acting Senior Scientific Officer of Hong Kong Observatory, in the central briefing at 9 pm. "Winds will moderate gradually tomorrow night, it will also be cloudy with heavy squally showers and thunderstorms." Queues in the Wellcome Superstore in Sha Kok Shopping Centre were extended to the back of the store. Tang Man-wai, a customer at the Wellcome Superstore, had only a box of sushi and four cup noodles …
Clogged sinks, awful food and poor service: Travellers shocked at Hong Kong’s quarantine hotels
- 2021-10-11
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Ziyu Bruce ZhaoEdited by: Shameel Ibrahim
- 2021-10-11
When Lau Kai Ching decided to come to Hong Kong from Malaysia, she found she had limited options in choosing a quarantine hotel. “I found that there were few designated hotels and most of them were full, especially those which were highly recommended by users on social media,” she said. “So I had to choose one called Ramada Harbour View.” Once she arrived in September, things were not what she expected. “The most bothersome thing is that, in the toilet, the pipe doesn’t work very well and the water gets clogged very quickly. I asked some people to fix it but the staff from the hotel said that they had no permission to enter the room of the traveller who was in quarantine,” she said. Lau said she wanted to change rooms but it required permission from the Department of Health. “Then I made a phone call to the department and the operator told me he had received the report and would arrange it as soon as possible,” she said. She said she received no reply after that. “Fortunately, after three days, the blockage of the water pipe eased a little. It could barely work but the water flow was so slow that it took a long time to wash,” she said. In Hong Kong, all inbound arrivals from outside of mainland China and Macau are required to quarantine in government-designated hotels that must be booked before boarding the plane. In September, 92,398 people arrived in Hong Kong, ccording to the website of the immigration department. Those from “high-risk” countries, such as the US, the UK and much of Europe, are required to undergo a 21-day quarantine and should be vaccinated. They are also required to undergo six compulsory tests during the period followed by a week of self-monitoring. Currently, …
Guangdong businesses can apply for quarantine-free permits to enter Hong Kong
- 2021-10-11
- Business
- The Young Reporter
- By: Phoebe LawEdited by: Jasmine Tse
- 2021-10-11
Employees of Guangdong companies can apply for quarantine-free business permits to visit Hong Kong starting today. The online booking system has a daily quota of 1,000 for entry via the Shenzhen Bay Port or the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port. This is on top of the existing scheme that allows non-Hong Kong residents from Guangdong province to enter the city without quarantine, which has been in effect since Sept. 15. Macau was removed from exemption on Sept. 25 because of its latest Covid-19 outbreak. Business owners welcome the new travel scheme. “Because of Covid and the quarantine policies, we were unable to meet friends and families, and I could not meet my business partners in Hong Kong,” said Feng Minliang, who owns a fashion exhibition-organising company in Zhongshan in Guangdong. “I think the new policy is very useful,” said Feng. “Although it is only a temporary solution, it is definitely a good start to help the economy recover from Covid.” Meanwhile, foreign businesses have expressed frustration with the city’s “zero-Covid” strategy. The American Chamber of Commerce said their efforts in lobbying the Hong Kong government to reopen its borders with the rest of the world has been fruitless, as reported by Bloomberg. “We’re at the point where it just feels like we’re talking to a wall,” Tara Joseph, president of AmCham in Hong Kong, told Bloomberg. “The longer the closing of borders goes on, the more vulnerable many businesses are,” said Brian King, the Associate Dean and Professor of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. “There will be job losses.” The number of headquarters and offices of mainland Chinese companies in Hong Kong increased by 22% to 1986 between 2019 and 2020, according to latest statistics from the Census and Statistics Department. Meanwhile, …
Hong Kong stock rises second week driven by Alibaba's rebounds
- 2021-10-08
- The Young Reporter
- By: REN Ziyi DavidEdited by: Shameel Ibrahim
- 2021-10-08
The Hang Seng Index closed (HSI) at 24,837 points on Friday with a 0.55% gain as the Chinese tech giant Alibaba (9988) continues to recover from its historical low point on Oct 5, after the positive sign released by the purchase from a big investor. Alibaba jumped 5.5%, Tencent (700) increased 2.2%, phone maker Xiaomi (1810) increased 1%, and food delivery giant Meituan (3690) surged by 2%, despite receiving a 3.4billion yuan fine from China's anti monopoly act, with Hang Seng Tech Index outperformed by rising 34 points. The stock price of Alibaba in Hong Kong leaped 7.2% after Daily Journal released the deal message on Thursday — the firm needs some common stocks to maintain "cash equivalent" other than US Treasuries, since "the current U.S. Treasury rate of return is so low," according to Daily Journal's Statement, rallying up the prices of other China concept tech stocks as well. HIS surged more than 3% yesterday. The HSI opened high in the morning and closed low during the noon break, dragged by a 6% incline of WuXi Biologics, and moved back to positive as tech companies remain the gain. AAC Technologies Holdings (02018) dived the most by 13%, with an estimated 51% to 61% drop in the third interim net income. At the same time, the sports stocks retreated, believing to be the fatigue in the retailing market. Li Ning (02331) decreased 5.8%, and Xtep (1368) dropped 6%. The HSI fell to its supporting level of 23,000 in September, while Alibaba (9988) has plunged 32% since the start of the year before Charlie Munger's overweight. The 97-year-old billionaire American investor's newspaper publisher and investment firm Daily Journal expanded the position in Alibaba (BABA) by nearly 83%, owning more than 302,000 shares with $45 million stakes worth. Chinese tech companies have …
Policy Address 2021 Key Takeaways: developing a metropolis and upholding 'one country, two systems'
- 2021-10-06
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Jasmine Tse、Janice LoEdited by: Simran Vaswani
- 2021-10-06
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s fifth and final policy address of her current term surpassed last year’s to become the lengthiest address ever. Reading her 80-page policy blueprint over a record span of two hours and 38 minutes, Lam spoke about her government’s commitment to the ‘one country, two systems’ principle and introduced the usual extensive list of economic and social measures. Here are five key takeaways from her speech today: 1.Increasing housing supply Lam said the government identified 350 hectares of land to produce 330,000 public housing units over the next 10 years, a slight increase from last year’s figures. Lam also announced the Northern Metropolis Development Strategy, a project to transform 30,000 hectares of the northern part of Hong Kong into a metropolitan area. Lam said the completion of the project will contain more than 900,000 residential units — including the existing 390,000 — to accommodate about 2.5 million people. However, local advocacy groups were disappointed by the policy address’ lack of plans in addressing housing needs in subdivided flats. 2. Bolstering Hong Kong’s position as an international hub Noting the financial services industry as “an important pillar” of Hong Kong’s economy, Lam aims to better position the city in bridging mainland China’s market with the international market by improving the stock exchange’s listing regime and expanding offshore business to using yuan currency. Lam seeks to further foster the city’s status in international trade by forming closer relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and seeking to join the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. Lam also pushed for Hong Kong to become a leader in legal and dispute resolution within the Asia-Pacific. The Department of Justice will organise the Greater Bay Area’s legal professional exam and allow Hong Kong enterprises registered in Qianhai to adopt Hong Kong …
Policy Address 2021: Carrie Lam acknowledges integration problem for ethnic minorities; expert says nothing has changed
- 2021-10-06
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: BellaHuangEdited by: Robin Ewing
- 2021-10-06
The Hong Kong government will assess the effectiveness of its four-year-old scheme to enrol more non-Chinese speaking students in local kindergartens, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said in this morning’s policy address. But local experts and ethnic minorities have little hope anything will change. “It is encouraging that the minorities are part of the policy address, but for me, the challenging aspect is, where is the political will to truly enact all of this?” said Jeffrey Andrews, the first ethnic minority in Hong Kong to have run for the Legislative Council. “There’s so much money already given, but for me, I haven't really felt or seen any impact at all.” In the 2017-2018 school year, the government implemented the Kindergarten Education Scheme, through which eligible children are able to attend local non-profit kindergartens with a three-year subsidy, according to the Education Bureau. As part of the government’s effort to integrate ethnic minorities into the community, kindergartens that admit more than eight non-Chinese speaking students are provided with additional funding. “Hong Kong actually does a good job in accepting non-Chinese, but one of the major things is the language barrier… I learned Chinese at a very young age. I found that very, very, very useful,” said Rubin Robert Fernie, a Scottish Filipino born and raised here. While the majority of the city’s population speak and write Chinese, less than one in five ethnic minorities are able to read Chinese, according to the Census and Statistics Department. In the 2016 Population By-census, 8% of the city’s population are non-Chinese ethnicities, an increase from 6.4% in 2011. “The policy is for sure important. But how do you implement them? In kindergarten education, how do you make sure ethnic minorities can learn Chinese in an equal environment?” said Leung Yuk-ming, associate director of …
Policy Address 2021: Carrie Lam to set up a new Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau
- 2021-10-06
- The Young Reporter
- By: Nick Yang、KOO Chi Tung 顧知桐Edited by: AMALVY Esten Carr Claude Ole Eriksen、Shameel Ibrahim
- 2021-10-06
The Hong Kong government hopes to establish a culture, sports and tourism bureau as a “east-meets-west centre for international cultural exchange,” said Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, in the policy address today. The central government’s latest five-year plan supports Hong Kong's development into a cultural and art exchange centre between China and the world. More details will be announced after consultations in the coming months, Lam said. The government planned to set up a culture bureau nine years ago, but the Legislative Council filibustered so the plan failed. Yeung Kai-chiu, a Hong Kong resident, said he is worried a new cultural mureau may restrict the freedom of expression. “In the past several years, Hong Kong culture focused too much on one particular thing — politics,” said Karson Mak, the business director of TODAY Publications and member of Hong Kong Association of Young Commentators. “The newly established Culture Bureau will make artists pay attention to more aspects of Hong Kong,” said Mak. These developments come in light of Hong Kong athlete’s record-breaking wins at 2020 Tokyo Olympics this past summer, resulting in a gold medal in men's foil fencing, two silver medals in women’s 100m and 200m freestyle swimming and three bronze medals in karate, cycling and table tennis. Hong Kong athletes followed suit at the 2020 Paralympic Games, collecting four silver and bronze medals in boccia and badminton and one bronze medal in table tennis. Lam added that the Hong Kong government intends to continue supporting both active and retired athletes with the construction of the bureau. “To enhance the steer of culture affairs in the HKSAR and strive for effective coordination and promotion of work related to cultural and creative industries currently undertaken by different policy bureaux, the LegCo and society generally support the setting up of a …
Policy address 2021: Northern Metropolis development project to boost land supply, address housing woes
- 2021-10-06
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: REN Ziyi David、Kylie Wong、Serena KongEdited by: Zhu Zijin Cora 朱子槿、CHEN Bingyi
- 2021-10-06
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor proposed a large-scale development plan in the northern New Territories in her last policy address of this term. Creating a new town on the border with Shenzhen, the plan will develop 600 hectares of land capable of housing 2.5 million people to address the current housing shortage. “We cannot avoid the question of how much land Hong Kong lacks, as the projected shortfall will guide our spatial development strategy,” Lam said. The plan was delivered as the government of one of the world’s least affordable real estate markets pledged to ease the housing problem under pressure from Beijing. “There will not be much change in the short term as planning requires time,” said Yuen Wai-kee, associate professor of the department of economics and finance at Hong Kong Shue Yan University. “What Lam puts forward now is merely an early stage conceptual layout while the actual implementation might take at least 10 years.” The plan will increase the city’s public housing, though Lam did not say by how many. According to reports released by the Hong Kong Housing Authority, the average waiting time for public housing in 2020 is about six years. For the single elderly applicants aged above 58, it is about four years. Many waiting for public housing live in cramped subdivided flats. Currently, 209,700 people live in units averaging one fourth to one third the size of a standard flat, according to the 2016 population by-census. in July, Xia Baolong, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, urged Hong Kong to scrap subdivided flats and “cage homes” by 2049. Beijing’s top representative in the city, Luo Huining, followed up by paying visits to such homes on National Day last week. Increasing land supply with more affordable houses has been a …